I would have to say that today there is little wisdom in the churches from this perspective. How can there be fear when there has been so much garbage introduced into our churches and accepted by the people? Is it the fear of the Lord that causes ministers to have affairs with women in the church? Is it the fear of the Lord that causes ministers to be caught up in pornography? Is it the fear of the Lord that causes ministers to get more concerned with money than souls? Is it the fear of the Lord that causes ministers to be more concerned with numbers rather than the quality of spiritual instruction? Is it the fear of the Lord that institutes all the gimmicks and false teachings like the Jabez prayer, Name-it Claim-it, Prosperity, Leg lengthening, Theo-Phostics, exonerating tongues, prayer lines or tunnels instead of personal prayer, and many others?
We are so far from the respect and honor that is due to our Lord and Savior in our churches that we do not recognize our situation. God cannot and will not allow His presence to be manipulated by anyone, yet our churches try to do that very thing every week. In the Pentecostal and Evangelical churches we have a mild service on Sunday mornings so that we don't scare our visitors. Then on Sunday nights we open all the doors and have "Holy Roller" services that bring the roof down. Week in and week out this happens and they actually think that they can control God in that manner. What I have witnessed is that the majority of the "Holy Rolling" is flesh and emotionalism and what is worse is that they truly believe that it is real spiritual fire. Can anyone please read the book of Acts and tell me that the same reverence, fear, and fire exist in our churches today?
Unfortunately there are many that will say "yes" to that question, because they are truly convinced in their hearts and minds that they are truly experiencing the Acts move. The proof is in what happens after they leave those services, are they changed the rest of the week or just emotionally worked up for that night? Do they go out with an uncontrollable fire and urgency to save all those around them, or are they just content to tell all their Christian friends how much of a "barn-burner" service they had? It amazes me how that people in these circles are quick to get together with others of like thinking and talk
endlessly about how the services are truly spiritual fire-bombs, yet never lead anyone to the Lord as a result.
In Acts there was never a doubt that they had been with the Lord and that the spiritual fire was real because they could not help but tell the whole world about it. It caused them to be tortured put in jail and threatened yet they never stopped telling it and trying to win souls. Today we are content getting "goose-bumps" and thinking that we have just had a great spiritual experience. We think that we can get the "spirit of laughter" and we have just experienced a deeper level of God. There has never been a move in the church that has been more blatantly obvious of its fleshly origins as the "laughter" movement. Yet it has passed the leadership in most churches and has been accepted as a true spiritual enlightenment. I am sure that any one of the disciples would have embraced the "spirit of laughter" while they were being beaten and tortured for witnessing for Christ. Or better yet maybe they should have just prayed the "Jabez Prayer" and everything would have been great for them.
Today, there is more "fear" of man in our churches than the "fear" of
Continued to Page 3
Back to INDEX
