Heard about this synchroblog over at robbymac asking about people’s first encounters with the Holy Spirit. What a great idea! Let me share mine with you….
In late 2004, I went on a physical diet as well as a spiritual diet. You can read more about the genesis of that in my testimony. I was chasing after God and trying to bring myself out of a long-standing spiritual apathy, but I hadn’t really gotten a tangible touch from Him yet at that time. Then in 2005 my mom started going to the Healing Rooms in Petaluma, CA because of serious health and emotional issues. She had gone a few times without me when one day I drove down to meet her there after her session. I arrived early, so I had to wait a while for them to finish.
Now listen, this was bizarre. I wasn’t there for an appointment. I didn’t even quite understand what they were doing. I had no expectations anything was going to happen to me in the slightest. All I did was show up, and the moment I walked into that slightly-stuffy, aging, medical-like building in downtown Petaluma — WHOOSH! It was like stepping onto another planet.
It’s hard for me to remember exactly what was going through my mind at the time, but to use language I’ve learned since then, I had entered into a spiritual atmosphere. God was there…even though of course He is everywhere…His manifest presence was in that place. I could feel it. It was a tangible reality. I sat down in the waiting room, feeling waves of peace and love and a sense of belonging, of coming home, washing over me. And then the coolest thing happened — someone else was in that waiting room, and we got to talking. I was 22 at the time, she was in her sixties. But we made an instant connection. We were kindred spirits, as Anne Shirley would say. We had an amazing conversation that seemed to last for hours. It was the first taste of holy fellowship in the body of Christ that I had experienced in a long time, and it felt good.
I didn’t just encounter the Holy Spirit that day, I experienced unity in the Spirit. There is nothing like it, nothing like it on earth. It’s incredible. Barbara and I are still good friends to this very day, and currently attend the same church: Grace Fellowship. Interesting aside — the second time I felt the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit, that glorious spiritual atmosphere, was when I stepped foot in Grace’s sanctuary for the first time in late 2005. But that’s a whole ‘nuther story.
I could tell you about when I first started speaking in tongues (right after I was water baptized in late 2006), or when I first started receiving heavenly dreams or visions, or when I first heard His voice calling out to me, but really my entire journey up to this very moment began when I first encountered Him in that stuffy little storefront in downtown Petaluma. I’ll remember that day as long as I live.
A little inside political joke. John McCain’s pick for Vice President, Sarah Palin, delivered her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last night, and I watched the whole thing this morning. I think it’s safe to say Palin just lobbed a nuclear warhead into the Democrat’s camp, and it’s quite possible they won’t even know what hit ‘em for some time. Like many Republicans, I’d pretty much written off the GOP in recent times and barely could muster up enough energy to count on voting at the end of the campaign. Now I’m reaching for my wallet and putting up my yard sign. John McCain, you rascal you…everyone at one time thought the race was over. Clearly, it is not.
There is a growing move in the church, and interestingly in the charismatic wing of the church, to question current structures and methods for doing the work of ministry. The reason it’s interesting from a charismatic point of view is that in the past we’ve been viewed as the people that are the most willing to throw out old structures and wineskins to embrace the “new thing” that God is doing. So what gives? I don’t know, but it’s undeniable that some of the critics of the latest goings on in the charismatic arena are not anti-supernatural, religious fuddy-duddies trying to quench a move of the Spirit but are people who have been there, done that, and left that world — not in a theological sense when it comes to the Holy Spirit, but in a very significant sense when it comes to church practice, authority, “revival” culture, and what not.
I’m not saying I agree wholeheartedly with this view…I’m simply reporting it and trying to understand my own feelings on these issues. For a really good read by a voice in the blogosphere that I respect, Extreme Charismatic Makeover by Kingdom Grace is worth your while.
I’m torn. I’m torn because I see much good happening on both sides of the equation. Perhaps I’m not skeptical enough, or cynical enough, but my life has been radically transformed by the ministry of many of the “top dogs” in the charismatic world such as Bill Johnson/Bethel Church and Patricia King/Extreme Prophetic in particular. The reason I know I’m on a better path is because there is fruit in my life now and sin habits that have been conquered that was not the case in years past. So it’s very hard for me to throw out the baby with the bath water.
Perhaps God will lead me into a new (or old?) understanding of how to do church that takes me into alternate places, but I absolutely believe that humility and grace are needed in this moment in time so that we don’t enter into a spirit of bitterness or mockery. The Bride of Christ is too valuable, even in the messed up state it’s in. Jesus loves all of it, the good and the bad. I can do no less.
Very interesting video interview with Mark Driscoll (hat tip: Adrian Warnock) where he talks about some of his views of Sydney, Australia based on research he’s conducted, along with other miscellaneous spiritual or personal topics. Funny thing is I rarely read or listen to anything by Mark and actually disagree with some of his theology, yet I received a sovereign mandate from God for my life (which I’ll keep a secret for now) while listening to a recorded speech he gave at a conference. I was at my office at the time with headphones on, and the Holy Spirit came down on me so strongly that I had to stop working and leave the building for a little while! Go figure.
Criticize by creating:
Great artists steal, according to Picasso, so I’ll borrow a page from Mark Batterson and say how much I like the idea of becoming the solution to the problem. It’s so easy to sit around and gripe about what’s wrong in churches and then leave when it bugs you…the hard choice is getting off your duff and actually doing something about the issues. I tell you, I’d rather get kicked out of a church for being too active then just wander off mumbling under my breath about how stupid the whole thing is. Criticize by creating: get an idea together, find people who like it, and make it happen. Let other people be the critics — they can sit around and tell you it can’t be done while you’re in the midst of doing it. Note that I’m not saying it’s a good idea to cross authority or do things under the nose of leadership. I’m just saying that taking a proactive rather than reactive stance is so important and actually what many church leaders are wishing they could get!
(0)
It’s tempting to spend a lot of time talking about pet theories regarding the state of the Church today and what revival should look like, but, to quote Mahatma Gandhi, you must be the change you want to see in the world. So that means that it’s important to give the experiences and practices of those who have “been there, done that” precedence over abstract ideas. And it’s even better to step out and actually try something to see if it works!
I don’t just want to talk about revival, I want to be revival. But that requires that I rely on the Holy Spirit working within me rather than someone else. I can’t expect somebody else to do all the work to usher in the presence of God and the atmosphere of Heaven. The responsibility falls on none other than myself. This requires discipline and vigilance so that I’m always aware of my spiritual state. Lance Wallnau has taught a lot on this subject and it’s so vital. I hope to share more about this in the coming days.
Editor’s note: upon re-reading this post, I felt it necessary to state my hands are far from clean in regards to my own level of discernment, and I am hardly one to claim I have all the answers to these issues. I’m as guilty of falling into error as the next guy. We can all benefit from swallowing some of our spiritual pride and bowing before the Lord in seeking forgiveness and wisdom and counsel.
OK, that does it. I’ve decided to suspend my usual weekly schedule (the Monday Light and Emerging as God’s Children series in particular) in order to begin a period of regular blogging regarding revival, church culture, the mission of Jesus, Kingdom life, the nature of ministry, and all that good stuff. There’s just too much crazy turmoil going on right now to pretend it’s not happening, especially if you are (like I am) heavily involved in the apostolic-prophetic/charismatic wing of Christianity.
The latest, and very interesting, development in the whole Lakeland fiasco is a new letter written by Dutch Sheets, a well known apostle, teacher, and prayer movement leader in charismatic circles. In this letter, Dutch makes it very clear that (a) he has some severe criticism for how some of the leaders involved in the Lakeland revival at its height conducted themselves in light of what happened subsequently, and (b) he is deeply sorry and repentant on behalf of the whole body of Christ that things progresses the way they did and how the lack of discernment and the error of celebrity worship created an environment conducive to this sort of implosion.
I appreciate everything he had to say in this letter, and in all humility it sounds very much like what I would have written were I in his position. It cuts me to the quick that leaders that I greatly admire and respect, even now, are in a position where their credibility is suspect due to their link with Todd Bentley and Lakeland, and that it’s uncertain whether this fragile situation can be satisfactorily resolved at any point in the near future.
The larger question behind all of this is pretty simple and pretty disturbing: why should we not expect this sort of situation to repeat itself again, and again, and again? Lakeland was supposed to be the prototype of a new massive, continuing revival that would sweep America, and the highly-publicized “apostolic alignment” was supposed to reassure us that the errors of past revivals would not rear their ugly heads this time. So what happened? Why did the whole thing fall apart regardless of the safeguards that were supposedly put in place? Given all the hype and hoopla, the speed at which the revival self-destructed is rather staggering.
I think it’s time to say something rather unpleasant. I think it’s time to say that ministry is destroying ministry. In other words, the way is which “ministry” is being conducted as a concept within certain circles of the Church is actually getting in the way of genuine, Christ-centered, fruitful ministry which includes all members of the body of Christ and exalts the works of God over the works of men. Somehow, we’ve gotten into a habit of thinking a “ministry” is an organization built around the singular vision of a charismatic (as in personality) leader who is placed in a position of unbelievable clout and responsibility. This ministry looks a lot more like a corporation bent on material ideas of success than a group of people committed to pursuing the selfless mission of Jesus Christ together regardless of personal comfort or welfare.
The big picture here isn’t Lakeland or Todd Bentley or apostles or doctrines. It’s how we “do church” in general. Something is terribly wrong, and I think few people realize just how deeply we’ve fallen into the grave we’ve dug for ourselves. It’s time for a new definition of ministry and what it means to become a “minister” who does the works of the Kingdom.
I’ve been doing some intense thinking lately, which is why I haven’t posted in a little while. This intense thinking has led me to some intense answers, and rather than let my brain explode trying to hold it all in, I figured I’d unpack my inclinations a bit here on Finite Calls Infinite and start giving my cognitive processes a bit of fresh air. I almost began to post an actual announcement of a new initiative, but caution dictates that I spend more time seeking God for wisdom and counsel as I decide exactly what I might be setting out to do.
Anyway, for the two people out there who know about my super-secret Web project, you may be wondering what the latest news is. Well, the latest news is sad: the project died due to a lack of time, resources, and motivating vision. Here’s what the project was all about in a nutshell: an innovative Christian social news + networking site that would provide really cool ways to aggregate content from exciting news sites, blogs, podcasts, ministries, and so forth with an emphasis on media and the arts — all the while fostering meaningful relationships that would encourage discipleship and Biblical training. Lots of neat ideas…WAY too ambitious. I honestly would need to assemble a comprehensive team and expend a lot of effort in order to get this off the ground.
The strange thing is that the genesis of this project actually looked a little different and somehow it got lost in the shuffle: a site that would be forward-looking and would encourage and challenge the Church in the West to envision a future age where the Church isn’t a dying institution divorced from the language, culture, and concerns of the day but is wholesomely engaged in restoration and healing and progress within the culture around it.
Here’s what I think: there are many innovative streams within the Body of Christ today: missional, emergent, charismatic, apostolic-prophetic, reformed, and so forth. There are probably more streams that I’m not even aware of. The problem is that, by and large, these streams are not talking to each other — or if they are, it’s largely on a footing of either distrust or sheer ignorance. And so we come to an inescapable conclusion: if we’re expecting to reach non-Christians or former Christians with the Gospel and convince them that the Church is the place to be, then we need to be doing a much better job of understanding and articulating what the Church actually is (and is not) and what its primary purpose is in relation to people’s everyday milieu.
I am a strong advocate of unity within the Church (see my three-part essay on Thoughts of Resurrection for more on this topic), and one of the ways I would like to see unity in action is within the process of taking a hard look at how we “do church” and which ways we can embrace change, uncertainty, innovation, and Spirit-led renewal in order to effect a positive and greater impact on the world around us.
In other words, I wonder what it would look like if Brian McLaren, Bill Johnson, Rick Warren, Frank Viola, and N.T. Wright all got in a room together and talked about the state of the Church. Just a thought. (And if you don’t know who some or all of those people are, that proves my point exactly. We need more cross-pollination!)
So there’s a brief peak into my brain today. What is the solution to this conundrum? That’s something I’m still working on. If it ends up becoming a new project, that’s awesome, but if not, I’m confident someone else will pick up the baton. At any rate, I will continue to post my thoughts here on this blog over the next few months as I wrestle with these intriguing questions.
If you’ve never heard of the “Florida outpouring” or “Lakeland revival”, then you probably can skim though this post. Don’t skip it though, because there’s some good stuff at the end. If you have, then you may be feeling very confused, disappointed, lost, even betrayed right now. It started out so unassuming…another conference at a church in Lakeland, Florida that took place a few months ago — April 3 to be exact. Such things happen all the time…people come hungry for God, God shows up and does some amazing and awesome things, and people go home — hopefully! — filled with the love of God the Father and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Only this time, nobody wanted to go home. They wanted to come back. And they wanted everyone else to come too. And so this little conference grew and grew and grew until it was being broadcasted from a stadium into nations around the world, with churches across America heralding it as the nexus of a fresh, never-ending revival fire that would usher in the next Great Awakening.
Only four months later…the Florida “outpouring” has dwindled to a few hundred people at the original starting church, and the leader of the revival, Todd Bentley, is now in the midst of a marital crisis and fierce doctrinal controversy that has left the broader charismatic movement reeling. Charisma Magazine wrote up in good detail the latest news as we know it.
I want to be very clear: I have been personally blessed by Todd Bentley’s ministry in the past, and some of his closest friends in ministry are people I know and trust (not personally, but in terms of spiritual fruit and teaching). So I don’t want to make light of this tragedy in any way, and I am praying for him and his family’s recovery and healing.
But something is going on in the Body of Christ right now, and we need to discern what is happening and not give way to doubt and hardness of heart. The first question we need to ask is: is the Lakeland revival over? I believe it is. But that’s the wrong question. The real question is: is revival over? And the answer to that is an emphatic NO!
I spent the last several days very distressed about this sequence of events, and as I’ve been seeking the Lord for answers, I’ve begun to sense some things that I think are important to remember and understand. I’ll just walk through some of my thoughts in bullet-point form:
True revival is not about a person, a place, or a thing. It is about the sovereign move of Almighty God in response to Jesus followers crying out to Him from the depths of their souls.
True revival is not about angles, visions, prophecies, miracles, visitations, glory clouds, gemstones, gold dust, oil, and other signs and wonders. It is about Jesus Christ. It is about His power to restore all the that enemy has stolen. It is about transformation. “I once was lost, but now I’m found. I once was blind, but now I see.” That’s revival.
True revival cannot be beamed across a TV screen or performed on the platform. It cannot be told, it cannot be explained, and it cannot be contained. Because, you see, revival is the violent move of God in glory and power, and God — last time I looked — is not a video feed or a worship band or a talking head with a microphone up on stage.
True revival is not a church, or a conference, or a tent, or a style, or a method, or a format, or a culture, or a tradition. True revival is timeless and transcendent, because God is outside of time and beyond this universe.
When true revival comes, it will convict people to go out. All eyes will not be on any person, place, or thing. It will be on Jesus Christ. People will not wait for the “fire” to come to their city in pomp and circumstance before they go out and minister to people in the name of Jesus. They will go out and minister to people in the name of Jesus in order to bring the fire of God down to their city.
When true revival comes, it will be messy, but it will not be flabby. It will not be frayed around the edges. It will not focus on the biggest and brightest and best and ignore the details. The devil is NOT in the details. God is in the details. The first shall be last, and the last first. When true revival comes, it will not be about flash, it will be about substance. It will be about meeting people’s needs where they are. It will be about speaking to people in a language they can understand. It will be about being all things to all men in order to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
Oh how arrogant to think that only the superficial gloss of “charismania” heralds the arrival of revival. Lord, forgive us of our pride, our presumption. Forgive us of our need for hype and attention instead of conviction and consecration. Forgive us for looking to men to bring us into your Holy Presence when all we need is a spirit willing to yield itself to you.
There is a shift going on…a shift in the Body of Christ right now where people are beginning to realize that the hallmark of every true revival is a gripping fear of the Lord and a powerful, irresistible yearning for holiness and purification. I felt this already when I was up at the JesusCulture conference a couple of weeks ago. More on that another time. Suffice it to say, it was an incredible, life-changing time, but not because of signs and wonders but because of God’s holy presence and the palpable feeling of intense spiritual hunger in the room that demanded a transformational response from heaven. We got down on our knees and we gave our all to Jesus, everything, without reservation, without hesitation. The conviction of the Holy Spirit was so strong that I was ready to repent of sins I haven’t even committed yet. That was a joke, in case you missed it.
So is the revival over? No! It’s just now truly beginning! Some people are saying the Lakeland “revival” was false and of the devil. I believe it was of God when it initially started. Other people are saying that the revival was real all along and the devil is now trying his best to shut it down. No, I believe that too is of God, although the devil is certainly on the offensive.
I believe God used Lakeland as a catalyst for radical spiritual hunger and has now shut down what was quickly turning into a quagmire in order for real revival to break out spontaneously, earnestly, sincerely, and sustainably across this dry land we call America. This time revival won’t be about Todd Bentley, or Lakeland, or God TV, or apostles, or miracles, or media, or glory clouds, or angelic hosts, or worship music, or prophecies, or anything else. It will be about one thing and one thing only: Jesus Christ. We will encounter Jesus, be saved by Jesus, be delivered by Jesus, be changed by Jesus, be loved by Jesus, be equipped by Jesus, and be sent out by Jesus to go do the compassionate works of Jesus in order for the world to hear about Jesus and see Jesus and be set free by Jesus.
If revival isn’t about Jesus, and Him alone, then somehow, somewhere, we’ve lost the plot.
“On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” — Matthew 7:22-23
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” — Matthew 5:5
“But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” — Psalms 37:11
We’re on a mini-series discussing the different metaphors for trust. When I was thinking about the theme of today’s message, I started out musing on the obvious words that people routinely employ when talking about trust: humility, vulnerability, openness, etc. But then I remembered a curious word that is used in most Bible translations yet isn’t regularly used in common speech: meekness. We don’t like to think of ourselves as meek. When I picture someone who’s meek, I think of some old dowdy milquetoast minister who’d rather play an organ and arrange flowers for Mrs. McGillicutty than charge forth boldly to storm the gates of hell and change the world. But maybe I’m wrong, because there is someone who perfectly fits the image of meekness: Jesus. Come to me, He says, for I am meek and lowly of heart. Jesus…meek? Jesus, the man who violently chased the moneychangers out of the temple? Jesus, the man who cast demons into pigs and damned the religious leaders to hell? Jesus, the man who walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, and traveled around the countryside preaching to crowds of thousands?
Jesus was meek because Jesus walked in complete submission to the Father. He trusted His Father in Heaven so completely and depended on Him so absolutely that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). Jesus didn’t one day decide to go do his own “thang” and see how that shakes out. He knew that there was an eternal plan, a destiny, a reward greater than any earthly reward, and He had complete confidence that as long as He was walking in that path, everything would turn out for the ultimate good.
So if that’s what being meek is all about, I’ll be proud to call myself meek. (Hmm, isn’t that an oxymoron?) I want to trust and lean on God so completely that everything I do or say flows out of that intimate relationship with the Father. I tried going my own way and forging ahead on my own path, and all I got was a lot of running in place and frustration. Yet when I hide under the shadow of His wing, I am at peace. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
JARED WHITE is a musician, a Web developer, a photographer, and a Charismatic Christian who believes that the Spirit of God is moving dramatically across the world today and impacting entire nations with the Gospel of the Kingdom. He writes frequently about living as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century and isn't afraid to ask the hard questions — of himself more than anyone.
Regular topics include the intersection of postmodern culture and spirituality, creative and prophetic arts, miraculous signs and wonders, the emerging future of the Church, and the occasional dive into the shark-infested waters of scientific and political commentary.
Jared lives in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, and calls Grace Fellowship his spiritual home.
Thursday, 28 August 2008, 9:15 pm I've been staring at the back of a seat for over two hours on the commute today. :( But that's OK because today was awesome. Just hanging out with God, y'know? Fun and deep and wonderfully other.
Note that I’m not saying it’s a good idea to cross authority or do things under the nose of leadership. I’m just saying that taking a proactive rather than reactive stance is so important and actually what many church leaders are wishing they could get!
We’re on a mini-series discussing the different metaphors for trust. When I was thinking about the theme of today’s message, I started out musing on the obvious words that people routinely employ when talking about trust: humility, vulnerability, openness, etc. But then I remembered a curious word that is used in most Bible translations yet isn’t regularly used in common speech: meekness. We don’t like to think of ourselves as meek. When I picture someone who’s meek, I think of some old dowdy milquetoast minister who’d rather play an organ and arrange flowers for Mrs. McGillicutty than charge forth boldly to storm the gates of hell and change the world. But maybe I’m wrong, because there is someone who perfectly fits the image of meekness: Jesus. Come to me, He says, for I am meek and lowly of heart. Jesus…meek? Jesus, the man who violently chased the moneychangers out of the temple? Jesus, the man who cast demons into pigs and damned the religious leaders to hell? Jesus, the man who walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, and traveled around the countryside preaching to crowds of thousands?
Subscribe to blog feed