Growing The End-Time Army, Through The Pure Milk Of The Word
The Holy Spirit is sent of God to be our Teacher, and the One who feeds us the word of God as newborn babes, leading us into all truth. This is what Jesus taught the disciples in John's Gospel:
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you of things to come. (John 16:12-13)
Peter now urged his readers to grow spiritually by the same means; taking in the word of God as newborn babes, by receiving "the pure milk of the word," which through the agency of the Holy Spirit leads to true spiritual growth and love for the brethren.
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1 Peter 1:22-2:3)
How was the Holy Spirit feeding them "the pure milk of the word" in New Testament times? Some within Cessationist circles do not like to admit it, but the Holy Spirit was often doing so supernaturally, through prophecy, dreams and visions.
Before the gospel was ever preached to the Gentiles, Peter himself received a vision of a curtain being lowered down to the earth with all sorts of unclean foods on it. The message the Lord was sending him was essentially, "Whatsoever is set before you, take and eat," and by extension, "No longer fear to eat with the Gentiles, for they are now about to be admitted into the household of God."
10 Then [Peter] became very hungry and wanted to eat. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and he saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, saying “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. (Acts 10:10-16)
The Roman Centurion Cornelius also received visions from God, and these two men eventually met because the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit was working in both their lives to direct them to one another, at which time Cornelius and his family heard the gospel, believed it and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
In other words, these visions are what led to the gospel first being preached to the Gentiles. It also opened the door for the entire church to begin receiving revelation from God concerning how He planned all along for this to happen, based on several Old Testament verses.
So the supernatural was playing a part in the pure word being ministered. Even Pentecost itself, where the Holy Spirit was poured out in great measure, ran a parallel with Mount Sinai, where the supernatural power of God was preset to give the Israelites the word. And on Pentecost, the apostle Peter declared that Joel 2 was now starting to be fulfilled, and that dreams and visions would be granted to the church to cause her to grow in the knowledge of God.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,' says God, 'that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And upon My menservants and My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’" (Acts 2:13-21)
If only this had remained the way the church operated in the things of God.
Ceasing To Receive As Children
One must become as a child to move in the prophetic. You don't know if what you are saying is actually true or of God or not, but you are being called to speak things forth, risking looking foolish. Tongues is no different. The disciples had to endure others thinking they were drunk, and Paul admitted in another place that visitors who saw that gift in operation would declare they had gone mad. But this is part of why the Lord commands us become as "little children." When we speak and act as the Spirit gives us utterance, the Holy Spirit is the One causing us as a body to "grow in the pure word of God" rather than the mere words of men.
Supernatural utterance continued to be attested by the early church well into the next two centuries. Justin Martyr wrote in the second century that "the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time." Irenaeus added "We also hear many brethren in the church who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light, for the general benefit, the hidden things of men and declare the mysteries of God... some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come. They see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years." And Origen as late as the mid 3rd Century was still professing to have been an eye-witness to many instances of exorcism, healing, and prophecy. Yet by the 5th century men like Augustine and Chrysostom were attesting that the gifts were now largely gone.
The Lord wanted the church to remain as children who continued receiving instruction through the Holy Spirit, yet the enemy crept in and began telling them they were "adults" instead, and didn't need the gifts. They had spiritually "grown up" now and could handle it themselves. The name "Chrysostom" meant "golden mouthed," and by the time such men were assuming leadership over the church, it was becoming a religious institution run and led by professional orators and rhetoricians rather than Spirit-led, common men like the Lord first chose. Now the church was being led by the very kind of men Paul said he was nothing like when he told the Corinthians:
1 Brethren, when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God.... my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1, 4-5)
The supernatural gifts continued to survive in what some early church writers referred to as "vestiges" of their former selves until the time of the Reformation, when the worst possible scenario unfolded. While wanting to defend themselves against Catholic excesses and abuses, instead of seeking God for a restoration of the gifts in their New Testament manifestations, the Reformed Movement completely threw the baby out with the bathwater and declared all supernatural gifts were not of God.
The Holy Spirit is sent of God to be our Teacher, and the One who feeds us the word of God as newborn babes, leading us into all truth. This is what Jesus taught the disciples in John's Gospel:
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you of things to come. (John 16:12-13)
Peter now urged his readers to grow spiritually by the same means; taking in the word of God as newborn babes, by receiving "the pure milk of the word," which through the agency of the Holy Spirit leads to true spiritual growth and love for the brethren.
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1 Peter 1:22-2:3)
How was the Holy Spirit feeding them "the pure milk of the word" in New Testament times? Some within Cessationist circles do not like to admit it, but the Holy Spirit was often doing so supernaturally, through prophecy, dreams and visions.
Before the gospel was ever preached to the Gentiles, Peter himself received a vision of a curtain being lowered down to the earth with all sorts of unclean foods on it. The message the Lord was sending him was essentially, "Whatsoever is set before you, take and eat," and by extension, "No longer fear to eat with the Gentiles, for they are now about to be admitted into the household of God."
10 Then [Peter] became very hungry and wanted to eat. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and he saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, saying “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. (Acts 10:10-16)
The Roman Centurion Cornelius also received visions from God, and these two men eventually met because the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit was working in both their lives to direct them to one another, at which time Cornelius and his family heard the gospel, believed it and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
In other words, these visions are what led to the gospel first being preached to the Gentiles. It also opened the door for the entire church to begin receiving revelation from God concerning how He planned all along for this to happen, based on several Old Testament verses.
So the supernatural was playing a part in the pure word being ministered. Even Pentecost itself, where the Holy Spirit was poured out in great measure, ran a parallel with Mount Sinai, where the supernatural power of God was preset to give the Israelites the word. And on Pentecost, the apostle Peter declared that Joel 2 was now starting to be fulfilled, and that dreams and visions would be granted to the church to cause her to grow in the knowledge of God.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,' says God, 'that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And upon My menservants and My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’" (Acts 2:13-21)
If only this had remained the way the church operated in the things of God.
Ceasing To Receive As Children
One must become as a child to move in the prophetic. You don't know if what you are saying is actually true or of God or not, but you are being called to speak things forth, risking looking foolish. Tongues is no different. The disciples had to endure others thinking they were drunk, and Paul admitted in another place that visitors who saw that gift in operation would declare they had gone mad. But this is part of why the Lord commands us become as "little children." When we speak and act as the Spirit gives us utterance, the Holy Spirit is the One causing us as a body to "grow in the pure word of God" rather than the mere words of men.
Supernatural utterance continued to be attested by the early church well into the next two centuries. Justin Martyr wrote in the second century that "the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time." Irenaeus added "We also hear many brethren in the church who possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of languages, and bring to light, for the general benefit, the hidden things of men and declare the mysteries of God... some do certainly and truly drive out devils, so that those who have thus been cleansed from evil spirits frequently both believe [in Christ], and join themselves to the Church. Others have foreknowledge of things to come. They see visions, and utter prophetic expressions. Others still, heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole. Yea, moreover, as I have said, the dead even have been raised up, and remained among us for many years." And Origen as late as the mid 3rd Century was still professing to have been an eye-witness to many instances of exorcism, healing, and prophecy. Yet by the 5th century men like Augustine and Chrysostom were attesting that the gifts were now largely gone.
The Lord wanted the church to remain as children who continued receiving instruction through the Holy Spirit, yet the enemy crept in and began telling them they were "adults" instead, and didn't need the gifts. They had spiritually "grown up" now and could handle it themselves. The name "Chrysostom" meant "golden mouthed," and by the time such men were assuming leadership over the church, it was becoming a religious institution run and led by professional orators and rhetoricians rather than Spirit-led, common men like the Lord first chose. Now the church was being led by the very kind of men Paul said he was nothing like when he told the Corinthians:
1 Brethren, when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God.... my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1, 4-5)
The supernatural gifts continued to survive in what some early church writers referred to as "vestiges" of their former selves until the time of the Reformation, when the worst possible scenario unfolded. While wanting to defend themselves against Catholic excesses and abuses, instead of seeking God for a restoration of the gifts in their New Testament manifestations, the Reformed Movement completely threw the baby out with the bathwater and declared all supernatural gifts were not of God.
