God, the Devil and the ‘Dark Knight’ Tragedy
Last week’s shooting in Colorado should remind us that Satan is not a fictional character.Plenty of mystery surrounds last week’s…
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Fire In My Bones
With journalistic and Holy Spirit-filled commentary, J. Lee Grady is providing readers with hope and wisdom on what is happening in our culture today.
Why We Must Invest in the Timothy Generation
Please don’t ignore the mandate to disciple young people.I don’t think of myself as a particularly effective youth speaker. I’m…
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Don’t Let Delays Defeat You
A breakthrough is waiting for those who persevere. If you have stopped praying, receive fresh grace to pray again.George Mueller,…
The Power of the Bowl and the Towel
When I washed the feet of a Gypsy pastor in Hungary last week, it felt like a wall came crashing…
False Prophets, Foreign Charlatans and Global Deception
Chris Oyakhilome, a popular African preacher with questionable credentials, is sparking international concern.When I arrived in eastern Europe·a few days…
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Don’t Fight the Future
The church doesn’t have to stay stuck in a time warp. The Holy Spirit can help us change.
A woman from Orlando, Fla., was recently in the news because she decided to retire from driving her 1964 Mercury Comet. Rachel Veitch, who is 93, bought the car new for $3,300 when gasoline cost 29 cents a gallon. Today her light yellow car has 567,000 miles on it.
Mrs. Veitch will probably get at least $44,000 for the vintage antique because she took such good care of it. But whoever buys it will either store it in a fancy garage or display it at an auto show. There are not too many miles left on this relic of the past.
Cars have a life expectancy. Most 1964 Mercury Comets have long been doomed to the junkyard. Engines die, carburetors rust and models go out of style, so we trade them in for newer vehicles. In our fast-paced world, Apple debuts a new iPhone every few years and the most popular apps have almost monthly updates. We’ve come to expect frequent upgrades.
The Stronghold of Religious Racism Is Falling
The election of a black leader for the Southern Baptist Convention is a huge step forward. But we still have…
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Discipline, Dignity and the Creflo Dollar Scandal
Don’t rush to judge Creflo Dollar. But don’t rush to judge his teenage daughter, either.Did Atlanta megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar…
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The #1 Reason Why Christian Marriages Fail
The
Bible tells men to treat their wives as equals. But in a machismo culture, this is easier said than done.
Whenever
I travel to Latin America I usually carry a pair of handcuffs in my suitcase. I
use them as a visual aid when I’m preaching about the machismo attitude that is so prevalent in that region. I remind
everyone in the audience that esposa,
the word for wife in Spanish, is the
same word used for handcuffs.
Esposas.
Why would the word for wife be the same word for a form of bondage? Because
women in many Latin countries suffer unthinkable abuse in the home. Puerto
Rico, where I spoke last week, has one of the highest rates of domestic
violence in Latin America, and many women die there every year at the hands of
their partners.
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Why Relational Discipleship Has Become My Priority
I’d
rather invest in a few emerging leaders than preach to crowds of thousands.
Here’s why.
Once
when I was traveling in India a pastor made a tempting proposal. “If you come
to our city, we will stage a big evangelistic campaign and invite thousands,”
he said. “You can preach to all of them.” This man assumed I would be
intrigued. After all, I could take photos of the big crowds and use them to
brag later about how many people made decisions for Christ.
I
didn’t accept the offer. Instead I gave the man a second option. “Let me spend
three days with a small group of pastors,” I said. “Let me encourage them, and
then they can go out and preach at the big meetings. They will do a much better
job than I could.”
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Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Fruit and the Evidence of True Pentecost
Pentecost’s
power is more than wind, fire and supernatural hoopla. Without love it is just
noise.
What’s
the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Pentecostal”?
A. · · A woman with a beehive hairdo, support hose, Granny
shoes and no makeup?
B. · · Someone rolling on the floor while speaking in tongues
uncontrollably?
C. · · A slick-haired televangelist in a white suit who begs
for donations?
D. · · A sour-faced Christian who looks like he just sucked
all the juice out of a lemon?
E.···· A sincere Christian who passionately loves God and
people and believes in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit?
I
wish we all could answer E., but we Pentecostals have an image problem. I’m not
ashamed of the word itself, but I don’t use it as a label because the bad
stereotypes (A., B., C. and D.) have just about ruined it for the rest of us.
Many people associate Pentecostals with dry legalism, fanaticism, charlatanism
and downright hatefulness.
Continue Reading… Spiritual Gifts, Spiritual Fruit and the Evidence of True Pentecost
When Church Gets Weird
We shouldn’t let misguided people ruin the meeting for everyone else.
I love it when the Holy Spirit moves in a church service. But I also know there’s a fine line between charismatic and charismaniac. Too often, those of us who love spiritual gifts get carried away—and things can get weird. The supernatural turns peculiar, and what is prophetic becomes pathetic.
This is not a new problem. Two chapters of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians are devoted to this dilemma. Even in the first century, people misused charismatic gifts to get attention. The abuse of speaking in tongues created pandemonium, and the lack of order invited an apostolic rebuke.
I’ve never been a fan of the “seeker-friendly” philosophy. I don’t want to limit God or tell Him what He can’t do in church. But there’s nothing wrong with creating healthy barriers so certain “characters” in your congregation don’t ruin the meeting. In my years of ministry I’ve identified these All-Time Worst Meeting Spoilers.