Gift and Giver Quotes

“If we must “feel” God’s presence before we believe he is with us, we again reduce God to our ability to grasp him, making him an idol instead of acknowledging him as God.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“So pervasively has Enlightenment culture’s anti-supernaturalism affected the Western church, especially educated European and North American Christians, that most of us are suspicious of anything supernatural.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Granted, God is sovereign and can speak as he pleases—through a proof text, a poem, or Balaam’s donkey. But we do not regularly seek out donkeys to tell us how to live.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Spiritual giftedness does not guarantee that we hear from God rightly on every point.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“He does miracles when we need them—not for our entertainment or to make us feel “spiritual.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“No one who beats his wife or children, spreads slander in a congregation, or harbors perpetual unforgiveness in his or her heart is full of the Spirit, no matter how many supernatural gifts he or she claims to have.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today

“Many of us who affirm and practice spiritual gifts would feel more comfortable among anticharismatics who are at least grounded in Scripture than among such flaky charismatics.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“The fact that our traditional method of extracting doctrine from Scripture does not work well on narrative does not mean that Bible stories do not send clear messages. Instead, it suggests that the way we apply our traditional method of interpretation is inadequate because we are ignoring too much of God’s Word.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Using only nonnarrative portions of the Bible to interpret narrative is not only disrespectful to the narrative portions but also suggests a misguided approach to nonnarrative parts of the Bible.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“That Jesus is popular in Mark 2:2, however, is not a general model for Christian ministry; the rest of Mark itself shows that eventually crowds denounced Jesus (15:13–14). From these narratives we might learn to use any popularity for good at the moment but not to count on it enduring.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Until those charismatic churches who have poor teaching can supply both spiritual empowerment and sounder teaching, many of them will continue to be only a way station for Christians who need a fresh spiritual experience but who end up taking it elsewhere once they have it.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“As Elijah’s mantle fell on Elisha and as other prophetic disciples sought to emulate their mentors, so the ascending Jesus empowered his church with the Spirit to carry on his mission to the ends of the earth (1:9–11).”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“As a young Christian, I was praying fervently one day for guidance on a particular issue when I felt the Spirit gently interrupt. I was shocked to think I heard him suggest that I was too busy seeking his will. How could that be? Then I heard the rest of his suggestion. “Don’t seek my will in this matter. Seek me—and then you will know my will.” Seeking God’s will is important, but in this case my focus was wrong.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“One of the first steps we should take in knowing God’s voice is knowing God’s heart.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Millions of Bible-reading Christians who today call themselves charismatics do not believe in health and wealth teachings.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Those who look down on other Christians because they lack a particular gift or experience, or those who despise a particular gift and look down on Christians who have it, are not demonstrating spiritual maturity.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“The fact that God is sovereign over the distribution of gifts (1 Cor. 12:7) is no reason not to seek the gifts. God is sovereign over our food too, but though he desires to provide it for his children (see Matt. 6:25–34) and wants us to seek his kingdom first (Matt. 6:9–10, 33), he expects us to pray for him to provide our food (Matt. 6:11; 7:7–11).”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“Because I am committed to the truth of Scripture, I must try to understand what Scripture says, even if it transcends my own experience.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“We should know and celebrate God with our whole person. While too many Christians neglect to serve God with the mind, others cultivate only their minds and neglect the emotional aspects of worship.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“God is consistent with his nature and declared purposes in Scripture, but he is not limited to our finite understanding of him or the ways we think he should work.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver

“An important step in getting to know God is to realize how available he is to us. In learning to hear God, it helps us to take on faith the fact that we are already in his presence. If we must make ourselves worthy of his presence first, we will never get there.”
― Craig S. Keener, Gift and Giver