With all of the recent upheaval in the charismatic church, I’ve been carefully thinking of what I would say to you. After all, for the last few years I have been cautioning you about people who are overly focused on revival, prophetic words and implicating nonbelievers in the miraculous.
This site is anonymous and for that reason, I have not identified anyone by name. I don’t have any reason to make this personal. I’m saddened to see how the gifts of God are being misrepresented and used to exploit believers. In reviewing my Hot New Posts, I am happy with the things I’ve written to the body of Christ who come across this site.
I’ve spoken to people who are devoted to the charismatic church and they always talk about the shaking. A time of shaking will come where the people who are not grounded or abiding in the vine will not be able to hold on. True! Shaking has to happen. I don’t see it as a one time thing. Periodically, all things that are being done in the name of God have to go through conflict and see how they fare. I could even say that this is true for any system.
Let me also say, I don’t like the tone that society has taken of this snide, NPR podcast voice that presents findings as conspiracy theory. As Christians we are called to be better. But it’s happening to mirror the influencers who are critiquing politics and government. I thought the point of us being set apart was to be different than what we see going on out there? There are better ways to do things, although this proved to be effective.
I have nothing new to add to the expose. But I’m going to say what no one else has the courage to say.
Stop doing ministry for profit or for platforms.
The heart of what you’re doing is corrupted by the enemy, who is pressing you to get more and call it prosperity. It has long been my problem that people think that ministry is a viable vocation for people who “can’t work”. If you can’t work in society, you can keep your dysfunction out of the church. The gifts of God are not for sale.
Someone will say, but if I was full-time, I would be able to do so much more for Christ. The temptation you would face every day would be either that nothing you do is ever enough, or you know you aren’t doing enough and you’re trying to avoid it. Why can’t you work AND be in ministry? If you do this right, there will be sacrifice of your finances (because you have to cut back on work to do ministry) or ministry (because you can’t afford to support your dependents if you do too much church). There will be sacrifice. That keeps it humble. That keeps it humble. If you want to go full-time, then don’t be sporting fancy cars and watches. Live humbly and take only what you need.
This is the essence of what I believe. I do believe in missions. I believe in supporting outreach at a global and local level. I pray about how I want to go about this. But for the same reason why there’s a bunch of exposes and apologies, I don’t pay people to do God’s work. I won’t do it. I won’t accept ministry from people who do not study the Word of God, who have not pursued training in this area, or who have not tried a variety of ministry opportunities. I will not support people who post things or do things for likes, shares or subscribers.
Platforms are going to people’s heads. Social media and having access to better content creation tools… this isn’t scripture but for goodness sake, the day you believe your own press, you’re done. There is no room for pride when it comes to God’s work. You should keep your hands deep enough in this work to avoid the temptation of admiring yourself! I believe in healthy self-esteem and self-care. I believe in celebrating your achievements. I don’t think you should spend too much time in it for the fact that pride puffs up and goes before a fall.
Would you do the work of God if no one was ever going to find out about it? Would you pray for people to be healed even if you could never share that story with anyone? Could you have church without a projector, without wifi, without instruments? This is the difference between you and me- I know who I am and my identity in Christ was not constructed on trauma and weakness, it was cultivated by standing on a rock that was greater than my experiences and emotions. That rock was Jesus. And since I love Him, I only do what He says, the way He only did what His Father told Him to do.
Social media can certainly be a tool that helps to take the gospel to the world. Sometimes people don’t pursue platform and yet find themselves in ministries that grow and many attend to be part of that flock. I’m not afraid of these things, but I’m sad when I see the overall quality of what we as humans produce because we want to be liked, or popular or rich. How we use these tools in light of the the posture of our hearts will be something I believe God will ask us about one day.
When you work and earn pay, you put yourself on the same level as the people you are ministering to. You will relate to each other better, and you will have deeper appreciation for the time spent together. You won’t have six hours of service since you’re off tomorrow, you will be acutely aware of the mothers who have to wake at 4 a.m. to make breakfast and lunch for their families. No one will be able to accuse you of doing the work of God for financial gain. No one will be able to pay you for prayer. More money will go towards to church community and outreach. The enemy will not be able to use your gifts against you. You will be free to allow God to use you. And isn’t that the goal?
I can’t speak for anyone else but myself. I am so amazed by the way God has used me in my every day, regular, little life. If each person can focus on what it within their realm, we will be far more effective in marketplace ministry. I don’t feel the need to share it all, but if you know me, I share those testimonies to edify the body of Christ when it is in need.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.