Tim Enloe: Holy Spirit Issues / Neo-Classic Pentecostalism

Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost?

2011-11-04T01:49:00.010-05:00

Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost?

I recently had a person ask me, "Are the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost two different beings? You get the Holy Spirit when you are saved, but you get the Holy Ghost when you speak in tongues, right?"

This question highlights how much confusion there is about the ministry of the Spirit in general and, within that confusion, the significant amount of it that is caused by misunderstood or poor terminology.

Though the questioner raised several points needing clarification, I want to speak to the terms "Holy Ghost" and "Holy Spirit." A word of warning; this may rattle some deified tradition, but to me, accuracy is always more important than maintaining the status quo.

You have probably noticed that modern English Bible translations do not use the term "Holy Ghost;" and that for good reason. The King James Version (KJV) was translated originally in the year 1611; this version used the terms Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost interchangeably in the New Testament and used the term Holy Spirit soley in the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament--which was written in Hebrew, the term ruach (meaning spirit/Spirit, breath or wind) is translated as "Spirit/spirit." The only time you'll find the word "ghost" in the KJV Old Testament is the phrase "give/gave up the ghost", speaking of someone dying. This phrase is a 1611-era figure of speech that is substituted by the translators for the actual Hebrew verb, gava, which means to die or breath your last breath. There is absolutely no usage of the word "ghost" in the Hebrew Old Testament.

In the New Testament--which was written in Greek, the term pneuma (also literally meaning spirit/Spirit, breath or wind) is used exclusively to speak of God's invisible Spirit, the third Person of the trinity.

The Greek word for "ghost" is phantasma, meaning "ghostly apparition." Phantasma is used twice in the Greek New Testament--both times speaking of being frightened by what the Disciples thought was at first sight a "ghostly apparition", namely Jesus walking towards them on the water (see Matt 14:26 and Mark 6:49). They were literally afraid of what they thought was an unholy ghost!

Though the KJV inconsistently renders pneuma as both Ghost and Spirit, the original is clearly, consistently intended to read as "Holy Spirit". No place is this more evident than in Acts 2:4, where the KJV translates the one word, pneuma, as both Ghost and Spirit within the same verse! This perhaps demonstrates the superstition of the era in which this version was translated, but also our need for modern, reliable Bible translations and scholarship.

I am not intending to blast the KJV as being full of errors or hurt those who have been strengthened by reading God's Word in this translation. I am trying to clear up a 400 year old misunderstanding that has potentially caused many to fear the ministry of the Paraclete who desires to help us, not scare us.

There is definitively no usage of "Holy Ghost" in the original Hebrew or Greek Bibles. Simply put, biblically, there is no such being as the Holy Ghost. Both the Hebrew term ruach and Greek term pneuma are rightly translated as Spirit, not Ghost in modern English translations.

Both the biblical terms for spirit center around life and action, not death and fear--as phantasma, or ghost, implies. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life, not the spirit of death, a phantasm or phantom.

I pray that our practice of sometimes holding tradition over truth will be challenged--because in this case, the mistranslation of Ghost has likely encouraged many to have additional superstitious fears about a ghostly apparition instead of desiring the Holy Spirit's practical, desperately needed ministry.

So how about letting the term "Holy Ghost" give up the ghost?

How Tongues Speaking Fits into the Big Picture

2010-05-28T08:43:00.003-05:00

Here is an excerpt from our most recent article in the Enrichment Journal entitled, "A Thirty-Something Minister Looks at Initial Evidence."

To read the entire article, click here.

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Did tongues speaking suddenly show up out of nowhere? Is the Book of Acts our only basis for understanding and teaching on the subject?

A brief survey of the Acts accounts reveals that speaking in tongues is the biblically mentioned sign in the three detailed accounts (Acts 2,10,19) and is the most likely sign in the two nondetailed accounts (Acts 8, 9) as well. The only consistently repeated sign of Spirit baptism in Acts is tongues speaking; any other conclusion is synthetic. But what about the bigger picture?

I have discovered that presenting a broader biblical context than merely presenting the Acts narratives enables people to see the subject in a more personally imperative light. The more Scripture we use, the more hunger we will generate. Along these lines, the following concepts offer some teaching angles to consider.

Two common stages in biblical Spirit-empowering narratives
Looking at what people experienced in other biblical Spirit-empowering events helps us frame a broader context for Spirit baptism. What happened to people when the Holy Spirit came upon them before the Day of Pentecost?

The overwhelming response to the Spirit’s empowering in the Old Testament was spontaneous prophecy in the speaker’s native language. In fact, these occurrences frequently displayed a two-stage process:

The Holy Spirit came upon the person, and
The person gave witness with sudden prophetic speech.
Examples of this common two-stage pattern include: Numbers 11:25; 1 Samuel 10:6,10; 1 Samuel 19:20; 2 Samuel 23:1,2; 1 Chronicles 12:18; 2 Chronicles 15:1–7; 20:14–17; 24:20; Isaiah 59:21; 61:1; Ezekiel 2:1–7; Joel 2:28,29; Matthew 12:18; Luke 1:67–79; 4:14,15; Acts 1:8; 2:4; 10:44,45; 19:6.

These two common stages follow through to the New Testament fulfillment of both Moses’ desire (Numbers 11:29) and the direct oracle from God (Joel 2:28,29) that first, the Holy Spirit would one day come upon all of God’s people, and second they would give prophetic witness.

Even Jesus reiterated this theme when He prophesied that the Holy Spirit would first come upon believers; and, second, He would empower them as vocal witnesses (Acts 1:8).

NEW Holy Spirit DVD Curriculum for KIDS!

2010-05-25T00:50:00.005-05:00

A brand new DVD curriculum about Spirit Baptism for elementary-aged kids is now available from familyactionagents.com.

It is loosely based on our children's book, "Kid Power!", and contains six interactive 20-30 minute segments suitable for children's ministry, small groups or family time.

Inspector Clueless leads the way to a biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit's power with great special effects and practical teaching metaphors designed to help kids understand and receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

"The Holy Spirit: Our Super Power" is now available for $39 and includes DVD, book and leader's guide/script.

Click here and scroll to the bottom left to find a preview video and ordering information.

Teaching Helps on Spirit Baptism as a Separate Event After Salvation

2010-04-07T12:40:00.002-05:00

Here is the latest installment in our series of articles in the Enrichment Journal: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201002/201002_119_HS_Separate.cfm

This article deals with some practical teaching helps to frame Spirit Baptism as a post-conversion anointing experience.

Please take in the EXCELLENT article by Dr. Edgar Lee in the same issue; he is regarded among the top Pneumatologists in modern Pentecost and it is an true honor to have my little article appear next to his! You can read his work here: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201002/201002_112_Bapt_Holy_Spirt.cfm

The Anointing of Jesus and How It Applies to Us

2010-02-06T22:45:00.005-06:00

This is an excerpt from our current article, "Jesus The Anointed One: Our Example for Supernatural Ministry," in the series of practical Pneumatology articles featured in Enrichment Journal (Fall 2009-Summer 2010).
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Did Jesus perform miraculous acts purely out of His raw divinity (as the Eternal Son) or was there another factor at work? The scripture is clear; as the messianic God-man, he would never be divested of his deity in any way (Col 2:9), but he would operate under the auspices of the Spirit’s anointing. Luke 4 records the fulfillment of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy, “The Spirit is upon me because he has anointed me…” (Luke 4:18ff, Isa 61:1ff). The Apostle Peter’s cristological pneumatology is revealed when he teaches the Caesareans that “God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power and how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him (Acts 10:38). Jesus operated under the auspices of the Spirit’s enabling—not because his divinity was insufficient, but because as our great example he would have to lead us in paths we would be able to follow. His promise of the power coming with Spirit baptism (Acts 1:8) would allow us to operate in realms not accessible to mere humanity.

The promise of “greater works” (John 14:12) has kept many a minister up late at night in introspection. Jesus spoke about us doing these “greater works,” but how can earthly novices like us actually expect that to happen? Talk about being under-qualified! The context of Christ’s words is the eminent sending of the Holy Spirit to empower believers—the same Holy Spirit that came upon Him at His baptism in the Jordan.

More than a Trinitarian photo-op, the baptism of Jesus and the subsequent descent of the Spirit—along with the audible expression of the Father’s approval—should speak volumes to us about the process of our personal quest for supernatural ministry. Jesus did not need forgiveness for personal sin nor the Spirit’s power to enable for personal weakness, but as our great example, he would follow the Father’s will step by step; clearing the path that we—who desperately need forgiveness and empowering—could follow. The Holy Spirit’s descent upon Jesus following his baptism established another facet of the pattern we are to emulate, for immediately afterwards Luke records that Jesus was considered “full” of the Spirit (Luke 4:1).

Christ’s reliance on the Spirit’s power loudly speaks of our desperate need for Spirit Baptism and the “fullness” of supernatural ministry power that comes with it. We can follow Christ’s great example as our ministry role model because, like him, we can experience and rely upon the Holy Spirit’s power.

Rare Pentecostal/ Healing Books Available Again!

2010-01-16T22:57:00.011-06:00

Many dismiss the ministry, experience and contributions of A. A. Allen because of his latter years--which were filled with increasingly suspicious behavior. But, whatever your opinion may be, few doubt the effectiveness of his early ministry.

Since his death, the two books that told the story of Allen's personal quest to demonstrate God's power have been out of print and VERY difficult to find. These two inspirational resources are now available from John Carver Ministries. The Life of A. A. Allen: As Told by A. A. and Lexie Allen contains Allen's autobiography, "My Cross" (which details his personal quest for supernatural ministry) along with his wife's biography, "God's Man of Faith and Power"; these are reprinted with bonus material including rare photos and a recently discovered epilogue written by Allen just two years before his death.

This book will find a welcome place in the hands of anyone who longs for God's power in their ministry. It will also fill a void in many historical libraries.

Foreword is by noted Pentecostal/Healing scholar Dr. David Edwin Harrell.

You can purchase the book here:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/life-of-a-a-allen/8218399

Check out John Carver's website here:

http://www.johncarverministries.org

Revolutionaries

2010-01-10T22:48:00.008-06:00

One of the most encouraging and empowering books I've read in a long time is Matt Brown's Revolutionaries:Men and Women in Every Century Who Advanced Christianity.

Revolutionaries surveys over 40 men and women--from the first century until modern times--who laid down everything to spread the fame of Jesus. Designed to stir passion as well as to make history come alive, Brown does a remarkable job at framing how eternal significance is measured: through sacrifice and obedience. Each chapter is concluded with a strong, practical point of action that will challenge the reader to surrender more to the Lord.

Of particular interest to this blog's readers will be his inspiring chapters on two notable 20th century Pentecostals--Aimee Semple McPherson and Smith Wigglesworth.

Pastors could very easily use this book for small groups and youth/young adults will find it fast moving and interesting. Quantity discounts are available.

If you'd like to learn more, click here to go to Brown's website.

The Forgotten Legacy of Oral Roberts

2009-12-21T20:08:00.007-06:00

Today I watched the Oral Roberts memorial service live on TV.

Rightly hailed as a central figure in Christianity in general and Pentecostalism in specific, Roberts' legacy lives on through countless protégé's, a major Christian university, and many, many other obvious contributions.

However, I have not yet heard others comment on what I perceive to be a major component of his legacy: the broad acceptance of professional medical treatment by people who believe in divine healing. Like it or not, Pentecostalism (in general) has a history of rejecting medical treatment in favor of divine healing alone. In fact, some of the pre-Pentecostals influencers such as John Alexander Dowie classified doctors in the same category as demons and devils! Many of Dowie's followers would become early leaders in the modern Pentecostal movement and promote divine healing--such as John G. Lake, F. F. Bosworth, Eli Richey (and his son Raymond T. Richey) among others.

Though I have not yet found it specifically stated in any Pentecostal denomination's creed, there was a generally negative opinion of the medical profession in early Pentecostalism--from simple suspicion to blatant opposition. Many taught that pursuing medical treatment was a sinful act demonstrating a lack of faith! As recent as 1955, British Assemblies of God leader J. Nelson Parr's anti-medicine teaching was published by GPH. His opinion was not unique; many Pentecostal leaders shared his view and taught it to those they influenced, making it a common (but not universal or codified) belief.

Enter Oral Roberts--arguably the icon of divine healing for the 20th century. Under his massive tent and through the media, countless people outside of traditional Pentecostalism were exposed to the supernatural healing ministry for the first time and all of Pentecostalism sat up to take notice. The name Oral Roberts is still synonymous with divine healing.

In 1977, this spokesman for the supernatural announced his dream of building...a hospital! He further went on to explain that there was no conflict between medical treatment and the belief in (and practice of) divine healing! This sent murmurous ripples across the church world. However, this announcement did not reflect a personal change in Roberts' doctrine; he had a rather developed doctrine of God's sovereignty relating to divine healing from his early days of ministry. His logic was that not everyone receives divine healing, so therefore, the Pentecostal/Charismatic world should have their own world-class hospital.

I'm sure you know the rest of the story; the City of Faith Medical Center only operated from 1981-1987 before financial problems forced its closure. End of story? Not in my opinion. Still today the Pentecostal/Charismatic world is indebted to Roberts for what the near-sighted perceive to be his greatest failure. This American icon of divine healing built a hospital and sidelined the common, long-standing anti-medicine teaching--hopefully once and for all. Today, only a few fringe sects of Pentecostalism teach against medical treatment.

Though the three towers of the once-hospital (now an office complex) still cast a shadow over South Tulsa, they remind us today that Pentecostals are compassionate and humanitarian alongside our belief in supernatural healing.

Thank you Oral Roberts; whether or not you realized it, your prophetic action of hospital building brought balance to an often narrow understanding--yet you still encouraged us to believe in God for our healing, demonstrating the reality of both through your own ministry.

Pentecostalism is NOT the same thing as the Word of Faith Movement

2009-11-05T16:29:00.011-06:00

I am generally opposed to negative posts, but a constantly arising issue needs to be addressed: what Pentecostalism is NOT.

Pentecostals are having a bit of an identity crisis because of decades of Christian media influence and a general lack of discernment on our part. I can understand when a poorly-researched secular writer lumps us in with other groups who share a doctrine or two with us, but unfortunately, many of our own can no longer detect the difference.

I am not saying that those in the Word of Faith (WOF) are not true Christians or that they are insincere or not effective in ministry. I simply want to point out that they are a different stream than classical Pentecostalism.

Though our Word of Faith friends share many of our doctrines, they also have many critical differences from Pentecostalism:

---Classical Pentecostalism does not embrace the "Prosperity Gospel" and its potentially materialistic ways; in fact--while we are thankful for God's blessing--Pentecostalism has a rather developed experience and doctrine of suffering.

---We do not embrace the metaphysical definitions and formulas of faith expressed in the WOF's "positive confession" doctrines. For example, the Assemblies of God actually has an official doctrinal position paper against such teaching.

---We do not embraced the tangled Christology of the WOF's "Born-Again Jesus" doctrine (that Jesus had to be Born Again in Hell prior to his resurrection).

---We reject the idea that God operates by His own personal faith, i.e. "God has to have faith that what He says will actually happen." God has no higher object upon whom to place His faith; he doesn't have faith in that sense--He has omnipotent power!

---Pentecostals do not embrace many of the WOF's healing doctrines and practices. We believe that God can and does supernaturally heal but we also keep His sovereignty intact, allowing Him divine prerogative to delay or deny such a request. We do not believe or practice that God must act upon our behalf because He is "legally bound to do so." Nor do we believe that the sick person has defective faith if healing doesn't come; this assumptive practice only leads already hurting people into condemnation--something that was never a fruit of the ministry of Jesus.

You may notice a subtle theme in these differences; many WOF teachings tend to empower and deify man while robbing God of His sovereignty and volition.

What do you think?

Consecration and Anointing: an Old Testament Case Study

2009-08-12T14:40:00.005-05:00

This is an excerpt from our current series of articles in The Enrichment Journal; the series runs for one year, starting with this quarter's issue. For the full article, you can click here: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200904/200904_120_OTPneumatology.cfm
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Zooming in on charismatically endowed individuals can be inspiring — but it can also get ugly. From Moses to Samson to David, bittersweet moments of personal victory and failure demonstrate this simple truth: Personal consecration can affect the duration of such an endowment.

Moses’ tantrum at Meribah-Kadesh reveals that the residue of his previous murderous anger and tablet-smashing outbursts still lingered. Striking the rock brought a premature and geographically limiting end to his leadership. Disobedience can be costly, decreasing the time span of Spirit-empowered effectiveness.

The Gideon narrative is an example of a Spirit-empowered leader missing God, therefore missing God’s best. This incident immediately followed a great victory. His penchant for Ishmaelite earrings snared him and all Israel into idolatrous worship (Judges 8:23–27). Gideon’s story had a great first half, but holiness issues changed his biography to have a flavorless — even sour — conclusion.

And then there’s Samson — half-Spirit empowered leader, half-unconsecrated pleasure addict. His story reminds us of God’s grace despite human weakness. Samson’s contradictory end of both victory and defeat leaves the reader wondering what could have been if only he had a deeper level of consecration.

God selected Saul as king at the insistence of Israel — even though a monarchy was apparently not yet the divine plan. Saul’s commissioning includes both astoundingly precise prophetic interaction with Samuel and unique personal interaction with the Spirit of prophecy. Shortly after his coronation, he blatantly disobeyed God by sparing the Amalekite king, Agag. This began a cycle of God mercifully reaching out to a disobedient Saul, who seems to become more and more bent on his own destruction. Once again, a lack of consecration lowers the ceiling of what could have been.

King David is the clearest Old Testament prototype for the Messiah — a soft heart — but a vulnerable Achilles tendon. Note his fear of the Holy Spirit’s possible departing following his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba: “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11, NASB). This man after God’s own heart knew there were consequences to sinful decisions.

At this point you may wonder, How can any of us make it? Certainly if Moses, who received both the original and duplicate copies of the Law — hand delivered on granite stationery — cannot finish the course, how can we? The new covenant demonstrates that Spirit-enabled moral change is more than possible; it is expected. Paul tells us, “If by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you will live” (Romans 8:13, NASB).

The new covenant provisions of the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration and sanctification make what was once impossible now possible — even for leaders. Comingle that with an unfolding level of New Testament grace and mercy, and suddenly we have an opportunity to break the cycle and experience the fullest duration of our individual anointing.

A Call for the End of "Perfect Church"

2009-06-25T12:07:00.003-05:00

My last post generated quite a bit of discussion (at least on FaceBook); and the comments seemed to share a common desire to return to a more biblically authentic worship experience, along with a bit of frustration for the increasing theatrical production quality observed in many churches.

Today I would like to call for the end of "Perfect Church," where every note has to be on tune and every announcement video is broadcast quality, where only auditioned singers can get on the "team" and where sermons come from the pastor being shut in with his/her creative team instead of simply being shut away with God.

I'm not advocating "Hokey Church" or "Wing-it Church," but simply a re-assessment of why and how we do things. We should strive to do things well and to the best of our ability--but that's just it; many are trying to do it to the best of Broadway's ability. I feel like the sense of authentic community has been destroyed by the hiding of our human imperfections. Why would a person who is being convicted of sin ever walk the aisle of "Perfect Church" before the amassed group of "perfect members?" We need a restoration of the Acts church model!

Now I realize that the New Testament is full of human blunders--even church ones. How about the attempt at communal living that ended with dishonest offerings and dead people? But I'm afraid that our church marketing friends are trying to re-write early church history and sanitize its frailties with an unholy airbrush. How can we read Acts and then attend one of our modern 55 minute multimedia extravaganzas and think this is what Jesus and most of the Apostles were martyred for?

Here's the bottom line question; how did we let things get this way? I'm afraid the answer won't make us feel too good. Our western church culture has demanded that the wishes of the people are met or else we pull up our roots and move down the street to another church that will cater more to our self-indulgent and un-sanctified lives. Perfect Church has emerged--at least in part--as a church survival technique, feverishly trying to corral the unhappy and un-satisfiable masses. That does not, of course, excuse anyone--the church organization, or us--the real church--of our shared responsibility for this distortion.

Jesus speaks directly to us today through the words He originally spoke to the Church in Laodicea:

14 Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God’s creation, says:
15 “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! 16 You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit.
17 You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.
18   “Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.
19   “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!
20   “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.
21 Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!
22   “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”

--Rev. 3:14-22 the Message

"Father please heal our eyes to see that the 'Perfect Church' we desired and constructed is in reality 'Wretched, Poor, Miserable, Blind and Naked Church.' God help us to lay aside our appetite for "Perfect Church" and our passionless, commitment-less expressions of faith and re-discover what a true disciple of Jesus looks and acts like."

I look forward to your comments.

What's in the Original Pentecostal Secret Sauce and how did we lose the recipe?

2009-06-16T00:30:00.004-05:00

Disclaimer: Please excuse the following rant.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A CHRISTIAN WORSHIP SERVICE IN ACTS
So we've discussed some missing elements in previous "Secret Sauce" posts but what are the key elements of true corporate worship gatherings in Acts? The following is only a quick list and I need your input to make it more complete:

1. Corporate Prayer
2. Reading of the Scriptures
3. Teaching
4. Time for supernatural interaction
5. Worship (this is only mentioned twice that I have noticed: in the Phillippian jail and in in Antioch (and this is probably not 30 minutes of songs)

What am I missing?

HOW DID WE LOSE OUR SECRET SAUCE RECIPE--OR DID WE JUST LAY IT ASIDE?
Now, how did our worship services end up looking they way they do now?

Is anyone else getting tired of Broadway production church services or am I just getting old and grumpy? It seems like we are more concerned with "pulling off a successful show" than we are with having a biblically accurate expression of worship--no matter what public opinion says.

What ever happened to the audience of our services sitting on a throne instead of trendy matching chairs? Shouldn't Jesus and His Word determine what our corporate worship services look like? Shouldn't everything we do be directed towards pleasing Him?

What do you think? Is there any virtue to my questions or do I need a Prozac?

Yet another interview...

2009-05-09T22:50:00.003-05:00

Interview with Steve Pike (Church Multiplication Network) about church planters/younger pastors and the Holy Spirit.

Tim Enloe from Church Multiplication on Vimeo.

Interview with Dr. George Wood

2009-04-04T23:35:00.002-05:00

Here is our recent interview with Dr. George Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God.

We discuss issues relating to the rational mind and the working of the Holy Spirit, particularly Spirit baptism.

21st Century Pentecostalism: Bland Burgers with No Secret Sauce? PART TWO

2009-02-04T05:59:00.011-06:00

Have you ever seen a devotional book that has only a snippet of scripture for each day along with several paragraphs (or pages) of the author’s thoughts and reflections? Devotional books are a helpful, practical tool to consistently assimilate the Word of God into our lives—and for that I’m thankful—but could it be that having a partial verse excerpt along with greater amounts author’s content may not satisfy our RDA of scripture intake? Perhaps we need some more Word in our diet. Don’t throw out your new devotional, just make sure to also dig into the Word for yourself.

Here’s where I feel the Holy Spirit is applying this principle to the church: our corporate practice of Pentecostal spirituality often overlooks the public reading of scripture. It is very easy for leaders to take a “devotional book” approach to constructing a worship service, insomuch as the only scripture read in some church services is the preaching text.

Paul encouraged Timothy, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim 4:13). I think we practice the exhortation and teaching part with passion and diligence, but do we truly value the public reading of scripture enough that we “give attention to it” as much as teaching?

Rochelle and I were recently ministering at a church that valued publicly reading the Word so much that it was an essential part of each service—and not just an obligatory snippet. The leadership would either begin each service with or after worship read a pertinent chunk of God’s Word. They would typically read together out loud as a group off of the projection screen. How refreshing! The paragraph/s read were prayerfully selected, relevant to the direction of the services and had a noticeable effect on the spiritual climate in the room.

I would like to dare Pentecostal leaders to evaluate how much scripture is read in the worship contexts they lead. I would even suggest the occasional cutting back of other non-essentials to make room for longer portions to read.

I vividly remember a leadership retreat while studying for the ministry at Central Bible College. The speaker that night was Dr. Terry Bleek and his entire message was simply the reading of Psalm 119. At first—I must confess—I looked at my watch in disbelief, but in a matter of minutes the room’s spiritual climate changed. By the time Psalm 119 was read, the room was seized with a new passion for reading the Word. Some students spent hours that night digesting large portions of the scriptures, as the Word had become its own appetizer.

As Pentecostals, we are people of the Word. We believe in the inerrancy of scripture and in the transforming power of words inspired and preserved by the Holy Spirit. I believe we need to rediscover this biblically essential part of our public worship times; perhaps this would stir up a greater hunger for the Word in all of our hearts?

Missions project in Indonesia

2009-01-23T04:07:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone.

Many of you know that we as a family and as a ministry are deeply invested in Indonesian missions and humanitarian aid.

Click here to see the exciting project that is almost completed!

This Children's House is a miracle in progress. Please take a moment, look at the pictures and add it to your prayer list!

21st Century Pentecostalism: Bland Burgers with No Secret Sauce? PART ONE

2008-11-11T21:24:00.016-06:00

Even if you're not a hamburger fan, the thought of eating a Big Mac without the culinary clown's "secret sauce" seems sacrilegious. I wonder just what is in Ronald's top secret concoction? Perhaps only Mayor McCheese knows for sure.

Recently I've been scouring the book of Acts to reverse engineer the Early Church's "secret sauce" recipe. What made their practice so dynamic, so demonstrative and so compelling?

Over the next few posts, I'm going to look at the elements of true Christian practice--both corporate worship and private practice--that together season our Christianity with God's secret sauce (I bet you've never heard that metaphor before!).

I want to begin this short series with the ingredient I am presently most concerned about.

CORPORATE PRAYER

Acts 4:24 recounts a practice that was common in the early church, extended seasons of corporate prayer:

"...they raised their voice to God with one accord..."

This reference shows the automatic response of the church to challenging circumstances, but there are several other Acts references that demonstrate true corporate prayer was a staple of early Christian worship services (see Acts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, etc.).

Corporate prayer is when we together, in concert, call on the Lord. It is a unifying, verbal confession of the existence of God (Heb 11:6) and a spiritual expression of humility and dependence. This is a time for new believers to be mentored in their prayer lives, for mature believers to grow and for crusty ones to be de-barnacled; everyone--except the spectator--is involved and is practicing what they believe.

How does the Acts model superimpose over 21st century American Pentecostalism in general (please understand that this is a sweeping generalization)? It seems that open-ended corporate prayer has become a thing of the past in many circles, having been substituted by a priestly (or pastoral) prayer time only. Don't misunderstand me; I believe that our shepherds should publicly (and privately) pray. However, this priestly prayer time does not fulfill the need for a group of worshippers spending time "raising their voices to God in one accord."

A current trend is for churches to cancel their Sunday night services because of poor attendance. I can understand renovating an obsolete schedule to become more effective; there's nothing sacred about a time slot. But what about the open-ended times of prayer that characterize a Sunday night service? Do they get cancelled too? We need to maintain the key element of corporate prayer consistently in our church services! And don't just move it to become an optional "only if you're exceptionally needy" bonus feature after a service dismisses. Corporate prayer is not an optional part of biblical worship; it's an essential part.

Our modern consumer-driven church models tend to give people what they want rather than what they need. How can we expect to transact Acts-style church services in one hour? Thirty minutes of singing, ten minutes for announcements, pastoral prayer and offering then finally, twenty minutes of preaching. Where's the secret sauce? That's like saying, "I know I need to eat, but I only want to digest the bare minimum to keep my vital signs going."

We must ask ourselves this question: Does our typical worship service place value upon the core Christian practices of prayer, public reading of scripture, teaching of the Word and worship? If we cancel events that headline corporate prayer--such as Sunday nights, we MUST make sure that we include it elsewhere in the course of each Sunday morning service. If there's no time in our present schedule, modify it; dispense with another part of the service schedule that is not biblically mandated to make room for something that God will bless.

What do we value most? What gets the most time in many Pentecostal worship services? Singing worship songs. I love to worship by singing songs, but that is only one ingredient in the sauce. Some churches have ten minutes of greeting time. I have personally witnessed announcements lasting over twenty minutes! That's a lot of coercing for the bake sale!

The people we lead learn what we personally value by what we live out before them. I learned to pray because my parents prayed with me and my childhood pastor, Rev. Phil Bongiorno, publicly modeled his dynamic prayer life before the church during seasons of corporate prayer.

Is it enough that we tell people they need to pray but don't give them a consistent opportunity to practice it together?

Let's discuss this some more. I look forward to your input.

Aftertaste: The Lakeland Healing Revival

2008-08-13T14:33:00.004-05:00

In my two previous posts on Lakeland and Todd Bentley, I encouraged prayer for the leadership there--particularly Bentley. I want to continue that call and add another subject to that prayer list: disillusioned people.

Since the apparent fizzling of the media attention and the troubling announcement that Bentley and his wife are separating, there are a whole host of people asking the age-old question, "how could God use someone who didn't have it all together?"

The answer is, of course, simple; God only uses imperfect people. This does not excuse doctrinal error, immorality or lack ethics or compassion; it is simply a fact. Everyone who has ever been used in a divine way is flawed--except Jesus, of course.

I used to be a harsh critic until realizing that I could not live up to my own standards of perfection. I chose to become a realist after this revelation. That guards me from holding people in too high regard while insuring that God gets the glory for His good work in and through us.

From the beginning of the Lakeland movement I've tried to focus on the positive. I will still choose to do so because there are already enough places to read about the bad. I certainly did not ever endorse Bentley's brand of "Neo-Latter Rain" theology or shock value tactics, but I refuse to kick someone while they are down. Like it or not, God used Todd Bentley in Lakeland and there is fruit.

Bentley's family is in a crisis right now and we need to earnestly pray for them. If you were an avid supporter, please do not let your disappointment keep you from praying for restoration. If you were an outspoken critic, please demonstrate your Christlikeness by holding up a weak brother in prayer.

Let's be part of God's healing process in Todd Bentley's family by adding him to our prayer lists and humbly recognize that we too are carrying treasure in earthen vessels.

FIRE BAPTISM? Ouch!!!!!

2008-08-07T00:21:00.016-05:00

The last post generated a great question from Diane, "What about the Baptism of Fire?"

Is there a separate experience for believers known as the "Baptism of Fire" or does it speak of:

1. the trials believers will inevitably face or

2. the tongues of fire on Pentecost?

There are two references in the scriptures to "baptize with the Holy Spirit AND FIRE" (Matt 3:11, Luk 3;16). Only John the Baptist uses this combination and it is a prophetic declaration about how people can recognize the Messiah; He will accomplish these acts (whether they are two distinct events or one event marked by two descriptions, phases or facets).

I think the two possible definitions mentioned above are very plausible, but let me add a third which seems to follow John the Baptist's flow of thought. Let's work through Luke 3:15-17:

15 Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,

SUMMARY: IS JOHN THE MESSIAH?

16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

SUMMARY: "NO, THE MESSIAH WILL DO THINGS I CANNOT DO; HE WILL BAPTIZE (IMMERSE) IN PEOPLE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE."

17 “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

SUMMARY: "THE MESSIAH WILL DIVIDE THOSE WHO ACCEPT HIM (WHEAT) FROM THOSE WHO REJECT HIM (CHAFF); THE WHEAT WILL EXPERIENCE FAVOR WHILE THE CHAFF WILL EXPERIENCE JUDGMENT FIRES."

From this brief analysis, it appears to be a two sided experience for two separate groups of people: those who accept the Messiah and those who reject the Messiah.

Verse 17 is the key to understanding this concept. Matthew's account (3:11-12) verse 12 is almost identical to Luke 3:17; the same two sides to the coin are presented. Those who accept the Messiah will experience Spirit Baptism; those who reject him will experience fire baptism.

This seems like the most logical explanation in context.

Fire baptism for me? No thanks!

FOUR BAPTISMS

2008-07-11T23:17:00.013-05:00

I frequently encounter a misunderstanding over the usage of the term "baptism"--both in scripture and modern theology. Bringing some biblical clarity to this fuzziness seems to often help people see the promise of Spirit baptism as an unclaimed blessing from God.

Just as a word of introduction, the practice of water baptism pre-dates the New Testament times by at least a thousand years--most likely more. Baptism in water was even performed commonly at the time of Jesus by law-observing Jews. I believe that Jewish baptism probably got it's start with the parting of the Red Sea, but it was certainly fleshed out with the brazen laver in the tabernacle/temple. This laver was used to ceremonially wash the priests who would minister before the Lord. If you've ever seen pictures of the temple mount in Jerusalem, you can find excavations of "micvahs" at the southern end of the temple ruins; these were public baptistries for the penitent as they would enter the temple and worship God. These micvahs are a likely spot where the 3,000 may have been water baptized on the Day of Pentecost. The obvious metaphor in Jewish baptism is getting clean before a holy God.

There are four distinct baptisms mentioned in scripture; let's look at them in chronological order.

1. John's Water Baptism

John was the prophetic forerunner of the Messiah and part of his role was to bring to light the need for repentance. The scripture clearly speaks that John's baptism was a baptism of repentance (Acts 19:4). Though Jesus himself experienced this baptism, it is technically pre-Christian because His work on the cross had not yet been completed. In a similar way that John's ministry announced the coming fulfillment, John's baptism was a precursor, foreshadowing the next baptism.

2. Baptism in the Body of Christ

This baptism involves no water because it is a metaphor for becoming part of the Body of Christ at the time of salvation; it has a dual meaning in that it is a metaphor for both our conversion and our joining the family of God. 1 Cor 12:13 demonstrates this metaphorical language as the entry point into the Body of Christ, the moment we are Born Again. Unlike John's baptism, this baptism is still intact and is the single greatest event that can take place in a person's life!

3. Christian Water Baptism

In the Great Commission, Jesus instructs us to baptize the new disciples in water with the acknowledgement of the nature of the triune God. This command marks the obsolescence of John's Baptism as we clearly see with Paul's reaction to the Ephesian converts in Acts 19. We see Christian water baptism being a foundation stone of the early church's discipleship model and understand that like John's baptism it demonstrates repentance, but it also now signifies identification with the death and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus. This Baptism is not obsolete and should be obediently observed by all followers of Jesus.

4. Spirit Baptism

Like the Baptism into the Body of Christ, this baptism involves no literal water but marks a significant spiritual moment. Matthew, Mark, Luke John and Acts all prophesy that Jesus the Messiah will Baptize His followers in the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8, Jesus spoke to His assembled followers--who had now put their faith in Him as the resurrected Christ, they were Born again as you and I now are--and told them that they would receive supernatural ministry power at a future event, namely Spirit baptism. This promise is initially fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost but is also demonstrated as a consistent pattern for apostolic discipleship in Acts 8, 9, 10 and 19 where new converts are quickly Spirit baptized.

It is clear from scripture that this baptism is not about salvation, but rather about receiving ministry power to help other people. It is also clear that this baptism is not experienced at salvation as a part of the Spirit's work of regeneration, but is a event to be desired and pursued by Born Again followers of Jesus. This baptism has not expired and is still available to every believer today (Acts 2:38-39).
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Here is a chart that I have modified from Dr. Les Holdcroft which simply categorizes the four baptisms:

BAPTISM TIME SUBJECT AGENT ELEMENT SCRIPTURE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John's Pre- Penitent John Water Acts 19:4
Baptism Resur- Sinner
   rection
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baptism At Penitent Holy Body of 1 Cor 12:13
into Salv- Sinner Spirit Christ
Christ ation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Water After Convert/ Elder Water Mat 28:19
Baptism Salv- Disciple
   ation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spirit After Believer Jesus Holy Acts 2:4
Baptism Salv- Spirit
   ation

(This chart is modified from Dr. Holdcroft's "The Holy Spirit" first edition, 1962, page 131.)

Waldorf, Statler and the Lakeland Healing Revival

2008-06-28T00:50:00.003-05:00

In the last blog entry, “What Do YOU Think About the Lakeland Healing Revival,” I explained that I was withholding my opinions and judgment because of the infancy of the movement. This pause was in the presence of some disturbing doctrinal and practical issues that had been recognized by many, including several national, Spirit filled leaders. The gist of my rationale for suspending judgment was that despite both obvious and inferred problems, God was certainly working there. I wanted us to pray for the leadership, asking God to graciously help them—to receive grace and wisdom that we all could use more of.

Have you ever watched “The Muppet Show”? Part of the shtick is the sarcastic and merciless commentary of two balcony-dwelling know-it-all’s named Waldorf and Statler. They usually state the obvious, however, their role is simply to put others down who are at least trying to do something worthwhile. Now don’t think for a moment that I have gone off the deep end and begun to rant against the lack of virtue in modern puppetry characterizations—no matter how hard their foamy hearts may be. No, these distempered, stuffed geezers are a perfect metaphor for a common tendency we all have to quickly put down others who are trying something we are not willing to personally attempt ourselves.

My previous blog entry was a call to prayer, asking God to grant special grace and wisdom so that the leadership would enable the “God percentage” to increase and the "human percentage" to decrease. I didn’t want to be a trigger-happy critic viewing things from my own perfect balcony, nor did I want to miss something that God was doing.

For those of you who have been recently watching the revival or attending in person, it has become clear that the “God percentage” is indeed on the increase. Just last night (June 26), Todd Bentley announced several new safeguards against exaggerated reporting of miracles and greater levels of accountability. There has been a distinct trend away from the more disturbing doctrines and a greater focus on souls. These, along with other positive signs, are incredibly encouraging to me.

Don’t get me wrong, if I was in charge, the doctrines and practices would be up to my personal standard of absolute perfection (smile); but that’s the point: I’m NOT in charge. This fact does not excuse me from the restraint of my biblical understanding and convictions, but it does free me to benefit from the spiritual zeal and motivation that are so evidently a part of what God is stirring up.

The bottom line? Don’t eat the wrapper along with your Big Mac, just eat the burger.

Please join me in continuing to pray for the Lord to be ever-increasingly honored through the Lakeland Healing Revival.

What do YOU think about the Lakeland, Florida Healing Revival?

2008-05-30T14:24:00.013-05:00

Now lasting over 50 consecutive days, Lakeland, Florida is once again the topic of both the revival hungry and the skeptic--and everyone in between.

With what began as a five day meeting with Canadian Evangelist, Todd Bentley, Auburn, FL's Ignited Church has jumped into the international spotlight. Web-casting and live satellite coverage on GodTV have given immediate international attention to the mixture of traditional revivalism and unusual phenomena. If you've witnessed it you are either supportive, cautious, confused or in opposition.

I have studied revival movements closely and have noticed that there has never been a 100% God, 0% human revival. Gordon Anderson rightly noted that a "mighty rushing wind kicks up a lot of dust." The Lakeland revival is no diferent. No one can deny that God is not at least 1% involved there, but deeply concerning doctrinal issues along with sensationalism have raised the eyebrows of many--myself included.

So at what "God" percentage do we condone or condemn a revival movement? I propose that God is certainly at work in Lakeland but the movement is too young to either totally endorse it OR to totally write it off.

My reason for keeping my opinions on hold is that God uses imperfect people. The only perfect person ever used of God is God Himself, Jesus. Even the "Super-Apostles"--Peter and Paul--both evidenced faults in their latter years: Peter with false doctrine (Gal 2:11-16) and Paul's broken relationship with Barnabas and John Mark. The good news is that both issues were reconciled after some time and/or correction; the "God percentage" was in a state of increase. This principle does not, however, excuse long term resistance to correction and/or arrogance.

My present judgment of the Lakeland revival follows suit. Though I have distinct theological concerns over issues there, I feel my present responsiblity is to pray that Todd Bentley (and the leadership) grows and learns; that they would know God's grace and correction so that they can continuously decrease, thus allowing God to increase. This, by the way, is my prayer for our own ministry as well.

In conclusion, I do not think there is any specific "God percentage" (i.e. God 50% and human 50%) upon which we can base our judgment at this infancy stage of a potential revival, but rather we look for growth, deveolpment and doctrinal improvement. Are things getting better or worse over a certain period of time?

I pray that Todd Bentley quickly distances himself from the more alarming doctrines (such as guidance by "Emma" and others) and transparently yields himself to some needed restraint in the promotion of extra-biblical experiences and sensationalism. These issues are critical, but none are too hard for our great and gracious God to handle.

Please join me in praying for Todd Bentley.

What do you think? Let me know.

For Pastors: Leadership of Public Vocal Gifts

2008-05-04T23:11:00.006-05:00

This post is for those in Pastoral leadership or for those who lead a small group or Bible study. These are comments to get your thinking processes going about the administration of public Spiritual gifts.
Let me know what you think; click HERE to leave a comment.
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As in every aspect of spiritual leadership, the leader sets the tone for those they lead. The administration of supernatural vocal gifts is no different; the leader sets both the spiritual and communal climates in which the gifts will (or will not) flow, steering the direction of the group they oversee. Over the years I have witnessed leaders over-correct and create a climate of fear or under-correct and create a three-ring circus. Once again, balance and Spirit dependence are the critical issues.

As a general rule, it is more common to be in an environment where more gifts need to be manifested than less. This single fact should change our approach from one of pre-correction to one of cultivating an openness to the gifts. Perhaps our teaching shouldn’t begin with all of the corrective measures of 1 Corinthians 14, but instead with the enabling tone of chapter 12 first, “let’s learn about how these gifts can build us up.” Why vaccinate the whole group for a disease that only a few unteachable ones will ever catch? After the climate of openness is set, then progress to teach about divine order.

SETTING THE CLIMATE FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE GIFTS
A practical starting point is to be more entry-level in our approach. Many are afraid that a public utterance in tongues will freak out the visitors. An easy solution is to simply commentate and explain what is happening. "The Bible tells us that God sometimes speaks to us through prophetic gifts; what we just heard is a public gift of tongues. You can read more about it in 1 Cor 12. The Bible instructs us that we are to now wait for someone to tell us the meaning through another gift, interpretation." Seizing corporate teachable moments can do more than preaching a 10 week series; but don’t neglect to offer biblical teaching from an enabling perspective as well.

SETTING A CLIMATE FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE THE GIFTS
Seizing the moments can also facilitate helping our people enter into a new realm spiritually. "While we wait for the interpretation, God may desire to use someone who has never been used this way before. If you have ever desired God to use you in this way, why not invite Him to do it now? If you sense the Holy Spirit moving on you, ask Him if He wants you to speak out and give the interpretation today."

A simple welcoming of the gifts to flow in your pastoral prayer each service opens people’s hearts to being used. “Holy Spirit, we welcome your supernatural gifts to flow in this service. As you desire, would you enable some who have not yet experienced your gifts to beautifully experience them today?”

SETTING THE CLIMATE FOR THOSE WHO ARE ABUSIVE OR NEED CORRECTION
As leaders, we define the culture for the expression of spiritual gifts; fear or openness. Avoid public correction unless you know from the Spirit that it is absolutely necessary, because harsh public correction will create a corporate fear of humiliation.

If you do sense that correction is necessary, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, he’ll give it to you. I have a pastor-friend who was having some challenges with uncorrectable, unsubmitted people arrogantly abusing the vocal gifts. Though he was tempted to call down fire from heaven upon them, he prayed earnestly for a peaceable answer. A short while later, he was visiting a shut-in who had been a spiritual pillar of the church, delivering the previous week’s recording of the church service for her to listen to. As they visited, this saint asked a beautiful question, “Pastor, when I listen to the church service tapes, I can surmise that some utterance gifts are happening at times—but I can’t hear what is being said. I love the moving of the Holy Spirit and wish there was some way that I could hear these gifts on the tapes.” God had sent the answer! The next Sunday morning, the pastor told his congregation about his conversation with the saintly shut-in, asking if those who were sensing a gift bubbling up would move to a microphone near the front. The people understood his rationale and it immediately put an end to those unaccountable manifestations. He also remarked that many people in the sanctuary later positively comment that they could now hear the utterance gifts clearly over the PA system—for the first time.

Have your leadership create a biblical policy to help those who are abusive in the gifts. Perhaps first a gentle visit after a service with a few elders. Second, if things don’t change, a visit with the pastor and the first group of elders followed up with a nice but firm letter recalling the conversation. If that doesn’t work, an official discipline and forbiddance of the offender to use vocal gifts for a set time. If the person arrogantly disregards the discipline and blurts out again, the only option is public correction—but with an adequate explanation telling of your church’s procedure. “We never correct this way publicly unless the person has disregarded our set disciplinary process.” While severe, this should stem off a culture of fear for those who humbly desire God to use them while, at the same time, reinforce the shepherd’s nature of the pastor—protecting the flock from harm.

"Helping Others" book is now available

2008-05-02T14:47:00.003-05:00

The new compilation book, "Helping Others Receive the Gift" is now available.

This unprecedented resource features insights about ministering the Spirit Baptism in a variety of contexts and age groups.

You can click here for more details and for ordering information.

Heritage Magazine Article on Dr. Price

2008-03-06T00:41:00.012-06:00

Don't miss the new annual edition of Heritage magazine.

It was a distinct honor to be asked to write a biographical article about one of my personal "Heroes of the Faith," the late Dr. Charles S. Price. Thanks to Darrin Rodgers, director of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, for the opportunity to contribute to this excellent publication.

Dr. Price's story is inspirational and challenging--and I hope it will stir you to believe God for greater demonstrations of His Spirit's power in your life.

If you are not a subscriber, you can order the issue here for $8.

You can also read the article HERE.

Another New Book...

2008-02-28T22:53:00.014-06:00

It is no secret that the late Dr. Charles S. Price has significantly influenced my life. He had one of the most renowned Pentecostal healing ministries of his day, and yet possessed a rock solid understanding of God's Word and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

His clear teaching on the subject of faith has opened new worlds to me. He gracefully and kindly taught against the faith formula of the Word of Faith Movement (such as "positive confession"), yet his message was anything but negative; in fact, his writing is some of the most faith inspiring material you will ever read.

Several years ago, my dear friend John Carver Jr. and I released two of Dr. Price's books in one volume, The Meaning of Faith & The Sick are Healed. Destiny Image published this collection for us and it is still available on our website or at your local Christian bookstore.

Now our ministry is re-releasing what I believe to be Dr. Price's greatest book, The Real Faith along with a mini-biography on his life (by yours truly). I honestly believe that this is the greatest book ever penned on the subject of faith and I know it will deeply affect your life.

Click here to find out more information or to order your copy.

New Book Available Soon!

2008-02-12T21:52:00.008-06:00

"Helping Others Receive the Gift" is a book geared for ministers, small group leaders and ministry students.

It is a practical resource about ministering the Spirit Baptism in a variety of contexts.

I just got word that it is going to press in the next few days; I'll keep you posted when the actual release date is known.

See the September 22 post below for more details about the book.

Facilitating the Holy Spirit's Moving: Holy Bingo?

2008-02-11T22:39:00.005-06:00

I used to think that great moves of the Holy Spirit were, while most desirable, rare and enigmatic. Perhaps God had a bingo cage in heaven where each numbered ball corresponded to a specific church; if you had any spiritual luck (that's a great term!) your church might be the big winner some Sunday.

While that illustration may seem a bit farcical, the implication is a common belief: God seems to only send great moves of His Spirit once in a century and you must be in the right spot at the right time--wearing a cotton-poly blend suit--to participate.

Once again my experience--or lack of it--had gotten in the way. Once again I trusted my own subjective judgments over biblical principles. Same song, different verse.

We learn from scripture that God has always desired to pour out His Spirit and that Pentecost was the fulfillment of His desire. Since that initial outpouring, the gate is open. In Acts 2, Peter explained that this promise is for us and for our children and all following generations, yet, we still live with a bingo mindset rather than an open catcher's mitt mentality.

If God really wants to send His Spirit's power to us, what must we do to facilitate it? Where can we find a spiritual catcher's mitt?

This past year, God has been dealing with me about time and schedule in our conferences. I have noticed that I frequently operate with an "I'll do what I think is best unless God interrupts me" premise. Perhaps this is the default setting for those in ministry who have grown tired of waiting for God to call his or her church's bingo number.

Through prayer, studying the scriptures and introspection, I have consistently heard God challenging my bingo mindset. I have become more convinced that He desires more, not less, than I could ask or imagine.

He has shown me that if I get rid of my bingo cage, I'd see that I already have the catcher's mitt. So do you. It's called TIME. Chronology. Just few moments of "Selah" in the middle of a church service or Bible study causes everyone's spiritual sensitivity to become more acute. Just a simple silent pause after some worship songs or prayer; a silent lifting of our catcher's mitt to heaven. Long enough to feel out of control, then He shows us what to do next. We can always trust Him.

Leaders are afraid of dead air because it appears unprofessional and silence is uncomfortable to us input-junkie Americans. We need flashing lights and subwoofers to enhance our Gen-X sacrament of baptism in vats of Red Bull--high energy thrill rides whose script disallows any time for failure.

We as leaders fear the unpredictable; but that is exactly the nature of the Holy Spirit. His wind blows unpredictably; Jesus said so.

I dare you as a pastor, Sunday school teacher or small group leader to give a few quiet, uncluttered corporate moments to try on the catcher's mitt again. After all, it's what the people we lead really want to experience anyway. Just a minute or so is all it takes before you hear the wind beginning to gently blow.

I guess it has always been blowing; we just couldn't hear it over the racket of our bingo cages.

Helpful Books on Divine Healing

2007-10-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

I love to read--in fact, I'm a book-a-holic.

Here are some of the books on divine healing that I have found to be most helpful. Of course, I do not endorse everything each author says, but found each book to benefit my personal understanding about divine healing.

You can find these books on amazon.com or bookfinder.com.

If you find this list helpful, check back occasionally; I will add to it as I remember other books on the subject.

1. "Divine Healing: A Comparative Study" by L. Thomas Holdcroft
2. "Power Healing" by John Wimber
3. "Healing" by Frances MacNutt
4. "The Meaning of Faith and the Sick are Healed" by Charles S. Price (available on our ministry website)
5. "Healing: Sign of the Kingdom" by Howard Ervin
6. "In Quest of Healing" by Gordon Wright
7. "The Real Faith" by Charles S. Price (this is the best book EVER penned on faith--read it and I'm sure you'll agree!)
8. "Meet the Healer" by William Caldwell

Pentecostal: What's That?

2007-10-22T23:21:00.002-05:00

"Pentecostal." What in the world does that word mean?

The general, street-level understanding of "Pentecostal" can mean anything from toothless Appalachian snake-handlers to traditional Evangelicals with energetic worship music in their Sunday services. Vipers to verve--that's a broad spectrum.

One thing for sure, hardly anyone seems to know what the word means anymore--not even many who wear the label themselves.

I'm going to quickly pare down the range of possibilities by eliminating the non-Classical groups such as the snake-handlers (herpetological Pentecostals?) and other fringe groups; let's focus on those with orthodox, Evangelical commitments at their core.

A common answer to this question is that a Pentecostal is an Evangelical who speaks in tongues. That Pentecostals believe in tongue speaking there is no doubt; but what else really distinguishes us from our Godly, Evangelical brothers? In fact is the distinction really necessary at all?

The possibility of the distinction being merely theological has rapidly diminished over the last decade as the number of functional cessationists begins to near extinction; even Dallas Seminary admits those who speak in tongues now--a tremendously gracious and brotherly move on their part. But is the difference really just tongues? If so, the popular Campolo book, "How to Be Pentecostal Without Speaking in Tongues" should be canonized or at least apocratized (made that word up myself).

I don't believe that theology alone is the main factor that defines "Pentecostal." I believe another factor is mostly to blame; the IMPLEMENTATION of our faith is the key difference--the practical, not the theoretical. How we "do" our faith is significantly different. Our desire to experience colors every practice of our Christianity because only knowing is not enough for us. We don't want to be able to just talk with or about God; we want to dance with Him!

I am not to saying that our Evangelical brothers are less spiritual or less Christian or less anything; I do not believe that. I simply mean that we approach our faith with a different set of expectations, so therefore, our reference points are different.

Let's look at a couple of areas of practical contrast. Our worship involves our mind, body and spirit. Even the starchiest Pentecostal denominational executive can't help but to sway to the music of the Teen Challenge Choir--even if the sway is off-beat. Pentecostals don't view physical responses to their faith as shameful or negative. In fact, to some, the more gymnastic the response the better!

How about our style of prayer? Corporate concerts of prayer consisting of believers of all levels of maturity raising their physical voices to their Father; not one qualified leader prayer while other listen, but the sound of many voices at once. Some stand, some sit, some kneel, some bury their faces in the carpet while others pace the floor and wave their hands; yet all unconcerned about the breaking of protocol. Everyone wants to get in on the action.

Even the idea of testimony follows this line. Again, experience and interraction are central to the Pentecostal worldview. How about the miraculous? That's our favorite dish! We read biblical accounts of miracles and then step out and believe God for the same thing to happen today. We take very literally the promised of divine intervention and get alarmed when we haven't experienced that intervention recently.

I once heard Dr. Gordon Anderson, president of North Central University in Minneapolis, say that Pentecostals believe in a "very present God;" that's well said. We desire and expect Him to be active in our daily lives, but especially in our times of corporate worship.

This little post certainly cannot fully define what the word means--so I need your help.

What does "Pentecostal" mean to you?

I'd love to hear from you.

New Book on Ministering the Spirit Baptism, "Helping Others Receive the Gift," Coming in February

2007-09-22T23:11:00.000-05:00

Early this year God directed me to put a book together on how to minister the Spirit Baptism. I was immediately aware of my limited perspective and knew that a multiple-author, multiple-angle approach would be the most helpful and balanced.

After much prayer, I contacted several people who have solid reputations for effectively ministering the Spirit Baptism. The providence of God became apparent as each one submitted their material for the book; every author spoke to different aspects and yet had the same heart.

The result is an incredibly practical "how-to" approach that will be beneficial to two main audiences: ministers and those studying for the ministry. It is not a theological treatise--though theologically sound, but a hands-on guide for those who desire to increase their effectiveness in ministering the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The contributors include: Randy Hurst, Dr. Gordon Anderson, Dr. Del Tarr, Dick Gruber, Jim Gerhold, Alan Griffin, Gary Grogan, Judi Bullock, Ken Cramer, Nate Ruch, Scott Erickson, Bill Juoni and myself. The book will contain chapters on general concepts, specifically ministering to children, teens, pastoral concerns, post-reception guidance, theological reflections, and inspirational stories of ordinary ministers that have learned to trust Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit in their unique contexts.

Gospel Publishing House / Access Books will publish and distribute the book. It will be the first resource of its kind in GPH history!

Look for "Helping Others Recive the Gift;" I'll let you all know when it is available (probably late February).

Why do we need the Spirit Baptism?

2007-07-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

When it comes to understanding why we need the Spirit baptism, I believe that a major roadblock is built out of obsessively focusing on tongues-speaking rather than the true purpose of the gift. Why, actually, do we need to be Spirit baptized? Is the centerpiece really tongues?

I frequently ask leaders, “Why would someone want to receive the Spirit baptism?” The typical answer is, “So they can speak in tongues and have a prayer language.” Somehow we have lost the simple purity of Pentecost. Suddenly the focus is an argument that we have to win rather than it being a gateway to Spirit empowered ministry. The sad reality is that when many ministers see an inkblot of a dove, the first thing that enters their minds is tongues speaking.

I am firmly convinced that the confirming outward sign (or initial evidence) of the Spirit Baptism is speaking in unlearned languages (or tongues). But the reason I am convinced of this is not because it is Assemblies of God fundamental truth number eight, but rather that it has a specific, obvious, biblical function. Function is the key word, not argument. Our present culture has little tolerance for dogmatic religious types standing on irrelevant soapboxes; people want practical truth that they can personally engage and implement. The good news is that the Spirit baptism is such a truth, easy to understand and utilitarian.

The first two or three years of our ministry saw very few people actually receiving the Spirit baptism. I was so frustrated; after all, that is what our ministry was supposed to target, yet there seemed to be some kind of barrier. After a few days of frustration and prayer, fasting and introspection, the Holy Spirit began to show me that I was approaching this blessing with an argument. I began to re-evaluate my approach alongside the book of Acts, particularly the second chapter. Suddenly, the light bulb turned on! I began to see that the “why” was functional in ways that I had never previously understood.

On the day of Pentecost, they were all filled and began to speak in unlearned languages as the Spirit empowered them; they began to speak out God-inspired words in another language as the Spirit enabled them. Then, some time afterwards, a group of people gathering for the feast heard the ruckus of raw Pentecostalism. They had two basic responses, some were amazed and some thought that this noisy bunch was half-pickled. That’s where verse fourteen comes in. Peter stops speaking to God in his unlearned, spiritual language and begins to address the gathered crowd—probably in Aramaic or Hebrew, preaching a most convincing and well-ordered sermon. His content was obviously outside of his natural ability.

This is where the utilitarian function of tongues helps us understand precisely why we need the Spirit baptism: if you can trust God to order your words in the spiritual language, how much more can you trust Him afterwards to order your words in English to unbelievers? The Spirit baptism is all about saying the right things, the God-inspired things; first in tongues, but most significantly in our known languages as we prophetically minister words from God’s heart.

Since the day I began to understand Acts two, I’ve never had to argue initial evidence with anyone. Biblically, tongues are a prophetic confirmation of a prophetic anointing to be a prophetic witness. That’s why Peter explained the event as the fulfillment of Joel’s oracle where one day everyone could be a prophet.

Suddenly tongues take on a vital, functional role to the believer who wants to be a prophetic witness. Why do we need the Spirit Baptism? It’s all about God affecting what we say, plain and simple.

We don’t need the Spirit baptism so we can speak in tongues; we need the Spirit baptism so we can speak to lost people with prophetic power—and yes, we also get the added benefit of communing with God in a new language of intercession and worship. What a deal!