Signs & Wonders Blog

Last Sunday, Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota had their morning service interrupted because one of the pastors is also an ICE agent. Protesters came in chanting Renee Good ’s name and using foul language . One of them claimed their disruption was something Jesus would have done. Chauntyll Allen compared it to the Lord chasing the money changers out of the temple. I doubt Allen even knows Him. She is the leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities and “married” to a woman. Allen and two other protesters were later arrested but have since been released. Cities Church issued this statement: “Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus - or any other act of worship - is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.” Still, their situation had me thinking about other meetings where preachers faced opposition from the congregation. Even if one disagrees with what’s said from the pulpit, it’s rude to interrupt the speaker. One can choose to keep q...

During my youth, I was a chronic complainer. I frequently griped about things such as annoying TV commercials and overplayed songs on the radio. When I later became a Christian and learned that our words have power (as mentioned in Proverbs 18:21), I became more mindful of what I said. One dictionary defines complain as “express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.” Sometimes I’ll rant about things on social media, but when possible, I'll also offer a solution. Constant complaining grieves the Lord. The children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness because of that. Some of them experienced an early death because of their moaning and groaning. Numbers 11:1 says,  “Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.” Occasionally, I’ve caught myself complaining about traffic, but I soon thank God when I have a car to driv...

It disturbs me when I meet professing Christians who give excuses not to attend church . Two days ago, I witnessed to a man riding a bicycle in front of my house. He insisted, “We are having church right now.” Jesus did say in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” However, the body of Christ cannot function to its fullest when believers aren’t connected to the fellowship He’s called us to (1 Corinthians 12:18). This man also defended his belief that he didn’t need to read the Bible. I had offered to give him a gospel of John but he refused it because “I have God’s word in my head.” Yes, we should memorize and meditate on it (Joshua 1:8). Still, that’s not a substitute for reading Scripture. Even Jesus read it while in the synagogue (Luke 4:16). Had I thought of it then, I could have quoted Scripture references and challenged this man to tell me what they were. Instead, I recalled this analogy Kenneth Copeland sha...

Gospel Life Center in Munich, Germany When I’m evangelizing and find out someone is already saved, often I’ll ask where they go to church. Some reply, “I used to go to such and such church.” Others will say, “I have church at home” or “church is in my heart.” Sadly, many who give answers like that tend to act very unChristlike.  One time at the Florida State Fair, I saw two men handing out brochures. I offered one of them a gospel tract in exchange and discovered they were Christians. When I asked this man which church he went to, he defiantly replied, “I am the church!” I then knew there was going to be trouble. He then tried giving me another brochure about all the “corruption” going on in various churches. Not wanting to read stuff like that, I responded by quoting 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Acting like a spoiled child, this man returned my tract saying he didn’t want to read it. A friend once sh...

Psalm 100:1 (KJV) says,  “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.”  Even if Christians cannot sing well (I admit to being one of them), God is pleased when we do it for Him. However, worship leaders should at least be competent musicians. Some churches are better off using recorded music from YouTube or Spotify. I’d be embarrassed to bring someone to a meeting where the musicians played their instruments poorly, and the singers could not carry a tune. Last weekend I attended a church service where a visiting evangelist led the praise and worship. His singing was okay, but I didn’t care for his guitar playing. It sounded like he hadn’t practiced enough even though he recorded CDs of his music. This evangelist had a woman singing with him. They were out of sync much of the time. One song performed was a favorite of mine: “We Will Dance.” This David Ruis classic has a waltz rhythm. The evangelist and the woman attempted to sing the verses in 4/4 time.  Many of the other songs...

Because of the unseasonably cold weather in Tampa last Sunday, I considered skipping church. I didn’t want to freeze sitting in a chilly pavilion where The River often has services. Then again, diehard football fans go to games in much colder weather. So I bundled up and obeyed Hebrews 10:25,  “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”  After I wrote about that on my Facebook page, one friend complained about churches that closed on Christmas Day. He thought they ignored their first love (Revelation 2:4) by putting their families ahead of God. My former home church in Minnesota has a Saturday night service in addition to two Sunday morning services. If I remember correctly, the pastor canceled Sunday services on one Christmas Day. He felt it was important for families to spend that time together. Another church I used to attend usually meets on Sunday morning and evening. Their pastor sometimes cancels the evening service when it’s a holiday such as Easter or Fat...

As a minister of the gospel, it saddens me when I hear Christians give excuses not to attend church. Nevertheless, there have been instances when I opted to watch services online as opposed to sitting inside religious institutions. During the mid-2010s, I was hosted a few times at a house in Shelby, Iowa, a town of just over 600 people. The homeowner lived 40 miles away in Omaha, Nebraska. Because of not having access to a car, I only had three churches to choose from in Shelby: Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian. I looked up info on these churches and perceived it wouldn’t be beneficial to sit through their meetings. As a child, I endured many boring services at the traditional church my parents took me to. The last time I was in Shelby,  the homeowner drove us to a house meeting in Omaha where the gifts of the Spirit manifested. I’d be open to going there again. There’s also a place I occasionally stay at in Casselton, North Dakota. Unless I have a ride into Fargo (which ...

At UNITE Twin Cities Dear Brothers in Christ, I’m an evangelist who mostly does one-on-one witnessing in reaching individuals with the gospel. Still, I appreciate brethren who step out to do open-air preaching . It definitely brings a Christian outside his comfort zone particularly amongst audiences that sometimes become hostile. This past Thursday night, the UNITE  gathering led by   Pulse Movement  took place outside US Bank Stadium. After doing some witnessing in downtown Minneapolis that afternoon, I arrived at the stadium early to get a seat at one of the purple tables across the street. My legs were tired from walking and would have preferred not having to stand while watching the service. Just before it began, your group set up a loudspeaker and banners in front of where I was sitting. Your subsequent preaching hindered me from hearing what was being said from the stage. As I walked closer to the stadium, one of you offered me a gospel tract. Ev...