not what happened then, but what happens afterwards. The fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 6, is considerably more than a con tinuing series of charismatic mani festations. (3) When asked if we can dupli cate the Indonesia revival in Amer ica, the author of Like a Mighty Wind says we can if we will "take out that small computer which is your brain and put it in a little box and shoot it to the moon. Then let God use your heart." Even allowing that he is speak ing hyperbolically, that still is a dangerous statement. Emotion un restrained by reason is a risky guide. God has never asked a man to murder his intellect in order to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit. Instead, Paul counsels us to have renewed minds (Romans 12:1-2). The intellect, renewed and con trolled by the Holy Spirit, can be a tremendous instrument for good. A person with a "blown mind," whether through drugs, alcohol or a counterfeit religious experience, throws himself wide open to all kinds of demonic influences. Deplore with me, if you will, the sterile intellectualism of contem porary western religion, but renew al is not to be found in dispatching your brain to the moon. (4) I am concerned that this book may do more to stop the revival in Indonesia than it will to start one in America. Let me explain. First of all, the astounding hu mility of the Trinity precludes any exaltation of the Holy Spirit over Christ. Jesus said the "Spirit of truth . . . shall testify of me" (John 15:26). The Godhead is agreed that it is the Son who shall be exalted. The Son magnifies the Father (John Page 33
such a moment. Past experience teaches us that as the moment passes, so do the miracles. To try to reproduce them in another time and another context (or even in the same context) is an effort doomed to failure. And the failure, in addi tion to giving the enemies of God an occasion to scoff, could prove disastrous to the weak faith of some. (2) This book raises for many people the question: "Are charis matic spectaculars the norm for every revival?" Unfortunately the book implies an affirmative an swer. My correspondence shows the kinds of spiritual problems that result from such an assumption. Miracles are not served up on order. By their very definition they are the exception rather than the rule. It is very important to know that miracles, tongues and other charismatic expressions have not been the rule in the Indonesian revival. Of the tens of thousands touched by the Spirit of God on Timor, only a handful have claimed the gift of tongues. Thousands of believers in those churches have never experienced a miracle be yond the new birth. To portray miracles as the re vival norm is to encourage honest and sincere Christians to try to work up in the flesh what the Holy Spirit has not produced. In some cases, as with the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19), the results are lud icrous. In others, they are faith- shattering. A miracle is not authenticated by repetition. Nor is one's spiritual life enhanced by building a taber nacle alongside the memory of a miracle and staying there, trying to recreate the glow. The real test is
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