God Still Speaks Part 1

The beauty of the continualist position is that all I have to do is find one instance of one of the gifts being in operation after the close of the canon to destroy the tenability of cessationalism. Thus while they must destroy the credibility of every single miracle or supernatural manifestation since the last book of the Bible was written (to be strictly within the close of the canon) or to give them a few hundred years leeway say ( c. 400 B.C. when Augustine proclaimed gifts to have ceased).
Now as a continualist I should be very clear that most of the so called miracles of the Middle Ages were either hoaxes or in some cases demonic counterfeits. That said, all I need is one genuine communication of God to man to overthrow the theory.
Here is one that I think stands in fairly good stead. Since it does not conform to Romish Dogma, is not extravagantly supernatural, and is actually in line with evangelical Protestantism. This excerpt is from the Life of Anskar written by his friend and successor Rimbert (9th century):
Two years after the vision mentioned above, he had a vision in the night in which he thought that he had turned into the oratory in order to pray, and when he had risen from prayer a man came through the door who was tall, dressed according to Jewish custom, and of handsome appearance. From his eyes a divine lustre radiated like unto a flame of fire. When he beheld Him he cast aside all hesitancy and, believing that it was the Lord Christ, lie ran forward and fell at His feet. As he lay prostrate on his face He (the Lord Christ) commanded him to rise. When lie had risen and was standing reverently before Him he could not gaze upon His face for the glorious light that flashed from His eyes. With a soothing voice He addressed him and said : " Declare thine iniquities in order that thou mayest be justified," to Whom God's servant replied, "Lord, why must I tell Thee? Thou knowest all and nothing is hid from Thee." He replied again : " I know all, but I will that men should confess their faults to Me in order that they may receive forgiveness." When he had declared to Him everything that he had done since his earliest youth, and had then prostrated himself in prayer, He (the Christ) stood erect before him and said : " Fear not, for I am He that blotteth out thy iniquities," after which saying, the figure whom he had seen in his vision retired. The man of God rose from his sleep, and, strengthened by the assurance that his sins had been forgiven, rejoiced with exceeding joy.
Notice how confession was made directly to Christ, with no mediator and also how forgiveness was granted without penance. As a Pentecostal I can state that I believe Anskar had a saving revelation of the living Christ that night. If you are a cessationist your choices as I see them are not good.
1. It was a fiction of Anskar or Rimbert. Fair enough, but why would a fiction run along so evangelical lines and so contrary to established tradition. It would almost seem to discredit Anskar rather than commend him?

2. It was a dream he had which was caused by natural stimulus working on the brain. Again, given the teaching he would have been taught concerning penance, how would he have a dream so astonishingly Sola Fidean hundreds of years before Luther?

3. It was a demonic apparition. What an amazing spirit of lies to tell him so much of the truth to trust wholly in Christ and confess only to Him!!!
Notice, this revelation was not a revealing of something that was contrary to Scripture, but was an imprinting of what is clearly taught in Scripture upon one who had studied it. To reject it is in effect to tell God when and how He may speak to us… A very Biblical position to be sure!
I realize that my efforts will fail to convince a die-hard or perhaps even many moderate cessationists, but all I ask is that you examine the evidence of Scripture, and of history. Also consider would the Holy Spirit writing through the Apostle Paul desire that the church would not be ignorant of spiritual gifts, if the gifts had a fourth century expiry date on them. Could the churches not have been orally instructed in that case and the instructions not have been placed in the Word of God which abides forever? Would the Lord who changes not, have written in His Word His desire for His people not to be ignorant of spiritual gifts when in reality for more than 1600 years He has desired us to forget about them because they are not for today?
May God lead you into His truth!