SEEKING CHARISMA & CHARACTER IN BALANCE (Lenten 24)
As someone who was not brought up in a Liturgical church SETTING, this Lenten journey has been and is constantly a blessing to me. For in the Charismatic/Pentecostal world we can be so busy working for the Lord, we don’t have time or don’t make time to REFLECT. A Young Pastor in Indonesia felt no guilt when he shared with me, he does not have time to pray, I was shocked, often God gets fitted in “on the run” which is so sad.
I have not the slightest doubt that the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement was born of the Holy Spirit and is an ESSENTIAL TRUTH/S that needed to be restored to the Church.
The traditional Reformers were strongly CESSATIONIST, especially emphasising that things like tongues, and prophecy and healing ceased at the death of the last Apostle (where they got from I will never know).
So with the teaching of being filled with Spirit and our entrance into the many Gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues and that God wants us to believe for and see SIGNS FOLLOWING the preaching of God’s Word. Mark 16:20 NKJV And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Of course, the greatest sign is seeing people coming under the conviction of the Holy Spirit as the anointed Word of God is preached, and people are born again of the Spirit.
There are many other signs God wants to use us as channels of the blessing of God, Mark 16:17-18 NKJV And these signs will follow those who believe: IN MY NAME they will CAST OUT DEMONS; they will speak with NEW TONGUES; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; THEY WILL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK AND THEY SHALL RECOVER.
When Jesus commissioned Peter and the Disciples to build His Church He said in Matthew 16:19 NKJV And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you BIND on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you LOOSE on earth will be loosed in heaven.”.
Then in Luke 10:19 NKJV And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the AUTHORITY to TRAMPLE on serpents and scorpions, AND OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
The early Church took their authority and it was declared in Acts 17:6 NKJV These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
IF EVER THERE WAS TIME THE CHURCH NEEDS TO RISE UP IT IS SURELY NOW.
Has the devil lulled us into a mediocrity (or have we thrown the baby out with the bathwater) and that we can’t believe anymore, oh how we need a REVELATION THAT THERE HAS BEEN DELEGATED TO EVERY BELIEVER AN AUTHORITY “IN THE NAME OF JESUS” THAT INCLUDES WE ARE TO FACE COVID-19 AND DEAL WITH IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.
I trust no one is saying “John you are becoming a fanatic” we thank God for all the breakthroughs we have in the medical field, but it is time to GET BACK TO THE WORD OF GOD.
A late uncle in the U.K. discovered us, and invited us to meet the family in Birmingham England. There was large gathering of my family member who I had not known existed. One of the family members when she found out I was a Pastor, asked the question ARE YOU A FUNDAMENTALIST? I had to ask her what she meant by that, her interpretation of course someone who was a fanatic. I said no. In the true sense of the meaning I AM UNASHAMEDLY A FUNDAMENTALIST. one who believes in the strict literal interpretation of the Scriptures.
GOD SAID IT, I BELIEVE IT, THAT SETTLES IT.
The Lenten journey is primarily about deepening our Christian Character so that we do everything we can do to seek to be more like Jesus, but this morning felt to spotlight what we call CHARISMA and we seek to be balanced Christians both seeking to develop CHARACTER & CHARISMA.
The next blog will be back to highlighting CHARACTER ok?
