Why I am Not A Cessationalist

I am not a cessationalist (basically I believe spiritual gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and healing exist today,but are not given to everyone and no prophecy and revelation can add, subtract, or contradict scripture, See a fuller definition of what cessationism is from Wikipedia below*).

The reason why I am not a cessationalist is because God gave me a prophecy that my good friend Pat (Yannpey) Chang would marry his fiancée, Shelley. It happened roughly 5 or 6 years ago, when all three of us had a class together (MIS 310, Management Information System). I remember that almost everyday at the beginning of class, we would see Shelley walk in, I would say verbally and nonverbally, usually with a stare, that "She's the ONE." Even though, some (including Pat) will deny my prophecy, one day we will all know the truth and it will be made known in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Well all jokes aside (I never experienced a prophetic moment), here's a helpful interview series done by Tim Challies with Dr. Sam Waldron and Dr. Wayne Grudem on the arguments between continuationism versus cessationaism.

1. Part 1 with Dr. Waldron
http://www.challies.com/archives/001511.php

2. Part 2 with Dr.Waldron
http://www.challies.com/archives/001512.php

3. Part 1 with Dr. Grudem
http://www.challies.com/archives/001518.php

4. Part 2 with Dr. Grudem
http://www.challies.com/archives/001521.php


Also, if you want more information on this matter please read

Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? (Paperback) edited by Wayne Grudem

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310201551/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/002-1161989-0441638?%5Fencoding=UTF8




*Cessationism, in Christian theology, is the view that the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit were for the purpose of founding and strengthening the church as it grew and expanded into the Roman Empire, thus they were in effect only during the time between the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost c. 33 AD (see Acts 2) and the fulfilment of God's purposes in history, usually identified as either the completion of the last book of the New Testament or the death of the last Apostle. This view is usually supported by reference to Ephesians 2:20 which is interpreted to read that Apostles and Prophets were only foundational to the church (and thus not continuing offices), as well as to Hebrews 2:3-4 which says miracles were performed by Apostles. Thus, with the passing of the last Apostle, miracles performed through people ceased. Some cessationists make reference to 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 as their main argument, though the majority of cessationists today do not feel that it can be used as an argument for cessationism. Cessationists also argue from the fact that since the closing of the Canon of scripture, the gifts of Prophecy and Knowledge have been rendered useless. Also supporting this view is the disputed argument that there has been no solid objective scientific reference of the working of miracles manifested within the mainstream church for the last nineteen centuries