Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer
Chapter 7: How much more the Holy Spirit OR The All Comprehensive Gift

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him! Luke 11:13

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord had already given utterance to His wonderful How much more? Here in Luke, where He repeats the question, there is a difference. Instead of speaking, as then, of giving good gifts, He says, ‘How much more shall the heavenly Father give THE HOLY SPIRIT?’ He thus teaches us that the chief and the best of these gifts is the Holy Spirit, or rather, that in this gift all others are comprised. The Holy Spirit is the first of the Father’s gifts, and the one He delights most to bestow. The Holy Spirit is therefore the gift we ought first and chiefly to seek.

When Andrew Murray pointed out the subtle difference between Matthew and Luke account of the same story, it was like a light bulb going off in my head. See for yourself:

Matthew 7.11 NRSV
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Luke 11:13 NRSV
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

At times, I think we get caught up in desiring to have more spiritual gifts manifest in our meetings. We eagerly expect a healing or a prophecy or a miracle. These things are good, actually very good! However, Murray squarely points out that it’s our Father’s desire to give us – first and foremost – The Gift of His Spirit. It is from this Gift that all of the other gifts flow.

As the Spirit of the Father, and the Son, the whole life and love of the Father and the Son are in Him; and coming down into us, He lifts us up into their fellowship. … The Father can bestow no higher or more wonderful gift than this: His own Holy Spirit, the Spirit of sonship.

Let me ask you some probing hypothetical questions: Let’s say for a moment that the Spiritual gifts never existed (administration, preaching, teaching, knowledge, leadership, wisdom, healing, prophecy, mercy, miracles, tongues, service, etc). Let’s say that the only gift we ever received, at the time of becoming of a Christian, was only the Holy Spirit. 1. What would you do with that gift for the rest of your life? 2. Would you find yourself getting bored with that gift? 3. Will that gift be destined to become abandoned and forgotten like almost every other Christmas gift?

I believe that all of us, in some sense, can loose sight of why the Holy Spirit is the first and greatest of all the gifts. Through the Spirit the very presence of God is dwelling inside of us. It is through the Spirit we can now enjoy intimate fellowship with our Creator and Lord.

If we but yield ourselves entirely to the disposal of the Spirit, and let Him have His way with us, He will manifest the life of Christ within us.

When we have fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but become more like Jesus: the person who exemplified what it meant to have intimate fellowship with the Father. I believe this intimate fellowship is the essence of kingdom living.

Between the years 2016 and 2020 we will see the beginnings of a revolution that will transform the face of Christianity. I have been opening my eyes to the children of today (age 5 to 12) and I believe we are going to see a massive resurgence of mysticism, a fresh openness to the supernatural, and a strong desire for social change.

What is our generation (those 18-35) doing to train and equip these young people in the areas of the Kingdom of God? *Now* is the time to build up the body of Christ! *Today* is our opportunity to make a difference. It’s time get involved the lives of today’s children. We must love them and be good stewards of the grace that has been given to us.

We can’t wait until middle school or high school or even college to reach *these* children. Their worldview is being formed *today*.

I briefly mentioned Todd Bentley in my previous article as I talked about Charismatic Shenanigans. In my last post, promised to write more about Todd Bentley and what I think about him. As I was getting my thoughts together, I came across a press release issued by Fresh Fire Ministries, Todd’s ministry. In this press release dated August 15th, his ministry admits that Todd Bentley entered into an unhealthy relationship with a female member of his staff.

Now, I was completely unaware of this announcement yesterday when I suggested I had some beef with Todd Bentley. In light of his admitted sin, it is very tempting to pick up an even larger rock to throw at him, but Jesus would suggest that I put it down. I agree.

Conservatives have been declaring that Todd Bentley is a false teacher and false prophet for months now. In light of Todd’s present circumstance, conservatives are cheering and proclaiming, “We told you so!” However, I do NOT include myself in that camp. I believe Todd Bentley authentically proclaimed Jesus Christ. I agree with his ministry’s statement about Todd Bentley’s sexual misconduct when they said “the enemy has found a way into our camp.” Seeing a brother fall into sin is nothing to celebrate, no matter how you personally feel about his ministry. The enemy is Satan, not the sinner.

I’m not condoning his ministry either. My original intent in writing this article was to critique his ministry. However, considering he has been removed from ministry, I really don’t see the point in giving a detailed critique. My only concern was that he openly admitted to crying out to God for a revival (that’s a good thing), and he heard from God to do a few outwardly unloving things to trigger this revival (that’s a bad thing). Feel free to search YouTube for some outrageous clips of Todd Bentley.

I believe some Charismatics accept questionable behavior and teaching from their leaders because they are so hungry for the move of God. Being hungry for God is a VERY GOOD THING! We are to taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8) The problem is that some Charismatics are so hungry that they’ll eat anything. Some things in life are not meant to be consumed! Get off your hands and knees and stop eating dog food! Jesus has prepared you a meal, come to the Lord’s Table to eat! He is the meal!

There is a church on the north side of Columbus called Northside Community Church. They are a charismatic/apostolic church associated with Christian International. On the 3rd Friday night of each month, they have something called “School of the Holy Spirit”. Basically, it is a night of worship, teaching, and receiving prophetic ministry. I’ve been there numerous Friday evenings and their ministry has blessed me beyond words.

But, something has been different over the past 3 months. Ever since the Lakeland Revival started in May…

The leaders of Northside Community Church have been on the Todd Bentley bandwagon and have traveled to Lakeland, and one other place where Todd Bentley has ministered, and I think they’re planning on visiting another Todd Bentley appearance in the near future. In short, the Lakeland Revival is part of a greater movement called “The Saints Movement”. This movement was prophesied by Bishop Bill Hamon several years ago and just recently he announced we are in a time of fulfillment. So what is the “Saints Movement”?

The Saints Movement is a time when the saints – that is, believers in Jesus Christ – recognize and act on the understanding that Christ has empowered and commissioned each of them to be the Church 24/7, manifesting the Kingdom of God wherever they live and work.

In other words, Bill Hamon has announced we are in a time of healing, miracles, deliverance, signs, wonders, and other manifestations of the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. These manifestations would not be limited to an elite few, nor limited to the Charismatic groups, but rather it will spread to all Christians (the saints at large).

This prophecy excites me because it’s Biblical. Jesus commissioned us to go and make disciples and he said that signs and wonders would accompany those who believe (Mark 16:15-18). These signs and wonders are manifestations of the Kingdom of God. I am all for Jesus and his Kingdom!

Now, with that said, I am not happy with how certain Charismatic circles are handling this prophecy from Bill Hamon. For decades, charismatics have been chomping at the bit for an increase in signs and wonders… and it’s like this prophecy has stirred their emotional pot too much. Let me give you an example.

I’ve been making some observations about the way Northside Community Church has been doing their School of the Holy Spirit over the past year. Right around May 2008, the start of the Lakeland Revival, the leaders of Northside Community Church have been getting REALLY hungry for God. That’s a good thing! They’ve been bringing their passion and expectancy to their church and that is a very good thing! But, from my perspective, they are increasingly forcing things to happen. In June 2008, they really didn’t force anything. In July 2008, I got a sense they were forcing things a little. In August 2008, it’s blatantly obvious that they’re forcing the move of God.

Each of these three months, Northside Community Church has made space during their monthly meetings to impart the Spirit and “give it away” (that is a huge thing right now with this present revival). Impartation is basically the laying of hands and the transference of an anointing. Their impartation in June 2008 was relatively low key and there weren’t many outward manifestations of the Spirit. Their impartation in July 2008 got a little bit more emotional and some people were falling on the ground after an impartation. Their impartation in August 2008 was way more emotional and it felt forced. Let me explain…

On August 15th I invited my wife to join me to School of the Holy Spirit at Northside Community Church (not to be confused with our August 1st visit to Marion Christian Center). After the time of singing songs, NCC had an extra-extra-extra long time of speaking/singing in tongues. It probably lasted about 7 minutes (an increase from the usual 2 minutes). During that time, they kept telling us to “Stir up the Holy Spirit! Stir up the Holy Spirit!” After that, they had their impartation time. They invited people to come up and probably 75% of the people in the room came forward for an impartation. While they laid hands on people, my wife noticed that almost everyone who came up for an impartation were swaying and falling backward. She took interest in this and began to watch more closely.

As she began to observe, she noticed something that concerned her. She nudged my arm and said, “Do you see what they’re doing?”

I said, “Yeah, they’re imparting the Spirit and some people are getting emotional.”

[Someone falls over]

She said, “He just pushed her!”

I said, “You’re right, I did see his hand push her a little, maybe a few inches.”

[Someone else falls over]

She said, “He just pushed over another one!”

I said, “You’re right, that did look like a small push.”

[Someone else falls over]

She said, “What the heck! Why is he pushing people???”

I said, “I don’t know, they’ve never done this before.”

She said, “And why does he keep laughing really weird? It’s kind of scary.”

I said, “I don’t know. I think he’s full of the joy from the Lord.”

[Someone keeps teetering, but doesn't quite fall over]

She said, “Why does he keep pushing her? She doesn’t want to fall over!”

I said, “You’re right, he doesn’t know when to stop.”

She said, “I don’t trust him anymore.”

She continues, “…and If he pushes me, I’m pushing him back!”

I burst out laughing! That was the funniest most random thing I’ve heard my wife say in a long time. Watch out all you Charismatics! If you push my wife, she WILL push you back!

On a serious note, what they were doing up there with pushing is wrong. Even though it’s a harmless nudge, and no one is getting hurt, it’s still not an authentic move of God. God doesn’t need your help making people fall under the power of his Spirit!

If you’re pushing people to give the impression that a sign or wonder has taken place, stop it! Just because someone falls, doesn’t mean that God’s power was at work. And if someone doesn’t fall, that doesn’t mean God wasn’t at work.

Stop the Charismatic shenanigans!

On Friday, August 1st, Tanya and I drove 1 hour and 15 minutes north to a church called the Marion Christian Center. It was my second time there and Tanya’s first time there. On the first Friday of the month, they have an evening called the School of the Holy Spirit. It’s a time of charismatic-style worship with about 45 minutes of good music, lots of visual and creative arts, a guest speaker bringing the message, and a time of prophetic ministry at the end.

During our drive up there, I prepared Tanya for what to expect at a wildly charismatic church. Granted, our Vineyard is technically a charismatic church, but not nearly as eccentric as Marion Christian Center. I told her:

1. That the time of worship would be awesome, but exhausting.
2. There would be lots of colorful banners, flags, and on-stage props.
3. There would be a bit of speaking in tongues.
4. They would take an offering and suggest that we should believe in a material blessing that is proportional to our gift.
5. To be extra-discerning of the message from the guest speaker (Let’s just say that one time when I went, the content of the message was questionable at best.)
6. To have fun during the time of prophetic ministry and be open to whatever God may want to speak to us.

For items one through five, everything happened as expected. We were exhausted after our time of worship; Tanya got a taste of an artistic worship experience that was very much her style; I spoke in tongues a little (softly and to myself); I gave money cheerfully (but not with the expectation that I’m to get a whopping financial blessing); and the message was delivered by the Creative Arts Director and it was a good biblical message.

That finally brought us to the time of prophetic ministry. Here’s how they do things. When you first walk into the building early in the evening, they have a place where you can buy a tape for 1 dollar. You buy the tape, not the prophecy� see how that works? We were limited to buying one tape because we are a married couple. Written on each tape was a letter, A through L, and that letter corresponds to a dedicated room where you will receive prophetic ministry.

So at the end of the evening, we went to our room and there were probably 25 or so people in our room. On at a time, you stand up, move to the center of the room, give them your tape, and they pray and prophecy over you. Tanya and I let 20 people go first ahead of us because it’s fun watching other people receive prophecy. Sometime the person prophesying hits something dead on and it gets really emotional and people start to cry as they realize that God is a lot closer to their situation than they previous thought!

Before I get into our prophecy, I want to bring up what I wrote in my previous blog entry. The Thursday evening before, I went to an apostolic pastor’s conference and went up for prayer ministry. I wrote in my previous entry, “I told the person who was praying for me that I’ve really been trying to seek God in the direction of my ministry and it feels like I’m just sitting in a cloud not going anywhere.” Let me just say that God loves to meet you where you’re at when he speaks in prophecy! God had something to say to us!

For the sake of readability, I’m going to give you a few sounds bytes of that prophecy. Keep in mind this it was given to both Tanya and myself. Uppercase words were verbally emphasized by the person prophesying:

And the Lord says:

This is a fresh season where you have been feeling as though you have been in snow shoes and you have been trudging along in almost every aspect of your lives together. It’s been good, but it’s been some trudging. But, I would say that this is a new time, and I’m changing your shoes, and they’re not those snow shoes because the terrain is changing. And, I’m putting you on one of those skateboards or scooters where you can actually stand on it together and ride this thing together in a completely different terrain that you’re on now.

…

And I will do miracles this year says the Lord. I am going to do miracles in several areas THIS YEAR says the Lord. So that you might wake up with an expectation and a freshness, almost though it’s like a morning that you open up the window and you know something’s coming. That’s what it’s going to be like in this next year, especially just the beginning of that fresh chapter.

…

And I am going to be changing and shifting all things around and it’s like, “This is REALLY not the way it was up until now!” But, it’s a happy good thing. And, it’s a little bit, little bit scary. It’s like, but by faith, even by this word, you’ll say, “God will not harm us. We can do this. It’s kind of wild and crazy, but we’re going to go flow with it.” And I’m going to do exciting things says the Lord.

I believe this prophecy is accurate and spoke very strongly to the place I was at. Many of my prayers that week were about my direction in ministry and a sense that I was getting nowhere. God wanted to tell me he’s in the process of changing our terrain, which leads into a new season, which leads to a change in shoes, which leads to less trudging! God will do miracles this year, so we should be waking up each morning with a sense of expectation. We should expect a shifting, which may be scary, and at the same time exciting, but it’s ultimately going to be for our benefit! Go God! Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven!