MINISTERS MATTER

THE BOOK IS CALLED 'UNFASHIONABLE' - Part 2

Enjoy this conversation between Ed Stetzer and author Tullian Tchividjian.

ES: There's a lot of things in the book from the atonement to greed to loss of truth. The book covers some strong ground and kind of calling people back to an unapologetic, unfashionable view of life, church and ministry.

TT: Yeah, yeah. Yes, that is. This book was penned with tremendous passion. I say in the book that if I did not write it, I was going to explode because it was brewing, it had been brewing in me for about 15 years. And it really is my clarion call. I'm 36 years old. I'm a South Florida native. I am on the front lines of practical ministry as Pastor at Coral Ridge. And so this is my clarion call to young evangelicals to embrace the fact that we are odd, that we're never going to fit in. But the irony and the thing that I think we need to embrace, the paradox here, is that when you study church history, what you discover is that the church has always served the world best when it has been most counter cultural, when it has been most different from the world. I'm not talking about curling up in our holy huddles and sucking our thumbs and waiting for the rapture to come. I am talking about full blown cultural engagement. But it's the way we engage culture that I'm really, really addressing.

The book assumes the fact that we are to engage this world. In fact, I have a few chapters that talk about the absolute call from God to his people to engage this world to transform this world into the world to come because God is on a mission to do just that. But I'm talking more in the book about how do we do it? Do we do it by being the same, or do we do it by being different? And if we do it by being different, what does that really look like practically speaking? And so that's what the book seeks.

ES: The book has gotten widespread acclaim. You got a great list of endorsers. But at the same time, but people are still missing the point. There's the one side that says we've just got to engage culture, we've got to use every tool, we've got to be relevant and cutting edge, and they have all the cliché. Then you've got this other side that says unhelpful things like contextualization will be an anathema to the Apostles, we don't need to worry about those things. So you're trying to come in and bring a third way, and saying, we do need to be engaging, even relevant to culture, but we deeply oppose the culture where culture opposes the word and its teachings.

TT: Yeah. I identify in one of the chapters entitled Where in the World Are Christians, I talk about the fact that there are always two ways to fall off a tightrope. There are always two extremes we need to avoid in any given situation, and that is true when it comes to Christianity and culture of the church and the world. And the one extreme we need to avoid is to avoid being culturally removed, totally disengaged from the world. The other extreme we need to avoid is to avoid being culturally relaxed, so absorbed with the culture that we're really no different.

So there's a big section in the book on contextualization, and I wholeheartedly agree that contextualization is not only necessary, but is absolutely unavoidable. I mean we all live our lives within a particular context. I give some examples of, some simple examples even, of when I am trying to teach my three kids something about God, I'm going to teach my seven-year-old a little bit different. I'm going to use words and pictures and tone of voice and things like that that are different with her than I would with my 15-year-old. And I'm going to talk to my 15-year-old about those things in a different way than I'm going to talk to a 55-year-old. I mean every English translation of the bible is an effort to contextualize biblical truth translated from the original languages into a language that English-speaking people like me can understand. And so we have to be contextualizing. And so I make sure that the reader understands we're talking about full-blown engagement. I mean in fact, I've taken more hits actually as a result of writing this book because I talk so much about transforming culture.

There's a big debate going on these days regarding whether or not we should be engaging culture or whether or not we should just be the church. And I don't think that the bible allows us to build a dichotomy there. How do we transform this world? We transform this world by being the church. So it's not an either or. It's definitely a both and. It's making a difference by being different. It's making a difference in our community by being a different community.

ES: So it's a challenge to find that balance. What would you say to these young pastors who right now are really pursuing relevance? Would you tell them to stop? Would you tell them to add something to it? Would you tell them to reconsider? What would you say to them?

TT: I would say that to be truly relevant you have to say things that are timeless, not trendy. That's what I would say. I address this in the book, that in order to be truly relevant you have to be otherworldly. You have to operate according to a different ethic, that there is a deep relevance to being irrelevant, so to speak.

When we try too hard to fit in we actually become irrelevant because we're not saying anything different. I mean it's almost like we lose our voice. We lose our unique niche, the church does, when we're trying too hard to fit in. We become indistinguishable from a world that desperately wants something different.

If you just look around at the world today, and you read a quote which piggybacks on what I'm about to say, but if you look around at the world today, the world is desperately crying out for something otherworldly. I mean the fascination with sort of pop spirituality, angels, aliens, all those sorts of things indicate that there is a deep longing in the human soul that craves something beyond this world. Well, when Christians put their greatest tool up on the shelf in the name of being relevant, we end up becoming really, really irrelevant. And, I have to wonder sometimes about whether or not Christians and pastors who try so hard to fit in and be relevant are really doing it because they have a deep passion to reach the world or if they have a deep passion to be accepted. And I know that's a struggle that I find. I can try so hard to be fashionable and be cool and fit in and do it under the guise of I'm trying to reach the world, but I know what's going on in my heart. I know what's really going on. What's really going on is I just want the world to think I'm cool. I don't want people around me to think I'm odd and unfashionable and strange. I want them to think I'm like them. Like I can be cool, too. Christians can be cool, too.

ES: I've actually heard people say that, yeah. And that's a desire, I think, to communicate. I think for some people it's a desire to build a bridge, and I get that.

But I think ultimately it's, there always comes a point where there are things for which we stand, there's always the stumbling block of the cross, but even more so it's just there are places where we say, we differ. And if we don't have that then we lose the saltiness.

Ironically, we look at the, many mainline denominations chased after relevance in the 60's, and today nobody pays attention to them. In a great twist of historic irony, in a desire to engage the world they became like the world, and then the world didn't pay attention to them anymore.

TT: We're talking about timeless truth that has been relevant for generations and has been relevant throughout the centuries. And like I said before, I think if we want to be truly relevant we have to say things that are timeless and not trendy because if we spend our life as a church chasing the latest trend we'll always be behind the 8-ball. I'll never forget, and I mention this as an illustration in the book. I'll never forget the time that a Hollywood actor pulled my Granddad aside in the late 1950's when my Granddad was becoming a very, very famous preacher of the Gospel, and he said, "Billy, don't ever try to do Hollywood because Hollywood will always do it better than you. You give the world the one thing Hollywood can't, the timeless truth of the Gospel." That's relevant.

ES: Speak to the pastor who says, "We are unfashionable. We don't try to look like the world. We stand against that worldly music. We stand against worldly culture. We tell our people don't watch TV. We're separate." They're basically striving to be the new spiritual Amish, and they're doing it because they want to be unfashionable. What do you say to that person about culture?

TT: I would say that God is on a mission to make all things new, that God is on a mission to transform this present world into the world to come, that when Christ came the first time He inaugurated this process of universal transformation. When He comes back a second time, He will consummate or complete this process of universal transformation, making all things new, bring heaven to earth so to speak. But in between the times, in between Christ's first coming and His second coming, God has called His people, He's equipped His church to carry on what Christ began and will one day complete. And so, what I tell people like that is God has transformed us to become agents of transformation. He has, He has renewed us so that we would become agents of renewal. There is a reason why Jesus calls His disciples salt and light. We know that salt and light only make a difference when it makes contact. Salt can only preserve something that's rotting when it makes contact with what it is that it's rotting. You know, light can only shine in the darkness if it makes contact with the darkness.

Another line that I use in the book, which has really helped me over the years, is we need to "contextualize without compromise." We need to make contact with the world while colliding with the ways of the world. And so to the people who say well we are just going to set up big thick walls to protect us from those nasty pagans on the outside, and we're going to sing our songs and do our deal and just hope and pray every day that the rapture comes and rescues us from this nasty place, well they are just categorically failing to understand the overarching message of the bible, which is that God is on a mission to make all things news, and He's called His people and equipped His people to be his agents of renewal in between the times.

ES: Excellent. Thank you so much, Tullian, for taking the time to talk. This is a very helpful book. I'd recommend it to people to read. I've given it to many both contemporary church pastors and many maybe those who are not engaging culture. And I find it to be a good balanced look at these things.
If you don't have it, pick up Unfashionable today. It an excellent book on an issue that's hot right now (and always "relevant"). And check out the solid discussion questions in the back of the book.

JACK HAYFORD - The Pentecostal Gold Standard

There are some people in ministry today we just shine at everything they do. Jack Hayford is one of those men. He has crossed all the denominational lines and befriended leaders from every different background.

Christianity Today has written an outstanding article on this godly man/minister. You will be inspired and encouraged as you read it in it's entirety.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/july/18.24.html

BREAKFAST WITH RYAN

My grandson, Ryan Sabourin turned 12 over the weekend and we gathered as a family to celebrate, as well as to lay hands on him and pronounce a blessing over his life. This is a biblical step in the life of every young boy and girl as they become young men and women.

We wanted Ryan to know our love, support and to speak words of blessing deep into his spirit man.

On Monday morning, we met him for breakfast and just enjoyed being with each other. An awesome young man and time well spent. Grandchildren - priceless.

THE CHRISTIANS OF CANADA

I wrote a piece years ago called 'Canada's Spiritual Heritage', and in light of the problems our nation is facing, it might be good to review some of the spiritual needs our country has at the moment.

Please drop in and read this series of blogs that remind us of our past and how important the gospel of Jesus Christ was to the founders of our nation.

THE FLAG OF MANITOBA
Proclaimed May 11, 1965

Manitoba is called the Gateway to the West and it was through this gateway that Christian missionaries entered Western Canada sharing the gospel in Word and deed among our native peoples.

Methodist missionary James Evans developed a written language for the Cree Indians so they could read the gospel, as they learned.

Former PM, Pierre Trudeau, acknowledged the impact of Canada’s Christian foundations by stating, "The golden thread of faith is woven throughout the history of Canada, from its beginning up to the present time. Faith was more important than commerce in the minds of the many European explorers and settlers. Canadians owe a debt to the faith of our fathers and to the spiritual heritage which finds expression in countless ways in our daily lives."

Christians began our great churches, bible schools, universities, hospitals, downtown missions, charities and Christ-centered outreaches.

Canada is a nation with ever-increasing patriotism. Our National Anthem is still proudly sung in public gatherings, sporting events and in our schools.

It was originally written by poet and judge, Adolphe-Basile Routhier and set to music by Calixa Lavalee, as a French Canadian hymn in 1880.

It was first sung at a St. Jean Baptiste rally in Quebec City.

In 1908 the modified English version was adopted as our National Anthem. It was proclaimed by an act of Parliament July 1, 1980.

The two lines that instill a renewed vision in believers are;

God keep our land glorious and free,
O Canada we stand on guard for thee!

Our prayers must be directed to the God of Canada. He is the only One who can keep our land glorious and free.

We need to pray for our government leaders, for the decisions they make that affect all Canadians and for the pulpits of our land to have the courage to stand for what is biblically right.

Spiritual and moral change will come not from the House of Commons, but from the House of God.

Proverbs 14:34 states, "righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people".

We, the followers of Jesus Christ, must take responsibility for Canada future.

LOVERS OF JESUS SOUND LIKE JESUS

In this age of almost unlimited communication, those of us who love Jesus, need to remind ourselves of the importance of making His story known to those around us. It is the love story of all love stories.

Every single person in our circle of influence, and that includes our blogs, needs to hear how much God loves them and what He has done for them at the cross of His Son Jesus Christ.

I have always been touched by the reality that the nails didn't hold Jesus to the cross. There was a greater motivation going on within Him. It was His love for His Father's will to be done on earth as it was in heaven. It was His love for sinful humanity to be free, once and for all, from the penalty of sin, that held Him to the cross.

Jesus willingly took upon Himself the wrath of God's anger with sin and paid in full the death penalty that came as a consequence of sin.

Christianity has a core belief and it is the virgin birth of Jesus. Why is that important? Because, in order to pay the penalty of sin, the sacrifice must be sinless. And every sacrifice was final. It ended in death.

The Old Testament's revelation of sacrifices, priests and laws were simply shadows of what was to come. The eventual birth of Jesus was good news to all men everywhere. Why? The sinless, spotless, lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world had come.

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin called Mary. Now and for all time and eternity He would be known as the God/man. Jesus, fully God yet fully man. The only one in human history qualified as the sacrifical lamb.

He would die willingly on a cross and pay our penalty but He would not stay dead like the two thieves who died along side of Him. He would rise from the tomb proving that His sacrifice alone had been accepted by a holy God as full payment for sin.

No other human being since Adam was without sin, so they did not qualify. That alone should settle the religion question. Religion cannot save you and for sure religious leaders cannot save you from the penalty of sin or the wrath of God or the finality of the grave.

If you refuse to believe His story, and neglect so great a salvation, then you will die in your sins and stand before God as a guilty man/woman. You might have done wonderful things in life and been honoured by your fellow man but you would still be a sinner in need of a Saviour. 

When Jesus died, He died not for Himself, but for every human being who would ever live. He redeemed us to God by His blood. It is a gift God offers to you in the gospel. A gift that must be received by faith to be activated.

The bible is a love story that starts with intimacy, relationship and sweet friendship between God and Adam and Eve. They are given one of life's most precious gifts, free-will. They are not robots, but people who have the freedom to love Him and to choose right or wrong. God had already warned them about not eating the fruit of a certain tree or they would die.

Freedom is a wonderful thing that carries with it great responsibility.

I am glad that my wife Joyce and I, having just celebrated 39 years of marriage, are together because we love each other. We are free to walk away anytime for any reason. But love holds us to each other willingly. We want to be together.

Even though from Genesis, the first book of the bible, to the resurrection of Jesus at the end of the Gospels, life is filled with everything that is opposite to God's will yet because of love, He has not given up on His creation. He fulfills His promise of a Redeemer in the birth, life, death and resurrection of His sinless Son.

The penalty of sin has been paid through the blood of Jesus and God offers us forgiveness, pardon, and the freedom to be loved and to love Him now and forever.

His story is very simple. It is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself and not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message and ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19

What started out as a sweet relationship between God and His family, was interrupted by wanton sin for a season, but will again become a sweet relationship between Him and His family!

God loves you just the way you are, but loves you too much, to leave you the way you are.

Now that you understand His story, He calls you to the same place Adam and Eve were at as sinners - totally bankrupt in themselves. They had nothing to offer God that would pay the penalty of their sin and were totally dependent upon Him and His mercy.

God killed an animal and covered them in skins as a sign of what was to come. That animal took their place. It's death was what should have happened to them. Imagine the healthy fear that came over them and the resulting thanksgiving to God.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, was killed in your place. What happened to Him should have happened to you. He described Himself this way, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to God the Father except through Me."

Lovers of Jesus, really do sound like Jesus!

WHAT TO DO WHEN CHRISTIANS FAIL

As I was listening to my son Jason speak at church this morning, he mentioned that research shows most people in our communities do not remember the Christian leaders who have failed. People like Todd Bentley, that this blog has been talking about for the last few weeks, are not even on their radar.

What they do remember are the family, friends, classmates, neighbours, co-workers, those closest to them, who call themselves Christian but fail to live up to what a real Christian means.

It seems so much easier for us 'inside the camp' to become distracted by scandal and forget that we too must accept our failure in demonstrating true Christian values to our circles of influence beginning with the content and 'spirit' of our blogs.

The research is sobering in light of the fact that the USA is still considered a Christian nation while Canada is not. We are much closer to the European model of a secular state.

I have edited the following article. The full version can be found at:

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=280

Pastor Barry

A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity

As the nation’s culture changes in diverse ways, one of the most significant shifts is the declining reputation of Christianity, especially among young Americans. A new study by The Barna Group conducted among 16- to 29-year-olds shows that a new generation is more skeptical of and resistant to Christianity than were people of the same age just a decade ago.

Rising Reactions

The study shows that 16- to 29-year-olds exhibit a greater degree of criticism toward Christianity than did previous generations when they were at the same stage of life. In fact, in just a decade, many of the Barna measures of the Christian image have shifted substantially downward, fueled in part by a growing sense of disengagement and disillusionment among young people. For instance, a decade ago the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society. Currently, however, just 16% of non-Christians in their late teens and twenties said they have a "good impression" of Christianity.

One of the groups hit hardest by the criticism is evangelicals. Such believers have always been viewed with skepticism in the broader culture. However, those negative views are crystallizing and intensifying among young non-Christians. The new study shows that only 3% of 16 - to 29-year-old non-Christians express favorable views of evangelicals. This means that today’s young non-Christians are eight times less likely to experience positive associations toward evangelicals than were non-Christians of the Boomer generation (25%).

The research shows that many Christians are innately aware of this shift in people’s perceptions of Christianity: 91% of the nation’s evangelicals believe that "Americans are becoming more hostile and negative toward Christianity." Among senior pastors, half contend that "ministry is more difficult than ever before because people are increasingly hostile and negative toward Christianity."

The Set of Perceptions

Common negative perceptions include that present-day Christianity is judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashioned (78%), and too involved in politics (75%) - representing large proportions of young outsiders who attach these negative labels to Christians.

The most common favorable perceptions were that Christianity teaches the same basic ideas as other religions (82%), has good values and principles (76%), is friendly (71%), and is a faith they respect (55%).

Even among young Christians, many of the negative images generated significant traction. Half of young churchgoers said they perceive Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical, and too political. One-third said it was old-fashioned and out of touch with reality.

Interestingly, the study discovered a new image that has steadily grown in prominence over the last decade. Today, the most common perception is that present-day Christianity is "anti-homosexual." Overall, 91% of young non-Christians and 80% of young churchgoers say this phrase describes Christianity.

The ‘UnChristian’ Label

When young people were asked to identify their impressions of Christianity, one of the common themes was "Christianity is changed from what it used to be" and "Christianity in today’s society no longer looks like Jesus." These comments were the most frequent unprompted images that young people called to mind, mentioned by one-quarter of both young non-Christians (23%) and born again Christians (22%).

Changing Allegiances

One reason that Christianity’s image is changing is due to the shifting faith allegiances of Americans. Simply put, each new generation has a larger share of people who are not Christians (that is, atheists, agnostics, people associated with another faith, or those who have essentially no faith orientation). The new book refers to this group as "outsiders" because they are describing what Christianity looks like from an outsider’s perspective. Among adults over the age of 40, only about one-quarter qualify as outsiders, while among the 16 to 29 segment, two-fifths are outsiders. This represents a significant migration away from the dominant role that Christianity has had in America.

The Proportion of those "Outside"
Christianity is Growing with Each Generation

FAILURE CAN BE A FRIEND

Arless Glass has listed five reasons why ministers fail.

It is an important list in light of the fact that modern ministers, like modern people, hate to admit failure. Remember these failures?

1. Cain, thought his own works could save him.
2. Lot, thought he could have both the world and God.
3. Korah, become a law unto himself, and was unteachable.
4. King Saul, operated out of his place of calling, sought people to serve him, and forgot that we will only be real kings in heaven.
5. Judas, thought he could dictate his own way to God.

These and other reasons/attitudes like pride, entitlement, anointing, gifting, prominence, the accolades of others, can all lead to failure.

What are some of the lessons you've learned from your failures? Or, what are some of the lessons you are learning from failure?

Here is another list of people who failed in scripture. Their walk became wobbly. In looking at their names, we remember their failures. But do we remember the success they enjoyed after failure?

Do you remember the failures of just a few bible characters like Adam and Eve, Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Eli, Kings David, Saul, Solomon, Samson and most of the 12 sons and Kings of Israel?

When Abraham should have stayed in the land and trusted the Lord, he fled to Egypt because of the drought. And this was by no means the last of Abraham’s failures.

Moses, in trying to help his people, ran ahead of the Lord and killed the Egyptian. Later, against the command of God to speak, he struck the rock in his anger.

David should have been out in the field of battle, yet he stayed home and committed adultery with Bathsheba and then plotted the murder of her husband.

Peter, in spite of his self-confidence and his great boast, denied the Lord, as did the rest of the disciples who fled before the evening our Lord’s arrest was over.

When your life story is written, will others see only your failures or will they see the success your enjoyed after failure?

THE THOMAS EDISON STORY

Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light, the storage battery, talking movies, and more than 1000 other things.

December 1914 he had worked for 10 years on a storage battery. This had greatly strained his finances. This particular evening spontaneous combustion had broken out in the film room. Within minutes all the packing compounds, celluloid for records and film, and other flammable goods were in flames. Fire companies from eight surrounding towns arrived, but the heat was so intense and the water pressure so low that the attempt to douse the flames was futile. Everything was destroyed. Edison was 67.

With all his assets going up in a whoosh (although the damage exceeded two million dollars, the buildings were only insured for $238,000 because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof), would his spirit be broken?

The inventor’s 24-year old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He finally found him, calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind. “My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “He was 67—no longer a young man—and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, ‘Charles, where’s your mother?’ When I told him I didn’t know, he said, ‘Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.’”

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver the first phonograph.

There are important lessons in personal failure.

1. We learn to acknowledge failure and refuse to hide behind any excuses.
2. We learn to confess our sin to God when sin is involved in the failure.
3. We learn to examine what happened so we learn from the failure.
4. We eventually put it behind us and start anew by activating the truths found in 1 John 1:9; Phil. 3:13.

CHARACTER BEFORE GIFTING

I received a note today from C. Peter Wagner outlining his concerns with the Lakeland Outpouring. He is meeting with a group of twelve others that have identified 24 major concerns that need to be and will be addressed. This is exactly what is needed and what I had hoped.

Too often in 'revival circles' the emphasis is on gifting rather than character. A core value of scripture is ALWAYS 'character before gifting'.

What was noted in Todd's life was the absence of any kind of legitimate accountability. I believe staff, while concerned, are on the payroll, so that disqualifies them from being honestly objective. Having men step up who have a relationship with him and his family was a good first step which I applauded.

The picture is of Todd & Shonnah Bentley in happier times.

From the announcement today of Todd's separation from his wife, those who took the first step did so too late - not their fault, but a clear example of a minister thinking his private life wouldn't affect his public life.

The church, and society in general, are sick of all this immaturity, pride and hypocrisy.

Sadly, this story is being repeated too often in the western version of the church. North American Christianity is quickly losing or has lost it's moral authority to lead other nations in so called spirituality. Just look at the strength of the African Church leaders when confronted by same-sex ordination in the Anglican Church of America. They were clear, those who approve and practice such things in the Anglican communion are an abomination to God, His Word and have become apostates. Those who are leaving the Anglican church in protest are simply staying true to scripture and the call to a life of holiness purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Once we depart from scripture and live like the world, we are no longer representing the Jesus of scripture but as the apostle Paul says in Corinthians, we represent another Jesus, another gospel and another spirit.

The question for me, based on Galatians 6:1-4, is whether or not Todd and his wife will respond and submit to correction and marriage/ministry counsel with the goal of reconciliation and restoration/honouring of their marriage vows?

I live out of the truth that ministry is simply to be the overflow of our personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ and our spouse or family. If it is not right at home, it will never be right in ministry - no matter how anointed!

We are living in a day where lawlessness prevails in ministry and in particular amongst leadership. Where are the spiritual fathers/mothers/sons/daughters who understand biblical values and relational Christianity?

Bonhoffer stated that Christianity was first and last about Jesus Christ, our relationship to Him and that we live out our faith in the context of Christian community where we are really known.

I think it is time to call individualism in the Body of Christ one of our greatest failures and weaknesses. Scripture calls us together as a Body for the express purpose of knowing Him and making Him known. I wonder if we know Him, because we sure are making a mess out of making Him known.

CAN WE AVOID A CHARISMATIC CIVIL WAR?

Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma Magazine recently wrote an article entitled, "Can we avoid a charismatic civil war?" He quotes from Rick Joyner's book, The Final Quest describing the struggle facing the church when we are divided against one another.

I loved his heart cry that echoed the cry of Jesus' heart in John 17 that all of His children be one. We can be the answer to Jesus' prayer providing we have the character and compassion to walk like He did.

Some leaders say the controversial Lakeland Revival is forcing us to choose sides. But I don’t believe God wants to split our movement.

It’s been more than 10 years since charismatic prophet Rick Joyner predicted in his popular book The Final Quest that believers would experience a Civil War in the church. Joyner’s book, based on a series of visions he says God showed him, describes in graphic detail a turbulent conflict that redefines Christianity as we know it.

Other charismatic leaders have echoed this theme since Joyner’s book was published in 1996. They have predicted that our movement will be divided between “Blues” (those who constantly live in the supernatural realm of dreams, visions and miracles) and “Grays” (those who rely more on their intellect), and that the Blues will win and usher in true revival as champions of the Holy Spirit’s power.

Even in early 2008, before the Lakeland Revival erupted in Florida in April, some charismatic prophets were declaring that a great rift would divide those who believe in “the glory realm” and those who have a more conservative, left-brained approach to their faith. When God TV began its nightly broadcasts of evangelist Todd Bentley’s healing meetings in Lakeland, the Civil War prophecies reappeared overnight on hundreds of blogs and e-mail blasts.

“Jesus prayed that we would be one. There is no record of Him praying that we would split over doctrine.”

I’ll admit I was not paying too much attention to these Civil War predictions 10 years ago. But I was jolted into reality in May after I wrote an online column in which I raised honest questions about some of Bentley’s teachings and techniques. Even though I celebrated his passion and zeal, and praised God for the healings that were reported in Lakeland, I was immediately branded a revival critic and banished to the Gray camp.

I became the bad guy because, by asking questions, I was “relying on my intellect.” To those in the Blue camp, my skepticism made me an enemy of the Holy Spirit and all things supernatural—even though I believe that all the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today!

I tried to laugh this off at first. Surely, I imagined, my Christian brothers and sisters do not really think it is wrong for a Spirit-filled believer to test the spirits (which we are instructed to do in 1 John 4:1), discern truth (see 2 Pet. 3:17) or evaluate prophecies and angelic encounters (see 1 Cor. 14:29, Gal. 1:6-8).

But now I realize that some people really want a war. They want the charismatic movement to split right down the middle. They imply that all those who do not embrace 100 percent of the current movement in Lakeland are “old wineskins” that cannot be used by God in the coming revival.

I can’t even describe how much this hurts because I love people on both sides of this conflict. I love the Blues and the Grays, along with every other color in the body of Christ. I refuse to believe that God is trying to split us. Division is the devil’s work.

I want to plead with everyone in our movement to reconsider the whole Civil War scenario. Instead of rattling sabers and stockpiling gunpowder, maybe we need to take steps in the opposite direction:

1. Let’s accept one another.
The apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthians because they exalted certain gifts above others. He reminded them that every member of the body of Christ plays an important role, and that no individual part—whether eye, hand or foot—functions on its own. He rebuked this elitist attitude “so that there may be no division in the body” (1 Cor. 12:25, NASB).

Most of us already acknowledge the importance of supernatural gifts of healing, prophecy, tongues and other demonstrations of God’s power. But in our zeal to recover these gifts, let’s not isolate those whose primary functions may be mercy, giving to the poor, teaching or intercession. We should cherish every spiritual gift—not just the sensational or the exotic.

2. Let’s admonish one another.
Christians have not always been the best models of conflict resolution. When tension gets high we either avoid it (usually by saying nothing and hoping the problems go away) or we overreact (by childishly picking up our marbles and playing somewhere else). But the Bible tells us to work things out in eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation.

In the case of Lakeland, there are some doctrines and methods that have come under intense scrutiny. Heresy hunters are having a field day as they toss their grenades and label everything in Lakeland demonic. But because I embrace Todd Bentley as my brother in Christ, I must take a higher road even if I don’t agree with his prayer methods or his claims regarding angels. Anything I say, even if it is corrective, must be said in love (see Eph. 4:15).

Thankfully a group of leaders from various charismatic camps (both “Blues” and “Grays”!) are discussing the contentious issues surrounding Lakeland—and biblical confrontation is occurring. I trust this process will result in correction where it’s needed, apologies when necessary and more humility on all sides of the debate.

3. Let’s pray for one another (see James 5:16).
Jesus prayed that we would be one. There is no record of Him praying that we would split over doctrine. So why in the world would any of us hope for a Civil War?

Please pray for Bentley—and for the leaders who are speaking into his life during this season. And pray that the church will not only experience genuine spiritual revival but also true unity. Let’s work out our differences, support one another’s ministries and focus all our efforts on one common goal: To tell a lost world about the love of Jesus.

I say 'amen' to these three simple principles that will go a long way in growing rather than blowing the church up. Pastor Barry

12. GODLY CHARACTER

In the book, '15 Characteristics of Effective Pastors' Kevin Mannoia and Larry Walkemeyer make a strong argument that pastors are not only called but there are principles that will make them more effective.

I would like to highlight those 15 characteristics over the next series of blogs and ask us, as pastors, to review our own effectiveness, or as Jesus would describe it as our fruitfulness in ministry.

Effective pastors prioritize the development of their character above the success of their church. They demonstrate the life of the Spirit through the characteristics that mark their daily attitudes and actions.

Consistent, godly character, demonstrated through the fruit of the Spirit, is essential for effective pastoral ministry - priority must be on roots that produce healthy results.

Is character your number one priority?

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