This article was revised on June 3, 2008, to better explain the points being made. A special thanks goes to Revivalfire for the detailed comment he posted that got me to re-hash what was written. God bless!

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Last week I talked about the Popular False Gospel, which has to do with a one-sided, man-centered gospel that appeals to our flesh. Today I want to bring attention to what I call the "Inactive False Gospel." This is the flipside of the "popular" version. It's also one-sided--only presenting the truth about God.

Like the popular gospel, this version is 100% true but is really only 50% of the whole truth. In addition to the truth about God, it usually involves the truth of our eternity in heaven...so there's a little bit of a benefit to man. It sometimes involves the idea of being "born again" or being made into a "new creation," which is better by far--but God Jesus didn't merely save us for the sake of some nebulous transformation--He came that we might have LIFE, and that more abundantly! Another aspect that is often left out is the reality of God hearing our prayers and answering them (some people teach that prayer is merely God's way of changing us until we submit to what He was going to do anyway). But this form of false gospel always neglects the present-day empowerment of believers through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

First we'll deal with heaven as a future hope. It is true that by receiving Christ as Lord, we also receive an eternal home in heaven. The full Gospel, however, is "The Gospel of the Kingdom." The Kingdom of Heaven is a PRESENT reality! Jesus said that the Kingdom is AT HAND! Paul said that we are NOW seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)! If all we have is a future hope, then life is nothing but a waiting room. But Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy Kingdom, COME! Thy will, BE DONE! here ON EARTH just as it is in Heaven!" We can be a part of God's supernatural activity here and now!

Second, I talked about how "born again" or "new creation" teaching is a lot better, but is still often missing the mark. As Revivalfire pointed out in the comments section, a true understanding of these terms reveals that they are defined by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. There's no error there. The problem is that once we are raised up with Christ as new creations, what do we do with it? Do we just live like nice people and stop doing bad things? Check out what the Apostle Pauls says in the following scriptures.

First, we'll see that we have died with Christ, which results in our resurrection with Him:

Romans 6:5-13--If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (NIV).

But we have a tendency to stop here. The fact is, Jesus didn't JUST die and raise again so that we could be free from sin through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. He ALSO ascended into heaven so that we might be made partners there as well:

Ephesians 2:4-7--But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

So many people miss this third aspect of the Good News! It's the part that brings us into citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven.

See, it's one thing to have the Holy Spirit living within you, bringing new life, and empowering you to live as a new creation. But this in itself is not what it is to be seated with Christ in the heavenly realms here and now!

In the spiritual realm, we get to be right next to our Father in Heaven. It's a place of intimacy with Him. It's a place of power and authority. It's a place where we can see our circumstances from heaven's perspective and face trials with joy. A partial gospel leaves you earthly-minded, but the complete Gospel brings you into the fullness of partnership with Christ!

Think about it: Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him. Jesus is no longer hanging on the cross, so he's not just talking about dying to self. And Jesus is no longer standing outside the tomb or walking the earth, so there must be something more. Jesus IS, however, presently seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father; AND WE GET TO BE PARTNERS WITH HIM THERE! Isn't that GOOD NEWS?!

The third thing I mentioned in the beginning of this article was regarding our theology on prayer. This, as Revivalfire pointed out, is not really a part of the Gospel--it's just a teaching perspective. However, I believe it is directly related to everything I just shared about being partners with Christ in His ascension. If we are partners with Christ, seated at the right hand of God, then we have a place of intimate relationship with our Father. Read through the Old and New Testaments and you will find many instances of God reasoning with man or inviting us to do so. "Come, let us reason together." One prime example is in Exodus 32 where God was about to bring a plague on His people to destroy them and then start all over again with Moses. But Moses reasoned with God and pleaded for another way. The Bible says in verse 14 that God relented...or, in some translations, God repented!

The Almighty, Holy, Omnipotent God has invited us into a place of intimate relationship and partnership with Him. Jesus set the example: "I only do what I see my Father doing." But Jesus also prayed some very clear things, asking His Father to do things that we could speculate for ages whether or not they would have happened apart from Christ's prayers. The issue is not whether or not God already intended to do these things--it's that apart from man's participation, He would not have. If Moses had not fought for the Israelites in prayer, God would have been bound to His word that He would destroy them with a plague. Perhaps He really wanted to do what Moses was asking, and perhaps He was testing Moses. But the fact still remains that God would not threaten one thing and then do another apart from someone stepping into the picture and speaking to Him as a friend. That friendship is something Christ made possible for us all--and it is definitely part of the Gospel!

The defining factor of an "Inactive False Gospel" is an absence of this ascended life. That means you don't see God's supernatural authority and works of power being demonstrated through His people. This happens when people don't realize what it is to truly be made partners with Jesus Christ. It's a false gospel. It's empty! It's powerless! It's inactive!

Most interesting to me, though, is that this can happen regardless of one's stance on the baptism in the Holy Spirit or spiritual gifts. As I mentioned in my first article on false gospels, it is entirely possible to preach the full Gospel but only practice it in part. It's not uncommon for a preacher to declare all the wonders of "the priesthood of believers" and the gifts of the Holy Spirit while the congregation sits powerless in the pews.

I was raised in a Pentecostal church and spent most of my life thinking that the extent of the Holy Spirit's empowerment in my life was my ability to speak in tongues. I had come to believe a false gospel (not that this is what was being preached from the pulpit--it's just what I believed). The limitations of this false gospel kept me from discovering the rest of the gifts of the Holy Spirit until I was 17 years old!

There are far too many churches--whether they have correct doctrine about the Holy Spirit or not--that practice an inactive false gospel. Regardless of their teaching or beliefs, they do not function as the Body of Christ. As a church, they are devoid of genuine miracles. They do not experience the healing power of God (except perhaps through some special, visiting minister...or someone far away in a place like Lakeland, Florida, for example). They practice their natural talents but miss out on the supernatural gifts that can only be performed through them by God. It's a false Gospel!

Notice how I said "as a church." I'm not suggesting that you MUST work miracles and heal the sick in order to be living the true Gospel--that's not biblical. However, the Bible does indeed say that we are a body made up of many parts. It says that the Holy Spirit distributes to each one as He sees fit. Just because you've personally never healed anyone in Jesus' name doesn't make you any less of a Christian. However, if you're part of a church that never sees any of the spiritual gifts at work in your midst, then it's very likely that you have drifted into an inactive practice of the gospel. Something needs to change!

The full Gospel is an active Gospel. It is a "good news" that is carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit! It is demonstrated by Christians who have sought the Holy Spirit for His overflowing presence and taken steps of faith to reveal His power and love in the world today! It is a Gospel of miracles, healings, prophecies, hospitality, generocity, mercy, faith, discerning spirits, and the like! It is a Gospel just like what was demonstrated by Jesus Christ and His disciples in the New Testament! It is an active lifestyle of performing the "greater works" Jesus promised we would do (John 14:12)!

Remember: if you have died with Christ (by choosing to put your former, sinful way of life to death), then you have also been raised with Him through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. And if you have been raised with Him, then you are NOW seated with Him in the heavenly realms! You have power and authority that flows from your intimacy with the Father. Don't miss this essential part of the Gospel!

The next "false gospel" I'll be addressing is what I call an "Incoherent False Gospel." It's probably not what you might think, though, so check back soon for the full explanation. Also, thank you, Revivalfire, for stirring me up to clarify these important points.

God bless!
--Art--

Hi everyone,

While I don't want to distract from the letter about the Charismatic Reformation I put out early this morning, I believe this article deserves notice.

J. Lee Grady is the editor of Charisma Magazine and yesterday posted an article that I support with all sincerity. Weeks after writing articles that promoted the Lakeland meetings and even seemed to endorse them, Grady has issued some warnings that I believe echo what I've been sharing on this site for the past several weeks. Here is what he said:

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Honest Questions About the Lakeland Revival
by J. Lee Grady

I support any holy outbreak of revival fervor. But let’s be careful to guard ourselves from pride and error.

God is stirring deep spiritual passion in the hearts of the thousands of people who have traveled to Florida during the last month to experience the Lakeland Healing Revival. Since these meetings began in a 700-seat church on April 2, the crowd has moved four times to bigger venues, the fervor has intensified and the news has spread worldwide—thanks to God TV and online broadcasting.

Within a few weeks, the bandwagon effect was in full swing. It’s safe to say that no outbreak of Pentecostalism in history has gained so much international exposure so quickly as these meetings have.

I’m a cheerleader for the charismatic movement, so I rejoiced when I heard the news about revivalist Todd Bentley’s extended visit to Ignited Church. It was thrilling to hear the reports of miracles and to watch the crowd grow until a stadium was required to hold everyone.

"When we put bizarre behavior on the platform we imply that it is normative. Thus more strange fire is allowed to spread."

When I visited a service on April 15, I was blessed by Heather Clark’s music and the audience’s exuberant worship. And I laughed with everyone else as I watched Bentley shout his trademarked “Bam! Bam! Bam!” as he prayed for the sick and flailed his tattooed arms over the crowd. Hey, Jesus didn’t pray for people according tothe Pharisees’ rulebook, so I’m open to unconventional methods.

But I would be dishonest if I told you that I wholeheartedly embraced what I saw in Lakeland. Something disturbed me, but I kept my mouth shut for three weeks while I prayed, got counsel from respected ministry leaders and searched my heart to make sure I was not harboring a religious spirit. The last thing we need today is more mean-spirited heresy hunters blasting other Christians.

I am not a heresy hunter, and I support what is happening in Lakeland because I know God uses imperfect people (like me and you) to reach others for Jesus. At the same time, I believe my questions are honest and my concerns are real.

My motive is not to criticize Bentley or the pastor who is sponsoring these meetings, Stephen Strader. In September 2002 Charisma featured a seven-page article about Bentley’s amazing conversion from drug addiction. I believe Bentley is a sincere brother who wants people to encounter God’s presence and power. No doubt this 32-year-old evangelist needs our prayers now more than ever, especially since he has become the focus of international media attention.

But as the noise from Lakeland grows louder and its influence spreads, I’m issuing some words of warning that apply to all of us, not just the folks in Lakeland. I hope everyone understands that these cautions are offered in love:

1. Beware of strange fire. The name of Jesus is being lifted up in the Lakeland revival, and three people came to the altar for salvation the night I attended. Larger numbers have come to the front of the auditorium to find Christ every night since then.

Yet I fear another message is also being preached subtly in Lakeland—a message that cult-watchers would describe as a spiritual counterfeit. Bentley is one of several charismatic ministers who have emphasized angels in the last several years. He has taught about angels who bring financial breakthroughs or revelations, and he sometimes refers to an angel named Emma who supposedly played a role in initiating a prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. Bentley describes Emma as a woman in a flowing white dress who floats a few feet off the floor.

All of us who believe the Bible know that angels are real, and that they work on our behalf to protect us and minister to us. But the apostle Paul, who had encounters with angels himself, issued stern warnings to the Corinthians, the Galatians and the Colossians about angels who preach another gospel or that demand attention. In Colossae, believers were so enamored with angels they had seen in visions that they became “inflated without cause” by spiritual pride (Col. 2:18, NASB). Paul was adamant that preoccupation with angels can lead to serious deception.

We need to tread carefully here! We have no business teaching God’s people to commune with angels or to seek revelations from them. And if any revival movement—no matter how exciting or passionate—mixes the gospel of Jesus with this strange fire, the results could be devastating. We need to remember that Mormonism was born out of one man’s encounter with a dark angel who claimed to speak for God.

2. Beware of bizarre manifestations. When the Holy Spirit’s power comes on people they may feel weak or even fall. The Spirit’s power can also cause people to tremble, shake, laugh or cry. Such manifestations are biblical and we should leave room for them. But where do we draw the line between legitimate experience and fanatical excess?

The apostle Paul had to deal with outrageous charismatic manifestations in the Corinthian church. People were acting like raving lunatics—and turning the church in to a free-for-all of unbridled ecstatic behavior. Paul called for discipline and order, and he reminded early Christians that “the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets” (1 Cor. 14:32). In other words, Paul was saying that no one under the influence of the Holy Spirit should act out of control.

In many recent charismatic revivals, ministers have allowed people to behave like epileptics on stage—and they have attributed their attention-getting antics to the Holy Spirit. We may think it’s all in fun (you know, we’re just “acting crazy” for God) but we should be more concerned that such behavior feeds carnality and grieves the Spirit.

When exotic manifestations are encouraged, people can actually get a religious high from jerking, vibrating, screaming or acting intoxicated. (I have even been around people who writhed as if in pain, or made sexual noises—thinking this was a legitimate spiritual experience.) But emotional euphoria doesn’t guarantee a heart change. The person who is bucking like an untamed bronco in a church service would benefit more from sitting still and reading the Bible for an hour. When we put bizarre behavior on the platform we imply that it is normative. Thus more strange fire is allowed to spread.

3. Beware of hype and exaggeration. Our hearts are crying out today for a genuine move of God. We want the real deal. We’ve read about the Great Awakenings of the past and we long to see our nation overcome by a wave of repentance. The church is in a backslidden state, and our nation has rebelled against God. We are desperate!

In our longing for a holy visitation, however, we must be careful not to call the first faint breeze of the Spirit a full-fledged revival. If we do that, we are setting people up for disappointment when they realize it may not be what we blew it up to be.

Some of the language used during the Lakeland Revival has created an almost sideshow atmosphere. People are invited to “Come and get some.” Miracles are supposedly “popping like popcorn.” Organizers tout it as the greatest revival in history.

Such brash statements cheapen what the Holy Spirit is doing—and they do a disservice to our brothers and sisters who are experiencing New Testament-style revival in countries such as Iran, China and India. We have a long way to go before we experience their level of revival. Let’s stay humble and broken before the Lord.

I am rejoicing over all the reported healings at the Lakeland meetings. Miracles are awesome. Crowds are great. But miracles and crowds alone don’t guarantee a revival. Multitudes followed Jesus during His ministry on earth, but many of the people who saw the dead raised or ate food that was supernaturally multiplied later crucified the Son of God.

It was the few disciples who followed Jesus after Calvary who ushered in a true revival—one that was bathed in the fear of God, confirmed by signs and wonders, tempered by persecution and evidenced by thousands of conversions, new churches and the transformation of society. We should expect nothing less.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

In line with these warnings that reach beyond Lakeland or Todd Bentley, I would like to direct your attention to the letter I wrote to the Church yesterday about the needed Charismatic Reformation. You can read it in our new forum, or you can download a printable version.

God bless!
--Art--

I've spent some time praying about what is going on in Lakeland, Florida, with the so-called "Healing Revival" (Also known as the "Lakeland Healing Outpouring"). What I'm about to share will probably burn some bridges that I've been forming recently with various ministers around Michigan; nevertheless, the truth must be shared. I know I have a lot of readers, and that puts me in a place where I am held even more accountable to God than otherwise. Therefore, I must be faithful in my commitment to the truth even if it may result in fewer ministry opportunities in the future.

Enough setup--let's get down to business. Thursday's blog post brought the most significant influx of new visitors this site has ever seen; and in that post I made a solemn promise to you:

If this current movement is truly from God, then no one will be able to stop it. And if Todd Bentley is a false prophet, then I can guarantee that God will expose him for what he is. But unless this happens, I have to say, "Amen! So be it! May this be the beginning of the revival we've been crying out for! May the healing power of God be poured forth from heaven on a global scale!" If God reveals differently to me, then I will certainly speak out against these meetings, but I will not do so apart from genuine revelation.

Well, over the weekend, I believe I may have gotten some of that genuine revelation. Believe it or not, it didn't come while reading articles condemning the meetings in Lakeland--it came while reading things from the people who support it!

Of particular interest to me was an angel Todd Bentley reported to have seen, which another minister, Bob Jones, said was named "Winds of Change." Here's what Charisma Magazine reported about this:

Bentley, who looks more like a gang leader than the founder of a Christian ministry, came to Lakeland on April 2 and has shown no sign of leaving since an angel, he said, visited him the day after he arrived.

Prophetic minister Bob Jones told Bentley he believed the angel’s name was "Winds of Change"--the same angel, Jones said, that visited healing evangelist William Branham in the 1940s. (source: charismamag.com)

I don't know how much you know about William Branham and his healing meetings, but I see some significant correlations between his ministry and Todd Bentley's. So I want to give you a short history lesson about William Branham and the "Voice of Healing" revival of the 1940s and '50s.

This particular movement is rarely talked about today, but it involved a handful of traveling ministers who brought significant demonstrations of God's power to their meetings--and William Branham was a key player. David Harrell, Jr., in his book All Things are Possible (1978) said of the leaders of this movement:

Most were dedicated to back-breaking work and spent long grueling hours in the centers of the platforms of the big tents praying, clapping, shouting, pleading with the crippled to walk, commanding the blind to see....It was an exhausting, grinding, draining way of life. William Branham was a broken man after little more than a year; Jack Coe was physically exhausted at the time of his death; A.A. Allan, an incredibly tough campaigner, tottered constantly on the brink of psychological collapse; the resilience of Oral Roberts became a legend among his peers.

Why did these men suffer so much for the sake of ministry? People were genuinely being healed--there were even cases of the dead being raised to life. If this "Healing Revival" was from God, why did these men end up so mentally, emotionally, and physically wrecked?

Many Christian historians seem to offer the same answer: things often went downhill when these men tried to operate outside their specific giftings.

Where Branham was concerned, people were known to fall asleep while he preached--he was that boring! So Branham had his associate, Baxter, do all the talking. Baxter would preach the gospel, and then Branham would come to the microphone and start pointing at people, calling them by name, identifying their ailment, and declaring them healed in Jesus' name (there were no "information cards" handed in beforehand or anything else that could explain this--it was genuine revelation). Many documented cases of healing came forth with medical records to prove their reality. God was certainly moving!

Unfortunately, a series of events that started in 1955 led Branham down a dark road. His ministry faced deficits, and in 1956, the IRS was taking action against him for tax evasion (which he was actually not guilty of--as it turned out, some ministry associates were taking advantage of him. Branham was living on $7,000 a year even though $80,000 was funneling through his ministry.). As William Branham struggled with the emotional impact of these financial issues and the betrayal of his collegues, and as opportunities for ministry became increasingly competitive with the onset of new "healing ministers" toward the end of his ministry, Branham started to drift off the deep end.

Before long, Branham's personal doctrine was skewed severely, and he began to teach some heretical things. He denied the existance of the Trinity, he taught that hell wasn't eternal, and that Eve had engaged Satan sexually while in the garden of Eden. The false teachings didn't stop there, but it goes without saying that Branham's ministry went steeply downhill.

Back when Branham stayed within his gift and only focused on healing, God used him mightily in ways that we haven't seen since. But as soon as he stepped outside his gift and started preaching and teaching, Branham actually developed a cult following who worshipped him as Jesus Christ and baptized people "in the name of William Branham!"

So as I was praying about the current "Lakeland Healing Revival" and Todd Bentley's role, I asked the Lord what to think of it all. Please weigh this for yourself and feel free to confront me publically if you believe I was deceived, but I felt the Lord say to me, "Todd Bentley's gift of healing is true; but his method of ministry is unnecessarily theatrical and many of his teachings are littered with falsehoods."

After sensing this from the Lord, I started digging through Internet articles written by Todd Bentley, and what I found disturbed me. He shared more about visions he had experienced than he did about the actual Word of God. And never once did I find a place where he added a disclaimer like I did in the previous paragraph, offering his "revelations" up for scrutiny by the Body of Christ. Instead, he just spouted strange teachings--like when he said that he met with the Apostle Paul at his little wooden shack in heaven, and Paul told him that the Book of Hebrews was written by him and Abraham together as he had supernatural heavenly visits with this patriarch of the faith. (see the original article here.)

What?

Now, I have to be honest with you, I have had heavenly encounters myself, but I only ever saw Jesus during those visits. For that matter, the experiences I had always led to action--souls were saved, people repented, and even animals were raised from the dead--but never once did I come out of those encounters with a new teaching or some erroneous claim about something no one else knows. Not to mention that each of those encounters was somehow confirmed to be true (by an outside source) within minutes of having the experience. Heavenly encounters, visions, trances, and the like are real, biblically-supported occurrances that can take place in the life of a believer; but they can also be counterfeited by demons, and I'm afraid Todd Bentley has fallen victim to some of these spiritual illusions.

If you or someone you know has been healed as a result of the Lakeland meetings, praise God! You have not been healed by evil spirits--I believe this was definitely of God. However, be very careful about how closely you follow the words and actions of Todd Bentley. He is a Christian who has been largely deceived by powers and principalities in the spiritual realm, which has caused him to step outside his gifting. We need to pray for Todd Bentley that God would rescue him from the same trap as William Branham.

In closing, I want to make a few contrasts between William Branham (while he was still ministering within his gifting and God was moving powerfully) and what we see happening right now with Todd Bentley.

According to John Crowder (who I'm afraid is falling into the same trap as Bentley) in his book The New Mystics, "Branham never raised his voice when he was speaking, nor did he use any showy tactics." Todd Bentley, on the other hand, parades about the stage slapping people in the forehead and yelling "BAM!" I watched some of it on GodTV and was actually a little repulsed by his showmanship. One elderly woman fell over, and Todd said, "She doesn't know why she fell over!" The ushers helped the old woman up, and she said, "Yes I do know why I fell over: you pushed me!"

Also from Crowder's book: "Often, if the anointing was not present, Branham would simply cut his meetings short and walk out, leaving thousands frustrated. Branham sometimes did this if he felt the congregation was looking too exclusively at him to effect the healings." Todd Bently, however, seems to overlook the absence of the Holy Spirit. One person who I found in an online forum observed, "...when a severely inflicted person comes up on the stage for healing and doesn't 'fall over' when he screams BAM in their face, [Todd] immediately changes the subject, either by calling out another 'word of knowledge', or telling everyone that the atmosphere is changing, either an angel has shown up or a new glory is filling the place."

Likewise, Branham was not a self-promoter during the healthy days of his ministry. But with Bentley, I see that he is strongy promoting his meetings and telling the young people to get the message out through their MySpace and FaceBook accounts. He said, "Young people, announce it to the world!"

The Todd Bentley that I'm seeing today looks more to me like the latter William Branham than the former. There is nothing--other than the healing miracles themselves--that I can compare to William Branham when his ministry was healthy; but there are plenty of correlations with the post-1956 Branham, who taught extra-biblical falsehoods, was a self-promoter, and operated outside his gifting (leading thousands astray).

I love Todd Bentley, and I am not here to slander his name. I believe that he could repent very quickly and be used mightily for the Kingdom of God. However, if he continues on this path, I fear what the result may be. Please, brothers and sisters, be careful with Todd's teachings and so-called "revelations." I believe Todd has a healing gift from God, but that does not automatically validate his teachings. Unfortunately, his healing gift seems to add weight to what he has to say, and people believe him all too quickly. The only reason Todd can heal people in the name of Jesus while simultaneously teaching such odd things is that "God's gifts and His call are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).

Please be discerning, friends. Chew the meat and spit out the bones. If you want to attend the meetings in Lakeland to receive a healing touch from God, then I will certainly not stop you; but PLEASE be careful to test the spirits and weigh every word out of Todd's mouth.

As much as my life has been impacted in the past through Todd Bentley's ministry, I, for one, can no longer defend it.

I recently read a short article that impressed me on one point (even though the rest of it was a little weird). The person said that angels and demons are not supernatural. The word "supernatural" implies something that is "above and beyond" creation, but angels and demons are created beings. In other words, the only being who is truly "supernatural" is God Himself!

Angels and demons are natural, created beings, completely spiritual in nature (with no physical bodies, although they can sometimes appear physically). Humans are created both physical and spiritual in nature; but just because we have a spirit doesn't make us supernatural either. We were created, and so were the angels and demons that war for our souls. Only God is truly supernatural.

Why is this important? Because it puts things into right perspective! To quote the words of one of my favorite songs, "In Christ Alone," "No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand!" HE IS SUPER-NATURAL! My God is ABOVE nature! He is ABOVE all created things!

As children of a supernatural God, we need not fear ANYTHING natural--He created it all and can intervene at any moment! His power and love are above and beyond EVERYTHING that has been made!

Romans 8:38-39--For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (NIV).

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ABOVE ALL

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

© 1999 Integrity's Hosanna! Music/LenSongs Publishing

When we read about Jesus in the Gospels or about His apostles in the book of Acts, we find several places where they were involved in casting out demons. We even find places that say "many demons" were cast out! In fact, some people had multiple demons opressing them. And Jesus told His disciples (which includes you and me) that we have authority over all the power of the enemy. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Jesus Christ, we can heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons.

Such activities were so common in Bible days, but these days it seems like we pretend demons are nothing but figments of an uneducated person's imagination. And yet, all over the world we see dramatic evidence of their existance.

I'm reminded of the many cases in Africa and South America where people are inhabited by spirits that make them behave like animals--eating grass, crawling on all fours, slithering like a snake, clawing at people, and making bizarre noises. When the spirit is cast out in Jesus' name, these people come to their senses and testify to the power of God.

This isn't the only way demons work in other countries, but it is very common. And yet we rarely see such things in America. Demons try to be more clever here. Instead of dramatically demonstrating their influence over a person, they do so sneakily and subtly. And here's how:

In Genesis, we are told that God formed man from the dust of the ground (body), breathed into him the breath (Hebrew: "spirit") of life, and man became a living soul. Body, spirit, soul. From this description, we learn that the soul is the product of the body and spirit coming together. As a result, our soul (which consists of our mind, will, and emotions) can be directly affected by the condition of our body or spirit at any given moment.

In a healthy Christian, our spirit is fully alive in Christ and supercedes the condition of our body so that our soul obeys our spirit. But if our spirit is not alert and drifts off to sleep, our body takes over and our souls become slaves to our impulses and physical condition.

Now, if our soul is the result of our body and spirit coming together, what do you suppose happens when an evil spirit comes into the mix? Well, for one thing, we get confused on a spiritual level. For another thing our soul gets affected, causing us to have tainted emotions, evil thoughts, and unwise choices. Furthermore, our body can be effected. Just as our human body is given life by our human spirit, it can also be adversely affected by an evil spirit.

Demonic activity is no less common today than it was 2000 years ago in the Bible. If anything, it is more prevalent because the end is approaching and Satan knows his time is short. In America, demons produce mental disorders, clinical depression, strife, envy, and other things that seem like they're just natural parts of who we are. We try to physically suppress their effect on the soul by taking pills and changing our diet, but we often end up in worse shape than we were in before.

In the past three weeks I've had the opportunity to see four people instantly set free from clinical depression as I took gentle authority over the evil spirit, cast it out, and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill that void in the person's life. In fact, I too went through a few hours of unexplainable depression on Sunday until my girlfriend Robin took authority in Jesus' name and cast the evil spirit away (this may have been one of the spirits that was cast out of the others, which should remind us that we need to stay clothed in the armor of God).

My encouragement to all of you is not that you would go out looking for depressed people and casting out demons. Jesus said we need to be careful about that because if the person does not also get their life filled up with God and repent, the evil spirit will vome back with seven more demons worse than himself. I've seen this happen in the past too, so I'm very careful about this.

Another word of caution is that we need not tell the person, "You have a demon." This could be just the thing that demon needs to make the person leave or put up walls. Instead, offer to pray for them and then take authority during your prayer. Tell the spirit to leave in Jesus' name and invite the Holy Spirit to bring healing and transformation to the person. By the way, "taking authority" does not mean yelling, or being angry, or jumping, or doing anything else dramatic. In a confrontation, the person with the most authority is often the one who is most calm. Tell the spirit to leave and not come back. Speak on behalf of Jesus Christ, and make that point known. It's that simple. No hype, just authority.

So if you know someone who is struggling with an evil spirit in any way, I tell you on behalf of Jesus Christ that you have been given the authority in Him to cast out demons. But also seek the overflowing power of the Holy Spirit, and put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6) so that you may remain protected and not vulnerable (otherwise you might wind up affected by the same demon like I was in the story earlier).

God bless!

JESUS IS ALIVE! Not only that, but Jesus IS resurrection personified:

John 11:25-27--Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world" (NIV).

After saying these words, Jesus went to Lazarus and raised him from the dead!

Those of you who follow this blog are probably aware by now that I like to spread around stories about the dead being raised to life in Jesus' name. As of 2005, there were documented cases in 52 different nations of the dead being raised to life by Christians. In some of these countries, there are hundreds of cases--for instance, Mozambique, Africa, where Rolland and Heidi Baker minister the love of Christ to thousands of children each year. Heidi has been known to hold dead babies and children in her arms, sobbing over them and praying until God gives them back their life.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life! Jesus didn't just die; He rose to life! And that means He is physically seated at the right hand of our Father in Heaven right now! Furthermore, through the Holy Spirit, we have access to that same resurrection power both for ourselves and for others.

Romans 8:11--And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Matthew 10:8--Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

My challenge to you this Easter Sunday is that you would seek the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit on a personal level; and do not be afraid to demonstrate His power and love on a practical level! Jesus is the resurrection and the life; and it's about time people in America and abroad start truly realizing it!

As my regular readers are probably aware, we recently started the Wildfire School of Supernatural Ministry here in Canton, MI. I just wanted to share a couple testimonies about what God is doing through this ministry and how you might soon be able to participate!

First of all, we had 20 people at last night's meeting, which was exciting to say the least. There's always that human side of us that likes to look at numbers, but I personally gauge a meeting's success on quality and effectiveness rather than attendance...but that doesn't change how cool it was to have such a big group!

I shared for about a half-hour on "Hearing God's Voice" and the many ways in which He communicates with us. We also talked about the importance of weighing each "word" and the value of confirmation.

Then we spent the next hour or so practicing what we had learned. We split into three smaller groups and shared with each other the things we felt the Lord might be saying. Sure enough, God showed up! By the end of our "practice" time, every single person had heard from God for someone else and also through someone else.

Not only that, but our host's son came home from work in the middle of our small group time and we invited him to join our group. Long story short, he gave his life back to Christ and agreed to come to our men's group on Wednesday!

Well, when we had finally wrapped up our interaction, we gathered back together as a large group to pray and worship God for specific things He did that night. Through this prayer time, we got to hear some of the testimonies of how God confirmed things, healed hearts, broke generational curses, cast out demons, and more--all within that simple hour of listening for His voice!

One last little testimony is that we asked the Lord if there was a specific place to which we should go out to eat. Three people felt they sensed the Lord saying "Denny's," but one young lady said she immediately thought of the local Arabic restaurant named "La Shish." Through further group-wide discernment, we agreed to drive to the parking lot of La Shish to pray and then progress to Denny's to have dinner. And guess what? When we arrived at La Shish, they were completely shut down--permanently! So it was confirmed that we weren't supposed to eat there! Anyhow, we used the opportunity to dedicate the land and building to the Kingdom of God and asked the Lord to use it for His glory. As simple as this little story sounds, I really do believe the Lord had us there for a reason!

Now, I also promised earlier that I would share how you might soon be able to participate (no matter where you live!). First of all, we have just recently started teaming up with a state-wide ministry called "Transformation Michigan." Through this group, we've also started partnering with the Supernatural Training Center, which will be launching this summer in Grand Rapids, MI. As for the Wildfire School, a training manual and leader's guide are currently being developed so that people connected with Transformation Michigan, the Supernatural Training Center, and other ministries can start developing "satellite schools" all over America and even the world! In this way, the school itself, and ultimately the Kingdom of God, will be able to spread like "wildfire" (hence the name!).

And here's how you can participate right now: If you have any ideas for what types of matrial should be in the training manual or leader's guide, or if you feel the Lord might be speaking to you about anything we're developing here, please e-mail me at Art@WildfireChristian.com.

Thanks a million, and God bless!

Pam Walker has been used by God to raise the dead more than once. In this new video she shares one story about a little boy named Isaiah and the events surrounding his miraculous resurrection. Also, I'll share a couple stories about raising animals to life and a spiritual encounter I had in which Jesus taught about the Christian's ability to be a "life-bringer who is full of life."

The video entitled "Raise the Dead" can be found through the video page at SupernaturalTruth.com.

Recently our small group has been talking about "vision" and God's desire to multiply His Kingdom in us and through us. As I mentioned a couple days ago, the result has been the planting of a new men's group and ladies' group.

Well today I want to tell you about a new opportunity. I know I have some readers as far aways as Colorado and even Australia, but for now this announcement will only benefit the ones here in southeast Michigan.

The vision God gave me was to develop a School of Ministry that is free for all participants. And it's not supposed to be "just another program" that fills peoples' heads with knowledge but never applies it! Instead, this will be an opportunity to get out onto the streets with other Christians to demonstrate the supernatural power and love of God.

And so, over the last week--after much prayer, fasting, and counsel--the Wildfire School of Supernatural Ministry has been launched! We'll be meeting every 1st and 3rd Sunday afternoon to discover our spiritual gifts and take to the streets to minister to the lost!

So if you're interested in attending, please let me know.

For more information, please go to www.WildfireChristianity.com.

The Holy Spirit is certainly supernatural, but He is also very practical. The supernatural things He does are always for a purpose (although, admittedly, we don't always know what that purpose is at the time).

Furthermore, I think sometimes the Holy Spirit is so active in our lives that we don't give Him credit for the things He's doing. For instance, my small group recently doubled in size. I could call that a coincidence, or I could observe that people have been drawn to our group because of the Holy Spirit's presence!

And this week we planted two more small groups (a men's group on Wednesdays and a ladies' group on Saturdays). And the most exciting part to me is that I'm not the one leading these groups! Other people are catching vision from God and running with it!

Tonight we held our first men's group meeting, and four people were able to attend. I'm reminded of Zechariah 4:10 that says "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." (NLT). Certainly, we could sense the Lord rejoicing!

And here's where the practicality of it all comes back into play. People were moving in the power of the Holy Spirit and not even realizing it! That's how practical He is! My one friend started moving in the gift of a "word of wisdom" as the Holy Spirit supernaturally gave him the right words to speak to another man in the group. When I pointed it out, he said, "Wow, thanks--I was wondering if my words had any purpose." We all started to laugh because the rest of us knew how profound his advice actually was!

Then, as I mentioned something about the trials in our lives being used by God to perfect us, another man in our group had a vision and didn't even realize it! He said, "You know, as you were saying that, I started picturing a swordsmith hammering a sword into the perfect shape so that it's balanced just right and won't break in a battle."

I said, "You weren't just picturing that on your own--the Holy Spirit was giving you a vision! I'm glad you shared that!" A surprised smile started to spread across his face as if to say, "God gave me a vision?? Wow!"

Sometimes we don't realize just how active the Holy Spirit is in our lives, and frankly, it robs glory from our Father in heaven! We need to start encouraging one another to see the Holy Spirit's activity in their lives so that we can all notice Him in our own lives! We should recognize Him in the practical things of life and not just in our events and Christian meetings. The Holy Spirit wants to be your everyday companion in all things. He's the Guide and the Comforter. He is our Advocate. He's the Living Water that should be overflowing from each of our lives! He empowers us, He leads us, He helps us, and He ministers through us!

So I want to challenge you in the coming days to look for the activity of the Holy Spirit in your everyday life. He's probably moving at this moment right under your nose!

The spiritual realm has a profound impact on the natural realm. Before the world was created, Genesis says that "the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the surface of the deep, and the earth at that time was "formless and void." But now the earth has been created, and it has form and activity. Why? Because instead of God being over the earth, He now exists "in and through all things."

Colossians 1:16,17--For by [Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (NIV, emphasis mine).

Even our "smartest" scientists still marvel at the fact that atoms don't explode! The nucleus of an atom consists of only positive and neutral particles, and the electrons orbiting it are negativly charged. Any kid who has ever played with magnets knows that the "like poles" repel each other. Scientists merely credit this to some "mysterious force" which they have labeled "the strong force" as if they understood what they were talking about:

Remember, the nucleus contains neutrons and protons. The neutrons are electrically neutral, and so the electric force won't hold them in. Furthermore,the protons are all positively charged, and so they all repel each other. So if the electric force was the only force involved, you couldn't create a nucleus. You could try to push all those protons and neutrons together, but as soon as you let go, the protons would all shoot away from each other, and the neutrons would drift apart as well. There has to be some other force that holds protons and neutrons together.

Of course, since the electric force is constantly trying to drive the protons apart, the force that holds them all in must be stronger than the electric force. And keep in mind, the electric force gets stronger as charged particles get closer together, and the protons in a nucleus are very close together. As a result, the force that holds protons and neutrons together must be very strong. Well, in a brilliant stroke of imagination, physicists have named this force "the strong force."

The strong force is a force which attracts protons to protons, neutrons to neutrons, and protons and neutrons to each other. (Source: What Holds an Atom Together?)

Physicists have given their observation a name, but we know it is the result of a Person: Jesus Christ, in whom all things hold together! He IS the "Strong Force!" And as the article says, clearly this "strong force" must be more powerful than the electric force!

Pastor Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Redding California wrote in his book When Heaven Invades Earth that the reality in the spiritual realm is superior to the reality of the natural realm. That doesn't mean that the natural realm is "not real" any more than the "strong force" makes electricity "not real." It simply means that it is a superior reality that is more powerful. Bill Johnson writes in Chapter 4:

Real faith is not living in denial of the natural realm. If the doctor says you have a tumor, it's silly to pretend that it's not there. That's not faith. However, faith is founded on a reality that is superior to that tumor. I can acknowledge the existence of a tumor and still have faith in the provision of His stripes for my healing...I was provisionally healed 2000 years ago. It is the product of the kingdom of heaven--a superior reality. There are no tumors in heaven, and faith brings that reality into this one.

That's why Jesus taught us to pray: "...Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven." The will of God is a superior force to the will of the enemy. "...The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Our God defys even the laws of nature--the laws which He created, by the way--to demonstrate His power. This is the source of all true miracles.

It's time that we allow God to expand our faith. We need to be able to admit the reality of that which exists in the natural realm, but we must also, by faith, be ambassadors of Christ who draw on the superior reality of the Kingdom of Heaven, which exists in the spiritual realm.

Let Jesus Christ bring you into such profound relationship with your Father in Heaven that you can trust Him in any circumstance. But it's not just about your faith. Jesus said the tiniest bit of faith is enough to move a mountain, and yet there is even a force superior to your faith: "...faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor 13:3). And it's not even about your ability to love: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins"(1 John 4:10, NIV).

God's love for you is greater than you could ever imagine, and He loves to give good gifts to His children. If you have a "love" relationship with your Father in Heaven, then ANYTHING is possible! His reality is superior to ours!

Get set free by Jesus Christ. Get to know God. Get filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. And you will begin to encounter the superior reality of the Kingdom of Heaven.!

I was just reading Lou Engle's Blog (from "The Call" and Jhop), and I came across something that stirred my spirit:

I believe history books may well record that 2008 was a year of the great prayer reformation in America. We look back a hundred and fifty years, and 1857 is recorded as the year of the great prayer meeting revival. A million souls were converted, and four years later, the civil war began. The great harvest was swept in, preparing for 600,000 men to die on the battlefields of the civil war because of the shedding of innocent blood of the slaves. It was America’s day of reckoning. I believe that we could be headed into times like these again because of the shedding of innocent blood of 50 million babies. We are in a crisis. America is desperate for revival and righteous leaders to be raised up who will overthrow the covenant of death of Roe v. Wade.

I personally know several ministers who have shared with me in the past few weeks (at separate times) that the Lord has called them to a fast. For some, it's 21 days. For others it's 40 days. For some, it's "fruits and vegetables only." For others it's "water only." Come to find out, none of these people had heard about the article from J. Lee Grady that I posted on January 8.

And what's more, many of these men and women are calling their congregations, small groups, and ministry followings to join the fast that the Lord has proclaimed.

When so many people are hearing the same thing from God--even on a national level--it can only be attributed to God. Lou Engle also shared in that blog post about a pastor in Florida he met who has been called by God to a 21-day fast. God is doing something awesome here! People all accross America are fasting and praying right now for genuine revival!

But most exciting to me is that I can already see the spiritual climate of America shifting. I can feel it even now as I write. In my home church, every Sunday in 2008 has been marked with a more and more glorious demonstration of the fear of the Lord and the power of God. The same has been happening in my small group (as I've mentioned in previous posts). Our little group that took a year and a half to grow to 15 people suddenly doubled over the past two weeks! Tomorrow night we're going to discuss what we see God doing with our group and how to accommodate the sudden growth from the Holy Spirit. In short, I believe we're going to have the opportunity to multiply the Kingdom by starting more small groups in the area that will also grow and multiply.

There is a movement stirring up in America, and God Himself is doing it!

One of my side jobs is to entertain at children's birthday parties as "Mr. Art." Anyhow, this Saturday I was invited to perform at an Indian Restaurant. As soon as I set foot in that building, I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, "Pray for these people--I'm doing something here." So I did. But the story doesn't end there.

Yesterday at church--about an hour away from that restaurant--I was talking to my friend Sara who leads the music with me. She told me all about her recent day of "following the Spirit" in which she an a friend just drove around to wherever they felt the Holy Spirit was leading them. By the way, they had some awesome adventures interacting with people of different faiths and were invited to come back and speak to the dean of a Muslim school, the Rabbi at an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue, and to a Seik temple raising event--so pray that God continues moving in those areas.

But one of the things they did was go to some Indian restaurant, sit down at a booth, and pray for the people.

When she told me this, I was amazed and said, "That's so weird--God had me praying for an Indian Restaurant on Haggerty Rd. near Ford Rd. in Canton.

"No Way!" she replied. Turns out, it was the exact same restaurant!

I'm not sure what God's doing there, but I want to ask all of you to pray for those people as well. Who knows what sort of awesome miracles God might choose to perform! Who knows how many people might come to Christ!

One of the signs that God reveals through His people is the raising of the dead, and it's happening all over the world right now. Surprised?

I just watched a video of Pastor Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in Redding California; and in it, he said something that gripped me: "Why did Jesus raise the dead? Because not everyone who dies dies in God’s timing….It’s time we adjust our theology to be consistent with the person of Jesus Christ. He messed up every funeral He attended, including His own."

Why do we in the church just explain death away? "Oh, it must have been God's will." Instead, we should be pursuing God for radical demonstrations of power in the earth! I'm sure there are a million reasons why God sometimes doesn't raise the dead even after prayer, but that should not deter us. God is a person and He is sovereign, but He invites us to reason with Him. In the Scriptures, we see Moses reasoning with God and convincing Him to relent from the judgment of death He had decreed:

Exodus 32:9-14--"I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "O LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.' " Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened (NIV, emphasis added).

This is the kind of reasoning I'm talking about. My time spent in that atheist forum was eye-opening. I saw people crying out for a sign and no sign was given them. No matter how many testimonies I shared, it wasn't enough. No matter how much credible evidence I offered, they found a loophole to shoot it down. What these atheists need is not evidence, but rather first-hand experience! We, the Church, need to be demonstrating the power of God--not just in our churches, but in the market place! Why? Because the atheists won't come to your church!

Christians all over the world are demonstrating the power of God no matter where they go. It's happening in America too, but far less frequently. Whether you (like me) are a person who looks for opportunities to demonstrate God's power or you fit the status quo of mediocre Christianity, we need to collectively repent as a nation for our overall apathy toward the Great Commission that Jesus gave us.

Let's go into all the world! Let's heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons! Let's prophesy, work miracles, and free the oppressed in the name of Jesus! And let's do the more practical things too--feed the hungry, care for the widows and orphans, give to the poor, and care for the stranger! And let's do all of it in the name of Jesus!

This world needs to see a movement of Christians who are demonstrating the love and power of God--not just some isolated instances and anecdotal evidence. Let's BE the Body of Christ and truly reveal Him in America!

Well, I spent all day participating in the discussion that ensued from my post on the atheism forum (mentioned in my last post), and a lot of great support for Christianity was shared. Nevertheless, it's impossible to convert people with words alone--even Jesus knew enough to put action to His words.

And that brings me to the last post I made on this forum. It was made in response to one of the people who finally seemed to accept my argument but still refused to embrace my convictions. Anyhow, I want to share it here becuase it is further proof that we as Christians need to be active in the world. I want to encourage you to step out in faith. Don't just share your faith in words--take a risk and see if the Holy Spirit will work through you supernaturally!

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One last post...

"J" said: "A real, true, believing Christian, as we know, can heal the sick. It's one of the signs of such a person. Yet there are hospitals and clinics and homes around the world full of sick people."

You're right. Point taken. But this only proves the low activity of Christians, not the lack of our existence or of God's.

"J" said: "Where are all these Christians you seem to think are all over the place? How are they spending their spare time? Why not just donate an hour and so, and clean out the local oncology ward of their local hospital?"

You're right again. In countries like China, these Christians are constantly spending as much time as possible spreading the gospel and working miracles (including while they're in prison). In America, sadly, this is less common--partly because the Christians at large are lazy and partly because of the overall lack of faith.

In Mark chapter 6, Jesus found Himself in a location full of people with very little faith. It states, "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith." Therefore, the operation of miracles is not 100% dependent on the Christian but also on the potential recipient. I'll take responsibility for my own occasional inaction, but I can't be accountable for the lack of faith in others.

"J" said: "Are you a "real Christian?" You seem to make that claim. Then what are you doing fiddling away your time here, when you have a gift that could spare others misery, pain, and sorrow? Why aren't you out healing the sick, instead of proselytizing?"

Point taken. I hope this doesn't sound cheesy and fake, but you've inspired me to "get back out there" and continue doing the things I've been sharing in this forum. Nevertheless, I don't consider this a waste of time--your eternal destiny is a lot more important than somebody's earthly comfort. Sorry if that sounds heartless--I just want you to know that you and the others in this forum are not a waste of time.

"J" said: "Does your God actually credit you more with preaching, rather than actually helping people? That, to me, is hardly an admirable attribute. Either in you, or your God."

Actually, in God's sight, preaching is helping people. What could be more helpful than trying to show a handful of people a life-saving truth? If we were in a plane together that was in an unrecoverable tailspin, and I knew about a stash of parachutes, it would be heartless and wrong of me to wander the cabin healing stomach aches instead of helping you all into parachutes. Is it better for us all to die comfortably or to escape destruction and then deal with improving the quality of life? It makes more sense to deal with the eternal issue first so that we're secure no matter what happens.

Furthermore, the purpose of preaching is not to spin my wheels but to plant seeds in your hearts that you might remember one day when it matters. And those seeds are meant to multiply (according to the Bible) so that there are even more people out there healing the sick and so forth. I can't do it on my own, but a whole group of us certainly could! I invite you all to explore real Christianity a little deeper because I'm convinced that you all have a purpose and a destiny for which you were created.

Again, thanks, everyone, for a lively debate. I hope to meet you in heaven one day!
--Art--

The Atheism Debate

I just spent quite a bit of time reading through a long online discussion on atheism vs. Christianity and made my own lengthy contribution to the debate. I believe the stance I took is good for all of you to read, so I've included a good chunk of it here.

I want to encourage debate on this site as well, so feel free to comment!
--Art--

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MY RESONSE TO THE DISCUSSION ON ATHEISM VS. CHRISTIANITY:
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Hi everyone,

I just spent about the last hour or so pouring over the original article and most of the discussion that followed, and I found it all really intriguing.

The original article was well thought-out and intellectual. The author really put a lot of work into developing his argument, and I’ve got to give him credit for that. But unfortunately, it appears to me that he made the very same mistake that he accuses Christians of making: choosing a belief and then disregarding all evidence to the contrary.

Personally, I’m not a historian or theologian, but I still base my own faith on facts that have been proven over and over again. And what history exists, I am willing to accept as reliable even if there are some questionable aspects among the accounts.

There are also differing accounts of things that happened as recently as the Revolutionary War, but we still agree that it happened and that the colonists won! Why? Because of what exists in the present. No one will ever be able to settle a 100% accurate account of the whole war, but we can still observe the present-day effects of it.

Christianity is the same way. We could argue the events and chronology of 2000 years ago until we’re all blue in the face, but none of us will win because none of us can prove something so distant. Truth be told, I’ve read a whole lot of books that intellectually, historically, scientifically, and anthropologically prove the case for the Bible’s historicity and authenticity; so this isn’t a cop-out. I know the evidence exists even if I can’t personally do it justice. I just prefer to look at the present-day evidence to prove the reality of God and His Holy Spirit.

For one thing, there’s the ratio of new Christian converts to present-day martyrs. It is estimated that some 25,000 Christians are murdered every month worldwide for refusing to deny their faith. It is also estimated by many reliable sources that in the country of China alone, 25,000 people come to faith in Jesus Christ EVERY DAY! The worldwide statistics are actually 25,000 every 4 hours!

All over the world (I believe in 52 different nations) Christianity is either illegal or heavily persecuted. Christians face severe torture, family disownment, hate crimes, imprisonment, confiscation/vandalism/destruction of property, and even death; and yet more and more people continue to become present-day followers of Christ. And these are the countries where Christianity is spreading the most and bonified miracles are happening most frequently.

People in these nations know the risks associated with being Christians, and y