Methodist founder John Wesley is the source of the Methodist Quadrilateral, which states that there are sources of doctrinal authority: Scripture, (primary) Tradition, Reason, and Experience. So this thread will generally focus on experiences of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially my own and those with whom I'm acquainted. I will restrict myself to my experiences of 2 gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues (= glossolalia) and "the world of knowledge" (1 Corinthians 12:8-10).
(1) If skeptics like had experienced what I did in my first example below, I have no doubt that they would not only treasure speaking in tongues, but would consider the experience the high point in their lives. Even now, decades later, I constantly draw emotional and spiritual nourishment from the very memory of that fateful day. By far he most powerful and important turning point in my life was an experience of glossolalia at Manhattan Beach Camp in Manitoba. I was 16 at the time and felt I had lost my faith. I was determined to give it my best shot to find God real, but not to succumb to wishful thinking and emotionalism. That fateful, Tuesday, I went on a 7 mile walk towards Ninette, MB, pleading with God to make Himself real to me. That evening, I did something I'd never done before. I fasted for dinner and put my dinner money in the offering plate. After the service, I stayed at the altar and prayed to be filled with the Spirit as i had previously done in vain. After almost everyone (about 1,000) left the amphitheater, my heart still felt like stone as I tarried in prayer. Then suddenly I felt a warm breeze, but it wasn't the wind from nearby Pelican Lake; it was the Holy Spirit first warming me and then possessing me. I was forced against my will to speak in tongues at the top of my voice. More importantly, wave after wave of liquid love surged through my being with ever increasing intensity until I feared it might kill me. My ego seemed on the verge of collapse into the divine presence.
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(1) If skeptics like had experienced what I did in my first example below, I have no doubt that they would not only treasure speaking in tongues, but would consider the experience the high point in their lives. Even now, decades later, I constantly draw emotional and spiritual nourishment from the very memory of that fateful day. By far he most powerful and important turning point in my life was an experience of glossolalia at Manhattan Beach Camp in Manitoba. I was 16 at the time and felt I had lost my faith. I was determined to give it my best shot to find God real, but not to succumb to wishful thinking and emotionalism. That fateful, Tuesday, I went on a 7 mile walk towards Ninette, MB, pleading with God to make Himself real to me. That evening, I did something I'd never done before. I fasted for dinner and put my dinner money in the offering plate. After the service, I stayed at the altar and prayed to be filled with the Spirit as i had previously done in vain. After almost everyone (about 1,000) left the amphitheater, my heart still felt like stone as I tarried in prayer. Then suddenly I felt a warm breeze, but it wasn't the wind from nearby Pelican Lake; it was the Holy Spirit first warming me and then possessing me. I was forced against my will to speak in tongues at the top of my voice. More importantly, wave after wave of liquid love surged through my being with ever increasing intensity until I feared it might kill me. My ego seemed on the verge of collapse into the divine presence.
A Lutheran pastor observed me, unseen, and quietly came and knelt beside me. He told me he was not Pentecostal and had only come to the camp meeting as an interested observer. He said he could tell God was doing a special work in me and he asked me to pray for him. The moment i touched his forehead, he exploded into tongues like me. Another lady was sitting in the now darkened amphitheater and just staring at me. Self-conscious, I asked her why? She said, "Don't you know? Your face is glowing in the dark!"
When it was all over, I realized that God had said to me clearly: "Son, you long for answers to burning questions. But answers aren't good for you right now. They will make you live in your head, and i want to live in your heart. I want you to live your questions until they lead you to the center of my heart." That is the reason for my long educational pilgrimage from BA to MDiv to doctorate. Interestingly, the experience made me a much better student than I had been. And it led to experiences of spiritual gifts that, at times, provided more questions than answers and at other time gifted me with my most electrifying life experiences.
When it was all over, I realized that God had said to me clearly: "Son, you long for answers to burning questions. But answers aren't good for you right now. They will make you live in your head, and i want to live in your heart. I want you to live your questions until they lead you to the center of my heart." That is the reason for my long educational pilgrimage from BA to MDiv to doctorate. Interestingly, the experience made me a much better student than I had been. And it led to experiences of spiritual gifts that, at times, provided more questions than answers and at other time gifted me with my most electrifying life experiences.
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