Revival Blog

In a voluminous 233-page, 11-country study on Pentecostals, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life confirmed the global reach of what they call “renewalist Christianity,” ranging from nine percent of the population in Chile to 33 percent in Kenya. However, one of the most surprising conclusions of the study–and one that bears some serious interpretation–is the claim that, in “six of the 10 countries surveyed, at least four-in-ten Pentecostals say they never speak or pray in tongues.“

I can’t tell you how worked up this gets me. I see men walking around the church like they lead John the Baptist to Jesus yet have never once prophesied the Word of the Lord, never once saw a man healed, never once acted in faith and manifested a miracle.

I wish it wasn’t so easy to be called Pentecostal. What if the Apostles and Prophets had to come to your congregation and test your meetings against the Word of God before you could use the label? What if they judged your sermons against the sermons in Acts before you could be called a Pentecostal preacher? My God there would be men crying out for the presence on Saturday nights and sinners crying out for salvation Sunday morning!

Pentecostal preacher, no matter how successful your church growth strategy, no matter how well financed your building campaign, no matter how well respected you are at the city minister’s breakfast, you will not be fulfilled without the manifest presence of God in your meetings. You have been called and set apart to pray down revival. Tongues is a stubling block but so is the cross. Preach the whole Gospel.
Let God be true and every man a liar!

Popularity: 13% [?]