I was raised in a Pentecostal denomination and have attended non-denominational charismatic churches almost all my adult life. Photo by Rachel Coyne on Unsplash I believe the Holy Spirit still distributes supernatural spiritual gifts, and the gift of prophecy supernaturally strengthens, encourages and consoles believers (1 Cor. 14:3). I believe prophets are one of Jesus’ gifts to the church. Along with apostles, evangelists, and teacher/pastors, they help equip, mature, and unify the body of Christ (Eph.4:11-12). That said, I’m deeply disturbed by certain patterns and trends in Continue Reading
Let’s stop pitying perpetrators while neglecting those they hurt
Picture this: a boy snatches his sister’s doll away from her, slaps her face hard, breaks her doll into pieces, then lies to his parents about what happened. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash The girl weeps, devastated by this ill treatment. She loves her brother and did nothing to deserve this. How should the parents respond? Should Mom and Dad comfort their son, assuring him we all sin, his actions are forgivable, and they certainly won’t judge him for his actions? Should they expect their daughter to forgive him with a happy heart, ignoring her pain because it Continue Reading
What the gift of prophecy is—and what it isn’t
Given the plethora of alleged prophets and prophetic words available at our fingertips these days, it can be difficult to sort out what’s real or fake regarding prophecy. Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash Setting aside Old Testament and apocalyptic prophecy for the moment, let’s look at the spiritual gift of prophecy (see 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Rom. 12:4-7). Prophecy is God speaking to people through people to reveal his present priorities in a personal way. Paul writes, “Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy…the person who prophesies Continue Reading
Why good fruit matters far more than influence
As a kid, I attended churches numbering less than a hundred people. Back then, no one was talking about church growth. We didn’t try to be “seeker sensitive.” Most folks belonged to smallish churches. Photo by Maja Petric on Unsplash I’m not saying those were the good ole’ days; I’m simply saying the average church goer didn’t think about the size of their church or why it should be bigger. Things changed radically over the 70s and 80s. With the church growth movement and the rise of mega churches, we began hearing terms like “reach” and “influence” and “impact”—terms Continue Reading