Playing With Holy Fire: A Wake-Up Call to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church

by Michael L. Brown

Remember, discernment is not the same thing as skepticism, and cynicism is not a fruit of the Spirit.

This means that being childlike in our faith does not mean being naive. Gullibility is no more a fruit of the Spirit than skepticism.

How much money do you think you would make by exposing people’s sins? If you called for repentance, how long would the line of people be waiting to receive a personal prophecy from you?

Here are six signs that a man or woman who claims apostolic leadership is actually a dangerous influence in the church. 1. A toxic “apostle” requires the title.… 2. A toxic “apostle” carries an aura of self-importance.… 3. A toxic “apostle” is inaccessible.… 4. A toxic “apostle” dominates and controls people.… 5. A toxic “apostle” refuses to work with churches outside his network.… 6. A toxic “apostle” demands financial payment.9

Pastor Wurmbrand said, “All of these American leaders came to our country to teach our pastors, but none of them said to themselves, ‘I wonder what a pastor could teach me who was chained and tortured for twenty years and never denied Jesus.’”11

The higher in the Lord you go, the less you will take advantage of others and the less you will need to announce how powerful you are.

Perhaps if we stopped chasing prophetic words, we’d receive fewer incorrect words. And how about chasing the Word—as in the Bible—the way we chase after some prophets? Wouldn’t that be a life changer!

It’s true that non-Charismatics will be tempted to sin just as Charismatics are tempted to sin, but they are less likely to use “the Lord told me” as an excuse to sin.

Do I believe in divine provision? Absolutely. Do I believe God entrusts earthly riches to some of His people? Without a doubt. Do I believe material blessings are sometimes a reflection of spiritual blessings? Certainly. Do I believe the gospel can lift the poor up from the garbage dump? Definitely. But I do not believe in the carnal prosperity message, one that takes our eyes off the cross, ignores the message of death to the flesh, and makes Jesus into the sure-fire path to financial success.

Paul said that a greedy person is an idolater, and that idolaters do not enter the kingdom of God (Eph. 5:5). Are we selling our inheritance for a piece of bread?

What exactly is the pep-talk gospel? It is a feel-good, motivational message, and nothing more. It lifts you up and cheers you up and puts a smile on your face without ever calling you to turn from sin, without ever confronting you with the consequences of disobedience, without ever talking about judgment or God’s wrath. That is not the gospel.

Pablum From the Pit Cootchie, cootchie, cootchie coo, God loves me and God loves you! Smile sinner, don’t be sad; God’s not angry; He’s not mad. Even when you leave the path, There’s no hell and there’s no wrath. So don’t you fear, just do your best. Judgment Day won’t be a test. God sees your heart and that’s enough. The Judgment Seat won’t be that tough. For you can’t sin away His grace Or take that smile from His face. ’Cause God is love and love is good: He’ll treat you like you think He should! Just trust me, sinner, to the end. My name is Satan; I’m your friend.

In the early 1980s I heard a story about a Chinese Christian leader who had been tortured for his faith then was released from prison and made his way to America. He was attending a conference featuring some well-known preachers when a pastor came up to him and rebuked him for his lack of faith—because he was wearing a shabby suit. Can you imagine this? This American pastor was so carnally minded that he thought this spiritual giant from China, a man who endured torture for the gospel without denying Jesus, was lacking in faith because he wasn’t wearing a flashy outfit.

Whither Persecution? Persecuted saints? Oh no, not in our day. We are the enlightened church; we’ve found a better way To preach the gospel message while getting no one mad: We leave out “God the Judge” and just speak of “God the Dad”! We major on the promises. We’re positive to the max. We want the sinner to feel at home. We help him to relax! We’re strong on self-acceptance; we build the ego up; We’re here to make you happy—so come to church and sup! You’ll find such tasty dainties; each meal will be so sweet; Nothing will upset you; the sermon will be a treat! Sunday morning is the best show, designed to entertain, With every detail chosen to spare the rebel pain. We’ve cut out all those nasty words: “hell,” “repent,” and “sin”; Our pastor’s slick, with such finesse; even his wardrobe’s in! He’s not the John the Baptist type, rabid and out of control, Raving and foaming at the mouth, like some frenzied droll. Our church is for the family, with fashion shows and fun; And bowling, tennis, swimming, too, plus cruises in the sun. We’re socially acceptable; we adapt and change our hue; We’re sensitive to our culture—like chameleons we’re true blue! Oh, away from us, you dreary ones with your talk of self-denial; Jesus already bore the cross; now we can live in style! The Savior’s not offensive; He only gives good things. He makes us rich and prosperous so we can reign as kings! Suffering, hardship, martyrdom—they’re really not for us. We’re giving out the good news. There’s ...

But it doesn’t take great faith to live in a nice house. It takes great faith to believe for your crops to grow in the midst of a drought as your neighbors die around you. And it doesn’t take great faith to get people to give you money when you promise them riches in return. But it does take great faith to confess Jesus as Lord when you are promised imprisonment and death in return.

For good reason the late author and evangelist Leonard Ravenhill said, “If Jesus preached the same message ministers preach today, He would have never been crucified.”4

In the late 1970s one of my friends was having a hard time understanding how to be baptized in the Spirit and speak in tongues, so he asked a Pentecostal brother for advice. The man said to him, “You just need to disengage your mind.” What dangerous counsel! We don’t disengage our minds; we renew our minds (Rom. 12:2). There’s quite a difference between the two.

Charles Spurgeon once said that, just like the cook in a restaurant doesn’t come out and show you all the cooking utensils he used, preachers shouldn’t get into details of the Hebrew or Greek. Instead, just like the server in a restaurant brings out your properly cooked and prepared meal, so the preacher or teacher should bring you the finished product.8 But by all means, let it be properly prepared and properly cooked.

What exactly was Elisha asking for? Did he want twice as much as Elijah had? Of course not! Who would even think of asking for such a thing? No. Elisha wanted twice as much as the other disciples would receive. He wanted the inheritance of the firstborn. According to Deuteronomy 21:15–17, if a man had two sons, instead of splitting the inheritance fifty-fifty, he had to divide it into three parts, giving two-thirds to the firstborn (the “double portion”) and one-third to the second-born son.

But how can the Spirit’s presence be so strong in our midst while we remain so carnal? Doesn’t divine fire burn up flesh? Doesn’t divine nearness drive sin away? Doesn’t the Spirit’s conviction bring repentance?