November 17, 1993 ...you might share the ideas that people have, but you believe the things that you carry with you.. watch the conclusions they have.. that becomes real hard to discover when I think about it... PRAYER: Our Father, we gather to adore you, to read of you in the Holy Scriptures, and delight in what you have given to us, and thank you for the witness of the Spirit by which we draw near to you. Thank you for the times we have together, obviously this is a movement that we're looking at that is bigger than we are, and yet I pray Father that as we struggle along trying to understand, that you would give us insights, into our ministry, and how we interact with Charismatics that we will come in contact with as we serve you. We give our few moments to you; we just really thank you for that grace, that favor, you gave us life, we want to serve you and the flock of God in a way that brings glory to your Christ, and to that end we commit our few moments to you. Amen. ...how do you really control it? I think that's the problem I have with prophets and revelation.. I'm sure that God speaks to us today; I am sure that He walks with me and talks with me.. but I'm not so sure that He gives insight to me about other people.. and I'll always have responsibility for how He leads me.. if it turns out right, I say He did, if it doesn't, any wrong things I had, I'll have to blame on myself, but I don't know how to control it. In knowing our tendency for depravity and uncontrolableness, we'll get carried away.. makes it difficult. You don't bring an issue into the text that is not in the context of the text. I really think that in the days that lie ahead for us, the words we're going to be working with, if I were going to be a NT scholar starting out now doing my doctrinal work, I probably would work on a few words: apostleship, (that's a dissertation in and of itself; we shouldn't skip over these words), prophecy, and revelation. And probably another one I would do, (it might not be big enough for a dissertation), word of knowledge. I think those are the great words of the future that we need to be working on. ... we did that with Ryrie; in all fairness, we have people that become the interpretive grid to look at Scripture.. we can let our traditions blind us to Scripture because we always read through a grid... Every once in a while, you ought to throw away your grid, and read the Bible. re: Grudem's definition of prophecy/revelation...how can you have a non-binding revelation? That's my real problem. I'll never forget the day when Walt Kaiser took me, (here is a cessationist), he took me in his office.. and Walt (he's a fine man) said that the Lord told me that I should come to Trinity; and what went through my mind like a rolodex, was, you know, what is the Lord gonna tell this guy about me? ...I would rather say, it's not the word of God.. it's the insight of a Godly man, who wanted something very deeply, and was groping for terms to impress me; but you don't impress me by telling it's a word from heaven.. because once I get there, God might give him the word that he should cut my salary.. it's very very practical.. and I've talked to him about that, he was just pressing the point... I think we do is that we sense a deep leading from God, and then we find some verses that doctors us up above being able to be criticized.. the Lord led me.. no... I'd rather say I did it.. maybe the Lord led me, maybe He didn't.. this is my best sound judgment, that's it. I'll repent tomorrow... I could be in a happy fellowship, a reckless group that's trying its best, and we shall see if it's God... I'll never forget, that in Campus Crusades, very fine organization.. Bill had a vision.. he did, Bill had a vision.. it wasn't a 22-story hospital or a big picture of Jesus, he wasn't Oral Roberts.. he had a vision, that God wanted him to buy land in San Diego, and start a Christian university... and he pushed that all over Crusades.. and eight(?) years after that, it fell apart.. and I remember picking up the pieces in the conference room.. where else was Bill Bright wrong.. and is hype the leading of God.. you can get away nine times, but it might get you.. and all that Bill had to say, I talked to Bill about it, why don't you just say that you felt very strongly that this would be a preferable direction.. schnagle the troops.. let's go.. might be wrong, might be right.. but let's take a chance.. he would've gotten instant loyalty.. and when you fail, then you would be no different, because your humanity would be exposed, and people would accept that. We don't like failing.... he said that the Lord told me, to buy this land and to build this school.. well, I could say, well, the Lord is leading me, and seems like this would be right, but I don't know.. if only there is an apostle around do I know that it is when it's stated.. I struggle.. I think 99% of Charismatic movement is simply wish, and if they would say that, I feel the Lord is leading, then they would be right.. and 99% of it is just inconsequential, logical, affirmative, encouraging... I don't have objection to that, I just don't want to give it an authoritative title.