Jonathan Brenneman's Blog, page 17

A Wicked And Perverse Generation Asks For A Sign

[image error]When I started seeing people healed through my hands, some people thought my obsession with signs and wonders was really unhealthy. They didn’t realize that my growing obsession wasn’t really with signs and wonders, but with a Jesus who is real, not just a theory, and whose Spirit lives in me. But the more I shared testimonies, naysayers and critics started coming out of the woodwork. Today, I’d like to answer a common criticism and misconception about miraculous signs and evangelism.

Why Was That Generation Wicked And Perverse?

Matthew 16:1-4 (NIV) The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He (Jesus) replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

Some people misuse scripture to say we shouldn’t want signs and wonders. This one one of their favorite verses. “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but none will be given it…”

But context is important. What do we read immediately before Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees?

Matthew 15:29-31 (NIV) Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.  Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.  The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

Matthew 15:35-38 (NIV) He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.  The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus had just healed multitudes, done great wonders, and fed thousands of people with a few fish and loaves of bread. The news was spreading everywhere. Great crowds were witnesses to these wonders. Yet the Pharisees continued to ask for a sign from heaven.

This was why they were wicked and perverse. Even after Jesus did all these signs, they still didn’t believe him. (John 12:37) They continued asking for another sign. They were ungrateful, and their hearts were hard.

I’ve met people like this. They are hard-hearted. They have seen the work of the Holy Spirit, seen people healed, yet it’s never enough. They always ask for another sign. Their hearts have become darkened because they refuse to glorify God or give thanks for what He has done. They could see 9 out of 10 in a group of people healed, and they will only talk about the one who wasn’t.

For a person whose attitude is twisted like the Pharisees, my sincere testimony of how Jesus healed me isn’t enough. The testimonies of others who have been healed aren’t enough. The fact that I’ve spent hours and hours praying for people with no pay isn’t enough. (I would never keep at it so long if I wasn’t seeing results that made it worthwhile!)  They say they want medical evidence, but there is plenty of medical evidence of God healing and it still isn’t enough. They say they will only believe if they see a missing leg grow back instantly before their eyes. These are the ones with evil and unbelieving hearts. The real issue isn’t that they need a sign. It’s that they are opposed to Jesus. Even if they are Christians, they are opposed to the Jesus that scripture testifies of, who is a healer and who is God with us.

Romans 1:21 (NIV) For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

On the other hand, a noble person who sees 1 out of 10 people healed will get excited and say “Now I know that God is with us! I want to know Him, and I want to see how we can get the other 9 healed!” A noble person is quick to recognize God’s work and respond with thanksgiving. A noble person wants to believe, but they want to be truly convinced if they are going to believe.

Noble People Like Nathanael

Jesus’ rebuke wasn’t directed to sincere people seeking truth. Those who really hunger for truth will find it. (Psalm 107:9) Those who seek God with all their hearts will find him. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Do you remember the story of Nathanael in John chapter 1? Nathanael’s initial reaction to hearing about Jesus was a little skeptical.

John 1:45-46 (NIV) Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

In spite of his initial skepticism, Nathanael went and saw. One sign, and he found the One he’d been looking for. One sign, and he became a disciple of Jesus! Just as Jesus declared, Nathanael had a noble heart.

John 1:47-51 (NIV) When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Yes, Signs And Wonders Make Evangelism A Whole Lot Easier!

Not everyone repents when they see signs and wonders. Jesus rebuked a wicked and perverse generation because they continued to ask for signs in spite of the signs they had seen. Yet we can’t divorce Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees from other passages of scripture in which we see many people repenting after witnessing signs and wonders!

Matthew 11:20-22 (NIV) Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

The wicked cities of Tyre and Sidon would have repented if they’d seen the signs Jesus did.  Jesus makes it clear in this passage that signs and wonders are manifestations of God’s grace, intended to bring people to repentance.

And don’t forget the book of Acts! Do you remember how Peter’s evangelistic sermon started in Acts 3? Peter and John made a lame man walk! The religious leaders arrested them but couldn’t do anything because everyone in the city knew that the apostles had performed a notable sign. (Acts 4:16) The result was that they prayed, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke God’s word boldly.

Then we read in chapter 5 that the apostles performed many signs and wonders, and more and more men and women believed and were added to their number. (Acts 5:12-14) In chapter 8 we read of Philip ministering in Samaria. The whole region of Samaria had been under the influence of a sorcerer, but when Philip came preaching the gospel, the people saw the signs he performed, paid close attention to him, and region of Samaria turned to the Lord.

Then chapter nine tells us of the healing of another cripple, Aeneas. Peter said “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” The result of this sign? “All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.” Two regions turning to Christ with one sign!

These are just a few examples, since we see the advancement of the gospel repeatedly going hand in hand with signs and wonders in scripture. Even today, there are many parts of the world where nearly all of the conversions to Christianity involve supernatural signs, especially healing, dreams, and visions. How crazy to take Jesus’ words about a wicked and corrupt generation seeking a sign so out of context, and then ignore these other passages of scripture!

Some who harden their hearts may never have enough signs to believe, but to those who hunger for truth, signs are a gift from God to point them to Jesus!

For a few personal stories about people turning to Jesus after being healed, check out Healing And Salvation In The Middle Of The World.

The post A Wicked And Perverse Generation Asks For A Sign appeared first on Go to Heaven Now!.

Thank You Jesus For Healing Backs And Necks!

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Drawing Water From The Wells Of Salvation highlights the principle that miracles tend to happen in the present when we share testimonies of what God has done in the past. Real faith isn’t just an intellectual thing. It’s getting to know, personally, who God is. I started to see people healed when I was shocked by God’s extreme goodness. God’s nature and compassion made a deep imprint in my soul. Testimonies can help make God’s nature real to us.

Today we have three testimonies of backs/necks healed. When I share these stories God’s goodness is so real to me that I feel like I can reach out my hand and touch it. As you read, may God’s nature and compassion impact you deeply on a heart-level. If you need healing in your back or anywhere else, may the same glory of Christ that restored these people’s spines touch your body, drive out all pain, and put everything in order right now!

Two Herniated Disks

Last week in Escaping Gunpoint Again,  I shared about two recent car crashes my wife experienced. Both of them were caused by bandits on the highway.

She was suffering from lots of neck pain after the first crash. When she saw the x-ray results showing she had two herniated disks, she got desperate. She said “How am I going to live with this pain for the rest of my life? I need to work to take care of Rebekah and my parents, and I can barely even work with this pain.”

I said “Don’t worry. God is with us. I have lots of friends who’ve been healed of things like this.” 

My life belongs to God and it depends on God. When we’ve been under pressure again and again and yet another problem comes up, that’s the attitude we have to take. We have no other option. “Don’t worry. God is with us.” The apostle Paul wrote “whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”   He is our peace when there is no peace to be found in external circumstances. His peace which dwells in us can calm storms all around us. Of the increase of His dominion and peace, there will be no end! (Isaiah 9:7)

I laid my hands on her neck several times and commanded “In Jesus’ name, be totally healed.” She didn’t feel anything change at the time. But within a few weeks (maybe 2) she was completely pain-free. She hasn’t complained of pain since.

May this testimony encourage you if you’ve ministered healing and haven’t seen an immediate change. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t let your heart “drop” with disappointment. Worship Jesus, and let his presence determine your heart reality.

Suddenly Crippled With Pain!

Not long after that, our little girl’s school was holding a party. Our daughter Rebekah is two years old, and her whole class of cute little toddlers was going to dance at the party.

Beth and I left Rebekah with her “Auntie” across the street to get ready for the party as we had lunch. (She’s not a biological aunt, but just a friend/neighbor who Rebekah loves) We were just about to eat when we got a phone call.

Rebekah’s “Auntie” had bent over and something popped in her back. She fell to the floor of the bathroom in excruciating pain. She was unable to rise, then finally dragged herself up into a sitting position.

We left right away, saving our food for later. When we arrived she was finally able to stand up, but was cringing in pain. I put my hand on her lower back and it felt like a whole section of it was two inches to the side of where it should be.

After about 15 of laying hands on her back and speaking wholeness in Jesus’ name, she was 99% better. She started crying at one point as God was touching her. I could feel that the spine in her lower back was straight again.  She went to the party with us, having only a little bit of residual soreness.

“I Feel Like A Soldier! Something Is Pulling Me Up!”

A few weeks after a life of miracles first began, my great-aunt was coming to visit us from another city. She had severe back pain. Her back was bent over. The doctors said that her vertebrae were fused, calcified together.

I got excited! Her visit was another opportunity to see God’s glory revealed!

I shared testimonies and told her “God wants to heal you, and I want to pray for you.” I put my hand on her should and started saying “In Jesus’ name, be straight! Be whole! Be free from pain!”

She laughed and said “I feel like a soldier. Something is pulling me up. It feels like there’s a rope attached to the top of my head, and it’s pulling me up.” And we watched her back straighten.

After just a few minutes, her back was straight and she felt NO PAIN!!!

THANK YOU JESUS!

Be Whole Now!

In Jesus’ name, I bless you who are reading this. May God’s peace and goodness soak into every cell of your body right now, driving out pain, putting everything in order. Be whole and be free! May Jesus be revealed and be glorified in your life and in your body. 

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Escaping Gunpoint Again!

[image error]I wrote this and recorded the video about two weeks ago. I’ve just started doing some You Tube videos and I decided to try embedding one in today’s post. Yes, our life sounds like an action movie sometimes, but Jesus remains the same. His presence is a constant!

Life Like An Action Film!

This morning my wife called. Robbers were holding up the highway on her way to work. One came up with a gun and forced her to let him in the car. I share the rest of the story in the video below, and I also talk about some other trials and how I’m learning to have joy in Christ in the midst of everything.

Writing the Heaven Now series really helped me personally. It helped me to hold fast to the truths I already knew in the midst of trials, and to keep filling my mind with truth. Dan Moher, through his Youtube videos, has also been a big encouragement to me.

I’m giving you a look into my thoughts in the midst of many of these things. I start thinking and crying because of these truths, because I know (more than ever, by experience) that they are true, and because they are so glorious. I share some of them in the video but there were a few potent thoughts I wanted to write here. I talk about the theology behind them in some of my blog posts and in my Heaven Now series.

In the video, I mentioned a few things I wrote about before, including the word God gave me about my wife manifesting God’s Evergreen Life. For more of the story you can also check out I Will Sing Your Praise Before The “Gods,”  Experiencing God’s Goodness In The Midst Of Tragedy, and Jesus In Me Can Love People When I Can’t.

I often find myself singing these two songs. One says “heaven is in my heart.” Another says “There is joy in the Lord, there is love in His Spirit. There is hope in the knowledge of him.” These songs are so real to me. They are true. I’ve embedded them below in Youtube videos for your encouragement as well.  You can get the rest, including this story and a few more, in the Youtube video. While you’re at it, you may want to subscribe to my new Youtube channel!

Powerful Truths Strengthening Me In The Midst Of Trials

Here are a few powerful thoughts that I didn’t share in the Youtube video. As I think about these things I feel currents of God’s love going through me. It’s not that everything has been easy, but as I’ve focused on these truths they have become more and more my experience and not just a theory to me.

The life that’s inside of me is bigger than everything outside of me. Jesus lives in me, so heaven is within me. All of hell around me can’t change the heaven inside of me. The One who’s in me is greater than he who’s in the world, and He has overcome the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even my faith. I’m more than a conqueror through Him who loved me! Nothing is able to separate me from God’s love, and heaven is heaven because it’s where God’s love reigns. I’m in heaven, and if nothing can stop me from loving, nothing can take me out of heaven. 

Squeeze and orange, and you get orange juice. Squeeze an apple, and you get apple juice. If you squeeze a Christian, what do you get? Christ comes out! (Paraphrasing Dan Mohler)

Thank you, God, for the privilege of representing Jesus here! I will be in heaven forever but I want to make the best use of my time here on earth as possible! I don’t know how long I’ll live, but I want to make as big of an impact as I can while I’m alive. I want to show people what Jesus is like.

Whether I live or die, I belong to Jesus! (Romans 14:8)

Heavenly Joy Can’t Be Taken!

There Is Joy In The Lord!

My Life Is In You, Lord!

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Do Christians Have Authority Over Territorial Spirits?

[image error]Do “Needless Casualties Of War” Come From Going Outside Our Realm Of Authority?

The strategic-level spiritual warfare movement grew rapidly in the 1990’s. Books by authors like C. Peter Wagner and John Dawson turned people’s attention to the spiritual forces at work in nations and regions. Success stories from Argentina and other places inspired many Christians to exercise Christ’s dominion in their cities and regions.

Yet some Christians suffered devastating spiritual attacks after confronting demonic “principalities.” In 1999 John Paul Jackson published Needless Casualties Of War. He concluded that the cause of these needless casualties was presumption. Jackson argued that God has only given the church authority in “ground-level” warfare, but not over territorial spirits or principalities. He taught that the proper way to deal with territorial spirits is repenting of anything that may have given them a “legal right,” and then asking God to remove them.

I initially accepted Jackson’s conclusions as a needed correction, but questions lingered in the back of my mind. After years of considering the teaching and experience of various Christian leaders, as well as my own experience, I’ve concluded that we do have authority over all the power of the enemy, including principalities. I believe that John Paul Jackson addressed a real problem, yet his diagnosis of that problem cannot be supported by scripture. He could have easily misinterpreted the dream he had, which is why the church needs a variety of both prophets and teachers.

I’ve published my findings in What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War? This new book highlights the problems with concluding that God’s people only have limited authority over Satan. It then goes on to point out some of the real reasons that people become “needless casualties.” What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War is rooted in both scripture and real-life experience.

Here are two short excerpts from the book. The first is from the introduction, explaining why this issue is important. The second excerpt highlights one of several problems with the conclusion that Christians do not have authority over territorial spirits.

(From the introduction)

Is Disagreement Dishonoring?

I’ve recently heard warnings surfacing again against confronting “territorial spirits.” When I share that I don’t fully agree with John Paul Jackson’s view on the subject, some people feel I’m dishonoring him by disagreeing. Yet I urge you to hear me out and be willing to take a fresh look at this subject.

May we never put someone on such a pedestal that we equate disagreement with dishonor! Take a look at some of the Christian leaders throughout history whom you look up to the most. When you study their lives in greater detail, you’ll probably find that most of them believed something you strongly disagree with. Yet we still honor them and receive from what God has done through their lives.

If John Paul Jackson has blessed you, thank God for it! Let’s learn to discuss teaching without making it personal. Many people realized John Paul Jackson was right about something being wrong. Even if we don’t agree with him on everything, we can honor him for perceiving a problem and speaking up contrary to the status quo of many charismatic Christians. We honor men like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein as some of the great names in science. But we now realize that in spite of their contributions, Newton was wrong about some things Einstein got right. And even Einstein wasn’t right about everything.

We as the body of Christ are “growing up in all things into Christ.” The process of maturing always includes corrections along the way. We thank God for those who’ve gone before us. But let’s let their ceiling be our floor, and may we continue to progress in our understanding! I want others to catch a renewed vision for cities and nations coming to God’s light. To catch a vision for what God can do through us, we must understand the authority God has given us.

Scripture clearly teaches that God’s people have authority over all of Satan’s power, not just some of it! God hasn’t chosen to sovereignly deal with evil spirits that influence regions and nations, apart from us. He’s chosen to do it through the church! We need to know this truth if we’re going to do what God has called us to do.

(From Chapter 3 Authority Over All The Power Of The Enemy, Or Only “Earthling” Demons?)

Territorial Spirits Oppressing Regions Through The Influence Of One Individual

…Here’s another problem with trying to make a distinction between a “regional principality” and an “earthling evil spirit.” We see multiple cases where an evil spirit exercises an oppressive influence over a region through the authority and agreement of a single evil person.

Acts 8:9-11 describes Simon the sorcerer, whose influence extended over a region. All the people of Samaria followed him and called him the “Great Power of God” because his sorcery amazed them. An evil power blinded the spiritual eyes of people in Samaria. How was it able to do so? By its partnership with a single individual who had given himself over to evil.

Are we to believe that an evil power gained influence over the entire region of Samaria through the invitation of one evil man, yet God’s people didn’t have the authority to rout that power of evil but could only “ask God to remove it,” because it was a “principality?”

Of course, we know Phillip the evangelist did destroy the influence of that evil power and gain much ground for Christ in Samaria. Phillip didn’t take Samaria by gathering an army to repent of their ancestors’ sins and then asking God to remove the principalities. Neither did he take it by mounting a “spiritual warfare” attack in an attempt to “bind the strongman” and pull it out of the sky. He simply treated Satan as a defeated foe, then trampled on his power as he preached the gospel, cast out demons, and healed the sick.

Acts 13 tells us of a sorcerer named Elymas who was an attendant to the Roman proconsul (ruler). Elymas opposed Paul’s teaching and tried to turn the proconsul away from Christianity, but Paul rebuked him and temporarily blinded him. When the proconsul saw this, he turned to the Lord. Although this account isn’t as clear, it seems to also be an account of an evil power exercising oppressive influence over the whole region through partnership with one evil man.

We see multiple cases today which are similar to these Bible stories. One is that of a warlock named José López Rega, who first advised president Juan Perón of Argentina and then “exercised Rasputin-like authority” over his wife Isabel Perón when she succeeded him as president. He’s said to have cursed Argentina in 1976 when he lost power due to the military coup.

Ed Silvoso shares another warlock story in his account of evangelizing his region. He took a map and drew a circle on it to include towns within a 100-mile radius of his hometown, Rosario Argentina. 109 towns were within that radius, but no evangelical churches. Then they discovered that a Warlock named Merigildo lived in one of those towns and had twelve disciples. Christian leaders got together to pray, then went to Merigildo’s headquarters and declared his power was broken. Within less than three years, 82 of those towns had an evangelical church.

Don Allen shares the story of a powerful witch’s conversion. She owned the town and she shut down three churches. Although her stories sounded incredible, other people in that town confirmed they were true. She was going to kill Don, but ended up encountering Jesus and coming to salvation instead. After her conversion, Don led her to go to the places where she had placed curses on the city and pronounce blessing in their place.

Needless Casualties of War teaches that God has not given the church authority to confront principalities directly, and we can only repent and ask God to remove them. Yet we find multiple illustrations of principalities oppressing nations and regions through the invitation of a single evil person.

If a principality gained its influence by the invitation of a single evil person, should not a single righteous person be able to destroy its influence? Phillip the evangelist did. Does the whole church not have the authority to undo what one evil man did? That’s what we are concluding if we accept the notion that God’s people have no authority to confront principalities.

If that were so, those who serve the kingdom of darkness would have more authority than those who serve Jesus. But they don’t. Jesus really did give us authority over “all the power of the enemy.”

The Kindle version of What Really Causes Needless Casualties Of War? is only $2.99 for the first month of publication.

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What To Do If You Discern Something’s Wrong

[image error]This is the third post in our series on discerning problems. Even though discernment is probably more about seeing what the Holy Spirit is doing than about sensing problems, these three posts focus on how to judge “discernment” of problems, and what to do with that discernment if there is a problem. The first week we discussed How To Discern Other People’s Discernment. Then last week we talked about how to discern our own “discernment” by judging what may be the source of an uneasy feeling we experience. Today I’ll share my thoughts about how to handle it if we truly are discerning a problem.

We Need An Interpretation

I see a parallel with discernment and Paul’s advice about the gift of tongues. Paul taught that the gift of tongues should be interpreted or else the person should speak to themselves and to God, because nobody understands and it doesn’t benefit the church if there isn’t an interpretation. Similarly, just saying you “feel” like something is wrong causes confusion rather than benefitting anybody. It’s also not fair to the person who is the object of the accusation. There’s nothing they can say for themselves —you just have a “bad feeling” about them. What if you missed it? What if your bad feeling was due to something else?

Guys, we need to treat revelation with humility. Scripture teaches we should be willing to let our revelation be tested. But if you have nothing more to share than a “bad feeling” about somebody, how can other Christians rightly judge it? All it does is cause confusion, and sometimes anger.

I’ll just tell you how I personally feel in such a case. When I see someone on Facebook come out and say something like “I don’t know, but I just feel like so-and-so has a Jezebel spirit” it angers me. What did the poor person do to deserve such an accusation? My experience is that people who do that are often the ones who are deceived. But even if you were right on the mark with your “bad feeling,” how am I going to know you aren’t just another person who sees a “Jezebel” or “false prophet” in every corner?

I’ve heard fabricated accusations against a Christian leader I respect. I didn’t write off the accusations, but neither did I immediately embrace them. I soon found out with as much certainty as possible that they were 100% made up. Scripture says not to entertain an accusation against an elder unless it’s brought by two or three witnesses.  If we aren’t supposed to entertain such an accusation unless it’s brought by two or three witnesses, then how can we expect other Christians to entertain our “bad feeling” about so-and-so when that’s all we have on them?

Remember the story from last week where I felt something wrong in the church, and later the pastor was uncovered as a serial adulterer? What if I had stood up and said something? It wouldn’t have done any good. Since I wasn’t even sure why I felt that bad feeling, I could have easily mistaken it as an indication that the church itself was bad. I didn’t know it was a problem with the pastor, which was going to hurt people.

Unless it becomes clear why you have that “bad feeling,” it’s probably best to keep it to yourself and to God. Make sure you are in a place of thanksgiving to God for the church, nothing hindering the river of His love from flowing freely through your heart. Pray about it. Ask God what’s going on and why you are feeling that way. Thank the Holy Spirit for what he’s doing in that situation. Pray that if there’s anything hidden that needs to be uncovered, it will be revealed.

Many times it will soon become evident what’s going on. There are cases where a leader was caught in an extramarital affair but it went unreported for quite a while because someone was afraid of getting involved in the situation. In these cases something concrete needs to be addressed. Doing so is unpleasant, but it’s for the sake of protecting people God loves.

Many times when the “bad feeling” is right on, it becomes evident in the teaching. I’m not talking about minor differences in doctrine, but teaching that is controlling or proposes a way to God other than through Christ. These and a few other forms of teaching are highly destructive. As I became more familiar with God’s grace and with the gospel message, I began to more quickly recognize harmful teaching as the reason for the “bad feeling” I got. All I had to do was keep listening and it became clear what was going on.

I most often feel that “bad feeling” when there’s a heavy legalism or controlling teaching involved. It soon becomes evident in the teaching, which means it is no longer just a “bad feeling” and I can address it. I’ve addressed much of the underlying doctrine in “I Am Persuaded.”  I Am Persuaded is an uplifting and encouraging read which clears up a lot of confusion about “authority in the church” and thoroughly refutes teachings which religious leaders often use to control people.

A Personal Warning

When your heart is in a place of close fellowship with the Lord and thanksgiving for the church, yet you find yourself unexplainably disturbed in a certain place or near a certain person, it’s likely that you really are picking up on something in the spirit realm. This can still serve as a personal warning.

John 2:23-25 (NRSV) When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.

Jesus walked so closely with the Father that he knew what was in people’s hearts. He saw the gold in people who looked unimpressive to others. He also saw when people who seemed outwardly impressive had hearts full of filth. He didn’t fall for it when people put on masks. In fact, he knew that Judas was stealing from the money bag all along!

If you don’t know what’s going on, it may not be appropriate or helpful to share this “bad feeling” with other people. However, it can still serve as a personal warning and/or a call to prayer. One woman felt really disturbed when her husband brought a guy over to stay at their house. She went somewhere else with the kids. They later found out he was convicted of raping children about the same age as her kids.

I’ve had that sick feeling before without being sure why, only to hear later about a sexual abuse scandal involving an elder. This sense that something is wrong can sometimes protect us from getting involved in some way with the wrong people.

Doctrinal Issues That Should Be Challenged

When we challenge doctrine, it’s important to accurately represent what the teacher we are questioning is teaching. We do that with direct quotes. As we saw in part 1, a lot of the so-called “discernment” going around grossly misrepresents or even lies about what the people it opposes actually teach. Very few Christians agree about all doctrine. It’s all right to disagree on many things and express our different viewpoints, but we focus on honoring the Holy Spirit’s work in each other’s lives and building each other up in love. However, there are some teachings that are quite destructive and should be strongly opposed. These include:

Teaching used to control and manipulate people
Legalism/teaching that implies Jesus isn’t enough/heaps guilt and condemnation on people rather than pointing to what Jesus has done to make us right with God
Licentiousness, which is teaching that openly promotes immorality
Teaching that denies truths fundamental to the Christian faith, such as Jesus’ death, resurrection, incarnation, deity
Any teaching that puts a “mediator” other than Christ between God and man, implies that there is a way of salvation other than through Christ, or draws people away from centering on Christ and on his redemptive work

As we’ve noted before, sometimes Charismatics get so used to slanderous accusations and false “discernment” being slung at them that they are too quick to write off valid concerns. Yet paying attention to valid concerns can help us to avoid a lot of trouble and people getting hurt. Some people falsely teach that a Christian cannot express a problem with a doctrine unless they first approach the teacher personally. (At least if that teacher is popular.) Such a notion is ridiculous and unbiblical. Those are the instructions for dealing with personal offense, which is a different matter. Teaching, like prophecy, should be tested publicly.

At times I’ve had people get upset with me when I pointed out the problem with a specific teaching, only to later encounter abuse and trouble as a result of that teaching. This includes the more extreme forms of heavy emphasis on “spiritual fathers.” (I have a 99 cent booklet on this, “Spiritual Fathers Or Brothers.” taken from a chapter of “I Am Persauded.” )

Abuse Uncovered

When abuse or wrongdoing are clearly revealed, it’s certainly time to act! Far too many cases of sexual abuse have gone covered because people were afraid of talking about what they saw. Again, the teaching of Matthew 18 about first approaching a wrongdoer individually is in the context of dealing with personal offense. It’s ridiculous to extend this beyond that in order to cover up abuse or illegal activity, but some religious groups have done just that. Please notify the police if you discover sexual abuse!

Other times the issue may be unethical practices or authoritarian manipulation by religious leaders. Sometimes there’s a cost to standing for truth. I know at least one case of a person very close to me losing a job and being slimed after speaking out about unethical (and illegal) practices in a ministry. I’ve seen a few others too afraid to speak out about other wrongdoings. But when it gets to that point, we have a responsibility to not be silent, even if it may hurt us.

I hope this series has been helpful for some people who’ve felt unexplainably disturbed in certain situations, as I have. Thanks for reading!

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Discerning Your Own Discernment

[image error]Last week we talked about discerning other people’s discernment. If you have such an expectation for error in the church that you quickly latch on to slanderous reports and assume the worst of everybody, you are the one who is deceived! On the other hand, we must not dismiss genuine concerns in the church.

I promised to some of my thoughts for other people who, like me, have felt their stomach turn and felt like something was wrong, but didn’t know what to do. So here’s some of my experience with growing in discernment. Next week I’ll share my thoughts on how to apply it.

Encountering Holy Spirit Manifestations And Other Cultures

I began encountering some extreme reactions to the Holy Spirit’s work when I was 12 years old. These included things like people falling down, screaming, and laughing hysterically. I felt really uncomfortable in some of those meetings. At times I wasn’t sure if what was happening was God or not.

I soon experienced God’s touch in extreme ways as well. I felt God’s love all over me so strongly that my body started vibrating. Sometimes we feel uncomfortable, not because something is wrong, but because the Holy Spirit offends our pride. That had been the case with me. The bad feeling I experienced was actually due to the demonic oppression I’d been living with, which was being challenged by the work of the Holy Spirit.[image error]

In those early days, I also was exposed to several different church cultures, including inner city churches where the style was different and everybody loved rap. I was so blinded by religious pride that I wondered if there could be such a thing as Christian rap. I felt really uncomfortable in some of those meetings, but the discomfort I felt wasn’t true discernment. It was rooted in fear and prejudice. I had associated rap music with bad things.

I later met some Christian rappers who were so full of the Holy Spirit and God’s love that I realized how wrong I had been. Their music was powerful, full of life and loaded with scriptural truth. I got over my prejudice so much that I soon got into Spanish Christian rap and reggaeton!

Start With Thanksgiving For The Church!

Because of these early mistakes, I became really careful about making a presumptuous judgment just because of an “uncomfortable feeling” in a church. I learned to focus on what the Holy Spirit is doing everywhere I go and not to assume the worst. I learned to thank God for the church and have eyes to see what the Holy Spirit is doing in people around me. I also learned to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of the church.

Discernment has to be rooted in this attitude. The prevalence of slanderous accusations which we discussed last week comes from an unhealthy obsession with evil. It comes from giving more worth-ship to Satan and his work than to God and what the Holy Spirit is doing in the church. On the contrary, consider the Apostle Paul’s attitude:

1 Thessalonians 1:2 (NIV) We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.

Philippians 1:3 (NIV) I thank my God every time I remember you.

Paul was so full of faith and focused on the work of the Holy Spirit in the church that he celebrated what God was doing among the Corinthians—even though they had major problems with immaturity and immorality! If you read the book of First Corinthians, you’ll see that even though Paul strongly rebuked them he continued to put more focus on what the Holy Spirit was doing among them than on what was wrong! The beginning of First Corinthians is loaded with encouragement and thanksgiving for the Holy Spirit’s work among the Corinthians.

The “gift of discernment” does include discerning when something is wrong. Even so, it’s probably more about discerning what the Holy Spirit is doing than it is about discerning what is wrong. If you have little idea of what the Holy Spirit is doing but you see evil everywhere, your discernment has been distorted.

The “gift of discernment” is about discerning angels and not just evil spirits.  It can also be about discerning good or evil in a person’s character. If you aren’t in a place of thanksgiving for the church, your “lens” of discernment is colored, distorting your perception. We want to be in a place where a river of God’s love and of thanksgiving for the church is pouring through our hearts. We should be so aware of what God is doing in the church that we are bursting with excitement. When our hearts are in that place and we suddenly feel disturbed about something, then it’s more likely that we’re actually picking up on a problem to be dealt with and aren’t just operating in the counterfeit “gift” of suspicion.

Let’s walk in faith that the Holy Spirit is able to present a spotless and blameless bride to Jesus! As we noted last week, solid discernment is rooted in holding fast to what is good, not just trying to find what’s wrong.

“I Didn’t Know This Guy Was The Pastor”

I learned to walk in thanksgiving for the church and became really careful to not assume the worst when I had a “bad feeling” somewhere. I realized that “bad feeling” could sometimes be me, and not actually an indication that anything was wrong. But then I started to realize how many times that “feeling” was turning out to be right. I had needed to get rid of the negative lens I was looking through before I could really start to discern better. Once I got rid of that negative lens, I realized that I was often picking up on something with my spiritual senses when I got that “bad feeling.”

For example, there was one place I’d visited with my family where the people were really friendly. The church service lasted three or four hours. For some reason, I couldn’t stand it in there.

I later found out that the pastor had been exposed as a serial adulterer. He’d fathered children with various women all over the city, cheating on his wife. I’ve had other similar experiences since. Something felt terribly wrong, and the something like this was uncovered.

On another occasion, I was with a church planter in Latin America. For the first few days I stayed with a family I’d never met before.

I loved this family. They were kind to me. But when I found out that the father was “the pastor” who the church planter had appointed over the church, I was surprised! It wasn’t that I had anything against him at all, but I just had assumed that he was unsaved. And there was another guy in that church whom I’d assumed was the pastor there. His love for the Lord and for people was evident. Even so, I chose to assume the best about this man whom I found out was the pastor even though I hadn’t even thought he knew Jesus.

About three months later, that pastor started an argument over a petty matter in the church that resulted in about half the people leaving. He also got angry because he wasn’t getting enough money from the church. He left, spreading lies and slander about that group and stirring up a lot of trouble.

Who was left to lead? The church planter appointed the man whom I’d originally assumed was the pastor! He hadn’t thought this guy was qualified enough for some reason to take that leadership role. But he hadn’t realized that this guy had a love for Christ and for the church that the other guy didn’t.

Note that in this story, discernment didn’t only involve discerning that the current leader had selfish motivations. It also involved discerning who was walking in a heart of love for the church and was going to build them up.

How Do We Deal With This Stuff?

So what do you do if you know you’re walking in love and thanksgiving for the church, yet your stomach turns and you feel like something is terribly wrong? What if you’re not sure what it might be that’s wrong? Do you talk about it? Do you just pray? I’ll share more of my thoughts and experiences next week in What To Do If You Discern Something’s Wrong.

 

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How To Discern Other People’s Discernment

[image error]Guys, I figured I’d share some of my thoughts and experience with discernment in the next three posts. I’ve noticed two unhealthy trends related to discernment. We’ll look at them this week. Next week we’ll talk about how to discern your own discernment—how to tell if what you’re feeling is really God showing you something, or if you have that “feeling” for some other reasons. Then in the third week, we’ll talk about what to do with it if you feel like something is wrong.

The gift of the “discernment of spirits” includes seeing or sensing angels or demons, as well as getting a feel for people. It’s not only about discerning what is wrong, but also about discerning what is good. However, in these three posts we’ll focus on discernment dealing with problems in the church.

Heresy Hunters

The first of these unhealthy trends comes out of a mindset that assumes these are the “last days” and most teachers are probably wolves in sheep’s clothing. This twisted mindset delights in evil, and those who have been deceived by it feel more spiritual when they denounce somebody. It’s what many of us call “heresy hunting.” It starts with an assumption of the worst, and it’s all too quick to assume the worst.

I’ve heard a lot of these “warnings” going around. One of them was a few weeks ago. Somebody wrote an article calling a teacher I’m familiar with (and appreciate) a “heretic” and a false teacher. OK, everyone has a right to disagree and to share their own views. The thing was, this article grossly misrepresented that teacher on a major doctrinal point. It accused him of “mocking Christ’s return.” Being familiar with the teaching of the one being accused, I knew this was false. I quoted the teacher in question, showing where he teaches Christ’s future return. Then I challenged the author of the “heretic hunter” article to give a quote citing where this person has ever mocked Christ’s return. He was unable to. I also challenged a few other false accusations with citations from the teacher in question and found out that the guy who wrote the article hadn’t read the book of the guy he was attacking. It was no wonder he didn’t know precisely what this leader taught!

We later found that the author of the inflammatory article was a notorious troublemaker who is well known for stirring up trouble–including writing articles and making Youtube videos to bash what he considers “inferior cultures.” The sad thing was that so many Christians latched on to his article and ran with it. It was all over Facebook. A lot of people were saying “I knew I had a bad feeling about that person…” Yet the main point in the article they were latching on to in order to confirm that “bad feeling” proved to be a downright lie!

Scripture says that love doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love looks for the best and wants to believe the best. It’s not hasty to embrace rumors of evil. When love hears a sad report it hopes it isn’t true, and love grieves if it learns that it really is true. It gives a person the chance to explain what they believe, hearing both sides of the story, instead of just taking someone else’s word for it.

These evil reports are a problem in the body of Christ. Many of them grossly misrepresent (and even lie about) the beliefs of the people they attack. Many of them are based on fallacious logic and are more about “having a bad feeling” than having a solid scriptural objection to something. They also tend to take a term like “NAR” (New Apostolic Revolution) and lump together a bunch of teachers who don’t even associate themselves with that movement and have a vast range of beliefs. These accusations are often nothing less than slander. Some are preposterous. I read one article opposing Dan Mohler. The only thing they could come up with against him was that he talks about God’s love too much! Like Daniel, the only fault they could find had to do with his devotion to God!

It’s a wonder that these people forget that the Pharisees were some of the most deceived people in history, and their deception was rejecting the Son of God and accusing him of doing his works by Satan’s power. Saul was so deceived that he thought he was doing God’s will by persecuting the church. If you are quick to embrace slander instead of delighting in the truth, you are the one who’s deceived. There’s been at least one time when I heard a bad report about a leader I knew and I found out it was a lie. I was saddened by the report yet I wasn’t going to deny it if it proved to be true. I was glad to find it wasn’t!

“Don’t Be Divisive!”

The second unhealthy trend is the tendency to get angry when anybody questions a teaching or practice that’s becoming popular. Charismatics sometimes get so used to false accusation and petty slander against them that they are too quick to dismiss valid concerns in the body of Christ.

There’s such a thing as teaching that’s destructive. And it needs to be confronted in order to protect people. At times I’ve heard Charismatic Christians protest “You can’t question that person’s teaching if you haven’t gone to them personally first.” Yet scripture teaches to go to a person first in relation to resolving personal offense. Expressing disagreement with public teaching that anybody can find is a different matter. Just make sure you actually know what the person is teaching or doing.

I’m not talking about slapping “heretic” labels on people over petty doctrinal disagreements. I’m talking about the freedom to disagree honorably with another person, as well as confronting teaching which proposes that people can get to God by any means other than through Christ.

A few years ago Bill Johnson publicly warned about a guy who was making a mess, including denying Christ’s deity. Some people got upset that Bill would “attack” another Christian. I’ve heard more recent warnings from Charismatic leaders who love the body of Christ. Some have gotten upset, feeling these leaders are being “divisive.” Scripture teaches leaders to oppose doctrines that work against faith in Christ. Some doctrines have the potential to destroy people’s faith, and leaders have a responsibility to make a stand against them.

1 Timothy 1:3-7 (NIV) As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.  They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

1 Timothy 4:2 (NIV) Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 

Much harm has been done when people in the church have been too quick to dismiss valid concerns or warnings. I’ll share a story about this on the third week. Let’s not fall into the trap of foolishly ignoring a much-needed warning.

How Can We Proceed With Wisdom?

True discernment comes from knowing God. It’s rooted in worship, or “worth-ship.” As I shared in the article Faith And Focus, that means having your attention captured by what God is doing, and not by evil. To walk in wisdom, be slow to speak and quick to listen. That means being willing to wait until you hear both sides of a matter before you speak. Don’t delight in evil, but rejoice with the truth. Expect the best of people instead of rushing to assume the worst.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NRSV) … test everything; hold fast to what is good

Discernment is more about holding fast to what is good than it’s about trying to find what’s wrong. That’s where we need to start. But we should never ignore genuine concerns. Our discernment about what isn’t right will only be sharp if we are holding fast to what is good.

If you or your friends been disturbed and confused by some of the accusations going around that target the “NAR” or so-called “Kundalini in the church” check out my 99 cent e-book book Refuting Fallacious Criticisms Of Signs And Wonders. Consider Randy Clark’s response to Andrew Strom.  Or check out Jon Welton’s response to “7 Major Concern About Bethel Church.”

Have you ever felt your stomach turn in a church service, as if something was terribly wrong? I have. How do you deal with this?  How do you discern if your own discernment is from God? And what do you do with it if it is? We’ll talk about these questions in the next two weeks. Hopefully, my thoughts may help some friends who are “feelers,” as I am.

 

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Healing Ministry And Suffering According To God’s Will

[image error]Last week in Evergreen Life we saw an encouraging picture of how Christ’s life becomes increasingly manifest through us as we encounter hardships and trials. God has planted a life in his people that’s unchanging regardless of exterior circumstances. We went on to talk about how the topic of suffering according to God’s will has so often been misunderstood. It’s a gloriously encouraging truth if we understand it, but some teachers have twisted it in order to imply that we should not resist the devil or should accept evil as “God’s will.”

We then promised to deal with the lie that healing ministry denies Biblical suffering. Those who teach divine healing are often accused of spreading a false, self-centered gospel which portrays God as our servant who is here to make our lives comfortable. They imagine that healing ministry is incompatible with the Biblical passages about suffering according to God’s will.

It’s true that the gospel isn’t about plucking us out of all our troubles. Rather, it leads us into trouble! But in all the trouble that the gospel leads us into, it leads us through it in victory after victory, in ever-increasing glory! Healing ministry leads us into suffering according to God’s will, not away from it.

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV) But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Sharing In Christ’s Sufferings

Scripture says we share in Christ’s sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Suffering according to God’s will is sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

Romans 8:17 (NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

If the healing gospel is incompatible with suffering according to God’s will, as some suggest, that creates a big problem for Jesus! A large portion of the gospels is devoted to stories of Jesus’ compassion and healing miracles. Was Jesus preaching a false gospel? Did he send his disciples to preach a false gospel?

How did Jesus suffer? He was the only man ever to walk the earth who never sinned or did any wrong. But he was misunderstood, slandered, falsely accused, and mistreated by evil men. He continued to walk in love. He didn’t repay evil with evil, but with good.

1 Peter 3:9, 4:1 (NIV) Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing… Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.

Ministering Healing Leads Us Into The Sufferings Of Christ By Provoking Persecution

An examination of scripture shows that healing and miracles were some of the biggest provocateurs of persecution, for Jesus as well as the apostles.

Consider the book of Matthew for example. The first place in Mathew where we read about opposition from the Pharisees is in Matthew 9:11. They criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. The second time we read about the religious leaders opposing Jesus is soon after, in Matthew 9:32-34. What triggered the persecution? Jesus made a mute man speak.

Soon after that Jesus sent his disciples to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel. It was in the context of doing these things that Jesus warned his disciples of the persecution they would face.

The third time in Matthew that we read of the Pharisee’s opposition to Jesus is in Matthew 12:9-14. They tried to use Jesus’ healing ministry as a trap to bring charges against him. Then, when Jesus restored the shriveled hand of a man on the Sabbath, they went out and plotted how they might kill him.

The fourth time we read of them opposing Jesus is in Matthew 12:22-24. The context is Jesus healing a blind and mute man. 

The fifth time is in Matthew 14:34–15:2. Immediately before we read of the Pharisees opposing Jesus again, we read that the people thronged Jesus and everyone who touched him was healed.

Why did the people in Jesus’ hometown become offended at him? Because of his wisdom and deeds of power! Why did the Pharisees persecute Jesus in John 5? Another healing miracle on the Sabbath! What about their opposition in John 9? Jesus healed a man born blind. 

The apostles experienced the same. Peter and John drew a crowd by healing a crippled begger, leading to an evangelistic gathering. The Pharisees arrested them and told them to stop speaking in Jesus’ name, but they couldn’t do anything more than that, because everybody knew the cripple who had been healed and saw that it was a notable sign. (Acts 3 and 4) Then in Acts 5:12-18 we read of the high priest and the Sadducees arresting the apostles and putting them into the public jail. Why was it this time? Crowds had gathered not only from Jerusalem but from the surrounding towns, bringing the sick into the streets and laying them on beds and mats, so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. All of them were healed, and this provoked the high priest and Sadducees to jealousy.

The Truth Of Divine Healing Leads Us To Confront Suffering Rather Than Hide Our Faces From It!

Suffering according to God’s will is going into dark and hard places because love compels us. It’s going right to where the pain and suffering is, instead of hiding our faces from it. That’s exactly what Jesus did when he came for us! Thank God that Jesus made himself nothing, coming as a man, and humbling himself even to the point of death on a cross!

If you believe that Jesus’ spirit which lives in you enables you to do what Jesus did, then you have a responsibility! When you hear that somebody has cancer, you can do something about it! When you encounter heartbreak, grief, and chronic pain, you have the answer!

I remember reading about international rescue workers trying to save lives after heavy flooding in Mozambique. People were starving. The need was so tremendous that the rescue workers felt like all the work they did could barely begin to make a difference. There were still so many more villages with hungry people! The workers were only allowed to stay for a limited time in order to prevent them from developing PTSD.

It’s much easier to say “God is in control of everything” and so assume that we are helpless to change anything than it is to believe that God has put his Spirit in us and purposes to accomplish his will through us. Belief in God’s will to heal through Christ’s body, the church, challenges us to do something. It challenges us to open our hearts and to go where there are pain and suffering. It means we have a lot of work to do. That’s why John G. Lake called it a “strong man’s gospel.” It takes tremendous courage to believe “God wants me to do something about this situation through the empowerment of His Spirit working in me,” and then to act on that belief. It means we have a lot of hard work to do.

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This “strong man’s gospel” led John G. Lake to South Africa, where he faced great difficulties. It led Heidi and Rolland Baker to risk their lives and persevere through great hardship in order to save other people’s lives in Mozambique. It has led them and many others down a path of suffering and difficulties all around, but also great victory and great glory. The deaf hear, the blind see, food is multiplied, and the poor have good news brought to them.

It has taught me to participate in God’s heart of love and to bless my enemies, more than anything else has. Some people I’ve ministered to had no faith. Some initially thought I was trying to take advantage of them. It’s funny how many people think that you are an immature and overly-zealous Christian once you start believing God for something!

One lady had cancer with excruciating pain. The first time I ministered to her she felt fire through her whole body and all the pain left. A few month later she relapsed. I went for about an hour a day to minister to her for three months. She died. Her daughter is still bitter against me, as if her death was my fault. All I did was love! I didn’t blame anybody for what happened  or put a burden on anyone’s back. I spent time with the lady and blessed her every day!

Another had recently seen her sister healed. I’d never met her sister but I saw her on the street, approached her, and told her by word of knowledge what physical issues she was having. It was right on, and she and a few others around her were healed! A few weeks that this lady asked me to minister to her husband, who was in pain. I only had a few minutes between English classes, but I laid hands on him and ministered to him. He didn’t feel much improvement. Later the lady said “Jonathan prayed such a weak prayer…” What about her sister who was healed not long before that?

I could tell so many stories like these. Some people have reacted with anger, like wounded dogs biting the hand trying to help them. Some who initially mocked are later healed. If you embrace the “strong man’s gospel” you will open your heart, love, invest a lot of time in people, and in return you’ll get a lot more opposition and criticism than if you had done nothing. But it’s worth it!

It would be easier to close my heart and stop loving. But I don’t. I’ve had plenty of people misunderstand and mistreat me, and I love them. They just don’t understand. Participating in God’s love is worth everything. It takes courage to say “I know that if Jesus touched her, she would have lived, so I’m going to keep going and keep growing in Christ.” But it’s worth it for many people who have been healed and who will continue to be. There’s only one way to go, and it’s towards Jesus, growing up in all things into Christ, manifesting His glory to a continually greater degree. How can I stop now? So many more miracles have happened because I haven’t stopped. We lost that lady to cancer, but now a child who had Leukemia is alive and cancer-free!

You have to care far more about seeing God touch people than you do about their opinions of you if you want to continue in healing ministry. You have to be willing to open your heart and care for people. Jesus cared more about healing people than he did about the social constructs of what’s considered appropriate or not. That got him into trouble when he healed on the Sabbath. In some circles, any expression of belief in the miraculous will elicit mockery and ridicule. It can get you into trouble too. But is it worth it to see God’s glory manifest as he supernaturally touches people in those situations?

Do you want to see God’s glory manifest? Find a place with pain and suffering. Find a dark place, and begin to act. Learn to receive God’s grace for naturally impossible situations and hurting people. Persevere and never give up. Determine to keep growing in faith, in love, in power, and in every aspect of Christ’s nature. Keep your heart open, keep loving, and keep acting. Embrace the “strong man’s gospel”—“Jesus lives in me, so I have what these people need.” 

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Evergreen Life

[image error]I Have No Idea What This Vision Means!

Last week I mentioned the pine cone vision. As I was praying one night, I saw a mental picture of myself reaching in a paper bag, pulling out a pine cone, and giving it to my wife.

Not everything we may see on the screen of our mind is God speaking to us. Yet I’ve learned that God does often speak in this way. I’ve had some amazing experiences where God showed me things I couldn’t have known naturally through an image in my mind. Once I saw a rainbow-colored angel with my natural eyes. It’s really cool to see a vision with your natural eyes, but the fact that a vision is more subtle doesn’t mean it is less accurate or detailed. In fact, it can sometimes be even more so.

I was pretty sure that this picture of handing my wife a pine cone was a vision from God. I just had no idea what it meant!

I looked up “pine cone symbolism” on the internet. I found all kinds of occultic meanings related to Eastern religions, the staff of Osiris, and other things I want nothing to do with! I didn’t realize how heavily the occult used pine cones as a symbol! Frustrated and a bit bothered by all the occult stuff, I decided to pray about it more and I asked some Christian friends for their thoughts.

Evergreen Life

I soon learned that the pine cone was also an early Christian symbol—for eternal life. The first scripture I think of when I think of eternal life is John 17:3

John 17:3 (NRSV) And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

The Bible tells us to we are “grow in the knowledge of God.” This admonition combined with John 17:3 tells me that eternal life starts now—not after we die. As we grow in the knowledge of God we will manifest eternal life on this earth and in this life.

As I was meditating on that, I came across a related question on Quora. The question was “Why is the Christian conception of the afterlife spoken of as “eternal life” as opposed to “immortal life”?” 

I thought of the pine tree. An evergreen tree is green and thrives in every season. Psalm 1 says that the person who delights in God’s law is like a tree whose leaf does not wither. Psalm 92:12 says that “The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” Palms and cedars are both evergreen trees! “Evergreen life” isn’t determined by outside circumstances or the weather at the moment.

Quoting from my answer on Quora: A person who knows God can have joy and be full of life no matter what the season. “Eternal life” is immortality, but it is more than that. It is also “Evergreen life.”

Of course, we all know Christians who don’t demonstrate joy in every season. But the Bible says we are “growing in the knowledge of God.” (2 Peter 3:18) That joy in every season doesn’t happen automatically, but it is something we can grow into experiencing as we get to know God.

I do know people who demonstrate this “evergreen life.” Whatever is going on all around them doesn’t change their joy, their life, or who they are. They walk in love in every circumstance.

The story of Betsy Ten Boom in prison and in a concentration camp is a great example of a Christian demonstrating “evergreen life” in this life.

The Trial Reveals The Life Of Christ In You!

As I was meditating on this, one of my friends noted that a pine cone is one of the few seeds that require extreme heat to be released. Fire opens pine cones, releasing the seeds. My friend asked if we were facing trials. I said “Yes!” 

I started reading about it and learned that some pine cones only release their seeds in fire. Others eventually release their seeds when they dry, but fire releases them more quickly.

Like some other seeds, pine nuts also require a stratification process of passing through a cold winter period before they will germinate.

If you are born again, God’s seed is in you. That seed contains everything that’s in God’s DNA. It contains the glory and nature of Christ. But the life in that seed isn’t fully evident to everybody immediately. It sprouts and grows.

It’s often trials that make this evergreen God-life so evident in our lives. These trials reveal what’s really inside of us.

As a teenager, I read stories of Christians facing torture and heavy persecution. I wanted to follow Christ even if it came to that, but I felt like I wasn’t sure if I could continue under the circumstances those Christians faced.

Then in Brazil, I heard of a criminal’s threat to kidnap my daughter. Things got so dangerous I sometimes wondered if we would live. It was a hard time. But I found the life of Jesus manifesting through my life. I found that Jesus living in me can love when I can’t. I experienced God’s “evergreen life.”

Consider the following scriptures about God’s life being revealed through trials:

1 Peter 1:23 (NRSV) You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

John 12:24 (NRSV) Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

1 Peter 1:3-7 (NRSV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice,  even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Romans 5:3-5 (NRSV) And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Suffering And Glory!






 This vision was a tremendous encouragement to me. I expect to see Christ’s life manifest like never before in my wife’s life—and in my life—as we face testing and pressure. It’s beautiful to see a person demonstrating God’s “evergreen life.” Others wonder how they can have such joy that no circumstances can change. It makes them want the same life.

The Biblical teaching about suffering according to God’s will has often been so perverted. On one hand, some teach that God controls everything so we should just lie down passively and accept whatever evils come our way. The Bible says we should resist the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. It tells us that God always has victory in store for us. Suffering according to God’s will is simply what we experience as we live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. People misunderstand us, mistreat us, and wrong us, but we continue to walk in love and shine God’s light.

On the other hand, others overreact to this error by responding with anger at any mention of “suffering according to God’s will.” Yet what the Bible teaches about suffering according to God’s will is incredibly encouraging and full of glory! We to better understand what the Bible teaches about suffering rather than throwing out this truth. When we suffer according to God’s will, we rejoice, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us. 

Romans 8:17 (NRSV) …and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Suffering according to God’s will isn’t sickness or accepting defeat. For a better Biblical understanding of suffering according to God’s will, I recommend reading Part 1 and Part 2 on Paul’s thorn in the flesh.

A common criticism of healing ministry is that it denies Biblical suffering. Nothing could be further from the truth! Next week we’ll look at why understanding God’s will to heal leads us into suffering according to God’s will, rather than denying it.

 If you liked this post, you may want to check out my Heaven Now book trilogy. This series teaches how to experience heaven’s reality and walk as a heavenly person at all times, regardless of circumstances.  It’s also filled with testimonies of what happened when I put these powerful truths into practice. I’m sure these books will encourage you and help you to make everything around you like heaven. Not only that, but your purchase supports our missionary work in Brazil and in every other place we go![image error]

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Interpreting Visions According To Theological Lenses

[image error]Last week we talked about the need for prophets and teachers to work together in the body of Christ. Even prophets who are often very accurate can have areas where they tend to miss it due to their theology or their experiences coloring their revelation. We must test prophecy—no matter who the prophet is. Sometimes prophets have powerful experiences and they aren’t even sure what to do with them or how to interpret them at first. Good teaching can help to interpret revelatory experiences.

Today I’d like to share a few examples of how theology could color our interpretation of even true visions from God.

“They Are In God’s Hands”

I recently listened to a wonderful testimony from Dan Mohler. Dan is primarily a teacher, but there are just a few times he has had an open vision. This was one of them. The story starts at about 7 minutes and 55 seconds into this video.

Two babies were dying and they were unhooking the respirator. Dan was on the phone with the mom, ready to pray for the babies, when he saw his whole kitchen turned into a sky. A big hand came down from heaven and scooped up the babies.

Pause for a moment. What do most people think of when they imagine God’s hand reaching down from the sky and taking two dying babies? “God is taking them but don’t worry. They will soon be safe in heaven with Jesus.”

That’s NOT how Dan interpreted the vision. He told the mother “Honey, your babies aren’t gonna die. They’re in the hand of God.” They unhooked the respirators and the little baby who had no lungs laid there and breathed, and never died.

Dan admits that if his theology wasn’t what it is, he would have said “Don’t worry, they’re with the Lord.” Even an open vision from God can be misinterpreted through a poor theological lens. 

A Sword Over Rio De Janeiro

I recently saw a vision of a big angel in the sky with a sword pointed down over Rio de Janeiro. Sometimes I’m not immediately sure of the interpretation of a vision, but I understood this one immediately. I knew God was saying that He is extending the sword of truth over Rio to divide between truth and lies, dealing with injustice and systemic corruption.

I couldn’t help but imagine how many people might interpret such a vision. In last weeks post we referred to Shawn Bolz’s statement that most prophets who’ve prophesied about disasters and apocalyptic events have been wrong. An angel pointing a sword down over the city could be easily interpreted as a sign of coming destruction. That is, to somebody who is looking through a certain theological lens.

God had, in fact, already spoken to us through a vision about raising his banner of peace over Rio de Janeiro. We’ve seen several confirmations of this. In fact, I recently saw a white flag on a guy’s motorcyle on front of us. It had the word “peace” written on it. I wish I’d gotten the chance to talk to him about his flag!

I was already praying for Rio de Janeiro from a perspective of knowing God’s desire to bring peace. I didn’t even consider interpreting the vision of the sword as a sign of impending destruction. But another person who was praying in another way could have easily interpreted it as such.

The Devil Healing John Paul Jackson?

In an interview with Randy Clark, John Paul Jackson shared a testimony of a time when he was very sick and complaining, asking God to heal him. Suddenly he felt someone standing beside him and looked to see a short, old man by his side. He thought he was hallucinating!

Suddenly he thought “Maybe this is an angel. If it is, he’s a pretty old angel. If this is an angel, God I want him to pray for me so I get well.” 

The old man said “I’ve come to pray for you so that you might be healed.” John Paul Jackson felt something like warm honey fill his body and drive the pain out. Then the man disappeared.

John jumped out of bed, thanking God for sending an angel to heal him. Then he heard God’s audible voice “I didn’t send an angel.”

John was shocked! He fell to the floor and said “The devil healed me. God, you let the devil heal me. Why did you do that? I wasn’t complaining that bad! You let the devil heal me! You could have stopped him and you didn’t, and now I’m gonna die!”

Again, he heard God’s voice audibly “It wasn’t him.” God took him to a vision to see the old man praying in a hut in Mexico, asking God to use him before his death. God had carried the old man to John Paul Jackson to minister healing.

This humorous story shows us how easily a person having even a powerful supernatural experience can misinterpret something that happens. John Paul Jackson thought the devil healed him, until God made it clear that it was neither the devil or an angel, but another Christian who ministered to him.

Getting Clarification

Prophets often need further clarification on a vision or revelation. Sometimes that clarification comes directly from God. But sometimes it also comes through other members of the body of Christ.

God recently gave me a vision of handing a pine cone to my wife. I initially had no idea what it might mean! Part of the interpretation came through a brother in Christ. This vision ended up being extremely encouraging for me personally. I’ll share it in another blog post, since I’m sure it will encourage my readers as well.

In a few months I plan to release a book questioning a doctrine that has gained popularity in the body of Christ based on a dream. I believe the dream may have very well been from God. But I find the interpretation of that dream very difficult to accept in the light of scripture. We should not see questioning a certain conclusion about a prophetic dream as dishonoring that prophet. We honor each other and acknowledge that we are all growing together as the body of Christ, until we reach the full measure of the stature of Christ. A study of church history is humbling, as it shows that even the church leaders of the past whom we honor the most differed vastly in their views.

Let’s learn to receive both prophets and teachers as gifts from God to the body of Christ. We do not dishonor prophets by examining their revelations in the light of scripture and acknowledging that sometimes even great prophets miss it or need more clarification on something. Neither should teachers dismiss prophets, since Scripture puts heavy emphasis on their value in the church.

 

 

 

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