That spirit has worked to reduce the gospel to a mere intellectual message, rather than a supernatural God encounter. It tolerates the mention of power if it's in the past. Occasionally, it considers that power is appropriate for people in faraway places. But, never does this spirit expect the anointing of God's power to be available in the here and now.
In this excerpt, the author critiques a prevailing mentality that minimizes the essence of the gospel to an intellectual discourse instead of recognizing it as a dynamic encounter with the supernatural God. This perspective often accepts references to divine power as something historical or geographically distant, indicating a reluctance to embrace the immediacy of God's anointing and presence in contemporary life.
Bill Johnson emphasizes the importance of viewing the gospel not just as a set of ideas but as a transformative experience available to believers today. He challenges readers to seek and expect God's miraculous power in their own lives, moving beyond a passive recollection of past events to an active, present-day faith that anticipates divine intervention and supernatural experiences.
