Proof that cessationism has been false doctrine for about 1700 years

[John Zain]

Justin Martyr (a.d. 100-165) boasted to the Jewish Trypho "that the prophetic gifts remain with us" (Dialogue with Trypho, 82).

Irenaeus (a.d. 120-200) also bears witness to the presence of the gifts of the Spirit. He writes:
 "We have heard of many of the brethren who have foreknowledge of the future, visions,
and prophetic utterances; others, by laying-on of hands, heal the sick and restore them to health"
(Against Heresies, 2:32,4).
 "We hear of many members of the church who have prophetic gifts, and, by the Spirit speak with all kinds of tongues, and bring men's secret thoughts to light for their own good, and expound the mysteries of God" (Against Heresies, 5:6,1).
 "It is impossible to enumerate the charisms which throughout the world the church has received from God" (Against Heresies, 2:32,4).

Eusebius himself concludes that the charismata were all still in operation down to the time in which Irenaeus lived (Ecclesiastical History, 5:7,6).

Apollinarius is quoted by Eusebius as saying that "the prophetic gifts must continue in the church until the final coming, as the apostle insists" (EH, 5:16,7).

Epiphanius, perhaps the most vocal opponent of the Montanists, did not attack them because they practiced the gifts of the Spirit. Indeed, he declared that "the charism [of prophecy] is not inoperative in the church. Quite the opposite. . . . The holy church of God welcomes the same [charisms] as the Montanists, but ours are real charisms, authenticated for the church by the Holy Spirit" (Panarion, 48).

Augustine (354-430), early on espoused cessationism. However, in his later writings he retracted his denial of the ongoing reality of the miraculous and carefully documented no fewer than 70 instances of divine healing in his own diocese during a two-year span (see his City of God, Book XXII, c. 8-10).
See especially the articles by Richard Riss,
"Tongues and Other Miraculous Gifts in the Second Through Nineteenth Centuries," Basileia, 1985.

Charles Spurgeon is a case in point. This is taken from his autobiography:
“I could tell as many as a dozen similar cases in which I pointed at somebody in the hall without having the slightest knowledge of the person, or any idea that what I said was right, except that I believed I was moved by the Spirit to say it; and so striking has been my description, that the persons have gone away, and said to their friends, ‘Come, see a man that told me all things that ever I did; beyond a doubt, he must have been sent of God to my soul, or else he could not have described me so exactly.’ And not only so, but I have known many instances in which the thoughts of men have been revealed from the pulpit.”
(The Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon, [Curts & Jennings, 1899], Vol. II, pp. 226-227).

All of the above was taken from: http://www.enjoyinggodministries.com/article/gifts-in-church-history/

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I put this in a special category ... it had a tremendous historical impact upon Christianity:
Constantine's army adopted the Christian cross (312 a.d.) because of
the vision he experienced … and the battles he won because of it.
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Disasterously-ignored information is to be found in books such as these:

http://www.amazon.com/Charismatic-Gifts-Early-Church-Exploration/dp/0913573094

http://www.amazon.com/2000-Years-Charismatic-Christianity-pentecostal/dp/0884198723/ref=pd_sim_b_1

http://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Manifestations-Spirit-History-Church/dp/0974474894/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_1

And also a book by 2 Roman Catholic scholars …
http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Initiation-Baptism-Holy-Spirit/dp/0814650090

I just read this testimony by Pilgram Marpeck, a South German Anabaptist leader in the 16th century,
of resurrections among those killed for confessing Jesus Christ:
"Many of them have remained constant, enduring tortures inflicted by sword, rope, fire and water and suffering terrible, tyrannical, unheard-of deaths and martyrdoms, all of which they could easily have avoided by recantation. Moreover one also marvels when he sees how the faithful God (who, after all, overflows with goodness) raises from the dead several such brothers and sisters of Christ after they were hanged, drowned, or killed in other ways. Even today, they are found alive and we can hear their own testimony... Cannot everyone who sees, even the blind, say with a good conscience that such things are a powerful, unusual, and miraculous act of God? Those who would deny it must be hardened men." You can doubt this account if you like, but this is exactly the attitude I would take and the proof I would offer to those who would doubt a resurrection I might witness. Even in Revelation when the saints are overcome by evil (Rev 13:7, Rev 11:7), when God's deliverance seems as far away as during Jesus' Passion, the saints are rewarded with resurrection (Rev 11:11).

 

[Foreigner]

Point being?

 

[biggandyy]

That he doesn't know the difference between a Spiritual Gift and a sovereign, monergistic act of the Lord.

 

[Templar81]

Youll have to tell us what cessationism is first or we won't have a clue whatyour talking about.

 

[biggandyy]

I, too, am eager to see what he thinks it is.

 

[John Zain]

The NT and the NT church were supposed to be models for all future believers to follow.
That should be obvious to us, but alas it has not been.

The NT church got its' spiritual power (and directions from God) through the 9 spiritual gifts (see 1 Cor 12).

Everyone in the NT 5-fold ministry (see Eph 4:11) had some of these gifts, and so the church
leaders were anointed, and the churches were very successful and grew at an alarming rate.
Church members were healed of whatever was troubling them (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual).

Evangelism was done by preaching the gospel ...
the truth of which was confirmed by God's signs, wonders, and miracles.

All of this was the pattern for all future churches: anointed, successful, overcoming, expanding.

The 2 main reasons why The Church failed to continue with God's pattern after the apostles died:

1) Satan did everything in his power to stop The Church's spiritual power, success, and growth.

2) Church leaders who did not have any of the spiritual gifts down-played them,
even to the point of saying they had ceased, in order to maintain their positions.
When Church power became centralized (in Rome and Constantinople) the situation became even worse.
The Church became controlled by the doctrines of men (Scripture mixed with man-made doctrine).

Cessationism is the belief that God’s signs, wonders, miracles ceased with the passing of the apostles.
However, there is a ton of historical evidence that they did NOT cease,
but were indeed prevalent throughout history (just not in the big church establishments).

 

[prism]

I don't take my 'proof' from the Church Fathers as many have also espoused anti-semitism in somewhat subtle ways. But from Scripture I have problems with the cessationist view even though I lean heavily towards a dispensational approach.

 

[Templar81]

have you ever read any of the hagiographies? Theya re full of iracles. No catholic Christian would ever say that the days of miracles are over.

 

[Stan]

I, too, am eager to see what he thinks it is.

Really andy...you don't know?

I don't take my 'proof' from the Church Fathers as many have also espoused anti-semitism in somewhat subtle ways. But from Scripture I have problems with the cessationist view even though I lean heavily towards a dispensational approach.

Good attitude to have!

There is nothing in scripture that supports cessation of the gifts & manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The lack of seeing them or knowing about them only indicates a lack of evangelism on the part of that particular believer.

Romans 11:29 (NIV)

Mark 16:17 (NIV)