God’s Unpopular Lemonade Recipe

lemon slicesWhen life gives you lemons, make lemonade. How many times has someone offered you this trite saying as a well-meaning pat on the back? It’s a cute phrase, one that undoubtedly rings true for those determined to make the best out of any sour situation.

It’s also the last thing you want to hear when you’ve just had a miscarriage, been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer or lost a spouse. The truth is, life hurts far more than the sting of a little lemon juice. At times, life can feel like a 200-ton boulder falling on you again and again and again. And for those who’ve experienced this, they know there’s a big difference between being squeezed by life and being broken to pieces by it.

One of the great mysteries of God’s kingdom, however, is that the latter is a way of life for anyone who desires to follow Christ. Jesus blatantly laid out this unpopular life plan of brokenness in one of the most prophetically layered passages in the New Testament.

In Matthew 21:33-44, Jesus uses a parable about a vineyard’s wicked tenants to depict Israel’s rejection of God’s Son. He concludes His exchange with the chief priests by referencing an Old Testament passage that prophesied how God would marvelously use “the stone” rejected by human builders as the very cornerstone of His new creation, the church.

Jesus’ words in verse 43 continue to spark debate among theologians and teachers regarding the ramifications for God’s chosen people (Jews) and the rest of us (Gentiles). But for anyone who desires to walk in step with the Holy Spirit today, it’s what Jesus says in the following verse that deserves just as much consideration: “Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” (v. 44, NIV).

Jesus is obviously referring to the Jew-Gentile dilemma; but I believe His words also apply to the higher calling of those who desire to walk as He did. The Bible consistently links brokenness with kingdom living. Unfortunately, most of us misunderstand what true brokenness looks like or even means. It isn’t a dark-night-of-the-soul depression, loneliness, grief or despair, though most who’ve endured brokenness have experienced such elements along the way. True godly brokenness is less about our emotional reaction than it is the spiritual fruit borne from the process: our changed form. When something is broken, it changes from one solid piece into many smaller fragments that can be reformed, rebuilt and reused. This is exactly what God intends when He allows life’s trials to break us.

I don’t believe God’s desire is to pummel us into a heap of ashes, which is the alternative route Jesus describes for those who don’t fall onto “this stone” but instead have it fall on them. I believe God weeps with those who have been crushed and seemingly scattered “like dust” (v. 44, NASB). But our omnipotent God also knows the ultimate good brokenness yields, which is why He gives us the option to either fall on the rock and be broken (less painful) or have it fall on us and be crushed (ouch!).

The choice is ours—yes, even when a spouse of 25 years serves us divorce papers or our long-awaited baby suddenly dies in his sleep. God desires to use every situation—good or bad—to bring about the glorious new creation in each of us. And in His wisdom, He knows brokenness is one of the most effective ways to transform us.

Still, brokenness hurts. It’s not as simplistic as being dealt a handful of lemons and adding a little sugar to sweeten the experience. The path of brokenness is difficult, yet it mimics Jesus’ bigger-picture perspective that caused Him to submit to the Father and lay down His life for those who, instead of embracing Him, chose to reject, beat, curse, mock, spit on, bruise and, yes, crush Him.

The good news for us is that, like Jesus, the Father will never let us be crushed or broken beyond restoration. “New creation” life is always within our reach. The Jesus who was once crushed is now resurrected, alive and our living hope. And therein lies the key ingredient to God’s masterful recipe for living in His kingdom.

The Story That Doesn’t Need Stretching

sharing storiesRandy was a great evangelist—and a great liar. For three weeks in July our church was captivated by the visiting preacher’s stories and charged to, as his catchphrase went, “Go big for God!” Unfortunately, Randy couldn’t help but go larger than life when it came to his version of reality.

Everything seemed so believable. He had the scars to prove he was a walking miracle. Allegedly the lone survivor from a car crash, Randy had been burned throughout his body, including his face. He’d undergone more than 40 surgeries and had several organ transplants. He still relied on a breathing machine at times, which seemingly explained his heavy breathing during preaching. Add to all the drama and trauma, his messages—stories aside—stirred the souls of all ages with a reminder that every minute we have is a gift from God and an opportunity to share His hope with others.

I still don’t understand why Randy felt he had to fabricate his testimony given his physical condition. But the evangelist’s public confession years later left those he’d impacted wondering the same thing: Why did he make all that up? Isn’t sharing the gospel enough?

Sadly, for many believers in the American church, it isn’t. We often feel compelled to add something more to the Good News—some extra sizzle that leads people to an emotional response and, ultimately, a “decision for Christ” (that is the end goal, isn’t it?). We’ve become so conditioned by stage performers—liars or not—on the church platform that we’ve created an unspoken rule: If your testimony doesn’t include a past life of alcoholism, drug dealing, an overdose (or two), abuse, addiction, pornography or another form of sexual immorality, then don’t bother sharing it. (Bonus points for anyone who can check off everything from the list.)

I’m being extreme, but the truth is that we can become so enamored with the depths of our own depravity that we lose sight of the real star of salvation, Jesus. In the process, we forget the dunamis power of the gospel. There’s a reason it’s called the Good News, and if we don’t think it’s good on its own—without our embellishment—then something’s wrong.

We’re not all called to the role of an evangelist, but as believers we are responsible for relaying this Good News. The story of what Jesus has done for us should be on the tips of our tongues at any time. So how do we make sharing the gospel a natural part of our life?

1. Tell your story, no matter how dramatic. Drama may sell on reality TV shows, but in the real real world authenticity trumps flair. People want what’s real more than they want to be wowed, and there’s nothing more real to believers than how God saved us. He’s given you a unique story of being rescued from sin, whether that involves 50 years of crime or 5 seconds of lust. Don’t be ashamed of the unique way God drew you out of the darkness.

2. Speak in English, not in Christianese. Salvation. Atonement. Sanctification. I dare you to find any of these words spoken as you’re waiting for your coffee in Starbucks. The message of the gospel doesn’t change; how we deliver it does. That doesn’t mean you need to twist the truth of God’s story or how it’s affected you; it just means you may have to rethink using churchy lingo if you want to be heard and understood when sharing with unbelievers how God has changed your life.

3. Serve with no strings attached. Want to engage unbelievers? Meet their needs without expecting anything in return. Show God’s love—by serving—before talking about it. (See p. 28 for more ways to do this.)

4. Make room for the supernatural. One of the surest ways to see the gospel’s raw power on display is to force yourself into situations requiring supernatural faith. For example, it takes more guts than faith to ask strangers in the grocery store if they know Jesus. But if you instead asked them if you could pray for their healing, that not only opens the door for conversation, it paves the way for the Holy Spirit to win them over with power.

There are countless ways to share the gospel but only one bottom-line message. Let’s keep that, not what we add to our delivery, as the main focus.

Can’t We All Just Move On?

The June issue of Charisma is not the issue we had planned.

No, this issue was supposed to be bright, cheery and reflective of the onset of long, sunny summer days. We had a great lineup of upbeat stories and easy reads—one of those issues you could devour while at the pool yet still chew on afterward.

Instead we have an ominous cover bearing what has become the decade’s most symbolic piece of clothing yet: a hoodie. We have a cover story on racism—not exactly the topic you want to bring up in a month most families are celebrating another school year ending and possibly a nearing vacation at the beach or lake.

No, instead we have what my publisher calls “possibly the most important issue we’ve ever put out.” And we have a message that isn’t just timely given the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin case, it’s absolutely necessary. Sometimes original plans must take a back seat to what’s essential—and this is one of those times.

Since March, the nation has been engaged in a discussion surrounding the tragic shooting of a 17-year-old. Bloggers, columnists and talking heads have given 101 reasons why this isn’t about race, why it’s absurd in a day in which we have a black president that people are “playing the race card,” and why this is merely a legal matter—period.

I doubt you’ll hear that logic from many minority groups. And I’m certain it’s not the case in Sanford, Fla., where Trayvon was shot and where there’s a history of underlying racial division. (For more on this local perspective and how the Trayvon story hits home—literally—for Charisma, see p. 22.) Across the country, racism and “justice” (or the lack thereof) go hand-in-hand. So while I can partly understand why people see the Trayvon case as being more about justice than race, the sheer passion behind the responses and interactions we’ve witnessed over the past three months prove that, like it or not, racism is still a factor. It may look a little different in 2012 than it did 50 years ago, but it remains a bigger factor than we’d all like to admit.

That’s especially true in the church, where we’ve dealt with the issue as if it were something we “fix,” only to move on to another problem. But racism isn’t something we can apply a Band-Aid to with a conference session on identificational repentance or a Sunday sermon series on John 17 unity. Racism is a spiritual principality that Satan has successfully established on earth since humanity’s earliest days. And if the church hopes to ever truly triumph over this age-old stronghold, we must be committed for the long haul and no longer just offer lip service to loving those who look different than us.

That begins and ends with relationship—relationship that goes beyond interracial handshakes at the occasional reconciliation meeting. At its heart, racism reveals a lack of authentic relationship. By contrast, the core of Jesus’ ministry modeled authentic relationship: What else can explain His masterful plan to change the earth through 12 guys into whom He’d invested three years of His life? What, besides a desire for true relationship, would make a God pursue His creation to the ends of time?

Because we were made in God’s image, humans have a natural disposition for this kind of relationship. We reflect it equally well via our intimacy with Him and our intimacy with each other—which is why Jesus’ last conversation with the Father before facing death centered on our unity. Yes, it matters that much.

We can ruminate all day on God’s command to love one another, but until we take action and develop real relationship—whether across the street, suburb or city—it means nothing (which suits Satan just fine).

Believers, we’ve preached to each other about actively loving across racial divides for ages. Yet until we truly recognize this as our greatest weapon to defeat one of the enemy’s most powerful principalities, we’ll continue to “reconcile” with only a surface, trendy love.

Comfort and Contrast at Pentecost

Would I have responded like that 7-year-old? The question burned in me after recently hearing of a family forced to flee their homeland upon becoming Christians. A friend of mine who often assists persecuted believers was helping the family pick up the pieces of their lives in a foreign country—all because of their faith.

After making Jesus their Lord and Savior, certain members of the family had been attacked and jailed. One day a group of men barged into the family’s home and threatened them once again if they didn’t renounce Jesus. Amid the exchange, one of the twin 7-year-old sons looked the men in the eyes and boldly declared that he was a follower of Jesus. He was kidnapped and, within days, his body was delivered to the mother—chopped into three pieces.

Such twisted evil is almost incomprehensible. But equally as staggering is the way God shows up as light in such utterly dark moments as this. When my friend met the mother and remaining twin son, they’d just been reunited with the rest of the family after weeks in hiding. The shock and pain on their faces was a look he’ll never forget. Yet somehow, despite their seemingly insurmountable grief, God’s comforting presence could still be found.

Before Jesus left this earth, He promised that “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name … will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). Some translations of that verse use the word Counselor, while others opt for Comforter. In situations like this family’s, He is certainly all of the above. No matter how long my friend stayed to comfort those wailing parents and children, no matter what words he offered, nothing could compare to the helping, healing, comforting presence of the Holy Spirit.

I imagine many of those in the upper room on the day of Pentecost felt the same way. Acts 2:1 records that “they were all with one accord in one place,” yet given the situation, their hope was probably mixed with a sense of sorrow. Though they’d seen a risen Jesus and heard His promises of the Comforter to come, still, the man who had transformed every facet of their lives was no longer with them. They’d watched the supernatural way He left, even talked with angels who assured them Jesus would return in the same fashion (1:11)—and I’m sure they believed this. But it’s likely many of them were still recovering from the emotional roller coaster of the previous two months and thinking: I wish we could return to the good ol’ days of simply following Jesus in the countryside.

Amid their unprecedented blend of grief, joy, hope and anxiety, they needed a Comforter whose mere presence could calm their minds, hearts and souls. Isn’t it typical of God, then, that this peace and stillness came via a Holy Spirit red-carpet arrival draped in anything but serenity: the massive sound, flames of fire and seemingly drunk followers making lots of noise with their brand-new vocabularies.

What fits the description of a rock concert was instead the welcome party for the Holy Spirit’s dwelling on Earth—now taking place within believers! Indeed, there’s no greater contrast than when the Holy Spirit silences the noise of our sin-stormed souls, only to reside there.

Yet it’s because of the power of this indwelling, which we mark this month on Pentecost Sunday, that is the true miracle. Not only is it the power that can lift the faces of the family my friend met amid utter darkness and pain, it’s also the same power that gave Jesus’ grieving followers the boldness to emerge from tragedy and preach a miracle-filled gospel in the face of opposition.

That 7-year-old boy had this Holy Spirit power. I can only hope I’d do what he did if put in a similar situation. And I pray that as we celebrate Pentecost this year, we’ll be reminded of the true miracle that is the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

The Language of a Rock

Every rock is a spiritual lesson waiting to be learned when you’re in Israel. Or so it seemed that way when I went there for the first time a couple of years ago.

Any believer who’s traveled around the Holy Land and traced the footsteps of Jesus knows the deep, almost inexplicable awakening that explodes inside you when, while touching the same land Jesus touched, the thought crosses your mind: This is where my Savior was. I’m actually standing where the God of the universe stood!

It happened countless times during my visit. Everywhere I went the surroundings seemed to whisper their Christ-brushed history like a flag flapping in the wind.

Yet the one moment I’ll never forget occurred along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I’d wandered off slightly from my group and found an opening among the rocks and bushes to sit alone and take in the surroundings where Jesus chose, out of anywhere on Earth, to live. Of course, I imagined Him walking upon the water in the distant. And I wondered if He’d stood nearby when He first called Peter and Andrew to follow Him.

But then I spotted a single rock, one not jagged or rough like those to my sides. It sat on the ground in front of me, smooth and weathered as if it had been tossed and rolled by a million tides in its lifetime. I reached down and picked it up, only to suddenly experience an all-of-history-flashes-before-your-eyes moment.

The stones will cry out!

The phrase rang in my head like a divine message. Jesus spoke the words in an oft-quoted verse, Luke 19:40, after telling a group of Pharisees that if His disciples stopped praising Him, the rocks would simply take their place in shouting hosannas. Habakkuk 2:11 speaks of the “stones of the wall” crying out. And a few other times the Bible refers to rocks as if they were living beings that could at times erupt with noise to their Maker.

But along the shores of Galilee, I thought of the language of two types of “rocks” in particular—stones that were not only much larger than what I held in my hand, but also infinitely valuable in their revelation of the majesty of Jesus.

When Jesus took His final breath, we know the whole earth travailed as its Maker endured more than all of creation put together could imagine. Matthew 27:51-52 says: “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open” (NIV).

The Father is looking for those who worship Him in Spirit and truth (John 4:23). He desires deeper intimacy with those who can respond fittingly to His Spirit. Upon Jesus’ death, both the rocks and tombs (also made of stone) had to “break open” their mouths and cry out in anguish. They knew no other response. Because only a handful of people on the entire planet at that time grieved the despicable injustice of the perfect Jesus crucified, the rocks took it upon themselves to give Him the response due to Him.

But notice the entirely different language spoken by the second type of rock involved three days later. This was a massive boulder of sorts, meant to cover a tomb carved out of yet more rock—the tomb that symbolically swallowed the Word (Jesus).

Again, this tomb had to open its mouth: The covering stone was miraculously rolled away from a feeble attempt to contain Jesus. Only this time, out of its mouth came complete silence—the deafening silence of an empty tomb. No words or sounds could match the resounding victory pronounced that first Easter morning. How typical of God to have a stone be the first to speak that morning.

Like the rock tomb, I want to have the Word buried so deep within me that life, not death, emerges from my mouth. And as I celebrate a risen Lord this Easter, I pray I’ll yield the same rejoicing, victorious silence of that open-mouthed stone:

He is not here; He has risen!

A Tale of Two Theaters

It’s not by chance that this weekend, while kazillions of Americans pack theaters to watch what is arguably the year’s most anticipated movie, The Hunger Games, a Gideon-sized army (by comparison) will opt for a far lesser-known title that centers on the same theme: the fight for life.

October Baby, a small-budget film about an “abortion survivor’s” journey to self-discover, can’t compete with The Hunger Games’ production costs, marketing dollars, merchandising revenue, book sales, media fixation or even adolescent obsession. It does, however, represent the profound crossroads our culture stands at concerning something as simple as life—and more specifically, how we define it, protect it and further it.

For those who’ve been living in a cave for the past few months, The Hunger Games depicts a government-run reality TV show that pits 24 teens against each other in a fight-to-the-death competition. Though the big-screen adaptation commendably stays away from glorifying an inherently violent storyline, its fundamental premise—kids trained in a bloodthirsty culture to delight in killing their peers—is nonetheless disturbing. Make no mistake: This box-office goliath isn’t afraid to expose—or at least question through sci-fi allegory—the point at which a culture’s moral decline of treating violence as entertainment corrupts the very heart of what it means to be human. And ultimately, the movie’s heroine, a 16-year-old rebel named Katniss, represents the hope that we can somehow stop our own moral decay.

It’s telling, then, that while countless movie critics and moviegoers will be challenged by The Hunger Games’ fantasy-world depiction of barbarity, most will never stop to consider how another all-too-real practice of inhumanity has made its way into our moral fabric. Call it anti-abortion, pro-life, life-affirming … whatever you want to say about October Baby, it’s clearly a case-in-point tale of how we can justify evil at any self-gaining cost.

Hannah (Rachel Hendrix), the central character of October Baby, is the living fruit of this justification. At 19, she discovers her lifelong medical and emotional issues are linked to what the doctor describes as a traumatic birth experience. Yet the more shocking revelation—which her parents have kept hidden—is that she was adopted after a failed abortion attempt. Determined to “find out who I really am,” Hannah embarks on a road trip to uncover her roots and make sense of the life she now believes has been a complete lie.

Her journey is at times poignant and at other times raw—both apt descriptions of this feature-film debut from co-director brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin. Though the movie has garnered awards and (not surprisingly) praise from many pro-life leaders, its flaws are most obvious in pacing, forced dialogue and one-dimensional characters. Whether this is a result of being heavily influenced by fellow Christian filmmaking brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, whose movies (Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous) have at times had the same struggles, it doesn’t overshadow October Baby’s key messages of forgiveness and redemption found in Christ and, of course, the value of a single life. It’s through these elements, the film clearly relays, that we find the beauty of life.

“To be human is to be beautifully flawed,” a policeman tells Hannah in one scene. And as the credits roll, a similar sentiment echoes through a Chris Sligh chorus: “The world is broken in too many pieces / But the brokenness is beautiful, it’s beautiful.”

Indeed, it’s amazing that God finds beauty in us, just as it’s unexpected to find such beauty in a true story essentially built around the blood-filled, brutal act of murdering a baby. Like Hannah, that beauty is most often discovered after intentionally searching—and even then, it emerges where we least expected it. But on a weekend when countless Americans will be immersed in a brutal fantasy world, the tragedy isn’t just that most will miss an opportunity to experience such redemptive beauty through a parallel story; it’s that the fantasy barbarity they’re watching is actually a reality today—yet another broken element in need of God’s beautiful redemption.

Have We Become Armchair Revivalists?

I’ve never met a believer who didn’t have an innate vision for revival. Sure, the concept of what revival actually looks like varies from person to person. But we all long to see a mass outpouring of the Holy Spirit that transforms cities and nations.

There’s a problem, though: Too many Christians in America would rather sit on the sidelines and argue over what does and doesn’t qualify as a revival than actually expend the energy to pray and prepare their hearts for one. If there is any hope for our country’s future, this must change. Before you think I’m advocating for people to check all discernment at the door (along with their brains), let me explain.

I experienced firsthand the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival in the 1990s. I attended countless churches, conferences and events during that season where the Holy Spirit would show up in such power that any man-made agendas or sermon outlines became pointless. It was truly unique.

Read MoreI also remember the stark difference between those who dove headfirst into what God was doing at the time and those who opted to sit on the sidelines. And no, I’m not talking about the Hank Hanegraaffs of the bunch who label any move of the Holy Spirit that involves flesh (i.e., people) as counterfeit; I’m referring to believers who questioned and critiqued every aspect of these moves to the point that they became frozen in their faith.

I know this because, for a while, I was one of them. I was an armchair revivalist, commenting on God’s move from a distance without having first truly experienced it myself. I eventually found that, while we’re told to discern and “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1), we must first rely on the Holy Spirit for truth rather than basing it upon what our eyes can see.

Almost 20 years later, however, this Monday morning quarterback—er, revivalist—club continues to grow in an online world that amplifies any heresy hunter’s claims. Their biggest gripe is how the word revival is misunderstood and misapplied.

It’s true: Believers—and particularly the Spirit-filled community—have certainly abused the term revival, even reducing it to a marketing tactic to draw crowds. But after refusing to be a bystander and instead becoming an active participant in a handful of God’s powerful moves, I’ve discovered a greater truth: It ultimately doesn’t matter whether we call something a revival, renewal or outpouring … because if we aren’t crying out in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14, desperate for God’s healing in both our lives and throughout our land, it’s unlikely we’ll see “revival” anyway. Repentance and righteousness are far more important to God than what term we use to describe His move.

I recently sat down with John Kilpatrick and Nathan Morris, two leaders involved in what’s been called the Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival. On July 23, 2010, God showed up at an otherwise ordinary conference and began healing and touching multitudes; two years later, the revival services continue. Kilpatrick is best known as Brownsville’s former pastor, yet what many may not know is how he had to shepherd a congregation during both the sudden swell and the tumultuous aftermath of the revival. If anyone has a right to be skeptical or cynical of something being prematurely called a revival, it’s Kilpatrick.

Yet as I spoke with him and Morris, a young British evangelist, I recognized the same heart seen today in fellow “revivalists” such as Bill Johnson, Randy Clark, Rodney Howard-Browne, and John and Carol Arnott. These men and women are fire-starters, willing to take the personal attacks if it means stirring people’s hearts toward a hunger for God’s presence—which in turn, lays the foundation for a move of God.·

In this month’s issue of Charisma, we’ve highlighted the perfectly paired themes of healing and revival. Each contributor not only has a personal connection to revival, but also desires to see revival fires consume the U.S. as they are throughout the non-Western world. May their words help to rekindle whatever embers are glowing in your own life for the sake of true revival.

BTW: For more of my interview with John Kilpatrick and Nathan Morris, check out this month’s Charisma Digital.

A Report From the Front Lines of China’s Revival

Dennis Balcombe is one of my all-time spiritual heroes–a guy who puts any self-appointed apostle, prophet or evangelist to shame. He’s impacted millions during China’s unprecedented revival while almost daily putting his life on the line. He’s been beaten, arrested, imprisoned and threatened yet, like many of China’s giants in the faith, has story after story of God miraculously saving him. Bottom line: This true apostle gets my attention every time he speaks.

He should have yours too, if for nothing else than to get the real scoop on the Holy Spirit’s amazing move in China right now. We ran a story in January on this, which you can check out here. But I also wanted to share Dennis’ latest report from the front lines, where he’s seeing China’s “Three-Self Patriotic” churches (those that are officially registered with the Communist government) open to the Holy Spirit like never before. Here’s what he wrote a few days ago:

New Wine in New Wineskins – Fires of Holy Ghost Revival Burning in China’s Official and Registered Churches

Posted on February 17, 2012 by RCMI

I recently was invited to speak in an official “Three-Self Patriotic Church” in Wuchang, which is in Wuhan in central China. Wuhan, the capital of Hubei is actually made up of three cities (Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang), and is the most populous city in Central China with a population of about 9.8 million. There are several hundred official churches registered with the Religious Affairs Bureau and without a doubt several thousand house churches.

The pastor, Rev. Xu, then spoke to me about the situation with Christianity in China. He said, “In the West you are now putting emphasis on the cell church, or house church movement and many think the only way to reach China is through support of the house church movement. But after studying Christianity in China for many decades, I have come to the conclusion that China will be reached not only through house churches, but through large open churches preaching the Gospel.”

I asked Rev. Xu, “Why do you say that?” He pointed to a large modern building of over 40 floors, which you see everywhere in Chinese cities, and he said, “In this building there is probably one or several house churches. But other than the people who attend these house churches, who knows about their existence? How many sinners will they be able to reach and bring to Christ say over the period of ten years? Perhaps it will be a few hundred or a few thousand.’

But look at my church. Every Sunday we have over 6,000 come to our meetings, many for the first time. They see a church building and attend out of curiosity, an interest in religion or at the invitation of a member. We have choirs, instrumental music, good preaching, Sunday Schools, youth ministry, divine healing meetings, prayer meetings, Bible Seminary and so on. Every month we reach countless thousands of people. Thus the key to reaching China is through ministry originating in large Spirit-filled open churches.”

I immediately thought of a conference for the “Simple Church” I attended in Dallas Texas several years ago. I was asked to speak on the house church in China. They had all read a book named “Pagan Christianity”. The book basically states that because almost everything we know in Christianity has pagan organs, we thus should leave the ‘institutional church’ and only meet in our homes in small groups in which anyone who desires can share (1 Cor. 14:26). All other things in Christianity are wrong: church building, clergy, choirs, Bible Schools, Sunday Schools, worship teams, youth groups, tithing, communion services, baptismal services, pulpit preaching, etc.

It would seem the authors have something against the ‘church’ as we know it today. But I can totally agree with one of the basic premises of the book, which is ‘the church is not a building we go to or have meetings in, but the church is people, the Body of Christ.’ Having said that, in at least the Asian context, the church building is extremely useful and even vital to the development and growth of the ‘church, the Body of Christ.’ Our Hong Kong church, Revival Christian Church, is a converted movie theater of 15,000 sq. ft. Almost every part of the building is being used every day by our congregation and other groups. Every month literally thousands will be ministered to in this building.

For decades we have experienced mighty revival in China, but it was mostly in the rural house churches. This has resulted in close to a hundred-fold increase in Chinese believers in the past 60 years. Now this revival is sweeping many large official churches often referred to as ‘Three-Self’ churches. Also many congregations now meet in non-official but registered church buildings. These are basically house church fellowships that due to a recent relaxation in policy have been able to build their own church buildings.

During the first 25 years of China’s open door policy (starting in 1978) few house church leaders, believers and overseas Christian workers or missionaries wanted anything to do with the Three-Self churches. They called them the ‘harlot church’ and Christians attending these churches were considered to be compromisers and the preachers as betrayers of Christ. After I attended some of these at the invitation of the pastor to preach and teach on the Holy Spirit and revival, I was told by one leading house-church leader a few years ago, “You cannot even be saved if you set your foot in a Three-Self Church.”

This same leader was lamenting that his house church was in decline, young people were no longer praying or preaching as they did in the Cultural Revolution and the first two decades of the ‘open door policy’, and they were longing for the ‘old time religion’ and the return of the past glories. However he failed to see that many official churches that were in every part of that area (Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province), were packed with young people who were baptized in the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues and prophesying, and every service was lively with instruments, dancing and New Testament style worship. These churches were exploding with growth, conducing Sunday Schools, youth ministry, divine healing taking place in every meeting and powerful Biblical preaching by Spirit filled ministers. It is truly time of revival, and at the present rate of church growth within in thirty years we will probably see the numbers of Christians increase from 20-30% of the population. It now stands about 9%.

While RCMI still focuses on ministering to house church groups in providing Bibles, Christian teaching materials and conducing training sessions both in mainland China and Hong Kong, we increasingly have open doors to the official churches. We still continue to conduct Bible Schools where we train workers. However we now have open doors to train in open churches.

Since I gave the leadership of our local Hong Kong church and local ministry to Samuel and Sharon Lau (note: the son-in-law & daughter of Pastor Dennis, now co-senior pastors of Revival Christian Church, Kwai Fong) in 2003, I have been dedicating the vast majority of my time to ministry in mainland China. While we have heard no policy statement from official religious organizations, there seems to have been a marked change in policy during the past year or so. Evangelical and Spirit filled leaders are taking over official churches, and have liberty to preach whatever they want. Many of these churches are developing worship teams, Sunday Schools, youth groups and are actually very active in evangelism and church planting. I have had the opportunity to preach and share in many of these official churches.

At the same time, many house church fellowships, through contacts with various government officials, have applied to and been given permission to build large church buildings, some over 12 floors high. One floor will be a large meeting hall that can accommodate a congregation of up to 1,000, and they will have multiple meetings on the weekends. Other floors will be used for a Bible College, dormitories for students, offices and canteen. I am often invited to minister and without exception the preaching will focus on being baptized in the Holy Spirit, revival, Biblical worship and praise and missions. Also many will give their lives to Christ and become Christians after we speak.

We still greatly need teams to visit Hong Kong to help us to take in and distribute desperately needed Bibles and Christian books to China. This is because some of the Study Bibles and teaching books (such as Shepherd’s Staff) are not available for sale in China. However with offerings given for Bibles, we can through our contacts in the official churches purchase large amounts of Bibles. The Christians always appreciate this for they are officially printed by Amity and The Chinese Christian Council, and possession of them will never result in any problem.

I also appeal for overseas workers to come to HK to work with our ministry, learn the Chinese language and eventfully go to China to serve the Lord. While China has no such thing as a ‘missionary visa’, countless thousands of missionaries are already in China doing various ministries. But we need tens of thousands more if we are to bring in this last harvest. We are living in the time of opening doors, not closing doors.

Pastor Dennis Balcombe

When God Speaks Through Linsanity

I have 1,001 reasons to love the Jeremy Lin story. First, the obvious: I’m human and, like anyone with a pulse, love a good ol’ fashioned underdog story. Few things can top the tale of a Harvard walk-on-turned-All-Ivy-Leaguer who goes undrafted, bounces around a few NBA teams and the NBA’s Development League, and then gets a Hail Mary chance with a team in the world’s biggest media market. Fast-forward all of two weeks since the New York Knicks point guard was inserted into a game because of teammates’ injuries, and we’re all swept up in Linsanity.

But I also love Lin’s story because of personal connections. I was raised in Hong Kong, where most of my friends were Asian-American, and I have family and friends from Taiwan. Having been a lifelong hoops junkie who played on high school and national teams (since I was born in Hong Kong), I also know what it’s like to always be the guy on the court who doesn’t look like everyone else and is, in some way, representing an entire race. It’s thrilling to watch a guy break down stereotypes in a game that’s historically been saturated with racial and cultural undercurrents.

Then there are the more underlying reasons for cheering on this Lincredible run. From a purely sports perspective, the 23-year-old “nobody” stands out in a league built around prima donnas—and on a team that was mired in the egos of at least two of them. His old-school, team-first focus on winning, as well as his atypical deference to teammates amid the media spotlight adds to the intrigue. As Fox Sports columnist Greg Couch wrote, “It took someone whom no one believed in to get a team of unmatched parts to believe in itself.” There we go again with that All-American Hoosiers psyche.

Psychologically speaking, Lin’s story fascinates us to the point that every columnist and his or her mother seems to be offering a new facet to analyze with each game. And it’s true: Lin personifies something far bigger, a story of hope that each of us connects to no matter if it’s an account fleshed out through a basketball player, a liberated POW, a widowed mother or a rescued sex slave. We were born to cheer on those rising from the ashes, just as we were born with the innate ability to hope for something more. Because of the way our sports-obsessed nation elevates athletes, Lin is the latest icon who typifies more than someone who can put a round object through a metal hoop; he’s a living emblem for millions of overcoming obstacles, breaking down stereotypes, proving the doubters wrong and a host of other inspirational messages.

But as wonderful as those themes are, I believe there’s a deeper message to be heard among the Linsanity. In fact, I believe it may be the voice of God whispering among the deafening cheers, as He so often does with a nation when we stop to actually listen.

It’s not by chance that in a matter of months we’ve had two of the most remarkable sports stories to emerge in years, out of nowhere (or more precisely, if we’re sticking with the sports terminology, out of left field). It’s also not by chance both stories revolved around young men who publicly talked about their love for Jesus.

Unlike Lin, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was already accustomed to the hype, having been a Heisman winner mentioned among college football’s all-time greats. Yet when Tebowmania began this past NFL season (let’s be honest, we’re still riding its wake) and sparked everything from the “Tebowing” trend to heated political debates, even he couldn’t deny that something else was at work. Tebow—as another emblem—divided our nation like few athletes ever have. And clearly, it wasn’t just because people wondered how a guy with so many supposed flaws to his game could keep pulling out last-second wins.

For now, Lin has escaped such malicious personal scrutiny. I wonder how much of this is linked to Tebow’s public display of honoring God; though upfront about his faith, Lin has been less demonstrative—plus, there are countless different variables involved in each situation. Time will tell when the fawning press will turn on Lin, but at this point, it’s simply remarkable that both men have been given such a global platform with countless media outlets hanging on their every word. God has, is and will continue to use this to glorify Himself and speak. Here are some of things I believe He’s saying through Linsanity and Tebowmania:

1) Young warriors still exist. Every generation in the last 50 years—from Boomers to Gen X to Millennials—has been dubbed godless, hopeless and lost. Through a 23- and a 24-year-old (among others), God is reminding us that He continues to raise up Daniels among today’s seeking generation. These young men and women will walk with clean hands and a pure heart, and will refuse to bow before other idols (see Ps. 24:4). But they can’t do this without the church’s support. I don’t care how strong Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow are in their faith, they’re young men thrown into the center of an “anything goes” environment. As you watch the madness surrounding both of them, don’t just be a bystander; pray fervently that they’ll remain strong warriors on the frontlines. And pray for other warriors whom God will raise up on similar platforms.

2) Expect to be hated. The standard of walking the walk of Jesus remains high, exclusive and controversial. (How many times have we seen athletes thank Jesus after a win and then get caught with their pants down the next morning?) In today’s culture, those who actually practice what they preach will puzzle, mesmerize, frustrate and infuriate the secular media. Tebow isn’t hated just for thanking Jesus whether he wins or loses a game; he’s despised because so far no one has been able to poke a hole in the authenticity of his lifestyle. Jesus promised us: “You will be hated by everyone because of me” (Matt. 10:22) …

3) … But win with love. Tebow’s wins on the field may have momentarily stunned the critics, but it’s his missions work that’s silenced them. And while Lin has certainly defused the cynics with his play, he’s won over virtually everyone with a selfless attitude that exudes the humility of Christ. I don’t highlight this to elevate these guys to mythological status, but to show how doing what Jesus said to do—aiming to be the last, not the first; leading by serving—can actually conquer the hardest hearts. It’s cliché but true: Love wins in the end.

4) We don’t need another American idol. Going to a prophetic extreme, you could say Lin represents a literal changing of the (point) guard, as America loses more of its global power and China continues to rise. Given that, there’s nothing wrong with a nation experiencing tough times to look to a couple of feel-good stories such as Lin’s and Tebow’s for inspiration. But the problem is that we’ve become a society mesmerized by whoever’s next in queue with their 15 minutes fame. Putting Lin and Tebow aside as people, Linsanity and Tebowmania are just our latest fixes. I doubt our national obsession with average Joes attaining celebrity status will end soon, so in the meantime God seems to be periodically inserting those who follow Him into the limelight to not only encourage us, but also warn us of the cost of our foolish, wicked and idolatrous ways.

Even Lin recognizes this. When asked by a San Jose Mercury News reporter what he’s been pondering amid his meteoric rise to fame, he gave an honest yet telling answer: “There is so much temptation to hold onto my career even more now. So I’m thinking about how I can trust God more. How can I surrender more? How can I bring Him more glory?”

Whether we’re participants or bystanders in Linsanity, Tebowmania or whatever’s next, whether we’re hated or loved for our stance as believers, I pray we’re all asking the same thing.

TBN’s Family Feud Gets Awkward

It’s easy to take potshots at the Trinity Broadcasting Network given some of the crazy on-air antics that rival YouTube’s most viral videos these days. But the latest allegations involving TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch are more than just a “he said, she said” case; they’re down-right weird, considering it’s the Crouches’ granddaughter filing suit. While it should be noted the lawsuit isn’t directly against TBN, the allegations of $50 million in misused donations say enough.

I’ll blog later on this as we find out more from both sides, but for now, here’s the story our news editor just posted.

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TBN Founders’ Granddaughter Claims Misuse of ‘Charitable Assets’

By Jennifer LeClaire

In what may appear to outsiders as a family feud, Brittany Koper is alleging that Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) founders Paul and Jan Crouch have illegally tapped into “charitable assets” totaling more than $50 million for personal use.

But TBN’s attorney tells Charisma News that Koper—the Crouches’ granddaughter—is making “absurdly ridiculously, untrue statements.”

Koper is the daughter of Paul Crouch Jr., who served as chief financial officer at TBN until he resigned in September. At that time, younger Crouch moved into a position as director of project development at The Word Network. He declined to comment.

Koper alleges she discovered foul financial moves when she took the reigns of TBN’s finance department—and that she was instructed to keep it confidential. Koper claims she refused to cover up the alleged financial impropriety and was therefore wrongfully terminated.

“Following her appointment, Ms. Koper was specifically instructed to falsify public financial disclosures, to falsify government records, and to otherwise cover up conduct of the TBN Companies and their directors that Ms. Koper reasonably believed to be unlawful,” her lawyer argued in the complaint, which was filed in an Orange County, Calif., court.

Although it appears to be a family disturbance, Koper is not actually suing TBN. Instead, she’s making these claims as part of a lawsuit against her former attorneys at Davert & Loe. Koper is accusing the law firm of breaching its duties, professional negligence, sexual assault and inflicting emotional distress.

“Ms. Koper sought the defendant attorneys’ legal advice about these matters. In response, the defendant attorneys acknowledged that the conduct in question was unlawful but nevertheless advised, encouraged and instructed Ms. Koper to perform and cover up such unlawful activities within the TBN Companies,” the suit claims.

Colby May, TBN’s legal counsel and national spokesperson, has reviewed Koper’s lawsuit. While the suit makes assertions about financial improprieties at TBN, May says no misappropriation has taken place at the Christian broadcasting network.

“The reality is Ms. Koper is very much in hot water, shall we say, for her own misappropriation of monies and, in fact, we believe embezzlement of monies,” May told Charisma News. “We filed all necessary documents with the Internal Revenue Service before any lawsuits were filed to alert the IRS that we believe illegal activity has taken place.”

May notes that the embezzlement did not occur at TBN, but rather from a separate tax exempt organization called International Christian Broadcasters. ICB, May explains, is primarily funded from personal contributions from the elder Crouch. May says Koper and her husband confessed to embezzling a “significant amount of money” from the organization, and ICB worked through Davert & Loe to seek restitution.  Koper could not be reached for comment.

“Ms. Koper is making some flat out absurdly, ridiculously, untrue statements,” May says. “Frankly, in my estimation and view this is all a classic try-to-cover-your-tail-feathers maneuver way after the fact and way after Ms. Koper and her husband made their mea culpa and confessed to their illicit activity.”

But Koper’s attorney, Tymothy MacLeod, is pushing hard against TBN and its founders. In fact, this isn’t the first time he’s been part of a lawsuit that involves TBN. He represented Brian Dugger in a discrimination lawsuit the homosexual broadcast engineer brought against TBN in 2009.

“Observers have often wondered how the Crouches can afford multiple mansions on both coasts, a $50 million jet and chauffeurs,” MacLeod said, according to The Orange County Register. “And finally, with the CFO coming forward, we have answers to those questions.”