One Key Emphasis Missing from ALL my Leadership Books
As leaders, we are often told that we need to “lead like Jesus,” we need “to behave like Jesus.” But here is a sobering truth: If you do not have and are not […]
4 Things to Like about Joel Osteen
There seems to be a growing number of Joel Osteen “haters” out there. So, I thought I would point out a few things I really like about the guy and his ministry at Lakewood Church.
The Holy Spirit is not a “He”
I cringed as I sat there listening to the preacher. The preacher declared, “The Spirit is a ‘him’, and ‘he’ lives in you.” And on account of this he boldly proclaimed to the congregation, “The Holy Spirit is a ‘he,’ not an ‘it.’ Therefore the Holy Spirit is personal.” The preacher was both right and wrong […]
Finding the Holy Spirit in Marriage
The Secret Sauce of Spirit-Empowered Marriage
After nearly forty years of marriage to my sweet bride, it occurs to me that part of our secret is our uniqueness. You might say our secret sauce is the weirdness we bring to the relationship. Those things that once drove me crazy about her (though they still mildly irritate me at times!) are fond […]
How Some Pentecostals Misrepresent Their Global Size
And the Truth about How Many Pentecostals there are in the World
At times I have heard Pentecostal Christians triumphantly declare that Pentecostalism now consists of over 600 million people in the world. I assume they have the good intention of encouraging those Pentecostals who are listening. I sometimes worry, though, that they are implying that the large and growing number of Pentecostals in the world implies […]
3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church
We packed into our green minivan and drove into the small town at the foot of the mountains. Even though we were camping, we managed to clean off our camp smell and still arrive at the small Pentecostal church a few minutes early. Upon entering their worship space, I got the suspicion that this was […]
What it Really Means to be BAPTIZED IN FIRE
I’m not talking about “fire tunnels,” where people walk in between two lines of people who place their hands on them and pray for them. Instead, I’m talking about when John the Baptist says Jesus “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16). What does this mean?
3 Ways the Holy Spirit Works Among Non-Christians
Many Christians have the incorrect (dare I use the H word?) idea that the Holy Spirit only works in Christians. Even worse, some Pentecostals would say you don’t “have the Spirit” unless you have spoken in tongues.
Why do PENTECOSTALS care so much about SPIRIT BAPTISM?
Sometimes I think Pentecostals should just give up on talking about Spirit baptism. Students are either confused or crying in my office because they want to experience it, but haven’t.
What’s Wrong with Songs that Worship the Holy Spirit?
(Part 1: Questions People Ask About the Holy Spirit)
There are not a lot of worship songs directed to the Holy Spirit. The Bible never says we would worship the Holy Spirit, but is it okay?