The Church of Christ, Scientist outlived its founder, Mary Baker Eddy. She died but she denied death, disease and pain. Why? Her Church's success in healing is based on using soul power. Buddhists' ascetic practises are performed because one is attempting to break the bonds of the flesh (the physiological) and release his soul power (the psychological) - which is no doubt why followers of Qi Gong also find nothing paranormal in their healing, focusing on a 'life force.' It gives you an idea of how powerful the soul really is - but it isn't surprising if we realize God wanted to make us in His image and likeness.

The difference between the power of the Holy Spirit and the latent power of the soul, is the soul is alive - it is life itself, but it is not life-giving. For example, I Corinthians says Adam was a living being - or 'soul' (since the Greek for soul in the passage gives us our modern day word of psyche), while Christ, a life-giving (or 'quickening') Spirit. Soul power can heal and do seemingly miraculous things - but it cannot grant ressurected life, unlike the only one who ressurected, Yah'shua haMashiach/Jesus Christ. One power is essentially common to natural man - at least from Eden. The other is straight from the divine.

"Let me repeat: the soul itself is truly alive, but it cannot make others to live. The spirit, on the other hand, is not only itself living but in addition lives life to others. This is why I state with such emphasis that we must lay down our soul power. All that is of the soul is of no avail. We are not quarrelling over terminologies, for this is too great a principle. Although the soul is alive, it has no way to make others live. Hence in helping people, we should aim at the depth of their beings instead of merely aiding their minds. We must not work according to the psychic force, since it can niether save nor profit anyone. How very careful we need to be. How we must deny whatever comes out of the soul. For it not only cannot help people, it also hinders God's work. It offends God as well as deprives Him of His glory." (Watchman Nee, The Latent Power of The Soul, 1972, NY, Christian Fellowship Publishers, pp.77-78)

The life-giving spirit comes only through Christ - and this is ressurection power.

Sometimes psychological methods are used in ministry meetings to 'attract' people or stimulate the crowd. Perhaps this is done by using methods and tactics to create an atmosphere. A revival meeting based on this will have no lasting effect, perhaps merely igniting emotions for a time. Only Spirit led revivals are life-giving, and are not dependant on how a congregation feels. For example, Nee recalled the following:

"Once I went to a village by the sea. The inhabitants there were all fishermen. There were believers scattered throughout the vicinity of this village. They had meetings with sometimes twenty, thirty, or even fifty or sixty persons present. Whenever they all assemble together and sing, what an irregular tune pierces your ears! Some sing fast and some sing slow, resulting in a lapse of several minutes because the fast ones have already finished the last line but must wait for a spell until the slower ones catch up. Can you possibly meet under this kind of circumstance? You will probably be dying with impatience, and all your power will be all but dissipated. One brother told me after listening to their singing he could no longer preach. I answered him by saying that there was a reason for it: Did the power come from him or from God?"

"We know the Spirit alone quickens. God works by the Spirit. If we desire God to work, we must ask Him to bind our soul life; otherwise He is not free to work". This is because God wants us to depend on him alone - not us. Christ's example, despite being the Son of God, sets the example of dependance on the Father."

First created on 3 February 2000 Last updated on 3 February 2000

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