Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

Edward Irving, Morning Star of Renewal

have been more resignation to what would happen. He may not have per ceived that as pastor he had the authority to correct and challenge. Irving's neglect in handling the spiritual manifestations in the congregation was probably his major error. This neglect developed honestly, if unjustifiably. Irving had no models to follow in responding to the new spiritual manifestations, so he yielded his pastoral authority and responsibility-wrongly yet in genuine humil ity-to those who were spiritually gifted. This mistake has been made many times in Church history, springing out of the immature belief that people are infallible in their exercise of the spiritual gifts. One of the great lessons (which seems to be relearned in every spiritual renewal) is that gifting does not imply infallibility. Pas toral ministry and responsibility take precedence over spiritual manifes tation. Even if a leader is wrong in his evaluation, a church still benefits by obedience to his sincere directions. The testing, evaluation and supervision of spiritual gifts is mandatory, and although Irving and some of his associates seem to have made investigation, they showed an almost spooky acceptance of whatever happened. 22 Later Pentecostal groups discovered that it is not necessary for people to interrupt the pastor frequently while he is preaching. Parishioners can be taught to cooperate with God and the rest of the church body. The timing of mani festations represents a proper balance between spontaneity and control. True patience with maturing saints requires not passivity but the per sonal involvement of leaders who love the people yet are unafraid to chal lenge discrepancies, correct errors and work patiently to perfect a mature spiritual manifestation in public services. 23 6. During times of renewal, people sometimes assume authoritative titles that are unwarranted and divisive. When Irving returned to his con gregation, he found that his position as pastor had been superseded by those claiming the lofty titles of "apostle" and "prophet." Possibly the individuals claiming those titles had such potential, but the shortness of time that had passed indicates an undue infatuation with titles and a dis regard for function and ethics. The man who had built a small problem church into a mighty force was no longer thought worthy of leading. The decision was apparently based on hurried prophetic utterances that should have been tested and evaluated in the light of all God had done. Groups attempting to return to the practices and standards of the early Church invariably face the need for apostles and prophets. But the chal lenge of recognizing and appreciating such ministries has always been a problem. Some words of Jesus seem appropriate here: "You are not to be called rabbi (teacher), for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call any one [in the church] on earth father, 273.