Calling vs. Anointing

In recent years I've gotten to know a whole lot of people on both sides of the charismatic fence within the Church. What I mean is people who believe that we can exhibit the spiritual gifts we read about in the scriptures on a regular basis, and people who believe that the gifts are rare occurrences at best and no longer around at worst. Within these camps there is a particular spiritual language use to describe the same things.

One of the most common words amongst the charismatics that I've heard is "anointing". For a long time I was told that this word was synonymous with the word "calling" in conservative circles, but as I think about it more I'm not so sure that it is. This isn't really an amazing spiritual truth or divine revelation, it's simply my observation and opinion.  

I believe we are ALL "called" to do what we can to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, and as such, we all are responsible to fill in where we're needed when we're needed. On the other hand, there are things that each of us is "anointed" to do in a special way with a special effectiveness in the spiritual realms.

For instance, there are many people who can lead worship and if there's a need I believe they have a responsibility or a "call" to do so. However, I think we'd all agree that some individuals are "anointed" to lead worship above and beyond just an ability or responsibility. In my mind, when someone is "anointed" to do something that means God inhabits that persons work in a special way. Not everything they do is necessarily anointed, but certain things are.

I also believe that everyone has at least ONE thing that they are "anointed" to do. Everyone has at least one way in which God works through them beyond normal effectiveness or ability. The question is...What would this world look like if every Christian knew what their "anointing" was, and if every Christian did what they we're called to do?

Building the Kingdom on Debt

In an attempt to talk out my own thoughts, one of the issues that I can't seem to get around in Kingdom work is the fact that so much of what we call "part of God's Kingdom" is built on debt. Churches with multi-million dollar mortgages, small non-profits held up by credit cards, people lending to ministry but not giving, and all of this isn't even touching on the fact that so many of us as sons and daughters of God live off of debt personally.

Make no mistake, I'm not exempt from the problem. My wife and I are trying to get out of debt, but we still have a significant mortgage that we'll be in for 20-some years. I understand the fact that "this is the way our world works" today, but aren't we called to live in the world but be not of it?

A friend of mine tells a story of how when he was in seminary a guest speaker came to his school and told them that everyone who was there on student loans didn't have enough faith in God. The students then proceeded to get up out of their seats and rebuke him off the stage. Initially, when he tells it, you can hear the heart of his side and you think "maybe their reaction was right." After all, they're taking out those loans to do God's work and those schools are expensive. On the other side, maybe that guy was on to something.

Now I don't think that he needed to go in and lambaste everyone in the audience who had student loans, and I'm not sure it's a matter of faith as much as it is a matter of liquid sunshine. Somewhere in that entire story God has got to fit into the equation.

I tend to believe that if we truly are doing what God wants us to do then He will pay for what He orders. However, I believe God honors personal sacrifice and we all know that loans are a very significant sacrifice. At this time I can't fully say which side I'm on but I'm leaning towards no debt at all. I find that position has the most scriptural support behind it, and although there are some very real issues on the other side of the coin, I just can't bring myself to endorsing a "debt is a sign of faith" stance.

If we are truly building God's kingdom, then He has more than enough resources to do it. If not, then I believe we need to ask ourselves whether or not it's God's Kingdom or our own.

A Call to Repentance

Anybody who knows me knows that I'm passionate about seeing this world come to the fullness of the Kingdom of God as soon as possible. The reality is that that will only happen when our Lord Jesus Christ returns, however, I believe that we can play a role in at least getting things closer to what God intended.

The foundational issue behind turning this world around is actually fairly simple. John the Baptist preached it, Christ preached, the Apostles preached it, and so I will preach it. God's kingdom must start with a repentant people. We can't just turn from our sins and follow Jesus. We must repent, then turn from our sins and follow Christ.

The thing is... We've forgotten how to repent. We think an emotional prayer at the altar is repentance or a meeting with our accountability partner is repentance. The reality, however, is that repentance is not just turning from your past but dealing with it (to the best of your ability).

For example... If you've got people in your past that you've left bloody and bruised, you can't just become a Christian and cry a few tears and then get your golden ticket to heaven. You have to go to those individuals and do your best to make things right. Apologize, ask for forgiveness, and maybe even restore the relationship. I'll admit, sometimes that process is out of our control and those people may not want to go through it. But we have to be willing to set as many things right as we can before we can move forward to what God has for us.

This is the idea behind my Call to Repentance blogs. These are issues that I feel must be dealt with before we can expect God to start blessing us in ways that we desire. As we move towards being what we should be, we must try to deal with who we've been.

He'll Never Leave You?

How many times have you heard it? "He'll never leave nor forsake you." It sounds comforting right? God will always be there for you no matter what the circumstances. No matter what you do God will always be at your side and ready to help you.

This idea is found in the first chapter of Joshua where God is telling Joshua that He will be with him just as He was with Moses and that He will never leave Joshua or forsake him. The only problem is that this isn't where God stops talking. He goes on to say that Joshua will only be successful IF he obeys the commandments that God gave to Moses. He also states that Joshua will only be successful if he meditates on the word of God day and night and seeks God's face throughout his life.

The entirety of God's message to Joshua is an encouraging yet conditional covenant between the two of them. God basically tells Joshua that he will be invincible if Joshua seeks after Him and obeys His law. That is the side of the covenant that Joshua has to uphold, and is the condition under which the promise of God's presence is made. God will never forsake Joshua or leave him IF he hold up his end of the bargain.

If this reading of scripture is accurate then this begs the question, "If we don't hold up our end of the bargain, does that mean that God might leave us or forsake us?" To answer that we just have to go to the new testament to find out that God will eventually give us over to ourselves should we turn away from him enough times, and thus, I believe this is evidence that God will forsake us should we chose to forsake Him.

Now I know that God is everywhere and that technically He will always be near, but I believe, as with most things in scripture, God is talking about a spiritual forsakeness and not a physical one. Therefore, I believe we need to be careful how lightly we take God's promised presence in times of trouble. I know it sounds nice and it comforting to say that God won't forsake or leave us, but we must always ask ourselves if we've held up our end of the bargain. God is not obligated to do anything for us, and we need to remember that it's only by His grace that we even have a chance of His presence in our lives...even in hard times.

God Is Moving!

This is a blog post that I've looked forward to writing for some time because I've know that it was coming, but not until now have I been able to say with confidence... God is moving in Carteret County, North Carolina.

To write the testimonies of this experience would take an entire book up to this point, and the great thing is that He is just getting started. Churches are being purified and ignited with passion for the lost and not just themselves. Lives are being changed from dead and lost to alive and found. And the best part is that it's happening all over the community and not just in one or two circles.

Now I don't know if many people read my blogs, but if you read this one and you are seeing the same things in your community that we're seeing here, please respond to this blog and let me know what's happening in your area.

God is on the move, and I for one do not want to get left behind.