Are We Charismatic?
What does it mean to say that our church is a charismatic church or that I myself am a charismatic Christian? The word itself "charisma" mean grace gift. It points specifically to the gifts that are mentioned in Scripture although not only those in 1 Corinthians 12. To say that I am a charismatic most certainly means that I believe that the gifts (all of them) in Scripture are active and useful for the Church and for individual believers today. I say this to state what is obvious.
A Biblical charismatic is not those folks that you see on "christian" T.V. Most people have had this stereotype engrained so deep in their minds that they may never have it extracted no matter how sound the Biblical support may be presented to them. So regardless of what many have seen, it is the duty of all believers to search the Scriptures and see for themselves what is and isn't expired or still existent among us.
Much of the trouble, I believe, stems from ignorance as to what they are for. As Christians we are to worship and adore God. We are encouraged to see (by faith) his most excellent being and savor it with all of our being. We must drive so deep into the things of God that it must by necessity demand expression by all our faculties and not just our reason. Worship is responding to God by what we see of him by faith. If we were to see the glorious and majestic and most supreme qualities of God, even in the minutest portions we would be forced in some manner to respond in a fashion that many would by natural reflex call emotionalism. God is not just to be relished by the intellect. He is to be consumed by the whole soul and body as well. This must produce what affections may be called or deemed charismatic. Although the definition does not mean any specific outward expression of the believer to God, this is what most say when they refer to a particular style of worship or prayer or whatever (all of which I am not defending).
No, the effects on the body (whatever they may be) happen by default by us seeing Christ. It is absurd to say they produce none. One would certainly have to restrain oneself not to allow the body to show what effects those inner ravishings of delight are producing when the Word of God illumines our spirit as we look at his truth. The more I know Christ the more I find being charismatic in expression almost unavoidable. I must cry, shout and lift my hands while hearing or singing of his most awesome essence. We see this all over the pages of Scripture and in many diverse personalities ranging from rich to poor or from king to slave. No delights of men can be confined to the mind only, so how much more the glorious nature of God! Is this not the way it is in the natural? When we are winners of a large sum of money do we find it hard to contain ourselves? The man at the Gate called beautiful couldn't contain it
