Podcasts about charismatic christians

Charismatic Christians and Trump's 2024 Bid full In this episode, Fred Bodimer discusses the rising influence of Charismatic Christians, led by Lance Wallnau, in the push for former President Trump's 2024 election campaign. Wallnau, who identifies as a prophet, is spearheading the "Courage Tour" to mobilize religious conservatives and encourage them to participate in the electoral process. This effort marks a strategic approach by Christian nationalists to ensure voter turnout in key counties. 130 Sat, 28 Sep 2024 14:12:45 +0000 97JjGqsZSjfvrzwb3dzBHoJOgy7D4YJa news Total Information AM Weekend news Charismatic Christians and Trump's 2024 Bid With up-to-the-minute news, information, weather and sports, no other station can match KMOX's coverage of the latest breaking stories. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc.

Bob heard God speak at a Bible Study with Prisoners. Then this happened... Jesus was known for the way he interacted with those on the margins of society - the tax collectors everyone despised, the lepers no-one would touch, the cripples and the prostitutes society rejected. Jesus' teaching and interactions constantly reflected God's heart for those who had been forgotten and left behind. So today, when we hear the Spirit as Jesus' continuing voice, we shouldn't be surprised that we find themselves in similar places! That is, we will be led to love the poor as Jesus did. In this episode, we talk about the revelatory work of Holy Spirit among the poor with someone who is doing just that. With his wife Gracie, Bob Ekblad lives out the heart of Jesus through the power and revelation of the Spirit. After living several years working in sustainable farming in Honduras and then studying theology in France, Bob and Gracie lead a church community known as Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Washington state USA. Here, they come alongside immigrants, street people, addicts and prisoners to demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical and profound ways. You'll hear about: Bob and Gracie's fascinating story from a kibbutz in the Middle East to the cornfields of Honduras, the study halls of Paris and the streets of Washington state… How working with impoverished peasants in sustainable farming led to an unexpected request: “A lot of us are tough. Some of us are violent. We don't put God first, but we notice you do. Could we begin our weekly farming courses with a Bible study?” Bob tells of his surprise and excitement as well as a deep sense of trepidation: “You pull out a Bible in that setting, and the people look like stray city dogs who are used to being kicked. They sleek off and lurk away, fearful of being beaten by the Bible, because that's how the Bible has been used…” How reading the Bible with semi-literate, impoverished Latinos expanded Bob's view of the Gospel story “When people are marginalised and from the lowest classes of society, they abandon all hope and throw themselves into a life of drinking and violence.” A defining moment in Bob's journey towards understanding the Holy Spirit… Bob and Gracie came from a background of seeing only the abuses of Holy Spirit ministry and were fearful of engaging with Charismatic Christians. Yet, they recognised that their ministry desperately needed the power of the Holy Spirit, particularly as they were dealing with hardened criminals and addicts who easily relapsed. When Bob found himself in a charismatic conference, he felt the need to pray a prayer of protection over the Christians praying as they prayed! Then he received a piercingly accurate prophetic word that changed his life: “I see you in a circle of men in red uniforms sitting on blue plastic chairs. I think they're prisoners. I hear the Father saying, “I love how you love my prisoners.” The shift in Bob's ministry after receiving prayer for a healing anointing. Bob tells how Jesus' teaching from Luke 15 became relevant for a self-confessed racist, neo-Nazi gang member in jail who wanted to learn how to get along with Mexicans. After the Bible study, a word from God and a simple prayer led to a miraculous healing for one of the jail members. The connection between hearing the Spirit and developing a heart for those who have suffered, even violent offenders. Bob shares how hearing God speak about the health conditions and root emotional problems of others revealed the kind of grace that did not require change of even faith to bring healing. In his words, "pre-emptive love doesn't require a response - it elicits a response." About Bob Ekblad Bob and Gracie Ekblad are founders and co-directors of Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Burlington, Washington. Together they minister at Tierra Nueva and at their home-based retreat centre, New Earth Refuge in the Skagit Valley.

Amid the sea of Trump flags outside the Capitol on January 6th, there were signs that read “Jesus is my Savior, Trump is my President.” A group of protestors carried a giant cross as they marched around the Capitol.  Why were these Christian images on prominent display?  What role did Charismatic Christianity play in the buildup to the riot at the capitol?  How is it continuing to shape our politics?  In this two-part episode, Matthew Taylor (writer and creator of the audio-documentary series “Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation” ) joins Ron Steslow to discuss how non-denominational Charismatic Christianity built to the attack on January 6th and what it will mean going forward.  Segments to look forward to: (01:43) The theological basis for believing Trump being chosen by God to be president  (06:15) Belief that political leaders are appointed by God  (11:10) Strategic spiritual warfare at the Capitol on January 6th  (16:44) The discourse of violence in Charismatic Christianity leading to jan (24:04) The lack of understanding of Charismatic Christians in American media  (37:06) Being precise about the threats to pluralism presented by part of Charismatic Christianity (43:16) What he's seeing in the subculture as we head to 2024  Listen to the full Charismatic Revival Fury series: https://bit.ly/49jqqVb Follow Ron and Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/TaylorMatthewD Email questions and thoughts to podcast@politicology.com.  Can you leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts? It's a big help

Amid the sea of Trump flags outside the Capitol on January 6th, there were signs that read “Jesus is my Savior, Trump is my President.” A group of protestors carried a giant cross as they marched around the Capitol.  Why were these Christian images on prominent display?  What role did Charismatic Christianity play in the buildup to the riot at the capitol?  How is it continuing to shape our politics?  In this two-part episode, Matthew Taylor (writer and creator of the audio-documentary series “Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation” ) joins Ron Steslow to discuss how non-denominational Charismatic Christianity built to the attack on January 6th and what it will mean going forward.  Segments to look forward to: (01:43) The theological basis for believing Trump being chosen by God to be president  (06:15) Belief that political leaders are appointed by God  (11:10) Strategic spiritual warfare at the Capitol on January 6th  (16:44) The discourse of violence in Charismatic Christianity leading to jan (24:04) The lack of understanding of Charismatic Christians in American media  (37:06) Being precise about the threats to pluralism presented by part of Charismatic Christianity (43:16) What he's seeing in the subculture as we head to 2024  Listen to the full Charismatic Revival Fury series: https://bit.ly/49jqqVb Follow Ron and Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/TaylorMatthewD Email questions and thoughts to podcast@politicology.com.  Can you leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts? It's a big help

The synod process in the Catholic Church is attracting interest from other Christian denominations, including from unexpected quarters.  In this episode, I interviewed Neil Hudson, a Pentecostal pastor for 30 years. He is a senior leader at the Elim church in Salford, the northwest of England, and has worked at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.  Neil recently took part in a significant synod gathering of Christian thinkers and leaders at Durham University to discuss the synodal process and admits that a generation ago, a Pentecostal minister would never have participated in a Catholic-led event.  Nevertheless, he says that “what is happening in the Catholic Church has to be, to my mind at least, reflective of the Gospel” and that Pope Francis has connected with Christians from the Charismatic and Pentecostal traditions.  “This Pope seems to speak the language that would not be out of place in a Pentecostal setting,” he says.   Neal warns that the synod process should avoid becoming a series of “committee meetings” and needs to connect with ordinary believers and build up people's faith. He insists that the decline of the church is not inevitable and finishes our discussion with an instructive — and very synodal — story about accompanying those searching for God.  Producer: Silvia Sacco Editor: Jamie Weston 

#nbpoli has taken a weird turn over the past few weeks with Blaine Higgs now being heralded by 4MYCanada as their new knight in shining armor. 4MYCanada is an organization established by Faytene Grasseschi a charismatic Christian leader tied to the House of Prayer movement and Christian nationalist movements. Our Co-Host Brent also used to be part of this movement and takes us through the history, implications and criticisms that exist against that movement. We will start with a review of the gas tax debacle rolling out in NB as the Energy Utilities Board approved an 8-cent increase to people instead of industry....Once again, the billionaires are being looked after while we struggle to fill up the tank.   

Spurgeon is the kind of man who—not least because of the volume of material he produced, as well as the range of issues he addressed in various contexts—can be easily claimed by any number of different people and groups, each of whom are able to find something he said which (more or less, in some way) might appear to support their own distinctive opinions. Certainly he has been claimed by Charismatic Christians, and certainly he is a man conscious of his dependence on the Holy Spirit and often immediately responsive to the operations of the Spirit in a way that can make some Christians uncomfortable. Nevertheless, to take some of those occasions and comments and to turn Spurgeon into something he was not is neither just nor honest. We do not know if there were a specific occasion for this sermon, but it sets forth a robust concern for and critique of those who set ‘signs and wonders' against the clear revelation of God's Word. It may be that most of us might take some issue with some of what Spurgeon says, but what is clear is his insistence upon the supremacy of Scripture, and the folly of putting something else in the place of or even alongside the Word of the living God as the source of truth and the guide for a life that pleases the Lord. Connect with the Reading Spurgeon Community on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ReadingSpurgeon Sign up to get the weekly readings emailed to you: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon. Check out other Media Gratiae podcasts at www.mediagratiae.org Download the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Spurgeon is the kind of man who-not least because of the volume of material he produced, as well as the range of issues he addressed in various contexts-can be easily claimed by any number of different people and groups, each of whom are able to find something he said which -more or less, in some way- might appear to support their own distinctive opinions. Certainly he has been claimed by Charismatic Christians, and certainly he is a man conscious of his dependence on the Holy Spirit and often immediately responsive to the operations of the Spirit in a way that can make some Christians uncomfortable. Nevertheless, to take some of those occasions and comments and to turn Spurgeon into something he was not is neither just nor honest. We do not know if there were a specific occasion for this sermon, but it sets forth a robust concern for and critique of those who set 'signs and wonders' against the clear revelation of God's Word. It may be that most of us might take some issue with some of what Spurgeon says, but what is clear is his insistence upon the supremacy of Scripture, and the folly of putting something else in the place of or even alongside the Word of the living God as the source of truth and the guide for a life that pleases the Lord.

Did the end times events predicted by Jesus and the biblical prophets already happen? Could the rapture of the Church and the second coming of Christ have already occurred?   There's a theology that's becoming popular with younger Evangelical and younger Charismatic Christians... it's called “Preterism”, and it advocates many (to all) of these views. Join Fr. Dave and Fr. Jon as they probe the doctrines presented by “Preterism”.

THIS EPISODE IS THE AUDIO TRACK FROM A VIDEO TEACHING I POSTED ON YOUTUBE. IF YOU WOULD RATHER WATCH IT THAN LISTEN TO IT...CLICK THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM. There are 3 things that I address in this 1 hour and 22 minute episode that I have heard over and over again during my lifetime. Many Pentecostals and Charismatics teach that the devil was an angel named Lucifer, but is that true? Many also quote the verse that says, "touch not mine anointed." But what does that really mean? Does that mean we can't judge false teaching? Finally, I'm sure you have heard someone at some point say..."Submit to the pastor!" Is that even Biblical? I answer all of these questions in this video. God bless you as you learn the truth concerning these things!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b95HC9laQYI&t=1s

This interview is with Matthew D. Taylor, who wrote and created a recent podcast series called "Charismatic Revival Fury." Taylor is the Protestant Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, in Baltimore.We know about the Proud Boys, and the Big Lie, and former President Trump's role in spreading it and deceiving millions of Americans into believing the 2020 election was stolen from them.But there was an element in the crowd spurred on to radical anti-democratic lawlessness by something more than politics. It was "revival fury."That's the phrase created by Taylor, who has studied a sub-culture of American evangelicalism — called the New Apostolic Reformation — and mapped its 30-year history as well as its many links to the January 6 insurrection.Taylor's extensive historical research provides a depth of context to a shocking revelation: the Trump White House itself was in touch with key NAR leaders in the weeks after the 2020 election and leading up to the attack on the Capitol.In fact, one key NAR leader said "government leaders" asked him to conduct a tour of churches after the 2020 election to energize and mobilize Trump supporters to support the effort to overturn the election results. This NAR leader, Dutch Sheets, had already been part of a Trump White House outreach effort in 2019 led by Trump faith adviser Paula White Cain.The Sheets tour turned into a whirlwind tour of seven swing states over a month's time, in which roughly two-dozen self-proclaimed prophets whipped large crowds into a frenzy of religious fervor mixed with apocalyptic and violent imagery of defeating demonic forces, which were attributed to Democrats and President Biden.He calls it "charismatic revival fury" and has produced a podcast series by that name. Many of these NAR followers believed that if Trump were reinstated it would spark a religious revival leading to the conversion of a billion people to not just Christianity, but their brand of the faith.Taylor draws a distinction between personal "spiritual warfare" — a fairly standard belief held by many Christians in America and around the world — and the kind of hyper-radicalized version of "strategic spiritual warfare" promoted by NAR that risks pushing its adherents into the kind of violence we saw on January 6.Taylor also cautions that political figures on the right are playing with rhetoric that risks further radicalizing religious supporters, and that these remarks fall on a spectrum. On the most extreme, you have former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn literally calling former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a "demon."But other Republicans are also toying with such ideas. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has quoted a passage from the Bible where he replaces "the devil" with "the left." And former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley this week said that debates over how to teach children in schools about gender "is absolutely spiritual warfare."Taylor's research shows that talking about these topics requires a deftness and precision that avoids painting all conservative Christians with such a broad brush that it risks pushing them closer to extremist radicals, rather than bringing them into a broader conversation that can serve as a moderating force."We need to be able to see the diversity within these movements, not paint with such a broad brush that says anyone who holds some theological idea or participates in some theological meme is therefore an extremist," Taylor told Yahoo News. "I think we really need to focus on people who actually behave in extreme ways and say extreme things."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“I hear a lot of Charismatic Christians say they received dreams from the Lord. My question is, does God still give us dreams today as His children? I once had a dream before my husband and I had the desire to have children. It was only for a few seconds, but in this dream I was praying with our child (at the time it was unclear if the child was a boy or girl), but he/she was around 5 years old. I was teaching this child to pray for someone who was hurting, and my husband who is an unbeliever was sitting watching in the background. A few months later, we both had the desire to have a baby. We got pregnant straight away, and had a healthy baby boy. My son and I now do the very thing we were doing in the dream, we pray together. I just want to know, was that dream from God or not? I don't dream very often but this was something that was very specific, I didn't understand it at the time but it has come to pass. I believe that sign gifts aren't for today so I'm trying to figure out if that includes dreams and visions. Thank you. God bless.” https://biblelineministries.org/q-33/ --- SUBSCRIBE --- https://www.youtube.com/c/bibleline --- LIKE --- https://www.facebook.com/biblelinemin --- TWEET --- https://www.twitter.com/biblelinemin --- COMMENT --- ask us a question! --- SHARE --- with all your friends and family Do you have a Bible question? Send your question to questions@biblelineministries.org!

At least five Americans, including a pregnant woman, are among the people injured after a Palestinian man opened fire on a bus in Jerusalem, which the U.S. State Department called a terrorist attack.About a quarter of American Evangelicals say they've spoken in tongues at some point in their life, even though a majority don't identify as either Pentacostal or Charismatic Christians, according to a new study.The Idaho Supreme Court has allowed the state's heartbeat abortion ban and trigger abortion ban to take effect, rejecting a lawsuit from Planned Parenthood and others.Former Super Bowl champion and pro-life activist Benjamin Watson called out Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams for compromising her Christian values by saying that as a woman of faith, she must support abortion.The American College of Pediatrics has been accused of stonewalling debate on hormone drugs and puberty blockers as some doctors have pushed back against a drug-first approach for children with gender dysphoria.Subscribe to this Podcast Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Overcast Get the Edifi App Download for iPhone Download for Android Subscribe to Our Newsletter Subscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and Thursday Click here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning! Links to the News Jerusalem attack: 5 Americans, including pregnant woman, injured | World News 25% of US Evangelicals say they've spoken in tongues, survey says | Church & Ministries News JK Rowling gets death threat after stabbing attack on Rushdie | Entertainment News Rose: 'Children and families should be first' in public policy | U.S. News Idaho Supreme Court allows 2 state abortion bans to take effect | Politics News Mississippi abortion ban author talks post-Roe strategies | Politics News Benjamin Watson responds to Stacey Abrams campaign ad on abortion | U.S. News Egypt church fire kills 41, including priest and children | World News AAP accused of silencing doctors' criticism of puberty blockers | U.S. News

Film Maker, and former podcaster, Les Lanphere (Calvinist, Spirit and Truth) is back on the podcast to chat about his latest project, Cessationist. Here is the description:"On any given week, countless Christians gather and participate in strange practices they believe are true expressions of the power of God. From speaking in tongues to attempting to raise the dead, Charismatic Christians believe they are participating in modern miracles. But are these miracles real? Are the Apostolic sign gifts in operation today? Cessationist will lovingly and carefully answer this important question by exposing the errors and building a positive case for the real work of the Holy Spirit today. The real gift of the Spirit is far more necessary and powerful than many imagine."Please consider stopping by the Kickstarter page to learn how you can help this project get started.Recommended Resource:Cessationist Kickstarter Page See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bible Study with Jairus – Acts 19   Acts 19 begins with a story about how Paul supplied the needs of Apollos' ministry.  Those who were ministered to by Apollos only knew John's baptism and weren't aware of the Holy Spirit.  Is there a deeper spiritual meaning here?  If so, what spiritual insight can we glean for our walk with the Lord?   The spiritual insight is that John's ministry introduces Jesus Christ, and Jesus' ministry baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  In other words, John introduced Christ, and Christ introduced the Holy Spirit.  This is the full gospel.  If we only talk about one aspect and not the other, it will cause Christians to have a one-sided understanding of the truth, leading to division in the church.   Why did Apollos only know John's baptism? Acts 18:24 mentions that Apollos was a native of Alexandria.  Alexandria is a port city located on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt.  If Apollos lived in Alexandria, then it would be very interesting.  Imagine how influential John's ministry was in Israel.  Many Jews had repented and been baptized.  Even the unbelieving Pharisees came to join in the fun, and John criticized them, telling them to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (NIV, Matthew 3:8).  Even Apollos, who was in Alexandria, Egypt, was influenced by John's ministry, so it is evident that John's ministry had significant influence.   John had two crucial messages.  The first was that you have to repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near (NIV, Matthew 3:2).  The second is that he was not Christ.  He just baptized people withwater for repentance.  But after him would come one who is more powerful than him – Jesus Christ.  He would baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire. (NIV, Matthew 3: 11).   His two messages are very clear and definitive.  But it is like a stone thrown into the lake, creating a ripple.  This expanding ripple eventually becomes weaker and weaker.  By the time John's ministry reached Apollos, only one of his two messages seemed to be passed along.   When Paul arrived at Ephesus, he found that the disciples who were saved under Apollos' ministry weren't baptized in the Holy Spirit, nor had they even heard of the Holy Spirit.   Of course, Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (NIV, Acts 19:6).   Please pay attention here.  The Bible did not record that Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Nor did it mention that Paul helped Apollos to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  It only noted that Paul placed his hands on people who had been ministered to in Apollos' ministry, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  Did all of Apollos' disciples receive the Holy Spirit?  Obviously not.  If yes, then Paul wouldn't talk about the church's divisions at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:12, saying that some people followed Paul, and others claim to follow Apollos.     I suspect that one reason for the divisions in the church at Corinth was because of the second aspect of the truth - the question of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Among which, speaking in tongues is definitely an important point of disagreement.  Paul is teaching and putting the fullness of the Holy Spirit into practice.  He said that he speaks in tongues more than everyone else (NIV, 1 Corinthians 14:18).  Although he repeatedly urged the church not to speak excessively in tongues, he was not totally opposed to speaking in tongues.  But amongst the people saved under Apollos' ministry, was there someone who didn't speak in tongues?  Did they have a different understanding of this truth?  I feel that in addition to those who experienced Paul laying his hands on them and accepted his teachings, there may have been some of Apollos' disciples who did not advocate speaking in tongues. Plus, those who supported speaking in tongues had various fleshly behaviors. They also had reasons to oppose them in the matter of speaking in tongues.   So we have a clue here that there is a very close relationship between what kind of spiritual life a Christian will live in the future as to when he/she is first saved and what kind of spiritual teaching he/she accepts in the beginning.  On the other hand, the ultimate cause of the division of the body of Christ lies in the difference in teaching or the understanding of God's truth.  If the body of Christ wants to be united but can't come to an agreement regarding truth, it would be tough to find unity.    I was saved in the Local Church movement associated with Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. When Witness Lee started his ministry in Los Angeles, he tried to meet with a Pentecostal group in hopes of unity.  But ultimately, there was a dispute over the issue of whether or not to speak in tongues. The two sides refused to give in to the other, and unity wasn't realized. Overall, as far as Protestantism is concerned, one of the most significant factors that led to their division is how to treat the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, etc. There are some estimates that Charismatic Christians probably equal the number of evangelical Christians, which is about 600 million people. There are about 1 billion Catholics, amongst which more than 100 million of them have accepted the charismatic experience.   In general, people classify the American Charismatic Movement into two categories. The first category is the traditional Pentecostal Movement, which advocates that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The traditional church doesn't accept this, thus producing Classical Pentecostal denominations like the Assembly of God and others.  The second category is often referred to as the Charismatic Renewal. This kind of renewal does not encourage people to be separated from their original denomination.  They believe that speaking in tongues is just one evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, this is widely accepted by the mainstream American churches, affecting many groups, including the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, and even the Catholic Church. They accepted the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, without leaving their current denomination.   The United Theological Seminary in the United States, where I am studying now, belongs to the Methodist Church.  Because I am participating in the new semester's Intensive learning of the Ph.D. program in Dayton, Ohio, I have come into contact with some Methodist believers. Some accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit, though not the majority.  But they are meeting with other men and women who haven't experienced this in church.   Let's look at Apollos' experience. He accepted John's baptism but did not accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The disciples in his ministry didn't accept the Holy Spirit either.  They had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit.  Acts 18 did mention that Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos to understand the way of God more accurately.  But it did not explicitly mention helping Apollos to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  And at the beginning of Acts 19, Paul returned to Ephesus to meet the disciples who had received help from Apollos' ministry, and they hadn't heard that there was a Holy Spirit.  There are good reasons for us to speculate that Apollos did not accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit.   An important part of John's ministry was to reveal that Christ wants to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  But why is it that this part is ignored and distorted?  This reminds me of Jackie Chan's movie "Around the World in 80 Days."  When British officials discussed that a Chinese man had robbed the bank, the message was passed on. In the end, the original message that was passed turned into a totally different message saying that someone else robbed the bank.  One of the reasons is that the character (Jackie Chan) deliberately passed the wrong message in the middle, causing the following information to be all wrong.  This was a movie, but it also happens in actual spiritual experience.   These are the enemy's tactics.  He would keep people from accepting John's baptism by thwarting the message of repentance.  Unfortunately for him, the people believed that John was sent by God and kept coming to him to be baptized.  Tactic number two was to bring the Pharisees and Sadducees who tried to pass themselves off as repentant people ready to be baptized, but John saw right through them and harshly criticized them.  The enemy's last tactic was to hold John's ministry in high regard while downplaying Jesus' ministry. John's disciples could establish a new religion and stir his disciples to challenge the Lord by asking Him: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast? (Matt. 9:14).  In the end, John was martyred. The Israelites believed he was a prophet sent by God, and John's ministry of repentance was raised up, downplaying or ignoring the message that Jesus was greater and would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Why?  Because Satan wants the most important message to be obstructed.   Satan's tactics are the same in today's church as it was in ancient times.  He still strives to downplay the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the teaching that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  It is often said that speaking in tongues is the least among the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  This seems to make sense, but when you analyze it carefully, it's not entirely true. For example, why is it that the "least important" gift causes the body of Christ to experience the "biggest" division?  Why is almost half of the body of Christ divided into two factions by this teaching?   I often say that no doubt, speaking in tongues is the least gift.  Speaking in tongues can be likened to two sides of a mountain ridge with a tiny spot at the top representing speaking in tongues.  You can only see the side of the mountain you are on if you haven't climbed to the top of the mountain.   Those who don't accept speaking in tongues are stuck on this side of the mountain with a limited view.  They accept the truth of God on this side of the mountain.  But since they haven't climbed to the top of the mountain, they can't see what's up there or what's on the other side, so they don't get the full view.   Those who accept speaking in tongues have climbed the mountain, seen the view from the top and gone over to the other side.  Though the top, which represents speaking in tongues, looks small from the bottom side of the mountain, those who have climbed to the top get the whole view, not just half.  It's a more well-rounded view.  Those who don't climb to the top have a limited perspective and don't see the whole picture. This analogy is not limited to speaking in tongues.  It includes all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.   Apollos only knew John's baptism, although Aquila and Priscilla helped him understand more about God's way.  Paul also helped some of Apollo's disciples accept the Holy Spirit's fullness, but it did not completely solve this problem.  Apollo's lack of understanding of the truth laid the seeds for the future division of the church at Corinth.  In addition to the flesh, the most significant cause of the church's division is the difference in teaching and understanding the truth.  Therefore, I have always believed that the body of Christ cannot be united in the understanding of the truth of God, making it difficult to have true unity.   This problem still exists in today's church.  There are still some members of the body of Christ who are like Apollos.  They only know John's baptism.  They may be full of eloquence, very knowledgeable in the Bible, had been instructed in the way of the Lord, spoke with great fervor, and refuted their opponents in public debate (these are all descriptions of Apollos in Acts 18-19).  Still, because of their lack of understanding of the truth, it foreshadowed the later Corinthian church's difficulties.   Of course, we can't attribute all of the responsibility to Apollos. The disciples at Corinth who sinned and the fleshy believers who pursued speaking in tongues and other gifts also caused the Corinthian church's difficulties.   John's ministry was not like this at first.  In addition to teaching the baptism of repentance, he said that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. Similarly, the Bible's teachings are not only about the baptism of repentance; they also include the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Although it's necessary to repent to receive the life of God, it is equally important to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, to get the power and the reinforcement of the Holy Spirit.   For quite some time, I've heard people talk about convergence, meaning that God not only wants us to be holy, but He also wants the church to be powerful.  If the church isn't holy, it cannot be the salt and light, therefore losing its testimony.  If the church is not powerful, the world will fall into the hands of the power of evil forces.  Holiness and power need to converge together. The church needs to be a witness of God in these two aspects.  One night, the Lord appeared to me in a prophetic dream. He said to me that the two rivers would converge together.  But He did not tell me what the two rivers were. I'm always trying to understand the meaning of the Lord's words. One thought I had is that holiness and power will converge together.  The teachings I received at the Local Church Movement were mainly about growing in holiness.  Later, the Lord led me to learn and pursue the gifts and power in the Pentecostal Movement.  My understanding is that the Lord will lead me to learn how to combine holiness and power.   Paul said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. (NIV, 1 Corinthians 3:6).  Although Apollos has an insufficient understanding of the truth, he made significant contributions. Acts 19 has primarily recorded how God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.  When his handkerchiefs or aprons were laid on the sick, their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them (NIV, Acts 19:11-12). There are a growing number of churches where people are weak, sick, and overcome by evil spirits.  We need to grow in the power of the Spirit like Paul so that sickness is healed and evil spirits are driven away.   Because of Paul's mighty power, many who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.  The total came to fifty thousand drachmas. (NIV, Acts 19:19).  A drachma is worth a day's wage.  This is huge!  Later in Ephesus, Paul caused a riot by coming against the businesses that made statues and idols.  If we were to visit Taiwan or mainland China today, where idols are prevalent, there's a good chance we wouldn't cause a riot.  Why? We don't pose the same threat to the enemy as Paul did. The greater the threat, the greater the opposition from the enemy.   Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, said that half of the people in the body of Christ do not believe in healing, and the other half believe in healing, but they can't demonstrate it.  This is the state of the church today. We must admit that God's power is real and that we have the same power as Paul did. Our unbelief, misunderstanding, or ignorance towards the baptism of the Holy Spirit will hinder us from knowing and gaining the power of God.  Why is it then that many charismatic people believe and boast that they have this power, but in reality, they don't?  The answer is self-evident. Because these people who are pursuing power lack holiness.  It's dangerous to give a gun to a child who is still not mature enough. The gun is powerful, but without proper handling, it can be very dangerous. It's not that God doesn't have power, but that those who pursue holiness don't pursue power, and those who pursue power are not pursuing holiness.  Therefore, God won't be able to trust and give His power to them.   However, times are changing. The prophetic words of God have said many times that the age of convergence will come.  God longs for our lives to develop in balance, for us not to just pursue holiness but also power.  When we grow into balanced truth and in the spiritual stature of Christ, God will release His power through us.     If we are arbitrarily trying to drive out evil spirits without God's authority and power, we may end up being subdued by the evil spirits like the seven sons of Sceva.   God's power and authority is real, but we must appropriate it by faith in Jesus.   The church that I was saved in paid more attention to growing spiritually and devalued pursuing the gifts of the Spirit.  Their reason was that pursuing gifts would lead people to neglect spiritual growth and holiness.  There are preachers who say that the pursuit of healing will hinder spiritual growth in a Christian's life.  I understand what they are saying and have observed people in the Charismatic movement paying more attention to the outward healing of the body while lacking inward spiritual growth.   In my experience, we need a balance of both so that our spiritual lives will be complete and fulfilling.   Here is a metaphor I often use to explain what we talked about above.   Our inner spiritual life in the Lord is like water.  Our gifting in the Lord is like a water pipe.  In our initial walk with the Lord pursuing gifts overemphasizes our water pipe, almost like putting the cart before the horse.  New believers need to focus more on the inner spiritual life and growth so that living water can flow through the pipe.   However, if the living water reaches a powerful level and the pipe has not been enlarged to handle it, the flow will be limited.  In China this was a problem.  They designed a drainage system that didn't take flooding into account.  As time passed, the pipes got clogged with leaves and debris, and when the flood came, the pipes couldn't manage it.  We also experience debris and blockage in our spiritual lives and must continuously expand the gifts to allow the living water to flow correctly.   This is a dialectical relationship.  The Bible specifically mentions the relationship between the measure of grace and the gift.  We can compare grace to the pursuit of life and the gift to the pursuit of power.  Romans 12:3 (NIV) says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."  Here is a measure of faith.  We can see it as a measure of life.  We will do things according to how much faith God gives us and how deep our spiritual life will be. Don't stretch yourself too much.  For example, perhaps the measure of your faith can only accommodate inviting one person to live in your house as a guest.  But you invited ten people all at once.  You might get overwhelmed, and instead, not be willing to serve in the future. Ephesians 4:7 says, "But grace gives us personal measure according to the gift of Christ."  In other words, God gives you more grace when the measure of the gifts He gave you is large.  If God gives you a gift of lifting 200 pounds, He'll also give you a physical makeup that can withstand 200 pounds.   On the one hand, our measure of life and faith limits our gifts.  For example, take a child. His vital capacity is limited, his cardiopulmonary function is limited, and the distance he can swim is limited, just as his gift is limited.  To this extent, the measure of life limits the measure of gifts. But we have heard many testimonies from parents that when a child has asthma symptoms, his cardiopulmonary function is not strong enough, so they insisted on teaching him to swim.  This is like a constant practice of our gifts.  Slowly, the measure of his gift expanded; that is, his swimming ability increased.  And gradually, his cardiopulmonary function improved, and his asthma disappeared.  So at this level, the expansion of the measure of gifts gradually expands the measure of life.  This is a process of dialectical development.  Evangelical pastors who are opposed to learning about gifts are sometimes like the parent with the child who has asthma. They are always worried about what to do if the child has an asthma attack while he is swimming.  What if he drinks the water?  What should I do if he drowns?  It's like what many people, who oppose the pursuit of the filling of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, often say.  If we open ourselves to the spiritual world, what should we do if evil spirits come in?  Their confidence in Satan's destruction is far greater than their faith in God's protection.  These thoughts come from unbelief and not wisdom.  I want to call on evangelical pastors and teachers to re-examine their understanding of speaking in tongues and gifts of the Holy Spirit in prayer, to see if there is a lack of understanding in the truth as well as a lack of faith.  We should do this instead of blindly blaming the Charismatics for letting the evil spirits come in.   In other words, the pursuit of spiritual life is like pursuing a new wine, and the pursuit of spiritual gifts is like pursuing a new wineskin.  We are pursuing new wine and a new life, but our new wine can't be stored properly if we don't have a new wineskin.   Dear pastors and fellow believers, we have reached the moment where we need to grow further and pursue more gifts.  Let's expand the measure and measurement of our gifts.  Expand the measure of our water pipes.  When the measure of your gifts has expanded, and your gifts and power have grown, you will see exponential growth in your life, and the abundant life in you can be imparted to others.     If a child says to his father, "I will build a house for you.  I want to develop the gift of being a designer."  The father will say, "Son, you are still young.  You should give yourself time to grow up.  Do well in school first.  Then after you grow up, you can study architecture so that you can build a house for me."  But if the child grows up and is ready to build the house, if the father still opposes it, it is no longer normal.   In conclusion, those who don't know the baptism of the Holy Spirit and oppose speaking in tongues have not fully grown up in their spiritual lives.  Though they may seem more mature than some Charismatic Christians who blindly pursue gifts and lack depth in their spiritual lives, they are operating in fear.  They are afraid of hurting themselves or others in this pursuit.  Has God given us a spirit of fear?  No!  It is a strong, powerful, and sober-minded Spirit.  Anything that comes from fear is from Satan because fear incorporates unbelief and disobedience.  The key to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and other gifts is faith and obedience. There is no other method or secret.  I experienced breakthroughs within the framework of evangelical teaching.  It took a long pursuit for me to have breakthroughs in faith and obedience and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  I hope this information is a blessing to you.  

Most of us are familiar with Jesus' decree that those who worship God must worship Him in Spirit and Truth. Have you ever taken the time to consider what He meant? What does it mean to worship the God of the Bible in Spirit? What was Jesus saying when He mandated that we worship God in Truth? By the way…what exactly is the Truth that Jesus was referring to? Well, we certainly need to figure this out since it seems that it was of extreme importance to the One who saved us.   In this episode of Mavericks & Misfits, we will explore the urgent need of the hour for all believers to become people who understand, believe and live according to God's written Word. Making a particular plea to Charismatic Christians to treasure theology, doctrine and unchanging truth, Jeff exposes the dangers of our failing to do so. As we approach the end of the age, our commitment to what the Bible teaches will be the singular make-or-break issue that determines the value of our lives and the placement of our eternity.   Additional resources are available at TransformingTruth.org

This Podcast is a Ministry of Good Samaritan Anglican Church in Buford, Georgiagoodsamaritanbuford.comHostsDavid Wickenden - Fr. Dan Shoemake What does it mean to be Charismatic/Pentecostal?Charismatic Christians emphasize the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the use of Spiritual Gifts and miracles as a normative expression of the truth of the Gospels. Furthermore charismatics affirm and exercise the working of miracles and spiritual gifts in the current Church as a regular demonstration of the Chrstian life. The distinctive beliefs of Charismatics and Pentecostals are:Miracles and signs of God's supernatural intervention are currently occurring in the Church today.The active operation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.An event subsequent to salvation called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in which the Spirit empowers the Christian for the work of the Church.DEFINITIONSFirst: When using the word charismatic in this context - I am not referring to people with strong personalities. Charismatic - Greek word - Charis (Favor or Gift)Refers to the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 & 14. So Charismatic Christians are those who operate under the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We will talk further about what exactly those are in our next episode when we break down the scriptural merit for the Charismatic movement. Pentecostalism - Greek Pente-coste (50th) = Festival of Weeks - in Hebrew, Shavuot  (Deuteronomy 16:10 & Exodus 34:22) which occurs 50 days after the Festival of Passover.This particular label refers to the event in Acts chapter 2, when the disciples were gathered together in the upper room 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus and tongues of fire fell upon each of them, and they began to speak in tongues. Baptism in the Holy Spirit -  Refers to a phrase spoken by John the Baptist (Matt 3:11, & Lk 3:16) and the risen Christ in Acts 1:5 “you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” This refers to an event where a Christian is empowered with the Holy Spirit - the distinctive Pentecostal belief is that the initial physical evidence of this indwelling is speaking in tongues - much like the events in Acts 2:3. 10:46, 19:6.Distinction between Charismatic and PentecostalI'll be using the terms interchangeably.The movement that began the global revival in the 20th century is commonly called Pentecostalism. Later revivalist movements have identified themselves using the distinction “Charismatic.” In a broad sense the difference between these two movements is about some disagreements about the concept of Baptism in the Holy Spirit.The Beginnings of Modern PentecostalismAlthough there have been various examples of charismatic and mystics like Hildegard of Bingen, St. Theresa of Avila, and others, the modern conception of tongues has its historical roots in Azuza, California. A one eyed black preacher man named William Seymour began a small mission that became the catalyst for the movement. This led to a transformation in protestant and Catholic experiences of the Holy Spirit. The Prevalence of the Pentecostal MovementThe Pentecostal and Charismatic movement has completely overtaken the globe. Today it is most prevalent within the charismatic Catholic movement - but has also had an effect on evangelical, and mainline protestant movements. The historic black Church has also widely practiced charismatic worship.

In this episode we continue our efforts to answer the question, What is baptism in the Spirit and when does it occur? Here I explain where the doctrine of Spirit baptism as separate from and subsequent to conversion comes from. We explore numerous texts in the book of Acts that have been used by classical Pentecostals and many Charismatic Christians to prove their view.

Unity in the Chinese Church The Chinese church, like all churches around the world, has struggled with unity for many years. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1 provide encouragement and hope for any church in its fight against conflict and disunity. Several years ago, I met a young lady who had been saved in a traditional Chinese church. After encountering Charismatic practices in my ministry, she opened herself to speaking in tongues, signs and wonders. In need of personal healing, she participated in some special meetings associated with supernatural healing. Her church tried to persuade her not to participate in these activities, saying that she was church shopping. They told her she should only attend gatherings at their church instead of running around. However, this lady has a different opinion. She has noticed that praying in tongues has benefitted her spiritually. I agree. I've watched her fear diminish and her faith grow stronger. She believes that if pastors omit these vital teachings from God's word, believers will become spiritually malnourished over time. In addition, she noticed that her evangelical church struggles with legalism. The church asks believers to recite the Bible and teaches them to condemn themselves for not confessing and repenting enough. Over the years, this Christian lady has beat herself up and condemned herself many times. Now, she realizes she has freedom in Christ. She sighs, “All these years, I have unnecessarily condemned myself so many times.” I was saved in the Local Church Movement (LCM) and have attended its gatherings for many years. When I met this lady, I was still in the LCM and had no contact with the Pentecostal Movement. At that time, some members and I tried to persuade her to join our church, but she refused. One of the reasons she gave was that she could not accept Brother Watchman Nee. Most Chinese churches outside of the LCM generally support Brother Watchman Nee and oppose Brother Witness Lee. The church that the lady was in was influenced by Pastor Stephen Tong, who is also against Watchman Nee. I read some of Pastor Stephen Tong's criticisms of Watchman Nee online. He discusses theological disagreements and differing theological views. This lady mentioned a book to me - My Uncle Watchman Nee by Pastor Stephen C.T. Chan, Watchman Nee's nephew. She recommended this book because the book points out some of Watchman Nee's shortcomings, remind us that Watchman Nee is not perfect. The LCM speaks highly of Watchman Nee, overlooking his shortcomings. Many outsiders criticize the LCM for idolizing Watchman Nee and putting him on pedestal. At that time, I chose not to read the book. I have read a lot of Watchman Nee's books and found them to be very helpful. Personally, I don't think the LCM idolizes Watchman Nee. They are simply valuing and appreciating the spiritual riches he has to offer. However, it is true that people in the LCM generally do not criticize Watchman Nee or mention his shortcomings. When teaching spiritual truths, they find it difficult to break through the teaching of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee; they don't dare criticize these great men. Recently, I skimmed the first dozen pages of the book, My Uncle Watchman Nee, on the Internet. In the book, Pastor Stephen C.T. Chan affirms his uncle Watchman Nee's spiritual achievements, but disagrees with Watchman Nee's belief about local churches. Watchman Nee has a strong belief that each city should have only one church, so that everyone in that city can be unified in the same local body. Pastor Stephen believes that this overly strict local church belief leads to a closed denomination that does not come into contact with other Christian groups. When I was in the LCM, I learned that it attaches great importance to the concept of having only one church in each locality. In 2015, God led me to the Pentecostal Movement. I was determined to learn from the Pentecostal Movement, but I dealt with a lot of struggles. In the end, I obeyed God's leading. I overcame emotional attachments and the principles accepted in the LCM (including one church for each locality), and gradually left the LCM. Many elders and friends in the LCM disagreed with my choice. But most of them were loving and understanding and didn't condemn me. After that, the Lord appeared to me in a prophetic dream. There were two rivers behind Him. The Lord told me that these two rivers would converge, but He did not tell me specifically which two rivers they were. As I pondered this question, I began to see that it represents the convergence of spiritual life and spiritual gifts. The LCM values spiritual growth, but do not learn about spiritual gifts. Charismatic churches focus more heavily on gifts, but they need to maintain a balance of seeking spiritual growth as well. Spiritual maturity and spiritual gifts cannot be separated, and they can both be maintained simultaneously. For example, Paul not only advocates for spiritual growth, but also for spiritual gifts. God gave me a burden for the Chinese churches to become unified. A prophet prophesied that God would use me to bring together groups that would never otherwise come together. God has also given me prophetic dreams many times, telling me that the LCM will accept spiritual gifts and will be filled with the Holy Spirit in the future. These prophecies and prophetic dreams have not yet been fulfilled, but they have directed my prayers. Today, Chinese churches are not unified. Pastor Stephen Tong is strongly against Charismatic churches in addition to the LCM. He has been a big influence among Chinese Christians, leading many believers to form a negative attitude towards the LCM and the Charismatics. Although both the LCM and the Charismatics are worthy of criticism, I think Pastor Stephen Tong's criticism is too harsh and negative, preventing many believers from learning and understanding the richness of the LCM and the Charismatics. My personal experience in these two groups shows that they each have a lot of richness worth learning about by the evangelical churches, especially Christians and church groups influenced by Pastor Stephen Tong. The gospel was brought to China by Western missionaries. The missionaries came from various denominations in the West. The denominations' thinking patterns also came from the West. When Western missionaries came to China to preach, they brought denominational division into China. As a result, a lot of conflicts formed among Chinese Christians. Watchman Nee hoped to find a way to solve the denominations' problems. In the end, he proposed that "one church for one locality" is a biblical principle, hoping that this method would solve the problem of division between denominations and churches. After 100 years, the LCM has still not achieved this ideal. Moreover, many other Chinese and non-Chinese church groups still do not accept the LCM and its principle of one church for one locality. The LCM also does not accept the truths practiced by some other groups, such as the truths and practices of Charismatic churches. The main cause of division is the disunity of truth. This disunity has two aspects. The first aspect is that some groups teach truths that other groups do not accept. For example, the truth about speaking in tongues, taught by the Charismatic movement, is not accepted by the LCM and other evangelical groups. The LCM teaches many truths and practices related to spiritual growth, but other groups condemn them as heretics and refuse to accept the light they received from the Lord. Another aspect is that we know about truths, but we still don't understand them well. We need more light from God so that we can understand the truth better. Once we reach a clear understanding of truth, we can shine that light to others as well. All the churches have room for growth in their understanding of truth. I personally think that one of the reasons why the LCM's “one church for one locality” principle has not been accepted by the Universal Church is that it is just a method. Though many criticize the methodology behind this principle, I don't believe the problem lies with the method. Unity does not spring from a particular method, but from our knowledge of the truth and our maturity in Christ. If churches are still living in the flesh, they will lack unity—no matter how biblical their methodology may be. Unity is the result of reaching a certain degree of maturity. Aside from maturity, no method or human movement can bring oneness in the church. Historically, the LCM has had many interactions with the Pentecostal Movement. But due to the Pentecostal Movement's immaturity at that time, and the mistakes and false prophecies of some Pentecostal leaders, Witness Lee (one of the leaders of the LCM) rejected spiritual gifts. He himself studied speaking in tongues for two years, but gave it up because Watchman Nee objected. After Witness Lee came to the United States, he visited the Charismatic Church. He had reservations about Charismatic prophecies such as, "Thus says the Lord.” He noticed that many prophecies made in the name of God do not come true, including predictions about the California earthquake. This reinforced his prejudice against the Pentecostal Movement. However, he did not deny that the Pentecostal movement is from God. The main reason why he did not accept the Pentecostal movement is that he found that many people who pursue spiritual gifts were unwilling to pursue deeper spiritual growth. Therefore, he regarded the pursuit of spiritual gifts as a hindrance to believers' pursuit of spiritual life and growth. The Church in Los Angeles was the first LCM church in the United States. The church was formed from a group of evangelical Christians and a Charismatic group who was willing to accept the principle of one church for one locality. However, there was no agreement on the topic of speaking in tongues. In the end, the two groups separated. Brother Witness Lee seemed to adopt a neutral attitude towards this. He encouraged everyone to tolerate each other, but he did not achieve the beautiful ideal of encouraging everyone to gather in unity.   Is speaking in tongues a truth in the Bible? Paul said, “Do not forbid speaking in tongues.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:39). Nonetheless, the LCM and other evangelical groups never speak in tongues, which means that speaking in tongues is actually forbidden. This violates the teaching of the Bible. I'm not saying that everyone should speak in tongues, but Paul said, “When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:26). Please take note that Paul said that each person has their own gift: one may have a tongue, one may have a song, or a lesson, or a teaching. He did not say that everyone should speak in tongues. Rather, it's a gift given only to some. But in many evangelical churches, tongues are forbidden, despite the Bible's teaching. In practice, many evangelical churches have violated the teachings of the Bible. Through studying in the Pentecostal Movement, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and my experience of speaking in tongues, I have learned that speaking in tongues is definitely not as insignificant as many people thought. Speaking in tongues is a very important truth, and is very important for the spiritual growth of Christians. Because this gift is so important, Satan hates this truth and tries his best to stigmatize it. When I wrote my doctoral thesis, " Pursuing Holiness and Gifts of the Holy Spirt: Combining Local Church Movement and Charismatic Practices to Prophesy," I mentioned that if speaking in tongues is the least important gift, why is it that this insignificant gift causes the greatest division? I was saved in the LCM, but I never received teaching about the truth of speaking in tongues. After 13 years, God used my wife's ten-year infertility to force me to seek help from the Pentecostal Movement. God personally led me to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. I have read a lot of books on this subject and have listened to many people's teachings regarding this. I finally realized the importance of speaking in tongues and I started to practice it every day. I have recorded more than 30 episodes in Chinese to tell about my experience and insights. This can't be explained in just a few words. Those who are interested in learning more can listen to my recordings. If you humbly pray for God's help, He will enlighten you. It is said that there are 600 million believers in the Pentecostal Movement. I don't know whether this number is accurate or not. Many of them have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. You can't simply dismiss all these experiences by saying they are all deceived by evil spirits. It is possible that people in the evangelical church and LCM simply do not know these truths. We need to be humble and not be dismissive of others' beliefs and experiences. We need to acknowledge that we may not know everything. No matter how much the LCM insists on “one church for each locality,” people will not attend gatherings with them because they are ignorant of the truth of speaking in tongues. At least 600 million Charismatic Christians will not give up the truth they know about speaking in tongues because of the so-called “one church for one locality” principle. This example shows that true unity does not lie in our desires and methods, but in our lack of understanding of truth. Although all people in the Charismatic Movement know the truth about speaking in tongues, not all of them live in unity. True oneness in the church requires spiritual growth, not just outward agreement. Disagreements and different understandings of the truth are the first obstacles to oneness. This is the picture Paul paints in 1 Corinthians 1. Paul opens his letter with words of greeting and encouragement. Then he jumps into a discussion of unity. In verses 10-17, Paul states that he has heard from Chloe's household about disputes and divisions in the Corinthian church. Some Corinthian believers say, “I follow Paul”; others say, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 1:12).   Throughout the ages, people have tried to achieve oneness through various wise teachings. Ultimately, they have been unsuccessful. But Paul states that wisdom is not enough to bring true salvation, healing, and unity. He explains, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:17-18 ESV)  In these two verses, Paul compared "words of wisdom" and "word of the cross". Paul goes on, “For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'” (1 Corinthians 1:19, ESV) God wants to destroy man's wisdom. When man's wisdom finally reaches its limit, God will begin to release His wisdom to help us. The verse that especially inspired me is 1 Corinthians 1:21: “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” (ESV) The church has attempted many times to achieve oneness through various types of wisdom, but it has not succeeded. The reason is because man's wisdom cannot achieve oneness. But one day, God will release His wisdom. God's wisdom may seem foolish, but it is powerful enough to save believers. I was particularly inspired by the word "faith", which is the basic principle of the Bible. Our salvation is not accomplished through human effort, but by our "faith" in God. What is true of our salvation is also true of our victory and oneness. The main problem of the church is not its sin or worldliness, but its lack of faith. We need faith to please God and experience the truth of God's word. The same is true of unity. The degree of our faith determines the degree to which we can experience the truth of God's promise of oneness. When our faith increases, our knowledge, understanding and experience of the truth will also increase. When our faith increases, our maturity in Christ will also increase. As our maturity grows, we will reach unity in Him (Ephesians 4:13). When you are sick, an internal disease or infection manifests in many outward symptoms. If you just treat the external manifestations without finding the root cause of the disease, it will be difficult to cure the disease. Similarly, the division and disunity of Christians are just an outward manifestation of the church's internal illness. The root cause is a lack of faith and spiritual growth. Therefore, when you just heal the symptoms without addressing the root problem, and when you seek oneness for the sake of oneness, you will never achieve true unity. First Corinthians 1:22-25 says, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (ESV) Christ is the power and wisdom of God. The foolishness of God is much greater than man's wisdom. Paul goes on to mention that God chose many foolish people to shame the wise (vs. 26-29). Here Paul compares those foolish people who trust God with the so-called "wise" who do not trust God. We must give up some of our wisdom, which may be the Bible teachings we think we know, or the Bible truths we think we see. In the parable of the blind men and the elephant, each man was accessing a different part of the huge reality of the elephant. One church may understand one aspect of the spiritual life, just like the blind man who was touching the ear of the elephant. Another denomination may see another aspect of God, like the blind man who felt the legs of the elephant. None of us has the whole picture. We are bound to make mistakes when we try to describe the whole elephant without having the whole picture. This is man's wisdom. "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 1:30-31). Here, Paul is referring to Jeremiah 9:23-24. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'” (ESV)  We need to know more about God before we can boast in the Lord. And Christ is the wisdom that God gives us. We must try our best to know Christ. As we do, the church will grow in maturity and achieve oneness. We must be willing to unlearn what we know and be humble enough to learn what others know. We must not insist on own ways of doing things since we don't have the whole picture. If we are humble enough to learn from others, we take the first step towards true unity.  

My guest on the show this week is Lucy Peppiatt, Principal of Westminster Theological Centre in the UK. Lucy is a Charismatic Anglican and is a theologian, an educator, pastor and author. We discussed the gifts that Charismatic Christians offer the world in a time of crisis, as well as the areas that Charismatics need to be particularly careful about. We covered the power of prayer, using prophecy responsibly, anchoring what we say about God in the real world, as well as the importance of co-suffering & lament with our brothers and sisters around the world.Support me and my work at patreon.com/jonathanpuddleFind every book or resource I've talked about on my Amazon storefront, in Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom.Read Lucy's article Charismatic Christians, Crisis, and Coronavirus parts one, two and three. Order Rediscovering Scripture's Vision for Women, by Lucy Peppiatt.Learn more about Westminster Theological Centre here.Follow Lucy on Twitter.

I find it interesting that non-Charismatic Christians seem to know each and every verse, no matter how obscure, in the Scriptures that ‘seem to teach’ that somehow God isn't as interested in healing as we would contend. I was like that for years. I had my "ammunition" verses to fight off my more Charismatic friends' arguments. Funny, how I completely ignored the DOZENS of passages that completely contradicted my understanding of God and His willingness to heal today. One of the key verses in the arsenal is 2 Timothy 4:19 - This verse has been cited by people for years as some kind of evidence that healing isn't always God's will. In this podcast, I am going consider this oft-quoted verse. What's incredible to me is how much can be 'read into' a verse (called eisegesis) or passage that simply isn't there. I discovered that while I was doing this podcast and meditated on this verse.

Listen as Dr. George O. Wood shares how thousands of charismatic Christians are set to gather in Jerusalem this year during Pentecost weekend for Empowered21's Jerusalem2020. Hear about the Pentecostal movement around the world and how during services, several people will give their testimonies of what God has done through the Spirit in their lives.

As more and more small house churches begin to dot the American church landscape, is there a particular “flavor” of Christianity that’s leading the charge?  For example, are Charismatic Christians more likely to prefer a house church?  Or is it more about general cultural perspectives, perhaps similar to what stands behind the homeschooling movement? The panel: Troy Skinner.  Faith Debate host and Pastor of Living Faith Ministries in Hagerstown, Maryland. Jonathan Switzer.  Founder of Crossed Bridges in Frederick, Maryland. David Forsee.  Church Planter of a new Frederick house church which gathers in his home.

Charismatic Christians often ask for the ‘moving of the Spirit' but a close examination of the Scriptures shows that the Spirit moves ‘people' into activity for God's glory. Peter Cavanna (LST) concludes this two-part series by reflecting on how four or five people were ‘Spirit-moved' not just ‘Spirit-filled' In Acts.

Charismatic Christians are spiritually related to Pentecostals through certain spiritual practices, including divine healing, prophecy and speaking in tongues. Pew Research Center estimates there are just over 300 million Charismatics worldwide.    Religion News Service reporter Jack Jenkins has been following Charismatics as their rituals and beliefs evolve into a modern political/spiritual hybrid.  Jenkins joined producer Jonathan Woodward via Skype;  talking through developments in the rise of a politically strengthened Charismatic movement. 

After Justice Anthony Kennedy announced he would retire from the Supreme Court, all eyes have been on President Donald Trump to see who he’ll nominate. But one of the nominees on his short list will have special significance for Charismatic Christians. Find out who it is when you listen now.

The Catholic Church and Charismatic Christians are often seen as polar opposites on the Christian spectrum. But both denominations joined together last week for an important event. Find out more.

Ahren digs in to the dichotomy and friction between Evangelical Christians and those that would consider themselves Charismatic Christians. Beginning this week with a look at what makes Charismatic Christians who they are; next week will look at the other side of this 'scale' and further discuss what it means to be Both And on this matter..