PEIROS-FAITH:
POWER OF
"THE AGE TO
COME."
PART 2.
Continued
from
September
Last month,
I explained
that the
dictionary’s
definition
of faith is
tragically
insufficient
and where
this concept
has been
accepted it
has stripped
Christianity
of one of
its most
fundamental
powers.
Today’s
wrong usage–rampant
even among
believers--identifies
faith solely
as
religious
persuasion,
moral
conviction,
doctrinal
belief,
ethical
concept,
organized
creed,
systematic
theology,
etc., etc,
but offers
no comment
about faith
being a
spiritual
force.
Where
spiritual-force
is not
present,
there is no
faith.
Faith–as a
living
entity–must
be
manifested
in power–not
words alone.
Documents of
faith are
beneficial
to the mind
but
powerless to
heal the
body. Faith
is one of
the divine
provisions
implied in
Hebrews
6:4-6 that
speaks of
those who
have been
"...
enlightened,
have tasted
the heavenly
gift, have
become
partakers of
the Holy
Spirit, have
tasted the
good word of
God, and the
powers of
the age to
come ..."
The
expression,
"powers of
the age to
come" refers
to forces,
magnetisms,
energies,
life-qualities,
etc., which
are not
characteristic
of our
present
existence
but will be
characteristic
in the
future-realm
of Heaven
and
eternity. In
other words,
they are
"powers"
already with
God in His
dimension
but reserved
for our
future.
Wonderfully,
the
Scripture
reveals that
some
individuals
experience
those powers
now.
You and I
can be among
them.
Years ago I
met a
saintly old
man whom I
immediately
recognized
was
trustworthy
in his love
for God and
his
Christian
testimony.
As we talked
privately,
he told
about an
illness that
not only put
him in the
hospital but
caused his
death. Of
that event,
he
half-whispered
to me, "I
realized I
was dead
when I
discovered
that I could
swing my
legs down
through the
mattress."
Though the
statement
was shocking
there was
nothing
unbelievable
about him or
his
description
of his
death-encounter.
Over the
years I have
met numerous
others–just
as
believable
as he--who
had such
death-bed or
out-of-body
experiences.
What
happened in
his case was
that death
momentarily
separated
him from his
body; while
his
physical-part
lay
motionless
on the bed,
his
spiritual-part
was totally
free and
independent
of it. There
is a
"natural
body" and
there is a
"spiritual
body." I
Corinthians
15:44. It
was the
spiritual
aspect of
his being
that was
unhindered
by the
material
substance of
the bed and
enabled him
to swing his
legs through
it.
We have a
parallel of
this the day
of the
Resurrection
when Jesus
appeared in
the closed
room where
the
disciples
were
meeting.
Without
effect on
Himself or
the wall, He
simply
passed
through the
material
substance of
the building
in the same
way the old
man’s
spiritual
legs swung
through the
hospital
mattress.
John 20:22.
I mention
this old
brother’s
experience
because
without an
understanding
of his (and
our) dual
spiritual/physical
nature we
will never
grasp the
reality of
true faith.
And, to do
that, I
refer to
last month’s
article
where I
explained:
"Faith is
not native
to our
planet but
is projected
into our
cosmos from
the
Great-Other-Realm.
Therefore,
the faith at
work in you
is not an
attitude or
mental
effort on
your part.
Nor is it
merely your
religious
concept or
ideology.
Faith is a
living,
trans-earthly
power. It is
native to
the other
realm and is
only a
visitor in
our’s. Faith
came to you
because of
your
spiritually
having heard
‘the word of
God’, Romans
10:17, and
God Himself
having then
dealt to you
‘a measure
of faith,’
Romans 12:3.
More
happened
than your
physical-ears
hearing the
gospel. Nor
was the
resulting-faith
mere
psychological
cause-and-effect.
Scripture
makes it
very plain
that faith
is a
spiritual
life-force
extended to
you."
Perhaps you
have seen
someone
receive
laying-on-of-hands
and
immediately
crash to the
floor under
the power of
God. That
manifestation
happened
because the
Holy Spirit
moved
visibly from
the person
ministering
to the
person
receiving.
In Galatians
3:5, Paul
deals with
the
all-important
subject when
he asked the
question:
"He
therefore
that
ministereth
to you the
Spirit and
worketh
miracles
among you,
doeth he it
by the works
of the law,
or by the
hearing of
faith?"
KJV. The
answer to
Paul’s
question is
obvious: It
is the
hearing of
faith, not
works of the
law, that
endowed some
in the
Galatian
Church for
the ministry
of miracles
and
spiritual-impartation.
Modern
theologians
are fearful
of this text
but the King
James
translators
gave the
Greek-intent
accurately.
Read it
again.
How can one
hear
faith?
Faith is
alive and
has a voice.
Jesus said,
"My sheep
hear My
voice." John
10:27. In my
opinion, it
is
impossible
to separate
the voice of
faith from
the voice of
Jesus. Of
that voice,
Jesus
explained,
"I have not
spoken on My
own
authority;
but the
Father who
sent Me gave
Me a
command,
what I
should say
and what I
should
speak." John
12:49.
Whether
in the
Church of
Galatia or
the Church
today,
"signs and
wonders"
occur during
the
laying-on-of-hands
because our
bodies are
Temples of
the Holy
Spirit . The
hand is an
extension of
that Temple
and faith
becomes the
vehicle
accompanying
the release
of power.
The Holy
Spirit
frequently
overwhelms
the person
and they
drop to the
floor. His
impact
sometimes
comes like
an
electric-shock
and is
usually
irresistible.
In the same
way the Holy
Spirit’s
power passes
through a
living-body
bringing
healing, the
power of
faith passes
through a
living-mind.
In many
ways, the
comparisons
are
identical.
Faith,
therefore,
is not an
exercise of
your
physical-brain
any more
than it was
the old
man’s
physical
legs that
swung down
through the
mattress. We
are
spiritual
beings, in
contact with
a Spiritual
God, who
communicates
to us
through the
spiritual
dimension.
Jesus
illustrated
this dual
spirit-physic
dimension
when He
invited
Peter to
join Him on
the water.
Matthew
14:29. We
Christians
have missed
the
awesomeness
of that
invitation
by assuming
it was
merely to
display
miraculous-power.
Not at
all. In
reality,
Jesus was
saying to
Peter, "I
have come
into your
physical--earthly--material–realm,
bringing
power from
the ‘age to
come’ with
me. It has
raised the
dead, opened
blind eyes,
performed
miracles.
Now, Peter,
I want you
to come into
My realm.
Join Me on
the water
and you can
step into My
dimension.”
I repeat:
This was not
merely an
invitation
for Peter to
get out of
the boat and
walk on the
sea. Not
at all.
It was an
invitation
for him to
exit his own
physical
realm of
earth, sky,
rocks, and
air, and
join Jesus
in the
immaterial,
ethereal,
non-earthly,
"other"
dimension.
Had Peter so
done, in
that moment
he would
have "swung
his legs
down through
the
mattress."
That is what
Jesus wanted
him to
discover.
Please hear
me: When
Peter sank
into the
sea, he
missed much
more than a
momentary
miracle.
Instead of
experiencing
the Glory of
Heaven
"opening on
his eyes,
and his ears
with sounds
angelic
ringing," he
fell back
into the
dullness and
dreariness
of earth.
Peter’s
failure
typifies the
modern
Church: Most
Christians
don’t expect
out-of-body
transports
into the
Other
Dimension,
we don’t
expect
"faith" to
be anything
more than
sweet
religious-presumption,
we don’t
expect
Scripture to
have
revelatory
power. That
is true
because we
preachers
have
denominationalized
the Bible’s
message and,
in
consequence,
have reduced
Kingdom-truth
to a
lovely–but
faithless--philosophy.
PEIROS-FAITH
Because of
that
failure, I
have
"coined" a
Greek word,
peiro,
into an
English
application
and joined
it with the
word
"faith".
Peiro means
"to pierce
through" and
originates
from the
word peran
meaning
"other
side",
"beyond,"
"farther,"
"over,"
"across." In
Greek, the
word for
faith is
pistis.
The
combination
of the two
words allows
us to
visualize
faith’s
purpose in
penetrating
our physical
realm. This
penetration
is
absolutely
necessary if
there is to
be
miraculous
healing,
spiritual
gifting,
deliverance
from demonic
bondage,
out-of-body
transports,
etc.
"Peiros-Faith"
is a force
that comes
to our
dimension
from the
other realm,
like
sunlight
passing
through a
window, goes
through
cooperative
believers
here, then,
like an
X-ray,
penetrates
and effects
change in
the
circumstance
it touches.
True faith
has the
potential to
interact
both with
our physical
dimension of
time and
space
while it
maintains a
complete,
uninterrupted
union with
the Eternal
Dimension
where it
originates.
In other
words, faith
is a
symphonizing
of these
separate
dimensions.
Faith cannot
merely lie
on the
surface of
its intended
target but
must pierce
the subject
needing
change. Both
a sending
and
receiving
are
involved. As
I understand
it, this
interaction
of "peiros"
faith—that
is "faith"
from the
"other
side–the
beyond–the
farther–the
over–the
across"--like
the
conception
of ovum and
sperm--is a
coming-together
of the Holy
Spirit’s
power and
the material
substance of
our realm.
These two
realms
became
visible
minutes
before
Stephen was
stoned to
death when
something
happened
that totally
astonished
his
attackers.
Scripture
tells us
that
suddenly,"All
who sat in
the council,
looking
steadfastly
at him,
saw his face
as the face
of an angel."
Acts 6:15.
What caused
this sudden
change of
the man’s
appearance?
His physical
body
momentarily
disappeared
and
another–a
more
beautiful
one–became
apparent.
Stephen was
already in
the
transition
of death and
the "inner
person" of
his spirit
momentarily
became
visible. In
effect, he
was already
in the state
of "swinging
his legs
down through
the
mattress".
Jesus
demonstrated
this
potential to
the
disciples on
the Mount of
Transfiguration,
when "He was
transfigured
before them.
His face
shone like
the sun and
His clothes
became as
white as the
light."
Matthew
17:2. In my
near-60
years of
preaching,
only twice
have I seen
a person in
this
dual-state
of "holy
radiance".
But I
have seen
it. One
was an
elderly,
farm-woman
in a
congregation
of 700 whose
face–during
worship–shone
so brightly
that every
one within
five feet
around her
blurred-out.
The other
was a godly
minister,
Virgil Agan,
who, while
preaching,
had a "halo"
of light
appear
around him.
Both of
those events
occurred in
the 1950's.
It was this
kind of
Glory that
appeared on
Stephen when
he died–nor
was it
stones that
killed him.
As Jesus
gave up His
Spirit from
the cross,
so Stephen
gave up his.
Recently, I
stood at the
bedside of a
long-time
friend who
was
comatose,
dying of
cancer, and
to whom I
spoke with
tears,
"Dave," I
said, "I
know you can
hear me —
This is
Charles —
You can
change your
pain for
Paradise
— Your
family
releases you
— I release
you — Go —
Turn loose —
Go!" Within
two minutes
he was dead.
What
happened?
Like
Stephen, he
"gave up his
spirit". And
it is
possible
that even
before
physical
death
occurred he
was
consciously
"swinging
his legs
down through
the
mattress"
and seeing
"Heaven open
and the
angels of
God
ascending
and
descending
upon the Son
of Man."
John 1:51.
How does
this talk of
dying
concern
faith?
Unfortunately,
for most
people,
death is the
window that
forces us to
look into
the realm of
the spirit.
Peering
through it,
the atheist
sees only a
dark wall;
the saint
sees "Sweet
fields
beyond the
swelling
flood, Stand
dressed in
living
green, As to
the Jews
sweet Canaan
stood, While
Jordan
rolled
between." No
one can see
beyond the
"dark wall"
except by
faith. And
faith is
spirit.
Paul said:
"We have the
same
spirit of
faith
..." 2
Corinthians
4:13. Faith
is much,
much more
than
religious
persuasion,
moral
conviction,
doctrinal
belief, etc.
DOING THE
"WORKS OF
FAITH"
"What does
it profit,
my brethren,
if someone
says he has
faith but
does not
have works?
Can faith
save him? If
a brother or
sister is
naked and
destitute of
daily food,
and one of
you says to
them,
‘Depart in
peace, be
warmed and
filled, but
you do not
give them
the things
which are
needed for
the body,
what does it
profit? Thus
also faith
by itself,
if it does
not have
works, is
dead. But
someone will
say, ‘You
have faith,
and I have
works.’ Show
me your
faith
without your
works, and I
will show
you my faith
by my works.
You believe
that there
is one God.
You do well.
Even the
demons
believe--and
tremble! But
do you want
to know, O
foolish man,
that faith
without
works is
dead?"
If your
concept of
"works" in
this
Scripture is
merely
giving
someone a
blanket, a
pair of
shoes, or a
bowl of
food, etc.,
I want to
destroy your
concept.
Obviously,
giving those
things is
important.
But someone
totally
devoid of
faith can do
works like
that. The
Apostle is
speaking
here of the
"work of
faith" that
"pierces
through" and
comes from
the "other
side", the
"beyond,"
"farther,"
"over,"
"across."
James refers
to the works
to which
Jesus
referred
when He
said, "He
who believes
in Me, the
works that I
do he will
do also; and
greater
works than
these he
will do,
because I go
to My
Father."
John 14:12.
This is the
only
faith-work
that can
heal the
body,
restore the
mind, drive
out a demon,
by
penetrating
our physical
realm and
bringing to
us the
"power of
the age to
come.” My
chief
complaint
with most of
today’s
faith-preaching
is that it
reduces this
Heavenly
power to the
level of
"mind-over-matter"
and climaxes
with
dollar-riches.
Age-to-come
power is
neglected.
OPENING THE
"DOOR OF
FAITH"
There is a
distinct,
identifiable
moment for
many
believers in
which the
"door of
faith" is
opened.
Scripture
explains:
"Now when
they had
come to
Antioch and
gathered the
church
together,
they
reported all
that God had
done with
them, and
that He
had opened
the door of
faith to the
Gentiles."
Acts 14:27.
This opening
can be both
corporate as
with the
gentiles or
singular as
with an
individual
today.
Another
example:
"Jesus said
to them,
‘These are
the words
which I
spoke to you
... And He
opened their
understanding,
that they
might
comprehend
the
Scriptures."
Luke
24:44-45.
Does this
kind of
opening
happen
today? The
answer is
"yes". Let
me
illustrate
that fact
with the
following
testimony of
David Rhea,
the young
man who has
been my
traveling
companion
and
assistant
for the past
seven years.
At the time
of this
incident, he
and Don
Vinson were
returning
home from
the
Brownsville
Revival.
"Donald and
I started
the
eight-hour
trip back to
Tennessee. I
was driving
and Donald
talked about
the
sensitivity
of the Holy
Spirit. When
he had
finished we
both settled
in the seats
with our
thoughts on
the Lord. We
were so deep
in the
Spirit we
can only
remember a
few places
along the
way. I put
some worship
music on and
started
thinking how
awesome the
presence of
the Lord had
been in
Church that
morning.
Suddenly the
Holy Spirit
started
settling on
me. The
"Presence"
was so
strong that
it scared me
to be
driving. In
that moment
He began to
lift and I
said in my
heart. "Don’t
go! Please
don’t go!"
Immediately
He started
settling
back on me.
Again there
was some
fear in my
mind and He
lifted. This
happened a
few more
times and
the only way
I can
describe
what
happened
next is that
I became
childlike
with all my
heart
reaching up
to his
parent. I
said "Don’t
go! Please
don’t go!!"
The moment
my heart
felt 100%
that it
wanted only
Him I was
suddenly
caught up
out of my
body. The
last thing I
remember was
shoving back
against the
seat yelling
from the
impact of
what
happened.
An angel
must have
done the
driving
because I
was out of
my body in
another
realm.
Suddenly, I
was standing
before the
Lord. We
communicated
without
using words.
Love,
Purity,
Holiness,
and so many
more
feelings
that I have
no words to
describe,
were
BURSTING
forth from
Him. I knew
in my
natural body
it would
have killed
me. Even
being there,
I knew I was
receiving
only a speck
of mist
coming from
an ocean of
His Love and
Glory. It
was like the
love of a
mother and a
father all
mixed into
one. He made
a move
toward me
with His
arms
reaching for
me yearning
for me.
These words
fall void in
trying to
explain the
message that
He revealed
to me. He
has a fiery,
unquenchable,
vehement
flame of
love for His
children. We
are beyond
cherishment
in His eyes.
This love is
going to
catapult His
Bride into
her destiny
and eternity
will not
even begin
to exhaust
it.!!!
THE TORONTO
AIRPORT
CHRISTIAN
FELLOWSHIP,
ONTARIO,
CANADA
This
Canadian
Chuch
experienced
an invasive
explosive
encounter
with the
Holy Spirit
some fifteen
years ago
and has
since
impacted the
world. At
the time the
Church was
under the
pastorship
of John and
Carol Arnott
and the
visiting
ministry of
Randy Clark.
As a result
of the
Spirit’s
falling,
millions of
visitors
have come to
TACF,
received
peiros-faith-power
and taken it
back home
with them.
In some
cases these
men and
women have
shaken their
nations.
Probably no
Church in
modern times
has
experienced
more
miraculous
"signs and
wonders" or
more severe
criticism
than TACF.
But thank
God!, the
Church did
not
surrender to
the critics
or allow the
Holy
Spirit’s
phenomenal
work to be
sacrificed
by
unbelievers.
At times
when I
preached
there,
pastors from
65 nations
were present
to receive a
reviving of
their faith.
While there
are many
testimonies
of God
radically
touching
people in
Toronto, I
share one
from Dave
Calyn, a T.V.
cameraman at
the Church.
His
encounter
with the
Holy
Spirit’s
"explosion
of faith"
happened at
the Pastors
Conference,
January,
2002. Dave’s
platform was
stationed in
the
congregation
and nearly
two feet
above the
floor. He
writes:
"I came to
the Toronto
Airport
Christian
Fellowship
in
mid-1999--have
had many
Christian
experiences--but
none changed
me like the
day Charles
impacted my
life with
something so
chaotically-beautiful
that it
literally
blew me away
... I was so
engrossed in
staying on
my camera I
never heard
much of his
sermon. But
I do
remember
something
about his
visiting a
prison--and
then,
suddenly,
God hit me
like a bolt
of
lightning.
It felt like
someone
stuck a
cattle-prod
into my
belly and I
literally
flew off my
platform
backwards. I
mean--I
saw both my
legs and
feet in the
air in front
of me as I
crashed to
the floor.
I lay there
for a second
before I
audibly
said, "What
happened!?"
I was in
total shock.
“Wherever
Charles
moved--and
he moved all
over--people
were being
blasted by
the power of
God. Every
time I would
shoot I saw
crew members
and others
getting
knocked down
by the Holy
Spirit. I
grabbed my
water-bottle
and splashed
it on my
eyes and
forehead
...Then I
fell off my
stand again,
this time
stumbling
back and
grabbing the
pole behind
me ...
“By this
time the
Director
thought that
I was a lost
cause and as
I replaced
my headset,
I heard him
say, "Camera
# 5, go help
Dave."
...When
cameraman #
5 got close
to me he
touched my
elbow and we
both fell to
the floor.
The Ministry
Team member
tried to
catch him as
I crashed
down again
with no one
to help.
There was a
big bang and
another wave
of
Heavenly
Glory
hit the
audience ...
By this time
our
hand-held
cameraman
had fallen
down again
and camera #
5 was not
working. The
Director was
pleading
with us to
stay alert
even though
all of
Heaven was
breaking
loose ... I
don’t
understand.
I just
conclude
that ‘God
uses the
foolish
things to
confound the
wise’ and I
was his fool
that day.
But, I love
Him for it
and give
Jesus all
the Glory.”
--- Dave
Calyn,
Toronto
Airport
Christian
Fellowship.
Not all
God’s
manifestations
are that
radical but
please know
that in the
New
Testament
day they
were far
more
extraordinary.
Why is that
so? Why does
the Holy
Spirit come
upon people
in such
obvious,
physical
ways? In
that holy
melee of
Toronto, why
would the
power of God
knock a
cameraman
off his
platform?
Why did
Jonathan
Edwards’
1740
ministry in
America,
John
Wesley’s
1730
ministry in
Britain, or
the 1802
Cane Ridge,
Kentucky,
Presbyterian
Communion,
experience
such radical
manifestations?
Why did
George
Whitefield
refuse to
preach in
Boston until
people
sitting in
the trees
had climbed
down? As I
understand
it, when the
dimensions
of earth and
Heaven slam
together
there are
extreme
"signs and
wonders".
Whitfield
knew when
the power of
God fell,
people in
the trees
would fall
with it.
Hear this
testimony
from a
Pastor who
experienced
his own
"opening of
the door
faith". He
writes:
“Dear
Brother
Charles, I
embarked on
a journey in
search for
truth about
the baptism
in the Holy
Spirit. My
journey led
me to the
point where
I had to
make a
decision
concerning
this
controversial
Biblical
phrase. I
had already
decided it
was what I
needed--but
my
skepticism
kept me
bound. I was
a pastoral
wreck. At
the Fresh
Oil/New Wine
Conference
in
Chattanooga,
Tennessee, I
asked the
Lord to
confirm in
me the truth
of His word
and I would
move into it
regardless
of the
consequences.
I prayed
that He
would send
you to me
first--on
the first
night of the
meeting.
That night,
I nervously
watched as
all of the
ministers
gathered
down front
and prayed.
“Then, you
suddenly
left the
group and
rounded the
center
aisle; my
heart was
pounding
when you
almost
passed me
by. But, you
stopped,
looked at
me, asked me
to step out,
and receive.
And I
certainly
did! I drank
till my cup
ran over.
Thank you
for
faithfully
allowing
yourself to
be used as
an
instrument
of the Holy
Spirit.
“Now, I've
returned to
my church a
changed man.
God has led
me to have
two weeks of
revival
services.
Then we are
in the midst
of a week of
prayer and
fasting ...
As a church
we have
moved a long
way in the
past two
months,
mainly
because I
cannot act
or be the
same man
that I was
before. My
passion is
to see
defeated and
struggling
Christians
find
refreshing
in the
Spirit of
God.” --- C.
A., Baptist
Pastor
My hope is
that this
will be your
prayer:
"Lord, Give
me such
faith as
this! Peiros-faith
that
‘pierces
through’ and
brings with
it power
from the
‘other
side’, from
the
‘beyond,’
the
‘farther,’
the ‘over,’
the
‘across.’
Faith that
You have
enlightened,
that lets me
taste the
heavenly
gift, allows
me to become
a partaker
of the Holy
Spirit, that
tastes the
good word of
God, and
brings to me
the powers
of the age
to come ..."
So be it!
