BEING EQUIPPED AND STAYING ON-MISSION
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BEING EQUIPPED AND STAYING ON-MISSION Cessationism is the declining doctrine that mistakenly teaches that God 'ceased' to bless his Church with gifts of the Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, healing, etc. at some point early in Church history. While this doctrine has been thoroughly refuted (dunked on, as the kids say) by nearly every significant and reputable scholar from nearly every Christian tradition, the practical application of this teaching endures in many. One of my favorite seminary professors made this observation in regards to early views on the subject. "Congar [Roman Catholic Scholar] mentions Justin Martyr as an example: this late second-century Apologist claimed that prophecy and charismatic gifts still existed; in fact, it was believed that the charisms [gifts] should accompany the church until the end." (1) Some church leaders have had to invent with reasons why they were not experiencing the gifts during certain segments of Church history. For examp...