The aridity of Christianity lived from the neck up (Part II)

By Bishop Dave Chikosi 

In Part I of this series I argued against the aridity of a cessationist theology that seeks to rob the church of the marvelous gifts of the Spirit endowed upon her by her Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

I cited the testimonies of five early Church Fathers: Clement of Rome, Irenaeus of Lyon, Justin Martyr, Tertulian and Origen.

In Part II of this series I will cite attestations by another four early church fathers that demonstrate that the gifts of the Spirit did not cease “when the last apostle died.”

CHURCH FATHER #6: Novatian: 200AD–258Ad

Although he was excommunicated by the church for his divisiveness, Novatian is also remembered for writing a strong defense of the doctrine of the Trinity and for dying as a martyr during the second last wave of persecutions by pagan Roman emperors.

Novatian wrote about the key role of the Holy Spirit in supernaturally empowering the Church. He said:

“they were henceforth armed and strengthened by the same Spirit, having in themselves the gifts which this same Spirit distributes, and appropriates to the Church, the spouse of Christ, as her ornaments. This is He who places prophets in the Church, instructs teachers, directs tongues, gives powers and healings, does wonderful works, often discrimination of spirits, affords powers of government, suggests counsels, and orders and arranges whatever other gifts there are of charismata; and thus make the Lord’s Church everywhere, and in all, perfected and completed. 

CHURCH FATHER #7: ST AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO: 354AD-430AD

This African bishop is widely regarded as the greatest theologians of the early medieval Church. He systematized much of the theology that governed the teaching of the Western Church for over a thousand years.

For most of his ministry life Augustine was a cessationist. He believed that miracles had passed away when the last apostle died.

However about six years before he died Augustine rejected cessationism. This was due to a dramatic healing he witnessed at the beginning of an Easter service in the church he attended.  A man afflicted with epilepsy was healed instantly. This caused Augustine to investigate other reports of healing. In his later book “Retractions” he tells of his changed heart:

“But what I said is not to be so interpreted that no miracles are believed to be performed in the name of Christ at the present time.  For, when I wrote that book On the True Religion, I had recently learned that a blind man had been restored to sight in Milan . . . and I know about some others, so numerous even in these times, that we cannot know all about them or enumerate those we know.” 

In “City of God” Augustine details how he became a full blown “charismatic.” He documents over seventy miracles that happened around his churches. These included remarkable miraculous healings involving breast cancer, paralysis, blindness, and resurrections from the dead. “For even now miracles are wrought in the name of Christ” he wrote. 

Augustine reported one particular case of the healing of blindness thus:

“The miracle which was wrought at Milan when I was there, and by which a blind man was restored to sight, could come to the knowledge of many; for not only is the city a large one, but also the emperor was there at the time, and the occurrence was witnessed by an immense concourse of people that had gathered to the bodies of the martyrs Protasius and Gervasius . . . (de Civitate Dei, xxii.8).

Augustine complains the same chapter of “de Civitate Dei”, that miracles are relatively unknown not because they no longer occur, but simply because of bad communication and because people are conditioned to disbelieve them. Isn’t that still the problem with much of the church today?

CHURCH FATHER #8: THE VENERABLE BEDE: 672AD-735AD

Bede was an English monk who lived in Northumbria, England. His most famous writing is the “Ecclesiastical History of the English People.”  This five volume work records events in Britain from the raids by Julius Caesar in 55-54 BC to the arrival in 597 AD of St Augustine of Canterbury, the first missionary from Rome (not to be confused with St Augustine of Hippo in #7 above).

Bede quotes a letter sent by the Bishop of Rome (Gregory the Great) in A.D. 601 to St Augustine. Gregory’s letter acknowledges the fact that miracles were occurring and that they were very effective in drawing the English natives to faith in Christ. Bishop Gregory writes:

“I know, most loving brother (Augustine), that Almighty God, by means of your affection, shows great miracles in the nation (Britain) which he has chosen. Wherefore it is necessary that you rejoice with fear, and tremble whilst you rejoice, on account of the same heavenly gift; viz., that you may rejoice because the souls of the English are by outward miracles drawn to inward grace. 

This letter is one of the most precious records in all of the history of Christian literature. In it, Gregory does not marvel at miracles or revel in them. He accepts them as a fact of life. Gregory also acknowledged in the same letter that Augustine personally had “received the gift of working miracles.” 

But just how effective were the miracles in winning the pagans in England? Venerable Bede says the miracles were so effective that King Ethelbert, the king of Kent became the first English monarch to be converted to Christianity. Over 10 00 of his subjects accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and were baptized.

And when St Augustine died, his epitaph, according to venerable Bede, read as follows:

“Here resteth the Lord Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury, who, being formerly sent hither by the blessed Gregory, Bishop of the City of Rome, and by God’s assistance, supported with miracles, reduced King Ethelbert and his nation from the worship of the Idols to the faith of Christ, and having ended the days of his office in peace, died the 7th day of the Kalends of June, in the reign of the same King.” 

CHURCH FATHER #9: MARTIN LUTHER: 1483AD – 1546AD

This essay would be incomplete without mentioning the remarkable prayer of faith offered by Martin Luther for Melanchthon, his dying friend. When Luther walked into the room and saw his friend’s condition, it is reported that Luther “threw himself upon his knees, and wrestled with God for his recovery for upwards of an hour.”

Thrice Melanchthon beseeched Luther to let him depart to heaven, but Luther refused, saying “We can’t spare you yet Phillip!” And when Melanchthon was offered soup and refused, Luther threatened: “Philip, take this soup, or I will excommunicate you.” But it was Luther’s aggressive faith for the healing of his friend that throws cessationism into a frenzy. He almost sounds like a Word of Faith preacher! He writes:

“In this instance our Lord God had to pay me; for I threw the bag of concerns before his door and I dinned his ears with all of his promises as to how he desired to favorably hear our prayer— promises which I well knew how to document in Scripture! I put it to him that he had to grant my request if he expected me to continue to trust his promises!”(Cited in Th. Jungkunz, “Charismatic Renewal,” Concordia Theological Monthly 42/1 (1971), 5-23).

CONCLUSION: SO WHO’S AFRAID OF THE HOLY GHOST?

I love my cessationist brethren. But I think they have control issues. As long as they can control the Biblical text they are happy. What makes them uncomfortable is the apparent loss of control that they see in Pentecostal churches. They are highly suspicious of any emotional component in prayer or worship and become very uncomfortable with any mention of “the move of the Spirit.”

The trouble with this suspicion is that it leads to a dry orthodoxy in the church. This is the aridity of trying to live the Christian life from the neck up. You want not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge as well. The Bible urges us, not to be suspicious of the gifts, but to embrace them. Paul urges believers: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

Paul also cautions against prophetic skepticism. He says: “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20) 

[Bishop Dave Chikosi is a published author who writes articles on theology, economics and politics. More of his articles and teachings can be viewed on his blog http://davechikosi.blogspot.com. He can be reached at [email protected]]