Ghosts in the New Testament? – Part 5
The Man from Macedonia
I admit that part 4 of this series went quite deep and was heavy going, so here’s something a little lighter, with more questions than answers really. Whilst not exactly a ghost, this is a strange and brief story which has a paranormal flavour.
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
Acts16:6-10
Luke clearly says that Paul had been prevented on several occasions from entering Asia, which must have been very frustrating for him as he was a man with a mission. However, one night, he sees a vision of a man standing there and asking him to come over to his area of Macedonia. This was in a different direction, leading him into Europe, and it would be there he’d meet God-fearing Gentiles like Lydia (v13-15) and the spread of Christianity throughout Europe would ensue.
Note, this was a vision, not a dream. Visions occur when a person is awake, yet able to perceive that which is not visible to the naked eye; dreams are a different state of consciousness which occurs during sleep, but in which we are able to engage in spiritual conversations. I’m reminded of the image of Princess Leia in Star Wars, when her message is projected from R2-D2 with the words “Help me Obi-Wan. You’re my only hope.” But I digress.
But who was this mysterious man from Macedonia that appeared to him, and why did he beckon Paul to help “us” (i.e. he was part of the group which needed help)? Whilst I’m not going to give any definitive answers (because I don’t think we can for this one), I am throwing out some questions to ponder upon, given that this was a paranormal incident:
- Was this one of the spirits of a believer who had died and was fulfilling a messenger role on behalf of part of the Body of Christ which was to grow in that area? After all, Jesus said we’d be like angels (messengers) when we die (see previous part).
- Was this some instance of out-of-body experience or astral travelling created as the man prayed in his own home, probably unintentionally but nevertheless a psychical link facilitated by God which helped Paul realise where he needed to go.
- Was this merely an “angel of the place” asking Paul to go and help with the physical side of the mission there?
Some see the change in writer’s perspective – “they” from the passage above to “we” the next verses – as the man possibly being Luke who joined Paul in the mission from thereon.
Whatever it was, Paul was open to the Holy Spirit and understood that paranormal visions are not something to be frightened of, but tested against where God’s Spirit calls us to be. This was not territory that Paul was intending to get himself into, but by following the call to go to places not thought of before, he was able to break new ground in his mission. What can the Church learn from visions calling us to go into places we’ve never thought of before, and do we have the courage to follow that calling?
This brings to a close the final piece of this series on ghosts in the New Testament. Hopefully it’s been educational as well as thought provocative and you’ve seen the Bible has strange things in it which we can gloss over or ignore because of a lack of biblical thinking that seeks to engage the text within its context.
Matt,
I appreciated this synopsis but I’d like your recommendation on additional theological reading/interpretations that go into more detail. My wife is sensitive to the spiritual/supernatural; she regularly encounters spirits of the departed that seek her out to intercede in the lives of loved ones, some that seem to just be “present”, or some that wish simply to pass a message that they are well. She has never sought them out or partaken in any paranormal rituals. She has encountered some entities that exude a malevolence, but has learned to close herself off from them. This began when she was a young girl. We are unwavering Christians but have come to believe that we can’t explain what she experiences through much of traditional “mainstream” Christian theology. We love our current church community, but have become aware that most of our church ascribes to the belief that these “agellos” are in fact “daimon”. My wife is struggling with this, and I would like to offer her respected theological opinions to read that offer a counterpoint to the church voices that have her recently questioning her gift. Thanks in advance!
-Tom
Hi Tom,
Many thanks for getting in touch. I think in everything we need to give thanks, including for the gifts God has given us regarding this sphere of sensitivity. As you mention, there’s been no seeking out of this gift, it’s just been given, nor has any contact been initiated by your wife regarding the dead, then no scriptural boundaries have been broken regarding necromancy or spirit possession mediumship.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of mainstream Christianity that will demonize these gifts, due to “Devil of the gaps” thinking. This is extremely unhelpful and often damaging to the gifted person. With everything, we should be testing the spirits (1 John 4) to see if what we receive is in harmony with Scripture, or at odds with it. What are the fruit that it brings? Are they in line with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and/or self-control? If so, then there’s nothing to worry about.
Personally, I would keep quiet about the gift in that particular group, as it will only be a cause of difficulty for her due to ignorance about the whole psychical gifts subject (psychic is a word from the Greek psyche, meaning ‘soul’, but has been demonized by fearful Christians).
There will be ways that she can be of help though in passing the messages on, and I would advise they’re done in a way that doesn’t appear as a direct message from the departed, e.g. “I’m certain that God’s hope for the departed means they’re safe in his hands”, or something akin to that. Sometimes messages might appear that indicate something needs to be done, such as the location of a lost family will, or suchlike. In these cases, I would frame the information passed on as being “word of knowledge” type stuff, but not claim it’s directly from God (which would be lying).
It is good that she’s discerning the malevolent spirits. Discernment is a key gift of the Holy Spirit, so I would definitely be continuing to ask for discernment in these matters.
We have a Facebook group Ghosts, Ghouls and God which can be a safe place for people to discuss these things without having those who are demonizing their gift through ignorance of such matters. This may help be a community for her to share her experiences and know she’s not alone as a Christian with these gifts.
There is also the Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies, which is a parachurch charity that’s nearly 70 years old and was set up to explore these things in a biblical manner and provide support to help those experiencing such giftings.
I would also recommend the following books (in order) that give a good overview of the issue:
Chris Putnam: The Supernatural Worldview
Michael Perry: Psychical and Spiritual
Russ Parker and Michael Mitton: Requiem Healing
All are really good and written by Christians with a strong emphasis on scripture and theology. Whilst I do not agree entirely with Putnam on some of his other writings, his research and theological treatment of this subject is very good indeed and has helped many understand that it’s okay to have these gifts, as long as they’re put into the service of the Kingdom of Heaven.
I would also recommend reading more of the articles on this website, as they are a distillation of the research I’ve carried out over the past 7 years in this matter, and are written from a perspective that attempts to ensure everything is backed by the Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience (a solid framework for ensuring that we have a fully integrated belief system for our faith).
I hope this helps and if you need to chat further, please do contact me via the Contact Page.
Every blessing,
Matt