Reflections on last week

I guess it’s fair to say that something stirred deep in the hearts of me and my wife this week about the whole Lakeland Revival thing. As I read my posts from this week and the comments, I still wonder why this whole thing hit me like it did.

Language: I just do not speak “Charismaneze” anymore. A new out outpouring! A new move! The new thing! God is here, God is there, Let’s go see what God is doing over here, over there; it is at the core a deep theological misunderstanding and creates, I believe, sensational driven believers. It has become a passion in my life to help people understand and get a new imagination for that God is at work in the ordinary, every day is a new out pouring, every place is holy, God moves through all of us…

Focus: We have to find ways to “kill” the habit of creating personality cults. Oh, if we only knew how to build things for the sake of the world instead of for fame and visibility.

Honesty: Let’s just not take people’s word for super natural stuff. I think it would be helpful for the Charismatic tribes to put in place, maybe instead of a council of Apostles 🙂 , a “Let’s-really-make-sure-people’s-stories-check-out” council. I know the Catholic church has (a) group(s) that consists of doctors, scientists, and others that travels to investigate the miraculous. I think that is a great idea.

Don’t shoot our wounded: As we are reaping the fruit of our horrendously backward ideas of Christian leadership, let’s show mercy and kindness. Let’s not, like my wife so poetically called it “build pedestals for people and as they fall, walk away and leave them bleeding”. If we are going to suck, let’s not suck at showing mercy and kindness

At Last: I confess my own inconsistency; I said in a post that I am getting rid of additives, that I just want to be called Christian and then do three posts on why I am Post-Charismatic. Maybe one day that additive will be gone as well…

~ by Rickard on August 31, 2008.