BIG BIRD'S ALTER EGO The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

Are the kid actors thrown off when they see the muppets being operated by "muppeteers" (on Sesame Street)? Not really. "It's great to see kids who are in the studio," one staffer says. "The man who's playing the part is right there wearing the puppet on his arm, but the child completely disregards the person and talks to that puppet." That isn't always the case: One child was stunned when he saw Caroll climbing out of the Big Bird costume. "Mom," the stunned toddler yelled, "Do you think Big Bird knows he has a man inside of him?"

A movie was being made in the Los Angeles area and one of the sets was a gas station. It looked exactly like a real service station, except that it had no fuel, no energy, no power. The station was so realistic, in fact, that cars kept driving up for gas. Someone would come out and explain that it was just a movie set and after shooting of a couple scenes the whole thing would be dismantled.

Right after the final scene was shot, some more cars drove up for gas. Several of the actors were still in uniforms of station attendants and decided to have a little fun. The pretended to fill up the tank and when the driver started to pay, they told him there was no charge. They said the fuel was free as part of a promotional scheme. So the guys would drive off thinking they had a full tank of gas and had gotten a terrific deal. Actually, he was still empty and was probably worse off because he would think his gauge was broken.

A speaker at a Bible College was approached by a young student came up to me at the close of a chapel service and, with a very earnest look on his face, said, "Look, all week long you've been talking to us about Christ's working through us, saying that he will do the work. I have a question: How can Jesus work through us without destroying our personality?"

The speaker cast about for an answer, and all of a sudden an illustration came flashing into his mind: "When you prepare breakfast, if you plug an electric toaster and an electric mixer into the same outlet, would they both do the same thing?" He said, "I see what you mean."

Of course they would not. They both use the same power, but they do not do the same thing. So it is with Jesus. He is the power in the Christian life, the One who is able to live in us and manifest himself through us -- whatever the demand of life may be -- but the result always retains something of our individuality. The glory of the call of Christianity is that we are all empowered by the same mighty One, but that we lose nothing of the distinct flavor of our particular personality.

There was a missionary named Herbert Jackson who told of being given car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he traveled around the area, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. Some times he would get children to help him push it to get it started. He used this ingenious procedure for 2 years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new missionary began looking under the hood. "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.

For 2 years, needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.

PARACLETE Tom Tripp in Leadership Spring 94 p. 48

In the book Healing the Masculine Soul, Gordon Dalbey says that when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Helper, he uses a Greek word, paraclete, that was an ancient warrior’s term.

"Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs," says Dalbey, "so when the enemy attacked, they could draw together back-to-back, covering each other’s blind side. One’s battle partner was the paraclete."

A traveling evangelist always put on a grand finale at his revival meetings. When he was to preach at a church, he would secretly hire a small boy to sit in the ceiling rafters with a dove in a cage. Toward the end of his sermon, the preacher would shout the Holy Spirit to come down, and the boy in the rafters would dutifully release the dove.

At one revival meeting, however, nothing happened when the preacher called for the Holy Spirit to descend. He again raised his arms and exclaimed: "Come down, Holy Spirit!" Still no sign of the dove. The preacher then heard the anxious voice of the small boy call down from the rafters. "Sir, a yellow cat just ate the Holy Spirit. Shall I throw down the yellow cat?"

SCIENCE - EXPLODING JOY Heno Head's Simple Science Object Talks

What to do: Break a fresh Alka-Seltzer tablet in half and put each half in a 35mm film canister (clear works best). Put top on one of the canisters. Pour 1/4" to 3/8" water into 2nd canister. Wait 20 to 30 seconds and then watch it pop high.

What you say: As Christians, we have a lot of things to be excited about. Here are two church people (show film canisters). First, let's open the top of each. Then we'll take this Alka Seltzer package and open it up. We'll break the tablet in half and put a piece in each canister.

The table stands for the word of God and both take it into their hearts. Now, with the Word in both of them, we will put the top back on one person. Nothing happens!

But here's the other person. Before we put the top back on, we'll add one more thing - water (then put on top of canister). This is the person that allows the power of God to work in their lives.

GOD TOLD ME??? Excerpts from Jim North and his Christian Standard article of March 6th, "The Spirit Told Me".

"The Lord gave me this song." That comment of a singer's confident assertion is not at all unusual in our modern world of verbal charismatic Christians. Many will affirm that God has given a special message, special comfort, or a special direction-yet the exact nature of the "revelation" is harder to pin down. Usually this person will indicate that they had a certain feeling about something and concluded it was a message from the Lord.

This tendency to claim a special word from the Lord when the Lord has not spoken is not new. Years ago Alexander Campbell said that one must not look for the signs of an apostle, nor rely upon impressions. Instead one must learn to trust reason, judgement, and the Word of God.

When we deal with "impressions" how are we to know whether they are of divine, human, or even of satanic origin? They are always so subjective.

North tells of attending a certain conference where one of the speakers advocated continuing revelation. He spoke of Pentecostal, Anti-Baptists, Churches of God, all having a teaching about following the continuing leading of the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile,

we Campbellites sat back shaking our heads, affirming the spirit speaks through the word. "Impressions" are to subjective guide for doctrine and practice.

The commitment of early Restoration Movement Leaders was that the Bible alone is the authoritative guide to Christian faith and practice. Impressions, visions, and dreams are not a trust source of information.

GOD TOLD ME? by Victor Knowles in Christian Standard 11/6/83

A well known media evangelist recently announced that God told him in a seven-hour revelation to raise $5 million in order that a medical research facility might be completed for a "supernatural breakthrough" in the cure of cancer. Two years ago this same man said that a 900-foot Jesus appeared to him and talked to him as well. The subject? Need I tell you?

I recently received a direct-mail letter in which the writer (another famous preacher) stated that "God very clearly promised me 1,000 'FAITH FOUNDERS' who would give an average gift of $20 each per month." This would total the $20,000 he needed for his project. He hastened to add that. "Some, of course, would give much more." Of course.

This is not the first time God is supposed to have talked to these men nor will it likely be the last. Look for another announcement or letter the next time their cash flow is running low. God's Word warns us about religious hucksters who "make merchandise" of people (2 Peter 2:2).

But I'm hearing lesser-known people say the same thing. It doesn't always concern money, but it does concern other matters of life, even to the trivial and mundane. "God told me to do this." "God told me to do that." This is all part of the new "subjective" faith that is so popular among religious people today.

* Does God speak to men today? Does God actually talk to people today? If He does verbally talk to men perhaps one of three things is happening to me:

(1) I'm deaf and don't know it and should visit a hearing specialist as soon as possible.

(2) I'm not spiritual enough for God to talk to me & had better shape up my life but fast.

(3) I'm not hearing God's voice because God isn't speaking audibly to anyone these days.

I think I'll opt for the latter.

Don't get me wrong. That there was a time when God orally spoke, to man is not in question. God spoke to such notables as Adam (Genesis 2:16). Noah (Genesis 6:13), Abraham (Genesis 12:1), Moses (Exodus 3:4). Samuel (I Samuel 3:10), and Paul (Acts 9:4), to name just a few. The $64,000 question is "Does God speak audibly to men

today?" Do men and women actually hear God's voice? Do they receive special advice, advance warnings, personal counsel? Many people claim that God talks to them just like you talk to a friend in ordinary conversation. So what's wrong with you and me? How come we aren't hearing God's voice? Is it possible that we are missing out on something really big? Are we to believe these people who claim that God literally talks to them?

If it is true that God speaks to men today then God's revelation must be progressive, i.e., God continues to reveal His Word and will to men today. This would mean that God, unlike ABC, did not have "the last word" after all. The book of Revelation is not the last word from God for He continues to reveal it to men today. So the logic would go.

* Questions If this be true then I have a few questions to ask.

- How am I to know it was really God who spoke to them? How can they prove to me it was truly the Lord that talked to them? In Biblical times God enabled men with miracle-working power to prove that they were God's authentic spokesmen (Hebrews 2:4). Where are the bona fide miracles today?

- How are they to know it was really God who spoke to them?

How can they convince themselves that it was actually God who talked to them? A large group of people once were absolutely convinced that they had heard the voice of a god when in reality all that they heard was the voice of a mere man (Acts 12:22). There was a worm in their apple of reasoning.

- Who is to say that God didn't speak to them as well?

Pandora's box is really opened on this one. How can you prove that God didn't speak to this one or that one? All kind of "crazies" are running around today shooting and killing people because "God told me to." The old prophet of Bethel once claimed that God had

given him a special message but he lied (I Kings 13:18).

- If God is speaking to men, then don't they have a moral obligation to get that message to everyone? The prophets and apostles did. They left families and homes, endured mockings and beatings, traveled far and wide to spread the Word of God. Paul said, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9: 16).

* Answers - What about it? Does God speak to men today? Of course. How? Through His Son Jesus Christ! "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many

times and in various ways. but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1,2). God speaks to us through the living Word, Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14). He speaks to us through the written Word, the Bible (Exodus 31:18; Habakkuk 2:2; Revelation 1:10,11).

If God speaks audibly to men today it would have to be identical to the message of the Bible because we are warned. "Do not go beyond what is written" (I Corinthians 4: 6). If the message that men are hearing today is virtually identical to the original message, then why do we need it at all? If it is different in any way - as a good many are, even to the point of denying doctrine - then why should we heed it at all?

Someone has wisely observed, "If it is new then it is not true; if it is true then it is not new." Scripture has severe warnings for those who make additions to God's revealed message (Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18).

A city dweller moved to a farm and bought a cow. Shortly after he did, the cow went dry. When he reported this fact to a neighbor farmer, the farmer expressed surprise. The city man said he was surprised too. "I can't understand it either, for if ever a person was considerate of an animal, I was of that cow. If I didn't need any milk, I didn't milk her. If I only needed a quart, I only took a quart." The farmer tried to explain that the only way to keep milk flowing is not to take as little as possible from the cow, but to take as much as possible. Is that not also true of the Christian life? Those who only turn to God in need miss the real joy that flows from a daily infilling of His Spirit.

Late in the year 1994, their arose a new experience called "Holy Laughter." Observing this phenomena, Newsweek (Feb. 20, 1995) reported about what they observed: "In Toronto, Canada, 1500 worshipers gathered in the Vineyard Christian Church and had a good laugh. It began when a dozen pilgrims from Oregon got up to introduce themselves and then began to fall to the floor, laughing uncontrollably. An hour later, the huge new church looked like a field hospital. Dozens of men and women of all ages were lying on the floor: some were jerking spasmodically; others closed their eyes in silent ecstasy. A middle aged woman kicked off her pumps and began whooping and trilling in a delicate dance. Scores of others proclaimed deliverance from emotional and physical pains. "I've been living in my spirit," said a woman from Long Island, N.Y., still giggling after 20 minutes on the floor.

These communal laughins have been going on six nights a week, every week, for over a year at the charismatic congregation near Toronto's Pearson International Airport. In all, more than 100,000 people have experienced the "Toronto Blessing," which believers interpret as an experience of the Holy Spirit much like the "speaking in tongues" mentioned in the New Testament.... "It's a gusher of the Holy Spirit," says pastor John Arnott of the Toronto Vineyard, who now travels around the world spreading the hilarity of the Lord.

John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard, a network of 600 conservative congregations around the world, cannot find precedent in the Bible for laughter and falling on the floor. But neither does he find such actions prohibited by Holy Writ.

Recently the laughter has taken a beastly turn. Now some people who get the Toronto Blessing are beginning to roar like animals as well.