Signs & Wonders Blog

Recently I reposted a powerful story circulating on social media. A church visitor requested prayer from the pastor because his cousin had died. “Pray that God will guide him in the afterlife.” The pastor asked, “Suppose you’re taking an exam. Should you pray before the exam or after?” “Obviously, before the exam.” “Right. When you pray after the exam, it’s like you’re asking God to change the grades. That is not possible because God is faithful. He cannot deceive the result. Similarly, when we die, the exam is over. We can no longer change our destiny. Hebrews 9:27 says that we die once and then face judgment. That means no second chance. I’m sorry for your relative. He can no longer be prayed for. That is why people need to understand the Gospel while they are still alive. They had to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior before it was all over.” One Facebook friend asked what I thought about praying for the dead. I replied, “Praying for deceased people is not biblical except when G...

Some Christians are reluctant to share the gospel because they think it involves going door to door (as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons are well known for). Unless the Lord directs me to somebody’s house, I avoid this type of evangelism. Usually, I find more receptive people in public places. Nevertheless, I have gone out with a few  door-knocking  ministries. Twenty years ago, I attended a church in Northern Virginia that went to townhouse complexes on Saturday mornings and knocked on one door at a time. They were okay with me talking to people walking around or standing outside. I always had more salvations than everyone else who knocked on doors.   Another time in Tennessee, I went with a church doing door-to-door ministry at a newer apartment complex. Because it was a weekday afternoon, most residents were probably away at work. I was also in a group of five people (evangelism works better in pairs or three people max). A man in my group named Lee encouraged me to ...

As a boy, I had a coin collection. In addition to American currency, I possessed some from other countries. Since I grew up not far from Canada, Canadian coins occasionally appeared in my change. Many stores accepted them during transactions, but vending machines didn’t. I also had relatives that traveled to different nations. They sent me coins from those countries. Some believers are freaking out because the U. S. quarter has changed. George Washington has supposedly turned his back on the motto “In God We Trust.” One Facebook post proclaims, “We need every head on everything to be turned towards God, now more than ever!” Technically, the motto used to be under Washington’s chin. He might not see it without looking down. I don’t think this is a big deal. All other American coins have remained the same with “In God We Trust” positioned in different spots. For example, the Kennedy half dollar has the motto below the President’s head. It’s worth noting “In God We Trust” didn’t become...

During the 1990s, I attended a Word of Faith church and grew to appreciate many preachers associated with that stream of ministry. Atlanta-based pastor Creflo Dollar wasn’t among my favorites, but I listened to him occasionally through various media platforms. Once I visited another church where he was the guest speaker and enjoyed his message. Creflo talked about how the use of certain words has changed. He pointed out that calling someone a dog used to be an insult. Now homies greet their buddies, “What’s up, dog?” I was shocked when learning of Pastor Dollar’s recent recantation of tithing. My Facebook newsfeed has been full of reactions to that, both positive and negative. Previously, Creflo received flak for an aborted fundraising campaign to buy a better jet . Instead of prejudging him, I took the time to listen to his message, “The Great Misunderstanding.” One part I agreed with is that our giving should come from the heart and not out of fear of being cursed. However, Crefl...

Years ago while working for Billy Graham ’s film ministry, our department started the week with a chapel service. Initially, any employee could sign up to preach a twenty minute message. One Monday morning, I taught on healing. At the end, I asked those who needed healing to raise their hands. Then I instructed those who sat next to them to lay hands on that person. I’d seen that done before in various churches.   The next day one of my coworkers approached me and said my message “offended” some people’s religious beliefs. I suspect  he  was the one offended. No one else complained to me. However, our chapel services soon changed. Only supervisors were allowed to give the message. I wasn’t one of them. Laying hands on people shouldn’t offend believers who know what the word of God says. It’s part of the Great Commission. Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons…they will lay hands on the sick, and...