Watching the series "AD" (which has way too much explicit torture and violence, the inclusion of which is a sign of unrepented spiritual malaise on the part of its makers) I realize how much people crave spiritual power; and regard spiritual power as a validation.
This is analogous to the craving for technological power; both as a way to control and exploit nature (this-world) for benefit; and (we hope) to defend ourselves against the problems and sufferings of this-world.
It seems that the era of the Apostles (depicted in Acts, especially) was one in which spiritual power was evident, and was taken as proof of Jesus's divinity; and was regarded as presaging the salvation of this-world - en route to making this world into Heaven.
Hence the - false - idea of the Second Coming of Jesus (at first believed to be imminent, later to be delayed), a necessary to finish the work he (as the prophesied Jewish Messiah) had left incomplete.
If there was a high level of spiritual power among the followers of Jesus in the years after His ascension; then we should recall there is always spiritual power in everyone; even nowadays, to some degree - and what SP there is, is still deployed as purported proof of various (often opposed) religions or spiritualties; and used for attaining personal (and group) benefit and/or guidance.
That is: we each - to some extent, and temporarily (because entropy and death are inevitable) - have ability to avert some of the bad things in life, and a make good things happen - some ability to imporve our everyday lives by deployment of spiritual powers.
For instance, even conservative evangelicals and other denominations, who pretend to be anti-magic, deploy petitionary prayer to shape their lives and churches - and to some extent it works.
An ability to shape our current lives, for our own reasons, and by spiritual means; should be regarded as just a fact of life; and then evaluated for what it really is, and means; and also for what it does not mean or imply.
Since the spiritual is real, and we are spiritual (as well as physical) beings, and have agency; it is to be expected that we have spiritual abilities to influence life in accordance with our will - just as we have some physical abilities to influence life.
Yes we do - but let us not be over-impressed by such abilities.
They can sometimes do something; but never very much or for very long, or consistently - at least not on the positive side.
Spiritual powers - like physical powers, like technologies - are much more apt to destruction than to make any positive difference to the fundamental and eternal nature of this mortal Life.
Spiritual power can be good, can be used for good; as can personal qualities such as intelligence, strength, beauty...
But spiritual powers do not defeat evil, nor extinguish entropy: they do not make an ultimate difference.
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