The Powerful Prophetic Message of 'Woodlawn' - J. LEE GRADY FIRE IN MY BONES, CHARISMA MAGAZINE

'Woodlawn' is a must-see film. (Facebook)

The Powerful Prophetic Message of 'Woodlawn'

11/4/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

I rarely endorse films, and I don't get any benefit from movie companies if I do. But I loved the movie Woodlawn so much that I am telling everybody to see it before it leaves the local Cineplex. You will want to buy the DVD too, even if you aren't a fan of high school football. Woodlawn is the most unapologetically Christian film I've ever seen because it maintains an artful quality without ever becoming cheesy.

American audiences are starved for films with positive messages that reinforce Christian faith instead of mocking it, and Hollywood has noticed that faith-based movies are getting better. War Room has already made $66 million since it released in August. Other faith-based films are due out in the next few months, including The 33 (about the miraculous 2010 rescue of Chilean miners, due in theaters Nov. 13) and Risen (about an unbelieving Roman soldier who investigates the resurrection of Jesus, out Jan. 22, 2016).

But Woodlawn, produced by Andrew and Jon Erwin, gets my vote for the best Christian film of the year because its message has relevance far outside the walls of the church.  And it carries a prophetic message about the time we live in—which is really not that different from the turmoil of the early 1970s.

The film is set in 1973 in Birmingham, Alabama—at a time when local schools are required to desegregate. Racial tensions have reached the breaking point at Woodlawn High, a white school that suddenly must accommodate blacks. Students, parents, coaches and the school's principal are all on edge.

People who remember the era of desegregation may also recall that another movement was stirring in America. Time magazine called it the Jesus Revolution. In Woodlawn, the two movements collide.

The school's football coach, Tandy Gerelds (played by Nic Bishop), is trying to get his black and white players to get along, with no success. Then an unassuming evangelist named Hank (played convincingly by Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings) asks if he can give a pep talk to the boys in the school gymnasium. When he does, almost every guy on the team gives his life to Jesus.

"What just happened?" a baffled Coach Gerelds asks his assistant coach. Later in the film, Hank gives the answer: "This is what happens when God shows up."

The film is based on true events and focuses on the life of one student, Tony Nathan (played by Caleb Castille), who becomes the first black football player for Woodlawn High. When he stands in the gym with the rest of his players and becomes a committed Christian, he doesn't realize he's joined a spiritual revolution. But with the word "BELIEVE" scribbled on the back of his helmet, and his index finger raised high to proclaim Jesus as the "one way" to heaven, he leads his team to unexpected victories—not only against opposing teams but also against a vile spirit of racism that has pervaded Birmingham.

The movie gets a special boost from veteran actor Jon Voight, who plays University of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He goes looking to recruit Nathan to play for the Crimson Tide, and in the process is impressed with the young man's faith. After someone burns a cross in front of Nathan's home, Bryant pays a visit and tells him: "You know the difference between you and these people? They're cowards. And you ain't."

Woodlawn is 100 percent inspiration, but it never stoops to being sugar-coated—even when Coach Gerelds walks into a black church and tells the folks he has given his heart to Christ. You could show this film in a Sunday school class, but it has just as much appeal to secular audiences because the acting is first-class, the production values are masterful and the anti-racism message is as needed today as it was in 1973. It's similar in tone to Remember the Titans or The Blind Side, but neither of those films have this much heart.

The film also includes actual footage of a Billy Graham sermon at Explo '72, a huge gathering of young Christians that took place in Dallas and galvanized the Jesus movement. Those images reminded me that during one of the darkest times in American history—when white supremacists were bombing churches in the South and police were spraying black protesters with fire hoses—the gospel was being preached as the only means to achieve racial healing.

Historians have already proven that the young people who came to Christ during the Jesus movement eventually became the leaders of today's church. It was the most powerful move of God in our lifetime. For me, Woodlawn not only chronicles how God poured out His Spirit in one school in Alabama—it also reminds me that He can and will do it again.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.

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Why Abortion Is Not Women's Health Care - J. Lee Grady

Why Abortion Is Not Women's Health Care

8/5/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

Unborn babies are NOT for sale. (iStock photo )

How much money can an abortion clinic make by selling fetal tissue to a medical research company? It all depends. If you don't use too much suction, and you can extract an "intact specimen" (that's a clinical term for a fetus that is not butchered beyond recognition), then you might get $30 to $100 each for a tiny liver, thymus or brain stem.

Oh, and those fees are just for "shipping costs."

These are just some of the grisly facts we learned during the past two weeks after conservative journalist David Daleiden posted a series of videos on YouTube alleging that Planned Parenthood is selling baby parts for profit. Planned Parenthood denies any wrongdoing while some Republicans in Congress have vowed to cut off federal funding from the organization.

These videos nauseated me when I realized how callous our nation has become about human life. I felt even sicker when President Obama made it clear he would stand behind Planned Parenthood—and veto any effort to defund it—because it provides "health care for women."

I have always felt it was insane to claim that abortion promotes "women's health" when the facts show the opposite. Abortion may be convenient for some women, and it has been legal in this country since 1973, but no health care provider can prove it is healthy to have an unborn child ripped or sucked out of a woman's uterus before it is viable. Here are three reasons you can never convince me otherwise:

1. Abortion harms women physically and emotionally. Various studies in recent years, including one by Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists, show that women who have abortions become much more likely to develop cervical cancer, sterility, nervous disorders, sleep disturbances, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Another study revealed that women with a history of abortion face higher rates of anxiety (34 percent higher) and depression (37 percent higher), heavier alcohol use (110 percent higher) and marijuana use (230 percent higher). It has also been shown that women who abort are twice as likely to become heavy smokers.

2. Abortion is sexist. It has always amazed me that women have campaigned the loudest for abortion rights, yet the majority of abortionists are men who profit off of this horrific procedure. It is also a fact that many women, including many pregnant teenage girls, are forced by their fathers or sex partners to have unwanted abortions—resulting in increased trauma for the mothers. Why are feminists not outraged by this?

In India, many families abort female infants because they don't want girls. This is why there are skewed sex ratios—like 1,000 men for every 618 women—in India's Daman and Diu regions. Even though sex-selective abortions were banned several years ago in India, many female babies are aborted or abandoned at birth because of gender discrimination. Why is there not a feminist outcry about this injustice?

Mother Teresa, who ministered most of her life in India, understood the pain abortion causes women. She said: "Abortion kills twice. It kills the body of the baby and the conscience of the mother. Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of its victims are women: Half the babies and all the mothers."

3. Abortion is racist. This is the ugly truth few of us are willing to face. African-Americans make up 12.6 percent of the U.S. population, but the Centers for Disease Control reports that black women accounted for 35.4 percent of all abortions in 2009. Of the 55.7 million abortions in the United States since 1973, about 17 million of aborted babies were black.

Abortion kills minority children at more than three times the rate of white children. Today, abortion is the leading cause of death for African-Americans, more than all other causes combined, including AIDS, violent crimes, accidents, cancer and heart disease.

So when people talk about Planned Parenthood promoting "health care for women," I guess they only mean white women. Let's not forget that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was an avowed proponent of eugenics—the elimination of "unfit" races. She worked tirelessly to keep minorities supplied with birth control (even though she herself believed abortion should be avoided.)

This might explain why 62 percent of Planned Parenthood clinics are located in areas with high black populations.

It baffles me that our first African-American president would be OK with this, and that a mostly white male Congress would talk about "women's health" when our nation is guilty of government-funded genocide.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter @leegrady. He is the author of 10 Lies Men Believe and other books. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org. 

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God Said: 'This Is Just a Taste of What Is Coming' - J. Lee Grady

God Said: 'This Is Just a Taste of What Is Coming'

6/3/2015 J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Bolivian ministry leader Fernando Villalobos shares during the recent Bold Venture men's retreat. (Photo courtesy of Steven Semmones)

Last weekend, I led a men's discipleship retreat at a church in Augusta, Georgia. Of the 125 men who attended, there were African-Americans, Ukrainians, Hispanics, Indian-Americans, Brazilians and white guys—and more than a third of them were spiritually hungry teens or 20-somethings. (Those who say young people in the United States aren't interested in Christianity don't attend the same meetings I do.)

We had a special time together—worshiping Jesus, sharing meals, opening our hearts in small groups, listening to messages from both older and younger speakers (the youngest preacher was 25) and praying for racial healing in our nation. Over the course of three days, some guys were delivered from porn, others were reconciled with their dads and many decided to begin mentoring other guys in the faith.

But something happened on the last morning that I felt I needed to share with my Charisma family.

After the last message, I asked my Bolivian friend Ives Orozco to come to the stage with his father-in-law, Fernando Villalobos. I knew a bit of Fernando's testimony. He had been a part of the sweeping revival that occurred in Bolivia in the 1970s, and I wanted him to share a few stories from those days and then pray for us.

I was not prepared for what happened next.

Fernando is not a shouting preacher. He is very humble and soft-spoken, but when he took the microphone the atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

Fernando began to tell a story about how Julio Ruibal, the leader of the revival movement in Bolivia, had been baptized in the Holy Spirit while visiting California. When he returned to the city of La Paz, he led many students to Christ and was busy discipling them. One day, he asked a Christian woman to prepare a meal for 20 students—but when Julio arrived at her home he had 200 students with him!

When the woman worriedly complained that she didn't have enough food to serve the crowd, Julio told her that Jesus would provide. Then everyone watched as the meal was supernaturally multiplied. What Jesus did for a multitude 2,000 years ago was repeated in a modest home in South America.

"Jesus is here," Fernando said to us.

I have listened to countless miracle testimonies before. But when this broken man stood near the stage at Good News Church in Augusta, it was almost as if the same revival spirit that hit Bolivia more than 50 years ago entered the room.

Men spontaneously got up and walked or crawled to the front of the church. Some were kneeling, others were flat on their stomachs. I began to hear many of them sobbing. Within five minutes it became a chorus of wailing. It reminded me of some accounts I have read from the Great Awakening, when people were overcome by the presence and convicting power of the Holy Spirit.

Fernando did not ask for mood music, and he didn't manipulate the audience to get a response. He didn't tell anyone to cry. He simply reminded us that the same God who poured out the Holy Spirit on Bolivia in the early 1970s—resulting in hundreds of thousands of conversions over a four-month period—was with us now.

As I lay on the carpet in that church I thought of all the times I have prayed in the past year for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on my generation.

Then I felt the Lord speak to my heart: "This is just a taste of what is coming."

That is all I needed to know to be convinced. A fresh wave of God's power is headed toward the United States. The Lord has heard the cries of His people, and He is about to do again what He did in the early 1970s—only this time young people will be catapulted to the forefront of the movement, and it will not be divided by race.

I pray we all have our lamps full of oil so we can be ready for this visitation. Pray and expect the tangible presence of God to rock your world. We are on the verge of something big.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org. 

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Don't Quench the Spirit in the Next Move of God - J. Lee Grady

Don't Quench the Spirit in the Next Move of God

 5/27/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

Have we trivialized the Holy Spirit? (Vitaly Vitorsky)

Last weekend, my wife and I helped lead a retreat for ministers in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. I knew most of the couples who were joining us, but I was surprised to learn that one of the attendees was Sally Fesperman, a leader (with her late husband, Jay) during the early days of the charismatic renewal of the 1960s and 1970s.

Sally is 88, but she is as bright-eyed and energetic as any 20-something I know. She loves to talk about her relationship with Jesus, and she shared many stories about the early days of renewal when thousands of Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians and Presbyterians were discovering the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Sally brought back so many memories of the mid-1970s, when I was filled with the Spirit as a teenager.

While in the mountains God spoke to me from Isaiah 35 about another wave of the Holy Spirit that is coming soon. He told me, from verse 6: "Waters will break forth in the wilderness." I have never been more convinced that God is going to refresh us again with a sudden outpouring of His presence and power. I was so excited about this promise that I asked Sally on Friday morning to pray over us, and to prophetically pass the torch of renewal to the younger generation.

I wept when Sally prayed over us because I am desperate to see revival. However, by Saturday I was sobered by the responsibility of receiving this torch of renewal. That's because I know that when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the American church more than 40 years ago, we mishandled this precious gift.

I believe God will visit us again soon, but we must prepare now to avoid the mistakes of the past. Here are five ways we mishandled the outpouring of the Spirit in the last season:

1. We exploited it. The first attempt at quenching the Spirit's power in the New Testament church was made by Ananias and Sapphira, who were full of greed (see Acts 5:1-11). The same thing happened to the charismatic movement in the 1980s, when prosperity preachers with dollar signs in their eyes showed up to merchandise the Spirit's anointing. Swaggering evangelists in white suits and Rolexes began pushing people to the floor and convincing crowds to dig into their wallets to give in "miracle" offerings. And so began the slow but steady sell-out. We didn't realize the greed was driving us farther and farther from the Spirit's blessing.

2. We fabricated it. In the early days of renewal, charismatic leaders had a sense of holy awe when they prayed for people. They didn't want to do anything to grieve the Spirit. But somewhere along the way, some ministers realized they could fake the gifts of the Holy Spirit and still draw a crowd. Charlatans began hosting charismatic sideshows, complete with faked healings, spooky stage drama and mesmerizing manipulation. God's holy anointing was replaced by mood music and a quivering voice. Anybody with discernment could sense that the Spirit's sweet presence had exited the building.

3. We corrupted it. In the early charismatic days, I cut my spiritual teeth on meaty messages from firebrands such as Judson Cornwall, Leonard Ravenhill, Corrie Ten Boom, Keith Green, Derek Prince, Joy Dawson and Winkey Pratney. They preached regularly about the fear of God. Their messages demanded holiness. But if you fast-forward to today, you will find that much of the preaching in our movement has been reduced to drivel. It is sad that people can attend a "Spirit-filled" church today and never hear a sermon explaining that fornication is a sin. It is sadder that we have preachers in our pulpits who shamelessly flaunt sexual sin under the banner of a cheap grace message that will actually send people to hell.

4. We denominationalized it. When the Holy Spirit fell on certain groups in previous decades, their leaders assumed that the blessing of God was an indication that they were "special." Some denominations even taught that all other Christians would one day come under their group's banner—because they believed they had elite status. Sectarian pride might sound spiritual, but it is still pride. And don't ever think that nondenominational church networks are immune to this virus. There are trendy new groups today that claim to have a corner on truth. Their subtle message is, "We are better." Don't let this smug attitude quench the Holy Spirit.

5. We professionalized it. In the early days of charismatic renewal, there was a sense of childlike wonder as people discovered the power of the Spirit for the first time. The meetings were Christ-centered, the sermons were solidly biblical and the fellowship was deep. We could sing They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love because we felt a deep bond with each other in the Holy Spirit.

But it didn't take long to replace the genuine sense of New Testament koinonia with something colder and less inviting. We began emphasizing titles. We discovered slick marketing techniques. Churches and their budgets grew. Then a funny thing happened on the way to the megachurch: We lost our simplicity. We turned church into a business. We stopped being relational and we became professional.

I'm not against growth, megachurches or marketing. The Holy Spirit can produce and direct all those things! But if we sacrifice the freshness and warmth of relationships on the altar of professional Christianity, we may discover the Holy Spirit has withdrawn from our ministries.

May the Lord help us to cultivate an atmosphere that attracts His presence rather than repels Him. May we be ready to receive the baton as a younger generation embraces the promise of another move of God. Come, Holy Spirit!

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.

Pockets of true revival are breaking out across America. Want to know more about the next great move of God? Click here to see Jennifer LeClaire's new book, featuring Dutch Sheets, Reinhard Bonnke, Jonathan Cahn, Billy Graham and others.

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How to Pray When Terrorists Are Beheading Christians - J. Lee Grady

How to Pray When Terrorists Are Beheading Christians

 2/18/2015 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

A total of 21 Egyptian Christians were brutally murdered by ISIS this past week in the name of Islam.

Last Sunday in Libya, masked militants linked to the ISIS terrorist group led 21 Egyptian Christian men to the Mediterranean shore and made them kneel. Then the Islamic jihadis took out knives and cut each man's head off.

As blood mixed with salt water to create a grisly red tide, one of the militants issued a threat to all Westerners: "We will fight you all together. The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama Bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah we will mix it with your blood."

A recent wave of Islamic beheadings—videotaped and posted online—has reminded the world that ISIS and other ultra-violent Muslim groups are not going away. In 2014 ISIS warriors beheaded Syrian and Lebanese soldiers, American journalists, Japanese Christian journalist Kenji Goto, humanitarian aid workers and even children of Christian families. And now their terror has spread far beyond Syria.

The terrorists claim to be carrying out the will of Allah, and they cite a passage in the Quran (47:4) to justify their brutality: "Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers [in fight], smite at their necks." More peaceful Muslims have condemned the extreme behavior of ISIS, but this has not convinced the West that we aren't in danger of worse violence.

The stream of blood we saw in 2014 may become a river this year. And Christians in the Middle East are the most vulnerable.

So what can we do? Military action will likely become necessary, especially if the terror hits our shores. But before suicide bombers attack Dallas or people are beheaded in the streets of Pittsburgh, the Christian community must wake up to the need for emergency prayer. Here are six biblical ways you can pray:

1. Pray for a bold witness of the gospel in the midst of persecution. Persecution was a reality in the New Testament church, but it did not stop the early disciples from spreading the gospel. After Peter and John were arrested and told to stop preaching, they announced: "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). Pray that persecuted Christians will not be intimidated or silenced by acts of terror.

2. Pray for supernatural miracles to confirm the gospel. When the early church faced opposition, they prayed not only for boldness but also for a display of God's power. They prayed in unity in Acts 4:29-30: "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that your bond-servants may speak your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus." Pray that God will bare His arm and show the world that He is real, especially to militant Muslims who don't know the Savior.

3. Pray that the seed of the martyrs will produce a harvest of converts. When an angry crowd stoned Stephen, the first martyr of the early church, he cried out on his knees: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60). His death was tragic, but it was not in vain. A great outpouring of the Holy Spirit followed his martyrdom. When a born-again Christian gives his or her life for Jesus, God takes note and responds. This could be the greatest hour of spiritual awakening in the Middle East.

4. Pray for heavy conviction to fall on those who persecute the church. Saul was bent on arresting and killing the early disciples, and he watched as Stephen was martyred. Yet shortly after Saul launched his terror campaign, he fell on his face on the Damascus road and was dramatically converted (see Acts 9:3-4). This same miracle can happen today to leaders of ISIS. Don't limit God's power—and don't pray vindictive prayers of judgment on these people. Pray that the most militant persecutors of the church will have a head-on collision with the Son of God.

5. Pray for angelic protection and intervention. During one wave of persecution against the New Testament church, an angel appeared in Peter's prison cell, woke him up and caused his chains to fall off (see Acts 12:7). Later, after King Herod refused to stop his rule of terror, an angel struck him dead (see 12:23). The Bible does not say the church prayed for Herod's death; we should never pray with a vengeful spirit, but we should leave room for the wrath of God when mercy runs out.

6. Pray that the global Christian community will work for peace and justice in the Middle East. We cannot just sit back and watch our brothers and sisters being beheaded for their faith while we enjoy our First World comforts. We must be in solidarity with them, not only in prayer but also in action. We should actively support government and church leaders who are working behind the scenes for reconciliation, humanitarian aid and protection for the victims of injustice.

Our response to this wave of terror cannot be fear—or hatred. Don't just curse the darkness. Be proactive by praying fervently. Ask God to unleash in the Middle East a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will not only bring peace-loving Muslims to Christ, but also bloodthirsty Islamic militants who are sharpening their knives for the next attack.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter@leegrady. He is the author of several books including his latest, The Truth Sets Women Free (Charisma House.) You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.

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6 Reasons You Should Never Give Up on Church - J. LEE GRADY

6 Reasons You Should Never Give Up on Church

 2/11/2015 J. LEE GRADY charisma news

Have you simply given up on church? (iStock photo)

I've experienced heaven on earth the past few days. I found it in Durban, South Africa, while visiting one of the most joy-filled congregations I've ever encountered in my travels.

It's called His Church, and this 1,000-member multicultural church has many wonderful qualities: a loving pastor (a brave woman, Fiona Des Fontaine) who is committed to preaching God's Word without compromise; a powerful outreach to the community; a healthy team of pastors who serve with no signs of competition or ego; and a Bible college where many young leaders are being trained.

I know there are many churches around the world today that have qualities similar to His Church. Yet many Christians—especially in the United States—are giving up on church because they were hurt by pastors or wounded by other Christians, or because they simply decided to "go it alone." They are knows as "dones"—people who are "done" with church.

"Dones" might watch an occasional church service on television or meet with a few Christian friends over coffee for a casual Starbucks version of "church lite." They still consider themselves serious Christians, but they want nothing more of pastors, tithing, scheduled meetings or church drama.

If you or someone you love has given up on church, I'm not here to condemn you. I've had my share of disappointments in church over the years, including some spiritual abuse. But I want to offer six reasons why you shouldn't let a bad experience end your connection to God's people.

1. The church is Christ's body on earth. With all its flaws, the church is still God's Plan A. Jesus announced before He went to the cross: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). Jesus intends to use the church—even in its weakness—as His primary tool to reach the world with the gospel. Heaven does not have a Plan B. Jesus is the head of his church (see Col. 1:18) and we are His hands and feet. To reject the church is to reject God's ultimate strategy to bring heaven's kingdom on earth.

2. The Holy Spirit has called us to work and flow together. When we were born again and baptized, the Bible says we were mystically unified with all other born-again believers and connected to each other by the Holy Spirit. The Lord also connects people in local congregations. This connection is holy and we should never make light of it or damage it. Paul told the Ephesians to "preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" by being in close fellowship with each other (Eph. 4:3). To reject this union of believers is to dishonor the work of the Spirit.

3. God accomplishes more through His corporate people than through isolated individuals. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit worked primarily through the nation of Israel, and through individuals who had special callings and remarkable courage. But in the age of the New Covenant, the Spirit dwells in every Christian believer, and the corporate church makes a much bigger impact. This is why Jesus told His disciples after He went to the cross that we would do "greater works" than He did on earth (see John 14:12). And because healthy churches can pool resources and organize volunteers, they are able to offer ministry to children, youth, families, singles, the needy and the lost overseas—in a way you could never do while sitting home alone.

4. God's authority flows through His church, not through "lone ranger" Christians. Some people who've been hurt by church leaders feel they can never submit to another pastor again, nor will they honor a person who is called by God to carry the authority of a minister. Yet God has delegated to certain people the task of building up the church (see Eph. 4:11-12). It's totally acceptable for you to leave an unhealthy church with poor leadership, but you should quickly find a new church where you can be equipped to fulfill your ministry. It was never intended for a Christian to live with a my-way-or-the-highway attitude.

5. It is by living in Christian community that we learn to love and serve. The Book of Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish Christians who were thinking of abandoning their Christian faith because of persecution. Some of them even stopped attending church, but Paul addressed their disillusionment by saying: "And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works. Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but let us exhort one another, especially as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:24-25). People who live in isolation find it difficult to develop character, and they often get discouraged; those who walk together in close fellowship inspire each other, and they improve each other just as iron sharpens iron.

6. If you leave the church because of hurt or resentment, you make it more difficult to find healing and reconciliation. It might sound spiritual to say you are pulling away from people to focus on God. But the New Testament says your relationship with God is directly related to how you relate to others. John wrote: "Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark" (1 John 2:9, MSG). People may have hurt you, but God will also use people to heal you. Don't let the hurts of the past paint you into a lonely corner. Choose to forgive. Take a risk and keep loving.

Please don't check out of church or give up on God's flawed saints. There is no perfect church—and if there were, it would not be perfect after you joined! There is a place for you in God's eternal family.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter@leegrady. He is the author of several books including his latest, The Truth Sets Women Free (Charisma House.) You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.

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We Need a Revival of New Testament Love - J. LEE GRADY

We Need a Revival of New Testament Love

2/4/2015 J. LEE GRADY  CHARISMA MAGAZINE 

What we need these days is a dose of good ol' fashioned New Testament love.

We who call ourselves Spirit-filled Christians are notorious for overusing the term "revival." If we get a standing-room-only crowd in a church for more than three nights in a row, and those people end up swooning on the floor after the altar call, we start hyping things up and comparing the meetings to the First Great Awakening.

But what exactly are the signs of a genuine move of God? Lately I've been buried in Paul's epistle to the Thessalonians to find the answer to that question. After all, one of the most explosive spiritual awakenings in history took place in the Greek city of Thessalonica. It was a headquarters of ancient paganism (and just three hours from Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods), yet when the gospel was preached there it triggered a chain reaction of miracles and mass conversions.

Paul said of the spiritual explosion in Thessalonica: "Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction" (1 Thess. 1:5a). A riot erupted, Paul was run out of town, and the new Christians were persecuted. Yet the attacks couldn't stop them: The impact of this move of God was so forceful that within a short time the newly converted Thessalonians spread their faith throughout most of Greece (see v. 8).

So we could say that biblical revivals always include: (1) powerful preaching that brings heavy conviction of sin; (2) supernatural miracles that display God's power and confirm the message; (3) notable numbers of true converts who share their faith aggressively; and (4) persecution from those who resist the gospel. But after reading 1 Thessalonians a few more times I noticed one additional hallmark of genuine revival that we often ignore: (5) remarkable, sincere love that nurtures the growing Christian church.

We all want the miracles. We long to see mass conversions. But we forget that New Testament revival doesn't happen without New Testament love. I see this love manifested in some specific ways:

1. Servant-hearted leadership. The apostle Paul and the leaders on his team did not think of themselves as "all that." They weren't pulpit stars. They didn't ride in limousines or demand five-star hotel rooms. Paul was even willing to work a job so he wouldn't be a burden to the Thessalonians. He told them: "Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our very own lives, because you had become very dear to us" (1 Thess. 2:8).

In today's "Spirit-filled" churches, some pastors have morphed into hipster CEOs who appear only in the pulpit and on the video screen. They may bring a powerful message, but the idea of personal impartation has become a relic of a bygone era. In the era of the iChurch, we really can't get on the people's level. That's too bad, because sermons alone don't make disciples. People need a personal touch from leaders who feel deep affection for those they are discipling.

2. Selfless investment. When Paul was in prison, he didn't throw a pity party or feel bad for himself. He was thinking 24/7 about the people he had led to Christ in Thessalonica. He desperately wanted to see them again. They were in his heart. He prayed for them constantly "that we may see your face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith" (3:10). That kind of selfless love, modeled by humble leaders, sets the bar high for the entire church.

3. Slobbering affection. The word "brethren" appears in 1 Thessalonians 17 times. Paul understood that when we join the community of the redeemed, we are bonded together by the Holy Spirit who lives in all of us. That precious spiritual bond should be treasured. That's why Paul wrote: "May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another" (1 Thess. 3:12). He knew the true measure of Christian maturity is fervent love.

Paul also told the Thessalonians: "Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss" (5:26). Today we explain this verse away by suggesting that kissing was a cultural tradition that doesn't apply to us. Really? I've been in churches where people keep their polite distance, and their lack of affection is an indicator of their icy spiritual condition. Some people criticize what they call "sloppy agapé," but I've learned that when Christians hug and kiss each other, they are also more prone to be passionate followers of Jesus.

Paul cared deeply about his followers and he told them: "We proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children" (2:7). There is a direct connection between extravagant love for each other and the spirit of New Testament revival. Let's rediscover it.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter @leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, at themordecaiproject.org.

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Do You Want to Hear God’s Voice in 2015? - J. LEE GRADY

Do You Want to Hear God’s Voice in 2015?

1/7/2015 J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Are you paying attention to the voice of God? (iStock photo)

When I was in my 20s I was praying about whether I should enroll in graduate school. Then one morning in my devotional time I came to Psalm 32:8 and it seemed to be flashing like a neon sign. It said: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go."

The Holy Spirit was emphasizing to me that God would teach me and that I didn't need additional schooling. That's not to say graduate school is wrong for everyone else; it was just not God's plan for me at that time. And God used a Scripture to clearly show me what path I should take.

The Bible promises that God will guide us. But many Christians find it difficult to hear God's voice. And in some charismatic churches we complicate things when we try to make guidance mystical or weird—as if you have to hear an audible voice from heaven about what color shirt to wear.

Years ago I learned from author Henry Blackaby that there are four distinct ways we receive divine guidance:

1. You can hear God's voice by reading the Bible. Friends have sometimes complained to me: "I just never hear God speaking." Yet when I ask if they read the Bible regularly, they say they're too busy.

God supernaturally inspired 40 authors over a period of 1,600 years to compile His love letter to us. After the Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek, many people were martyred because they translated it in a modern language. God went to a lot of trouble to compile the Bible. Yet today Bibles are collecting dust in the homes of people who are too busy to read God's most direct message to Planet Earth!

When you read Scripture with a prayerful heart, God can cause a verse to jump off the page as a direct message to you. British preacher Charles Spurgeon recognized this years ago when he wrote: "When I have been in trouble, I have read the Bible until a text has seemed to stand out of the Book, and salute me, saying, 'I was written specially for you.'" Expect God to speak directly to you from Scripture.

2. You can hear God's voice through the supernatural inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not an eerie presence that just hangs around. He lives in every born-again Christian, and He comforts us and actively speaks to us. He can do this in many ways: through dreams, visions, warnings, a sense of conviction, or—most often—through what we know as the "still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) of the Spirit.

I have had prophetic dreams and visions over the years, but the most common way the Spirit speaks to me is through a deep sense of inward knowing. I will never forget a time in 1985 when God spoke to me while I was driving my car in Florida. A message came to me, not audibly but in my spirit: "You will move to Washington, D.C." It seemed to come out of the blue, and I knew it did not originate with me. Four years later I was offered a job in the Washington, D.C., area and I worked there for three years.

The ability to hear the Spirit's voice is developed over years as we grow in Christ. If you really want to hear Him, you should ask God to fill you with His Spirit. As you allow more of the Spirit's presence and power in your life, you will set aside your selfish agendas and sinful habits so God can communicate without any hindrance.

3. You can hear God's voice through people. God never intended for us to live in isolation. We are members of His body, the church, and you will hear God better when you are in fellowship with His people. God can speak to you through a pastor's sermon, a friend's wise counsel, a mother's rebuke, a mentor's phone call or a prophetic word given to you by one of God's Spirit-filled servants.

God uses the gift of prophecy, but you should never chase after prophecies. I know Christians who will travel across the country to attend a prophetic conference to get a word from God, yet they have not read the Bible in months or sat still long enough to hear from God on their own. Never treat the holy gift of prophecy like fortune telling. When God needs to speak to you in an unusual way, He has faithful messengers who will deliver it to you at the exact time you need it.

4. You can hear God's voice through circumstances. Not everything that happens to you is God's will. But God is sovereign, and He has power over nature, over government leaders and over all the details of your life. He opens doors that no man can shut. If you have been praying about getting a job at one company, and suddenly you get an offer at a different company, this may be God's sign that He has a better place for you to work.

My oldest daughter wanted to attend a college in Tennessee, and we were praying about her decision. Right after we prayed I got a call from the president of a college in Georgia. He was inviting me to speak at the school, but in our conversation I learned that this school was willing to offer my daughter a scholarship. She ended up enrolling in that school, meeting her future husband there and graduating four years later. God was totally involved in that phone call from Georgia!

As you begin this New Year, ask God to tune your ears to His voice in a fresh way. Guidance is not complicated when you sincerely want to hear Him speak.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter @leegrady. Is the author of 10 Lies Men Believe and other books.

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Why We Can’t Ignore the Gifts of the Holy Spirit - J. Lee Grady

Why We Can’t Ignore the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

11/12/2014 J. LEE GRADY  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Are you using the gifts of the Holy Spirit? (iStock photo)

My friend Rafael invited me to preach in his church in Humacao, Puerto Rico, last June. It was Pentecost Sunday, so I brought a message about the Holy Spirit's power. Then I asked God to use me in a supernatural way because I figure we shouldn't talk about the Spirit's gifts if we're not willing to demonstrate them.

After I finished my sermon I noticed a young man sitting in the fourth row. I'd never met him, but I could sense God's love for him. I pointed to him and began to give a word of prophecy about how God wanted to use him. I then prophesied over other people and prayed for many others, and then I left Humacao.

Last week I returned to Puerto Rico to speak at a men's retreat. Guess who showed up? The young man to whom I gave the prophecy came to the event. His name is John, and I learned that he had never visited the church in Humacao until the day I met him there. Because John felt God speaking to him in such a very personal way that Sunday, he has been attending that church ever since—and he has been growing spiritually.

One simple word of supernatural encouragement changed John's life. But what would have happened if I had decided to "behave myself" that day and not step out in faith to prophesy? What if I had let fear stop me from flowing in the miraculous? What if I had just decided to stick to my notes, preach a nice sermon and play it safe?

I'm afraid that's what a lot of us are doing today in churches that claim to be Spirit-filled.

We say we believe the Bible, but when it comes to the Holy Spirit, we've become cowards. In trying to be trendy and relevant, we've replaced spiritual anointing with cool music, graphics, sermons and programs that look and sound great but lack a spiritual punch.

If we are full of the Spirit, the nine charismata, or spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, should be manifested regularly. But few Christians today have even heard of these gifts; fewer have seen them in operation. We need a refresher course in the ways the Holy Spirit works. And we need these nine gifts in our churches today:

1. The word of wisdom. God can give us a supernatural solution to a problem that cannot be solved by man's ideas. The American church desperately needs this gift so we can shift from man's carnal ways to heaven's wisdom.

2. The word of knowledge. The Holy Spirit will sometimes reveal information that could not have been known by man. Last week in our men's retreat, the Lord showed me there was a man there who had never told anyone about the sexual abuse he had experienced. That prompted the man to come to the altar for prayer. He probably would never have asked for help without the nudge of the Spirit.

3. The gift of faith. This is not the normal kind of faith we need daily. The gift of faith is a special ability to believe for big things. A person operating in supernatural faith will motivate others to pray until the answer comes.

4. The gift of healing. Paul told the Corinthians that there are actually gifts (plural) of healing. I have met people who have a special gift to pray for infertile couples; others have faith to pray for those with cancer; in my own ministry I have seen people healed from depression and the effects of abuse. The exciting part is that God is still in the business of healing bodies, minds and broken hearts.

5. The gift of miracles. The book of Acts is a series of miracles—so why would we ever assume God pulled the plug on that power? He still opens prison doors, breaks chains, releases angels, opens blind eyes, changes weather patterns and delivers people of demons. If we remove the miraculous from our Christianity we portray a puny God to the world. He is still a miracle worker!

6. Prophecy. This is a special gift because God loves to speak to His people. And He wants to use us to relay His message. I consider the gift of prophecy "supernatural encouragement" because it always edifies the person who receives a word from the Lord—even if it is corrective. Will you allow God to use you to speak His direct message to others?

7. Discernment (or "discerning of spirits"). I am grateful that when the Holy Spirit gave His gifts of power, He also provided a way for us to tell the difference between God's work and a demonic counterfeit. Not all that is supernatural is from God, so we need discernment to protect us from false prophecy and occultic fakery. We also need this gift to set people free from demonic bondage.

8. Speaking in tongues. There are "various kinds of tongues" mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10. Believers can have their own private prayer language, but some people are also gifted to speak in tongues in a church meeting. I know of situations where Christians received a special ability to speak in a foreign language so they could communicate the gospel.

9. Interpretation of tongues. Similar to prophecy, this gift can relay a message from God that was spoken in a foreign or angelic tongue. I love the fact that linguistic barriers don't limit our God; He loves the entire world!

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians: "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts" (1 Cor. 14:1a). God wants His gifts flowing through us, but He never forces us to use them. He is looking for availability, courage and surrender. Please allow the Holy Spirit to jumpstart His power in your life.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org. His latest book is The Truth Sets Women Free is now available in English and Spanish.

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