Several weeks ago I watched a most interesting discussion on the YouTube channel, Sola Media. Dr Wayne Strickland brought up the fact of angelic appearances figuring frequently in Scripture. I found his introduction to the topic, as well as the discussion that followed with his Sola Media colleagues, fascinating. I reflected on the discussion because I have had what I believe to be a few spiritual experiences across the course of my life. I have never thought of these as angelic visitations but as from the Holy Spirit. I wrote about a recent one in the post, ‘What Is Faith’. The experience I wrote about there was spiritual because it was communication from the Holy Spirit to me, Spirit to spirit, without going via the mind – ie via thoughts coming from me. The thought or words were given to me in a time of spiritual attack. It was spiritual attack because it was an attack on my apprehension of Christ’s saving work, including Christ’s saving work for me. As I was finding it difficult to accept the truth of this for me, I believe the Helper impressed upon me its relevance, including its relevance for me. He reminded me of Christ’s words, but He did more than remind me. He impressed upon me that they apply to me as well. In other words, He convicted me. It was both a comfort and a slight reproval. Christians need to believe that what God has told us is true and is true even for ourselves.
As I pondered that attack I realised that it came because I had always hoped to be ready to meet God through having made some grand sacrifice for Him, not even in the likeness of someone biblical but just that might meet my standard for readiness. That will never come, no matter what I do. Not even the great Apostle Paul can stand before God because of what he has done for Him in ministry. Billy Graham cannot stand before God with a list of converts he helped produce. Any number of impressive Christians won’t stand before God with anything but the death of Christ as their vicarious sacrifice, leading to their release from punishment, punishment that is due to all human beings for their failure to be perfect. The Holy Spirit helped me realise spiritually something I had always known intellectually as a Christian, that only Christ can atone for me and make me perfect and fit to live eternally with God. That applies to everyone. The only qualification for entry into heaven is faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and on the basis of that faith, allowing Him to be the Lord of our lives through obedience to Him.
I would be quite happy if God decided to send me an angel to correct or comfort me but as it happens, my message must have come not from angels but from the Holy Spirit because it came in these words, “Trust Me” or “trust me”. An angel delivering such a message would be in blasphemy terrain. Our trust is in God alone for our salvation. Trusting in angels for salvation would be akin to worshipping angels which is forbidden, even by God’s angels as we see here:
Revelation 22:8-9 (NASB) 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But he *said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”
For those who seek a spiritual experience of God in order to validate His existence, our prayers may not be answered as we would like. We can’t demand God do for us what we think He should do but we must continue to seek Him and not just spiritual experience of Him. Ask God for help to believe. If we want to have cause to believe in Him, if there is a genuine search for God, ask Him about this:
Matthew 7:7-11 (NASB) 7 “ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
We must allow God to be God. By that, I do not mean we have any other choice. We can’t make God do anything. We must accept His will, not try to impose ours upon Him. That said, it is good to legitimately seek God Himself. The best way to do this is to study what He has revealed to us. It is found in Scripture. Use what we do have access to. The other, experience of God, may follow. God treats us all individually and differently. For Paul, He had experience of God before anything else. He did not find the true God through his Old Testament Scriptures. Instead, he was given an amazing conversion experience. Prior to his conversion, Paul’s interpretation of Old Testament writings led him to actually hate God. This was manifest in his persecution of the early Christians. One of these was Stephen, an early church deacon. Paul gave his blessing and assistance to Stephen’s murderers as he was being martyred :
Acts 7:54-58 (NASB) 54 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. 58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Saul was of course Paul. God saved Paul in a most extraordinary way. He was struck down with blindness, had the blindness removed after three days through the laying on of hands by a faithful Christian, Ananias, and experienced other blessing, teaching and assistance from fellow believers. He was given extraordinary spiritual experiences like visions and messages from God. He was even taken to “the third heaven/Paradise” –
2 Corinthians 12:1-4 (NASB) 1 … but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.
For us, even if we do experience God in some especially spiritual way, we need to submit to God’s will as far as we can. God is patient with us. Do what you can to kindle your search for the truth. Study the Bible with the help of a study Bible. It can be difficult to decipher its meaning reading it with no or little meaningful church background. Pray to God for His guidance of your understanding as you read it. Pray for God’s encouragement to persevere as a Christian. You need God’s protection in a world where Satan can hold sway over you. Turn to God daily and ask for His guidance for your life, for what to drop in life and what to do.
Supernatural manifestations in this world need to be carefully evaluated and interpreted. They must not be defined or rejected without attention to all the facts. They must not be attempted to be whipped up via emotion because this will only end with emotion. A spiritual experience is spiritual. An emotional experience is emotional. Mental effort is intellectual effort. These all differ from one another. Whatever supernatural beings or Being speak to you, whether by words or impressions, make sure they are from God, and be open to their possibility. The message you receive, if it is from the God of the Bible, will not at all jar with all things we have been told in Scripture.
The words given to me by the Holy Spirit are confirmed by John 14:26. I believe these words remain in effect on individual believers until Christ’s return. They are not just directed at the ministry of the disciples/apostles. Yes, Jesus was addressing His disciples minus Judas Iscariot in this verse, but so is He in Matthew 28:19-20 with the great commission, to preach the gospel to all nations. We do not limit who Christ is addressing for this command, nor should we for other parts of Scripture, including this one :
John 14:25-26 (NASB) 25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Our World Our Faith 