What is the Word of Faith movement, and is it from God?
If you listen to the critics, you will think that this movement is the worst thing that could happen to Christianity. But this article is going to show how this movement is not only of God but absolutely necessary in God’s end-time plan.
When you look at all the Christian denominations in the world, you begin to wonder which is the right one. Well, the truth is, most of them have a lot of good, yet I believe God is wanting to do something better than simply build a bunch of denominations.
In order to understand this controversial movement, we have to go back to the Bible and see God’s plan for the Church.
Jesus spoke to Peter and said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:18). If you listen to a few negative folks, you’ll get the impression that the Church is going to be a defeated, beaten-down, rotten, sin-filled group of hypocritical people. But Jesus said that the gates of hell will not overcome it. Jesus is coming back for a glorious, victorious Church.
How is the Lord going to accomplish this task of making the Church an overcomer? By using people. Yes, by using people just like you and me.
Notice carefully that the Lord is speaking to Simon. He changes his name to Peter, which means a “little rock,” and declares that He is going to build his church on this rock. Many wonder if Jesus was building His church on Peter. Yes and no.
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20 says that the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Peter is definitely one of the people who are part of the foundation; however, all the apostles, including many prophets, are considered the foundation of the Church as well.
Do you remember what the New Jerusalem will look like? John saw the Holy City with 12 foundations, and on them were the names of the 12 apostles. So, Peter was a rock on which the Lord was going to build His Church; yet, Peter declares in his writings, “As you come to him [Jesus], the living Stone…you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house …” (1 Pet. 2:4-5).
Peter testifies that Jesus is the Stone, the Corner Stone to be exact, and that we are living stones that the Lord is putting in place, such as a mason places brick upon brick, until the building is finished. The Lord has been in a building project for the last nineteen hundred-plus years. The Lord is not interested in doing a quick work but rather a quality job.
Now understand this: Each part of the building is essential for the completion of the whole. There can be no missing parts. Not only is this so, but every part adds something that is missing. This is where the Word of Faith movement comes in.
The Word of Faith movement adds to the Church what has been missing for the last several centuries, primarily the teaching that the believer can receive answers to every prayer that is based on God’s Word, as long as he has enough faith and that there is nothing in his life that could be hindering his prayer. This is a revolutionary thought to most of Christendom.
Let me explain how the Word of Faith movement got here.
