Joel's Remarkable Prophecy of the Outpouring of the Spirit

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Joel's Remarkable Prophecy of the Outpouring of
the Spirit
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Two most important questions of Biblical exegesis

• What did the words mean to those to whom they
  were first spoken?
• What do they mean to us?

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Applying the Message about the Outpouring of the
Spirit Today
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Outpouring of the Spirit
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Possible answers

• Pentecostalism says Expect a miracle!

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Problems with this view

• Revelations are of dubious value and often
  contradict the NT
• Signs are not authentic miracles
• Ignores the external historical evidence that
  spiritual gifts came to an end

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Possible answers

• Pentecostalism says Expect a miracle!
• Denominationalism says, Let the Spirit guide
  you.

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Problems with this view

• There is no manifest miraculous confirmation of
  the truth and no way to determine who is being
  guided by the Spirit and who is not
• Even those who claim to be guided in
  understanding by the Spirit do not agree on the
  most fundamental questions
• The charismatic movement crosses over all
  denominational lines yet brings no clarity to
  the religious confusion of denominationalism!
  Why is that?

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Possible answers

• Pentecostalism says Expect a miracle!
• Denominationalism says, Let the Spirit guide
  you.
• Some brethren say Christians receive the Spirit
  in a non-miraculous way.
• Personal indwelling of the Spirit
• Representative indwelling of the Spirit

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Problems with this view

• Granting this assumption leads to classification
  of Biblical texts into miraculous and
  non-miraculous or charismatic vs. non-charismatic
  texts
• It separates the statements about the Spirits
  indwelling in the epistles from the background
  experience of those same churches described in
  the book of Acts
• Why is it necessary to have the Holy Spirit
  merely dwelling in a Christians body if He does
  nothing while there and there is no real evidence
  of substance that He is present?

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Applying the NT Teaching on the Outpouring of the
Spirit
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1. Acknowledge the manifest miraculous nature of
the outpouring of the Spirit

• The Scriptures refer to the miraculous work of
  the Spirit in new disciples with consistent
  terminology.
• In many of the texts where this language is used
  there are contextual indicators to show us that
  the writer is thinking of the miraculous gifts of
  the Spirit.

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2. Understand that this outpouring ceased

• In 1 Cor. 12-14 Paul gives commands that regulate
  spiritual gifts.
• We can apply the principle, but not the specific
  command.

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3. Acknowledge that what the Spirit accomplished
through NT revelation and confirmation can still
have an affect in the present
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NT Spirit-powered miracles can produce faith now.

• Through Spirit-powered miracles unbelievers were
  made to believe in the validity of the gospel
  through the miracles performed (Ac. 512).
• Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed
  in the presence of the disciples, which are not
  written in this book but these have been written
  that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
  the Son of God and that believing you may have
  life in His name. (John 2030-31)

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NT Spirit-revealed sermons can convict sinners
tell them how to be saved now.

• When the apostles were filled with the Spirit
  they spoke messages that convinced the sinner
  that he needed to repent and to believe in Jesus
  Christ! (Ac. 237-38)
• We separate out of the cases of conversion the
  miraculous elements and look for those timeless
  principles.

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NT Spirit-revealed truth can lead 21st century
disciples now.

• The early church received their guidance directly
  and by miracle through prophets and
  tongue-speakers.
• We read the Spirits message recorded in the NT.

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4. Acknowledge that reading about the miraculous
work of the Spirit in the NT is not a
disadvantage to experiencing it personally nor is
it an affirmation that the Spirit no longer works
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A message from a truthful messenger is just as
beneficial as an eye-witness experience.

• Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me,
  have you believed? Blessed are they who did not
  see, and yet believed. (John 2029)
• and though you have not seen Him, you love Him,
  and though you do not see Him now, but believe in
  Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible
  and full of glory, (1 Peter 18)

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The testimony of miracles can convince people
with a right attitude but even seeing miracles
cannot convince people with a wrong attitude.

• But he said to him, If they do not listen to
  Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be
  persuaded if someone rises from the dead. (Luke
  1631)

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The Spirits revelation is as living and active
now as it was in the first century.

• For the word of God is living and active and
  sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as
  far as the division of soul and spirit, of both
  joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts
  and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 412)

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The wonderful blessings of the Spirits coming
and work are available to us through the
Spirit-revealed and Spirit-confirmed message but
we cannot receive the Spirit as described in
Scripture.