This is great news, that you are open to leaving cessationism. People are waking up to the fact that they have been deceived by false doctrine and tradition, and robbed of divine blessings and powers that were bought for us by the precious blood of Jesus. I have several suggestions that might help you to facilitate your journey to faith.

Do not rush the change. Indeed, I think that this is an urgent issue. It is important for you to take this direction right away. I wish you could change entirely today. However, I would rather you take one step at a time, rather than carelessly committing to something, and then swing back and forth, back and forth, between one opinion and another. It is urgent, and most important, but since you declare that you are open to change on the matter, this is a good start.

Do not look to people. Do not look at what people call “charismatics,” and think that if you leave cessationism, then you must become these charismatics. No, you don’t need to be like anybody. You just need to follow God’s word. If you look at the charismatics in your investigation, you might become disgusted, and it might affect how you view the doctrine. First, you might be disgusted because you have been taught to despise charismatics. Second, the charismatics are indeed wrong on some things, and because you have been told to despise them, your reaction might be exaggerated, and you might end up being unfair to what the Bible itself says on the subject. The charismatics do not represent the Bible, and they do not represent me. Consider what I say on my own terms, but especially be fair to what the Bible says. I sometimes employ terms that the most hated charismatics use, in order to place a stumbling block before those who harden their hearts, so that seeing, they will not perceive, and hearing, they will not understand. This is indeed what happens. On the other hand, those who are open to truth pay attention to the context and meaning, and they are able to grasp what I say, and see that they come from the word of God.

Do not argue with people. If you are going to look at the doctrine of God’s miracles and blessings, you should give it a fair chance. You have already heard from cessationists. You know what they say. You can argue with them later. They love to argue more than they love Jesus Christ, so they will wait for you. Much debate at this point will likely produce frustration, especially because most cessationists represent their side incoherently, and represent the charismatics dishonestly. Do not challenge cessationists at this time. Do not think it is always better to discuss something back and forth, back and forth, with no end in sight. It is not better. You should be spending a lot of time thinking on this other side first. No one is forcing you to accept anything. Take your time to become informed.

Do not swing back and forth. If you are taking a step toward this direction of faith in God’s power, then let each step be permanent. If you are not confident, then take a little more time, but once you take a step, do not slip back. However, do not let this be an excuse to delay too long. Let me remind you, if cessationism is wrong, you are in a state of rebellion against the word of God. It is not a safe place to be, but it is not good to swing back and forth either.

Do not see it as a burden. You are indeed responsible to believe and practice the truth. If cessationism is wrong, and I am certain it is, then you are in some trouble, since you stand in defiance against God’s word as long as you affirm cessationism. But God’s doctrine of faith and power is not meant to be a threat or a burden. This is supposed to be good news. God is for you. God gives you power. God makes you his co-worker, and empowers you by his Spirit. God wants to be good to you, and you can receive good things from him by faith. This is what you are supposed to think about it. I always deliver it as gospel to those who believe – as good news. It is to those who harden their hearts in unbelief and tradition that I make the doctrine into a staff of judgment. It exposes their rebellion, and God will hold them accountable.

Do not base much on experience. Most of those around you probably do not believe. They are probably cessationists. Even if you believe, you might not have much faith at this time, but God’s power at work is based on faith. So at first you might not receive many experiences or demonstrations. You must first find out what God’s word teaches and base your doctrine on that alone. I have had some experiences, but I still base all of my faith on the word of God. I can delight in experiences that are in accordance to the word of God. I certainly give thanks when I receive from God by faith, or when someone benefits from his power, but the word of God is what keeps this going, and what keeps us on the right path.

Do not emphasize the “gift” language. Do not limit yourself to certain popular passages on the subject. The Bible almost never uses the “gift” language to refer to this topic. It is fine sometimes to use it for the sake of convenience, but always keep in mind that the Bible does not really use it. The Bible refers to miracles in terms of God doing something, the Spirit coming upon us, praying and receiving, having faith in God, and so on. The focus on “gifts” skews the entire discussion. Does God continue? Does prayer continue? Does faith continue? Or have these ceased? Does the Spirit still come upon people, or did he die with the apostles? Ask yourself these questions.

I do not enjoy offering so many “do not” suggestions, but I came up with these to address what you told me about your traditional background. Let us consider a positive suggestion. Imagine yourself on the other side of the issue. You might not be ready to commit to faith in God’s power, but you can safely imagine, if only for a moment or two each time. Imagine that cessationism is false, then what would this or that biblical verse mean? It might feel strange that the Bible now means what it says, but try to get used to it.

What if it had always been possible for God’s people to experience and minister miracles by faith? What would explain some people’s powerlessness in history? Cessationists interpret history as if cessationists are correct, but what if they are not? Then there is another way of looking at history. Ah, then they would be sinners and failures. The cessationists assume their doctrine, and interpret history by it, and then they assume this version of history, and interpret our doctrine by it. There is another way to tell the story. We reverse the process. We derive our doctrine from God’s word, and interpret history by it, and then we assume this version of history, and interpret their doctrine by it. When we do this, we expose the devastation cessationism has caused, to the church, to the world, and to humanity throughout history. This is the frightening truth that they wish to hide from you and from themselves, and if possible, from God himself.

Imagine. If faith and power have never ceased, then what is God saying to me now? What does he want from me now? How now shall I live? You will see that some biblical texts will immediately make more sense. You will no longer have to distort them or explain them away. You have heard the arguments of cessationism. Now imagine yourself on the other side, and imagine yourself attacking cessationism. What would you say? What biblical argument would you use? How would your opponents answer? Are their answers honest, or just another round of trickery and diversion?

From: email