Continuationalism

This is one of the Christian belief that hold that the gifts of Holy Spirit continues to exist in the church of the modern age. Christians that hold to this theology firmly believe that the miraculous gifts of Holy Spirit are shared amongst converts and useful for the edification of the body of brethren.

Continuationalists hold that the presence of the gifts of spirit was the force that gave abilities to ancient divine workers that were recorded in the Old Testament scriptures.  The same spirit was shared amongst the immediate apostles of Yahoshea Meshiaych during the acclaimed day of Pentecost.

Continuationalists hold Apostle Paul as a vivid example as the gifts of the Holy Spirit gave him the ability to carry out his duty as a worthy disciple of Yahoshea Meshiayach.  This spirit transferred to Timothy by laying of hand by Apostle Paul.

The Continuationalists hold on the Pauline writings that regards the spiritual gifts as a free endowment to adherents for promotion of the assembly.  Believers are expected to use their gifts or abilities to strengthen or build up the assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach.

Drawing from the Pauline writings, the Continuationalists conclude that there are about eighteen gifts of spirit to be shared amongst brethren.  These gifts include – prophesy, teaching, acts of mercy, wisdom, faith, working of miracles, various tongues, ability to discern spirit, liberality, exhortation, service, interpretation of tongues, hospitality, administration etc.

These gifts are shared for the edification of the assembly, but not primarily to enrich the believer that possess them.

Origin Of The Concept

The Continuationalists hold the origin of the out-pouring of spirit gifts upon believers on the event on the feast of the first ingathering of the Hebrews which the Christian theology refer as the day of Pentecost. This occurred when Yahosheans experienced the presence of edifying spirits which gave them the abilities to move to the streets of Yerusalem to proclaim boldly of Yahoshea Meshiyach as  well as speaking in different known tongues of various tribes without their learning them.

The continuists hold that such miraculous spirit presence and gifts did not cease with the acts of the first hand disciples, rather it continued to this age.

The continuists argue that the branding of the activities of the spirit filled believer or assembly as demonic by cessationists is wrong because the scriptures did not hold that the gifts will cease with the first century apostles and subsequent claimants been demonic.  The continuists hold that the spirit gifts continues and to cease during the second coming of Yahoshea Meshiyach.

Continuists hold that the writings of apostle Paul indicate that all believers are charismatic, though he did not discuss of a charismatic assembly or denomination.  Most of the instructions on the gifts of spirit were written by apostle Paul in the course of his ministration.  Both continuists and cessationist hold to various presentations of the writings of Paul in their defence and arguments.

Majority of the continuists hold that the grand origin of the belief was based on the promises of Yahoshea Meshiyach that he will send a comforter or helper to the apostles and when he comes, he will convince the world of matters concerning sin, righteousness and condemnation.

This was followed by the acclaimed or biblical account of the out-pouring of spirits upon the disciples of Yahoshea on the day of Pentecost.  The continuists hold that the out-pouring of spirits is a continual affair for sake of edifying the assembly and believers.

Arguments Against Continuationalism

Those Christians opposing to the belief of continuationalism are termed as the cessationists. They claim primarily that the gifts of spirit (charismata) ceased to exist after the exit of the first century Yahosheans.

The cessationists hold that the apostles received the out-poured spirits and used it to compose the new testament scriptures which serve as the foundation to the movement.  The cessationists therefore hold strongly on the authenticity of the holy scriptures  (sola scriplura) and view any other prophecy or gifts of spirit that existed after the canon as fake.

In the course of rejection of the ideology of continuationalism, the cessationalist are divided into the “strong cessationists” and the “moderate cessationists”.  The cessationists hold firm to the writings of Paul to the Corinthians where he made the following points – “charity never failleth, but whether prophecies, they shall fail, whether tongues, they shall cease, whether knowledge, it shall quench away.  For we know in parts and we prophecy in parts.  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is part shall be done away”

While the empirical or strong cessationists hold that the gifts ceases entirely, the moderate cessationists hold that some of the gifts ceases as prophecies, tongue and knowledge leaving others as healing, administration etc as not ceased.  The cessationists hold that the charismata ended with the closure of the canon.

Authority Of Prophets

One of the reasons of rejection of continuationalism by cessationists is based on the authority of the prophets.  A Cessationists hold that all cannonised and non-cannonized prophets hold same authority. For instance, Isaiah and Yerimiah are canonized prophets while Eliyah and Nathan were non-cannonised prophets.

To cessationists, both prophets shared some significance or authority and are viewed as foundational prophets.  But the cessationists view modern prophets that arose from the acclaimed charismata (gifts of spirits) as non-fundamental prophets who has no authority because their prophecies may be counterfeit.  This means that both oral and written prophecies are equal. Since the prophecies recorded in the scriptures were indisputably truth, the cessationists hold them as the only authentic authority.

The cessationists view all prophets as equal in authority even when they agree that some prophets were more than others in operations.  For example prophet Moshe was greater in clarity and reception of Yahweh's revelations and such do no conclude that he had more authority than other lesser prophets.  Based on this, the cessationists rejects all prophecies after the closure of cannon realizing that they cannot be used to establish an assembly. Rather, the prophecies must be viewed along with scriptures to avoid falling into hands of false prophets in the congregations.

The debate between the continuationists and cessationists over the charismata and sole scriptura has made some continuists to hold the belief of “prima scriptura” which refers scriptures as the primary source of faith while the inspiration or charismata as the secondary source of belief.

The cessationists argue that the new foundational prophets cannot give a new doctrinal import and their prophecies are subject to truth or falsehood.  Normmaly, a foundational prophets do not give a doubting prophesy because all of their acts are truthful.  The cessationists hold that other gifts of spirit make up prophet or apostle. For instance, the gifts of healing, dreaming, faith etc are composed in a prophet.

The cessationists hold that all acts of believers beyond the second century are acts of nature but not prophetic as claimed by the continuists.  The fallibility of oral or un-cannoned prophecies is the primary point of argument between both groups.

Regarding the reasons of fallibility of oral prophecies, a continuist made a following submission, “the key is in recognizing that with every prophecy there are four elements, only one of which is assuredly of God.  There is the revelation itself, there is the perception or reception of that revelation by a believer, there is the interpretation of  what has been disclosed or the attempt to ascertain its meaning, and there is the application of that interpretation.  God alone is responsible for the revelation.  It is infallible as he is , it contains no falsehood, error enters when the human recipient of a revelation misperceives, misinterprets and or misapplies what God has disclosed.  The fact that God has spoken perfectly does not mean that human beings have heard perfectly”

Another gifts of the spirit that ginger arguments is of the tongues and its interpretations.  The speaking in tongues of the modern believers are events of mockery when compared to the speaking in tongues of the first century apostles.  Apostle Paul made it clear that a tongue without interpretation is useless to the brethren which means that tongues of those days were understandable by the congregation.  It was never been learnt by adherents rather as acts of spirit comes upon believers to direct and at times break the barriers of languages between a believer and non-members as witnessed in Yerusalem during the day of the Feast of First Fruit (Pentecost).

During the event, Yahosheans spoke in various human tongues that they did not previously learn or know but the modern tongues by born-again believers do not suit to existing languages or those known by the congregations.

Conclusion

The continuationalism as claimed by many Pentecostal denominations or Charismatic, Catholics or Orthodox are basely unfounded or acts of apostasy.

The failure of the concept is as old as the claim that biblical account of the visitation of spirit upon the apostles on the Feast of First Fruits at Yerusalem was the manifestation of the expected Comforter.  This wrong perception was the source of claims of continuationalism by some congregations.

According to the Continuing Yahosheanism, the promised comforter came in the person of Most Senior Prophet Yahmarabhi in whom is composed of all gifts of spirits that were formally distributed amongst the first century apostles.  As the continuists of the acts of Yahoshea Meshiyach and his apostles, Prophet Yahmarabhi has in response shared the gifts to all Yahosheans of modern age.

To all converts that receive the glad-news of Yahweh, Yahoshea Meshiyach through Prophet Yahmarabhi, and been baptized and ordained in that order will receive the gifts of the spirit.  To Yahoshean that accept the Holy Original Inspired Scriptures as the final authority will receive the spirit.

These stocks of Yahosheans are the true continuists as approved by Yahweh.