which ministries should we be evaluating? the ones that demonstrate NO POWER
Today there are numerous Christian ministries who in the name of 'discernment' and correcting 'false doctrine', spend the majority of their time attacking and/or attempting to discredit Christian ministries who are contending for signs, wonders and miracles. All you have to do is to do a "google search" with the name of a ministry and/or minister who is seeing healing miracles and up will pop numerous Christian websites warning you to beware. Tragically, many Christians have been manipulated by these so-called 'discernment ministries' and are crippled spiritually because fear and suspicion have been sown. The 'fear of deception' continues to cripple believers everywhere. The fact is that their devil is way too big and their God, way too small. It is almost as if God isn’t able to keep His Bride from being deceived!
Why am I prompted to post a blog about this issue? Because from a New Testament perspective it is in fact the ministries with 'no power' that should be under scrutiny. Jesus didn't teach without demonstrations of power, nor did the Apostles, and nor did the Church in the Book of Acts. However, today there are thousands of Churches and ministries all around the world that hardly ever see (and most definitely do not expect to see) the miraculous signs of the Kingdom – healing, prophecy, deliverance, etc. Why aren't these powerless Churches and ministries the ones that pop up in 'google searches' as being the unBiblical ones who are in serious error? Perhaps it is because those who do move in true signs and wonders are too busy demonstrating the Kingdom in power to a lost world and simply don't have time to criticize other Christians.
Biblically, a Gospel without miracles is a deficient one. Jesus boldly proclaimed that if he didn't do the works of His father (i.e. the miracles), that people SHOULD NOT believe His message (John 10:37). How many Churches would need to be closed down tomorrow if we applied this same criterion today? How many ministries would be able to keep their donor bases if they declared, “Unless we perform the miracles of Jesus, stop supporting us”?
The Apostle Paul was no different than Jesus. He was a preacher but refused to preach without power. His declared boldly that his preaching was not simply with "wise and persuasive words, BUT with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that [the Corinthian’s] faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God". (1 Cor. 2:4-5). Paul goes further – In 1 Cor. 4:19-20, he says, “But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, NOT THE WORDS of those who are arrogant BUT THEIR POWER. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power. In other words, he is rebuking the other teachers who are trying to influence the Corinthian Church by essentially mocking their lack of power. They only brought ‘words’, Paul brought ‘words with demonstrations of power’.
How ironic that today it is just the opposite. How far have we moved away from the Scriptural model, when those who move in power are suspect and those with no power are considered 'doctinally sound'. Let us hope that neither Jesus or Paul decide to come back today for a ministry visit, because there is little doubt their ministries would considered dangerous and even heretical by many Christians today.
I want to honor each and every ministry that is pursuing God’s power to be demonstrated today on the earth. It matters not that we currently don’t see true Apostolic Christianity on the earth – praise God for those who are contending for its return. Praise God for those who are even believing for John 14:12 – believing that one day we will even see the “greater works”. It is these who are the TRUE FUNDAMENTALISTS. They are the ones who truly stand on the God’s Word and choose not to water it down – regardless of what their experience (or rather lack of experience) tells them. It is these are the true champions of FAITH, choosing to believe even when they are not yet seeing.
Rather than criticizing those who are contending for signs, wonders and miracles, we should applaud those who are at least swinging the bat. Yes, it is true that many ministries are 'on the way' (including our own) where they are not yet seeing what they believe they will. Many wheelchairs are not yet being emptied and many blind eyes are not yet opening, but SOME are and more and more will be.
Rather than throwing mud at other Christians because someone who seemed to get healed actually didn't (a common accusation against healing ministries), why aren't those same ministries lamenting the fact that they have never seen a miracle of healing ever take place through their own ministry?
Why am I prompted to post a blog about this issue? Because from a New Testament perspective it is in fact the ministries with 'no power' that should be under scrutiny. Jesus didn't teach without demonstrations of power, nor did the Apostles, and nor did the Church in the Book of Acts. However, today there are thousands of Churches and ministries all around the world that hardly ever see (and most definitely do not expect to see) the miraculous signs of the Kingdom – healing, prophecy, deliverance, etc. Why aren't these powerless Churches and ministries the ones that pop up in 'google searches' as being the unBiblical ones who are in serious error? Perhaps it is because those who do move in true signs and wonders are too busy demonstrating the Kingdom in power to a lost world and simply don't have time to criticize other Christians.
Biblically, a Gospel without miracles is a deficient one. Jesus boldly proclaimed that if he didn't do the works of His father (i.e. the miracles), that people SHOULD NOT believe His message (John 10:37). How many Churches would need to be closed down tomorrow if we applied this same criterion today? How many ministries would be able to keep their donor bases if they declared, “Unless we perform the miracles of Jesus, stop supporting us”?
The Apostle Paul was no different than Jesus. He was a preacher but refused to preach without power. His declared boldly that his preaching was not simply with "wise and persuasive words, BUT with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that [the Corinthian’s] faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God". (1 Cor. 2:4-5). Paul goes further – In 1 Cor. 4:19-20, he says, “But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, NOT THE WORDS of those who are arrogant BUT THEIR POWER. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power. In other words, he is rebuking the other teachers who are trying to influence the Corinthian Church by essentially mocking their lack of power. They only brought ‘words’, Paul brought ‘words with demonstrations of power’.
How ironic that today it is just the opposite. How far have we moved away from the Scriptural model, when those who move in power are suspect and those with no power are considered 'doctinally sound'. Let us hope that neither Jesus or Paul decide to come back today for a ministry visit, because there is little doubt their ministries would considered dangerous and even heretical by many Christians today.
I want to honor each and every ministry that is pursuing God’s power to be demonstrated today on the earth. It matters not that we currently don’t see true Apostolic Christianity on the earth – praise God for those who are contending for its return. Praise God for those who are even believing for John 14:12 – believing that one day we will even see the “greater works”. It is these who are the TRUE FUNDAMENTALISTS. They are the ones who truly stand on the God’s Word and choose not to water it down – regardless of what their experience (or rather lack of experience) tells them. It is these are the true champions of FAITH, choosing to believe even when they are not yet seeing.
Rather than criticizing those who are contending for signs, wonders and miracles, we should applaud those who are at least swinging the bat. Yes, it is true that many ministries are 'on the way' (including our own) where they are not yet seeing what they believe they will. Many wheelchairs are not yet being emptied and many blind eyes are not yet opening, but SOME are and more and more will be.
Rather than throwing mud at other Christians because someone who seemed to get healed actually didn't (a common accusation against healing ministries), why aren't those same ministries lamenting the fact that they have never seen a miracle of healing ever take place through their own ministry?
dj, thank you for this post. i have never looked or longed for signs and wonders as authenticators of my ministry and i hail from a tradition that is deeply suspicious of those who do.
ReplyDeletehowever, i've recently been studying the expressions of the Holy Spirit's empowerment in Acts and am starting to wonder why so many of us do not expect the Spirit to authenticate the revelation that he inspires.
thank you for offering this thought provoking alternate paradigm. may Christ's peace and the Spirit's power rest upon your witness in the Middle East.
g13,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment.
Send me an email at:
joel2generation@gmail.com
I'd like to send you the link to our podcast.
DJ