Letters to the charismatic church
I used to be a charismatic, but then I had my breakthrough. This page is all about how and why.
It’s a collection of articles on this website that address various ways in which many charismatic Christians have strayed from what the Bible teaches about healing, prophecy, and other topics commonly taught and practiced in their circles. These are issues I observed and experienced during my time in charismatic churches (over a decade), and in various media since then.
I’ve written these out of love for my brothers and sisters in these churches, so they would discover what I did — that what the Bible actually says is quite different than what they’ve been taught. That’s how the Lord led me out of that movement, and why I started Living and Powerful.
If you read them, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you how to worship Him according to His will, and that “your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9).
They’re organized by topic — healing, miracles, prophecy, worship, faith, prosperity, spiritual warfare, Christian living, and charismatic influences — but I’ll start with my own testimony:
Biblical truths that led me out of the charismatic movement
Are you confused by preachers and churches that are always talking about healing, prophecies, God’s presence, signs and wonders? I was, and here’s how God led me out of that through His living and powerful word.
Healing
Christian, you don’t need more faith to be healed
Have you been praying for a healing only to be told you need more faith? Here’s a comprehensive Biblical case proving that’s not true. Jesus doesn’t need anything to heal us.
Is healing ‘the children’s bread’? No
One of the proof-texts cited by those who claim that God wants all Christians physically healed now is the “children’s bread” passage about Jesus and the Syro-Phoenician woman. But an examination of that story shows it doesn’t mean that at all.
A parable of Jesus blows up beliefs about healing, miracles
Two things some Christians believe are 1. God always wants us to be healed in this life, and 2. The gospel needs miracles to be effective. One of Jesus’ parables destroyed both of those ideas.
Why Jesus ‘could do no mighty work’ in Mark 6:5
Ever hear someone claim that our lack of faith limits God’s power because Jesus “could do no mighty work” in Mark 6:5? Here’s why that argument doesn’t work.
‘On earth as it is in heaven’ does not mean healing now
Some Christians believe that “on earth as it is in heaven” means we should be healed now, since there’s no sickness in heaven. What the Bible says about our bodies on earth obliterates that idea.
‘Gradual’ healing? How we’re not seeing this story clearly
Some Christians have somehow taken the story of the blind man in Mark 8 to mean that physical healing from God can take as long as years.
The preacher preached Jesus. People said they were healed. But …
The preacher preached to thousands. He spoke of the love of God, and the name of Jesus. Several people appeared to be healed. It’s a scene that resembles a charismatic church ... but it wasn’t.
Meet the first health and wealth preacher in the Bible
Some charismatic Christians think it’s our fault if we suffer. That’s what Eliphaz wrongly thought about Job. He was the first health-and-wealth preacher, and we see in that book what God thinks of such beliefs.
Miracles
They did miracles in Jesus’ name. And they go to hell.
To whom will Jesus say, “I never knew you”? His warning shows us several shocking characteristics that won’t fly as a defense.
When Jesus’ miracles didn’t matter: His most shocking 24 hours
A single 24-hour period saw two of Jesus’ most spectacular signs: feeding the multitude and walking on water. But it also saw most of His followers abandon Him. His miracles didn’t keep them.
Jesus did everything He did as God, or else He doesn’t save
Some charismatics claim Jesus lived his life as a man in right relationship with God, not AS God. Not only does the Bible refute this idea, but it shows that such a Jesus cannot save us.
The gospel does not need miracles to be effective
Some professing Christians think evangelism must include signs and wonders to be effective. But the Bible shows and teaches us that God’s power is in the preaching of the gospel.
The power of God is in His word
While many Christians seek power in miracles or in politics, the Bible teaches us that God’s power is in the Bible.
A TALKING CROSS at the Resurrection?!?
The gnostic Gospel of Peter contains a very strange story that most Christians would laugh off, but some more popular claims of divine revelation since then are just as false.
Prophecy
Can a true prophet give a wrong prophecy? A look at Agabus
Some in the charismatic movement try to legitimize prophecies that don’t come true by claiming that New Testament prophet Agabus got one wrong. But a closer examination shows they can’t run to him for cover.
That time I stood in line to hear a ‘word’ from the Lord
You don’t need to go anywhere and wait to hear God speak to you, like I once did. I do that through the Bible, and that’s the more sure word anyway.
How I discovered God’s will for my life
Have you ever struggled to discern God’s will over an important decision you needed to make? Here’s what I learned about how the Lord guides us in matters that aren’t specifically addressed in the Bible.
Worship
Why church shouldn’t be called a ‘worship experience’
Some Christians call their gatherings “worship experiences” that stimulate our senses and emotions. Here are a couple of experiences in the Bible that teach us what priority God gives the sensations of an “experience.”
Fire in the Bible: Not what we think it means
How often have you heard the word “fire” in church and Christian culture? The way the charismatic movement uses that word is almost the opposite of how the Bible uses it.
Fire! Glory! And God killing His anointed ones
Here’s a Biblical story of God manifesting His fire and glory on His anointed ones during a time of worship. It wasn’t like how we use those words today.
Is the Holy Spirit worshiped too much?
Charismatic Christians often glorify the Holy Spirit in their worship a lot more than He glorifies Himself, we see in Scripture. He would much rather exalt Jesus.
The Holy Spirit isn’t always spontaneous
How often have you been in a church service where the preacher says, “We were going to do this, but the Holy Spirit is moving and we’re doing something different.” That begs the question, why didn’t He move during the planning? Why must He always be spontaneous?
Be careful when singing Old Testament lyrics
When Christians sing lyrics like “Ask of Me and I will give you the nations” or “Here am I, send me,” we think they’re about evangelism. But we’re actually singing Scriptures that are about God’s wrath.
Faith
When you pray, don’t claim, decree or declare; just ask
Some Christians believe that when we want something, we can “claim,” “declare” or “decree” our desired outcomes. But overwhelmingly, the Bible teaches us to ask God like children ask their father.
Many Christians associate the word “faith” with health and prosperity. But Hebrews 11 associates it with torment, affliction, destitution, and death — but still under the favor of God.
Faith vs. intellect: Is the Bible meant for our brains?
Some Christians try to pit our intellect against our hearts. But the Bible doesn’t divide our hearts and minds like they do. God wants to engage both.
Prosperity
What God says about money and wealth in the Bible
A compilation of Scriptures that teach us how we should think about material riches. It’s not what the prosperity preachers say.
What Jehovah Jireh really means
If you’ve heard the phrase Jehovah Jireh, chances are it was in the context of God providing material things for us. But the only place in the Bible that name is mentioned reveals it’s about a far greater provision.
Contentment: The most underrated Biblical virtue
Contentment isn’t the most popular topic for some Christians. But it’s taught by some of the most beloved Scriptures in the Bible, including where many Christians don’t realize it.
You don’t need to work for any of God’s free blessings
What do you need to do to receive blessings from God, such as healing or a financial breakthrough? Nothing! Everything God does for us in this life is just as free as salvation. See where the Bible teaches that.
Spiritual warfare
How do we beat the devil? Here’s what works every time
Christians have all kinds of ideas about how to resist the devil. But in the Bible we see a simple solution that beats him every time — humility.
When you think of satanism, you may think of explicitly worshiping an actual devil. But when we let the devil speak for himself in the Bible, we see that true satanism not about worshiping him, but ourselves.
Christian living
Christians’ hearts should follow, not be followed
Should Christians follow their hearts? A look at what the Bible has to say about our hearts, even as believers, should keep us from following that advice.
Christians can’t be deceived, some charismatics say
Hypercharismatics like Bethel Church think they have the ultimate defense for their false teachings: God won’t let us go wrong.
What we can learn from the Philistines capturing the ark
The Israelites lost the ark to the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4 after they went beyond God’s word, had no regard for holiness, limited God’s presence to a certain location, and decreed and declared. Any of that sound familiar today?
Charismatic influences
‘The Physics of Heaven’: Bethel’s New Age book
A five-part review of “The Physics of Heaven,” in which authors from Bethel Church in Redding, California, urge Christians to relate to God the way New Agers do.
Taking the NAR survey: Prophets, demons and revival
Modern apostles and prophets? The church taking over the world? Demons controlling territories? Take a survey about the beliefs of the New Apostolic Reformation.
No, Jesus Culture, we don’t need another Pentecost
Bethel-born band/movement Jesus Culture has released a song that says, over and over, “We need another Pentecost.” But what Peter said on Pentecost proves that we don’t.
