I’ve followed him for a while and he is more orthodox than some, and on one of his DVD’s it even shows the systems they have in place to follow up decisions. It is very inter-denominational and relies heavily upon the local churches following up the converts in their area. I think its a pretty good system.

As for Australia, we need to preach the gospel. In my experience, when the gospel is preached and people are given an opportunity to respond they do

“God called me to preach the gospel also I praise God for the life of this man of God and my desire is to take the word of the Lord by nations such as Reinhard Bonnke exelentes videos apaz that the Lord Jesus be with vosc”

Of course we ought to be chasing their joy and ‘taste of God’! Of course we ought to long for their great and deep understanding of the glory of God! Of course we ought to long to see and understand more of the glory of God!

Right now I need an uber-exclamation mark!!!

And if the gifts of the Spirit are varied, why ought its affectations be constant?

[new train of thought] Last week I was having a pretty flat-affect day. Couldn’t quite put my finger on what was up, just felt drained. Wasn’t feeling particularly strong in faith either. Walking back from a lecture, thinking or praying or listening to a sermon (I can’t remember what), I suddenly burst into laughter! Joy rushed out from deep inside me like a bubble bursting – and a very simple, clear thought filled my mind:

“What will keep me a Christian for 70 years? God! What else?!”

(It’s hard to give the full sense of the meaning of that thought. For context, that is a question I’ve heard asked a few times. But the absurd simplicity and goodness of this answer was hilarious: how could I have thought anything else! Only immersing myself in the delights of God’s goodness, that is what will sustain me.)

I was left wondering, “where did that come from?!” And how could such a simple (though amazing!) insight like that produce such an effect?

It strikes me as very easy to imagine a person who, when given the slightest taste of God’s goodness (for oh what a sliver I must have seen!) , cannot control the sheer delight of it. Have you read what Pascal wrote on that slip of paper he sewed into his jacket?

[new train of thought] On the one hand, we don’t want to fall into Corinthian-esque immaturity. On the other, I agree with Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones: (read the ‘you’ as ‘one’)
“You can be so afraid of disorder, so concerned about discipline and decorum and control, that you become guilty of what the Scripture calls “quenching the Spirit”"

I agree, to an extent, when you say <i>”I don’t think it’s helpful to go seeking after the same experience”</i>. We need to seek God’s glory first, and then the edification of the body and spreading of a passion for Him amongst the lost, all far more important than desiring private pleasures! “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” I find much wrong with chasing after loose spirits; wanting an experience for its own sake (or, worse, for ulterior motives); and especially anything that takes even the slightest focus off God.

But who can read Pascal and Edwards without wanting their joy unspeakable; their taste of God? (perhaps you can. Maybe this is just me) How I long to see more of God’s glory and, by consequence, my own sinfulness! Who but the Spirit brings that? And what a difference such a movement would make if widespread! We are told to “pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts” (1 Cor 14:1). I don’t want to categorically rule-out seeking the Spirit for these reasons.

Does it glorify Jesus? If they are, as I have been suggesting, enthralled by His glory, then little could be more glorifying, it seems to me. (Obviously, it would be made more glorifying if it later effected marked Christ-like behaviour, but Edwards argues this is always a symptom of the true Spirit). At any rate it seems to me more glorifying than an orderly but passionless liturgy. It’s like Piper says in Don’t Waste Your Life: seeing but not savouring Christ does not glorify Him.

ps doesn’t the english language needs an exclamation question mark?!