Three reasons God is a cessationist

Episode 2077
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[jtika]

Love wretched, watched it so much in the early days of my walk, back when they didn’t deride other believers. I surrendered to Christ in a pentecostal church & they have been the most charitable church family anyone could be blessed with. Love my church!! Community family church, Independence, KY. Pastor Tommy Bates.

[light-vegw]

In the last days, I will pour out my spirit

[eternalvictoryX]

Brother, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is working mightily in His people to this very day and I am a witness of that.

[NicholasDAngelo-zg]

I love how there were 0 verses mentioned to support their view even tho they say they believe only the Bible

[jacksonmaclachlan]

There's one place in the Bible that specifically states when spiritual gifts end & the obvious exegesis would say that is when Jesus returns. 1 Corinthians 13:8–12

[8] Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. [9] For we know in part and we prophesy in part, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. [12] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (ESV)

Am I expected to believe that "when the perfect comes" means the completion of the Bible? Is this what he's talking about when he says that he, the apostle Paul, "sees dimly" now, but then he will see Jesus "face to face" and "shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."? It seems oobvious to me that he's saying the gifts will end when Jesus returns.

I believe the Bible is perfect, I believe the canon closed with Revelation, I believe no one can add to scripture, I believe that this can create messes when attempted with bad hearts (Corinth is a good example). But I also believe God can speak through the imperfect gift of prophecy, but it should never contradict scripture (which is perfect & infallible) & should be weighed with wisdom.

Thanks for your thoughts brother, but I politely disagree with you.

[joshuabergen]

Oh boy.... Seek the greater gifts... Given to each by the Spirit FOR THE COMMON GOOD. The church

[stevehardwick]

I simply am not willing to be a liar and claim I have Apostolic gifts I wasn't granted. Charismatics don't have that conviction.

[stevenmartinez]

I think it’s pretty revealing how bad this cessassionist view of Scripture is, when they take the time to still delete comments on a 6 year old video

[DEG]

John 14:12-14
American Standard Version

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask [a]anything in my name, that will I do.

[GarrettShrouder]

Interesting that the scriptures were called a 2 edged sword while miraculous spiritual gifts were occurring….

[ollvebranch]

I came here to find out what cessationism is all about. Now I know why my husband couldn’t settle in an evangelical church.

[bibelots]

Seek God for yourself! Read the Bible for yourself! God performs miracles and gives his people spiritual gifts. These learned men may know the scriptures but not the power of God. Notice, there were zero verses supporting this theory. Don't let the abuses of charismatic churches and parking lot prophets convince you that God does not still perform the supernatural through his people.I encourage everyone to search the scriptures themselves and pray to God to confirm or unconfirm cessationism.

[jacquespotgieter]

People please, once and for all, LISTEN! PLEASE LISTEN: Spiritual gifts did not cease only the SIGN GIFTS ceased, mkay.

[charliee]

Cool, but can you show us some scripture and not powerpoint slides your church created?

[meaganrenee]

Did God tell him He [God] is a cessationist? Thus say it the lord I am a cessationist”?

[j.n.]

Out of curiosity:
1. Does the earthly experience of rarely reported miracles supersede biblical authority?
2. Does the doctrine of cessationism "add to the bible" since it came along after the closing of biblical canon?

[grovey]

OK SHOW ME A BIBLE VERSE WHERE IT SAYS GOD IS A CESSATIONIST 🤣🤣🤣🤣I REALLY FEEL KINDA SAD MIXED FUNNY OF YOU GUYS, BUT I PRAY U BE FIRM IN CHRIST🙏

[josiahsliv]

I made a video recently "The Foundation of the Practice of the gifts of the Holy Spirit." If you would like to see a more Bible based continuationist viewpoint on the gifts of the Spirit today.

[crookedinapot]

Mark 16 says these signs shall follow them that believe they will cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink anything deadly it wouldnt hurt them, lay hands on sick and they shall recover snd they went everywhere with the Lord working with them and they confirmed the word with signs following.
God is not a cessationist

[donpetty]

Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. Did Todd mention them?

Let's look at Ephesians 3:19
"19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you will be filled up to[a] all the fullness of God."

Paul is praying that the Ephesians would know the love of Christ in a way that surpasses or exceeds or goes beyond knowledge. And that they be filled up to the fulness of God. What is Paul saying here?

Let's look at the Classic Amplified version:
"19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, [a]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [b]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] [c]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and [d]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!"

Oh wow! Look at that! That they may come to know, practically, through "experience" the love of Christ, and this far surpasses mere knowledge (book learning) without experience. That you may be filled through all your being unto the fulness of God, that is may have (experience) the richest measure of the divine Presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself! Wow, lots packed into that verse, eh?

Paul wants them to know Christ's love "experientially", and not believe through faith, only, that this is true. He wants them to experience the richest measure of the divine Presence and become wholly filled and flooded with God's Holy Spirit, from head to toe.

Why does Paul want this for them? Paul, in chapter 1, verse 17 says, "17 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, ". He goes on, "19 And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,

20 Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]"

Paul wants them to experience the greatness of God's power, not just through knowledge and intellectual understanding, but experientially. There are times when such experiences can keep us from becoming discouraged, it can keep us from falling away, it will also change us forever in that we will "KNOW" Christ is and that HE has risen.

Have you ever prayed this prayer for others? That God would give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ? As Ephesians says Christ's riches are unsearchable (far beyond what we could ever know).

Please note that it is the Apostle Paul that prays that the Ephesians will be granted a spirit of wisdom and of "revelation" [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Christ.

So, I ask you, does that contradict what Mr. Friel is teaching, Cessationism? I think it does.

My experience in April of 1972 mirrors Ephesians 3:19 in the Amplified. I wasn't seeking such an experience, nor did I even know such things happened to believers today. This experiential filling with the richest measure of God's Presence lasted for 3 days. During this time, the night after God filled me with His Presence, I prayed for a fellow college student, Jim L., that I had witnessed to a week or two prior. I prayed for his salvation and God confirmed to me, through the Spirit, that Jim would be saved. I was shocked by both events, God filling me with His Spirit in an experiential way and God telling me of Jim's future salvation. I had never experienced anything like this before. I come from a Baptist background and was discipled by The Navigators. Such experiences were never talked about in those circles. So, I had no frame of reference in which to digest this.

In the Fall of 1972, when I went to the college men's dorm to sign in and get a room someone whispered my name as I was signing in. I turned to see who it was. It was Jim L. We talked. He said he had been saved during the Summer. He asked me if I'd help him grow in his relationship with Christ, so I discipled him as I had been discipled.

God had told me of a future event to take place, Jim L.'s salvation. I didn't know how or when this would happen but God told me it would, before it happened. If a Cessationist wants to make a big deal of this, like it should be cannonized like Scripture, I think that's just ridiculous. Nevertheless, what I have told you is the truth. One day you will know it is, on the other side.

God's Word is the primary source for learning about who God is, growing in our relationship with Him and being comforted, strengthened, edified, and rebuked. But there are times when God chooses to show up in a person's life for His own purposes. It may be as a reward for our faith and obedience to Him.

John 14:21
"21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]"

Make Himself real to us. Yes, Praise God,

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He showed up at times in the OT and does so in New Covenant times, also. He doesn't change.

I Corinthians 2:9
"“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor 2:9)

Hebrews 13:2
"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

Sorry, Cessationists, but there are things of which you know not, and, therefore, you shouldn't be teaching false doctrine about something that is real and which you haven't experienced.

Two or three witnesses. Well, I know of another believer, far more creditable than myself who has experienced something very similar to myself. His name is Dr. Charles R. Solomon. As a result of God filling him with His Presence, experientially, he started Grace Fellowship International. Dr. Solomon went to be with the Lord in 2020. Here's a quote from his blog:

""As I read this verse the reality of it was driven home by the Holy Spirit and I fell to my knees in the presence of God. In fact, it was so real that I even opened my eyes to see if He were visible. It was as though I was filled with the Spirit from head to foot; I literally tingled as the thrill of deliverance for which I had waited in unbelief was finally realized."


Did you get that? The experiencing of God's Presence was so real to him that he opened his eyes to see if Christ was visible. And he says he was filled with the Spirit from head to foot. Please refer back to Ephesians 3:19 in the Amplified to read, again, what it says.

This is real, folks. And it is found in God's Word. He rewards the obedience and faith of His children with manifestations of Himself sometimes. He chooses how and and when He does this. Get this: these manifestations, making Himself real to his children, are His Will, not charismatic mysticism. It's not even related. It is the truth about God from His Word.

Is the Scripture sufficient, by itself? Absolutely. But, as we see in the Scripture I'd quoted, God promises to reward faith. How He does is up to Him. We can't put Him in a box. As we see in Ephesians 1:17 and 3:19, being in God's Presence and having the richest measure of the divine Presence experientially are concepts taught in God's Word. Having a revelation in the knowledge of Christ is also taught in God's Word. It's all there.

I agree that such things are not "normative" in a Christian's experience, meaning they don't happen everyday. But God's Word says they do occur. So, there it is. What will you of the reformed systematic theology camp do with it?

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. "