What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?

Well, nothing according to modern science, since no physical force is truly irresistible and no object is nor can be made immovable.

But this is not so when it comes to God.

For the Spirit of God is irresistible:

"Who can resist whatever God wants to do?" Romans 9:19

and the word of God is immovable:

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Matthew 24:35

The church however, has divided the irresistible Spirit and the immovable word of God into two distinct streams.

One stream is more subjective, emotional and charismatic while the other is more objective, largely reformed and intellectual.

The traditionally reformed word stream tends to look down upon the more subjective charismatic Spirit stream for fear of developing heresy while the charismatic Spirit stream looks down upon the more reformed intellectual stream for fear of 'quenching the Spirit' through religion.

But in not wanting to 'quench the Spirit', those in the charismatic Spirit stream have excused and even embraced many questionable doctrines, practices, prophetic words and experiences.

Those in the reformed word stream on the other hand, in an attempt to save the church from heresy, have generally deprived many people of the edifying, encouraging and comforting power found in the gifts of the Spirit by denying their very existence in the modern day church.

But these legitimate concerns that each stream has about the other can largely and more effectively be dealt with not in their divergence, but in their convergence.

The time has come for sound doctrine and the powerful moves of the Holy Spirit to come together in our lives and in our church services.

As Dr. Sam Storms writes, this is not about balance. Balance implies a compromise from each stream. This is about both streams flowing together in their fullness.

May my Charismatic brothers begin to embrace the sound doctrines of God's word that have been in place for centuries.

May the irresistible force of God's Holy Spirit and the immovable object of his word find a place of convergence in our minds and in our hearts.

Pastor Ellery