Signs & Wonders Blog

One thing that unites Christians is knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Unfortunately, doctrinal differences continue to divide us. Some religious folk called cessationists insist the gifts of the Spirit are not in operation today. They believe speaking in tongues, prophecies, and healings passed away when the original apostles died. A well-known pastor in California named John MacArthur has scheduled a cessationist conference at his church for next October. One of the other speakers is Justin Peters, an outspoken opponent of the so-called “ health and wealth gospel .” Yet they are charging $299 for this event. If they are against prosperity, why the high registration fee ? Isn’t that being hypocritical? I can understand how some Christians doubt God doing miracles today if they’ve never seen any. I grew up attending a traditional Lutheran church that didn’t make room for the gifts of the Spirit to operate. There were occasions when the pastor practiced hypnosis on my fellow co

One thing that annoys me is Christians criticizing the so-called “ prosperity gospel " as if it’s a sin to be wealthy. I like what my former pastor Mac Hammond says, “The more money believers have, the less the devil has.” Nevertheless, a man I know recently shared this meme that claims “...the prosperity gospel offers you everything Satan offered Christ." Let’s examine what the devil offered the Lord in Matthew 4… 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,  6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw

One of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible is Jesus telling the rich young ruler, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21). Religious folks quote that while criticizing megachurches and so-called prosperity preachers . Others may try using the verse to manipulate people into giving them things. Last Sunday while evangelizing in Austin, Texas, a homeless man who professed to be a Christian quoted that Scripture in hopes of getting money from me. I offered him something to eat, but he told me to keep walking.  Jesus didn’t command everyone in the Bible to give away everything they own. When Zacchaeus offered to give half his goods to the poor plus restitution to those he defrauded, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house…” (Luke 19:9). He didn’t say, “That’s not enough. Give it all away.” It also says in Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…” How can anyone receive an inheritance if their parents or gr

It’s sad how some Christians freak out when hearing ministers teach on prosperity. Not too long ago, I saw this comment in response to a meeting streamed from Rodney Howard-Browne ’s church: “This is some prosperity gospel. Heresy! Frightening that people are so unaware of what this is. Prayers that those involved see the truth.” I replied, “I’d rather hear a ‘ prosperity gospel ’ than a ‘poverty gospel’” plus referred to 3 John 2,  “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”  I also pointed out he had watched a Kingdom Business Fellowship meeting the church has every other Tuesday night. Its purpose is to help Christians generate more finances to get the gospel out. The world is not impressed with believers who are broke. The critic then wrote “1 Timothy 6:10” without quoting the verse ( “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” ). I replied, “Money is not evil as long as you don’t love it more than people. Didn’t

I go out of my way to minister to beggars . With rare exceptions, I have a policy not to give them money . Instead, I offer snacks to the hungry. While many have legitimate needs, professional panhandlers will use deceptive tactics to extract cash from  undiscerning donors . One night while evangelizing in south Minneapolis with Living Word Christian Center, a man with a gas can came up to us asking for money. He claimed his car got stalled on the freeway a short distance away. Evangelism Pastor Nick Kinn was with me and offered to fill up this man’s can if he followed us to a nearby gas station. He hesitated and then claimed the gas wouldn’t be enough to get him home. This beggar wasn’t honest with us. A few friends of mine freely give to panhandlers because Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. ” In Genesis 18, Abraham offered hospitality to three men passing by. Two of them were angels. These same bein

As a boy, I loved playing Monopoly. My parents originally taught me how to play this property trading board game. They soon resisted my requests to play it again because our games took too long. To pass the time on Christmas Eve, my sister and I often played Monopoly before Dad came home from work and we opened presents. One Christmas, Dad brought home a borrowed Nintendo Entertainment System that included a Monopoly cartridge. I played that several times on our TV. The classic version of Monopoly released in 1935 has properties named after locations in or near Atlantic City, New Jersey. In recent years, numerous specialty editions have come out with renamed properties connected with movies, colleges, or other themes. Updates of the game include new game pieces and credit cards for purchases instead of cash. This past Thursday, Hasbro announced Monopoly will get a “long overdue” socially conscious makeover. All sixteen of Monopoly’s Community Chest cards will be changed. Gone will b

While walking around downtown San Antonio last Sunday, I noticed this “homeless Jesus” statue in front of a church. I didn’t examine the accompanying plaque but assumed it was inspired by Matthew 8:20,  “…the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  Later, I learned it quoted Matthew 25:40 (ESV),  “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”   The Lord certainly wants us to be compassionate to the less fortunate. That doesn’t mean He wants us living like them. One thing that repels sinners from Christianity is religious folk promoting the idea that Jesus was poor. A few celebrities have more sense than some church-going people. Pamela Anderson told one interviewer, “I don't know anybody…that would have people gambling for His underwear. That was some fine stuff He wore.” Jesus had to be prosperous because the Roman soldiers who crucified Him gambled for His expensive undergarments. Anderson went on to say, “The poor

Recently a video went viral of evangelist Benny Hinn talking about how he’s changing his receiving offerings . He stated, “When they invite me to telethons I think they will not like me anymore...if I hear one more time, break the back of debt with $1,000, I’m gonna rebuke them. I think that’s buying the gospel. That’s buying the blessing. That’s grieving the Holy Spirit.”  It’s encouraging to see Benny Hinn making these adjustments. I’ve attended a few of his meetings and strongly perceived God’s presence there. However, I asked to have my name removed from Benny’s mailing list because of receiving too many fundraising letters. I resist giving to ministers who apply pressure or use questionable gimmicks to receive money from me. We are not to handle the word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2) and for personal gain (2 Peter 3:16). Some have suggested Benny is reacting to a book written by his nephew. Costi Hinn’s “God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel” talks about how

John Gray and Jomo Johnson One pastor in Washington, DC has gained national attention for issuing what he calls “the Jesus Challenge.” Jomo Johnson is exhorting believers to sacrifice one item per day, per week, or per month for a year. Johnson stated in a YouTube video, “Jesus told the rich young ruler, sell all you have, give it to the poor, then you’ll have riches in heaven…We want to be able to follow Jesus in this lifestyle of minimalism.”  As a missionary, I’ve lived minimally for over two decades. In 1998, the Lord directed me to give away many of my belongings since I would be doing a lot of traveling. Four years later, the Lord told me to downsize even more so that everything I own would fit into three bags. Soon after I got blessed with a new luggage set...three suitcases on wheels. Since then, I’ve often had to bring all my belongings with me because of not having a permanent place to live. In recent years, I’ve sought out panhandlers by offering snacks to those

Once I heard a story about a pastor’s son who just got his driver’s permit and asked his father about using the family car. His father answered, “Son, I’ll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your Bible more, and get your hair cut. Then we will talk about it.”  Two months later the boy approached his father again about driving the family car. His father said, “Son, I’m proud of you. You have brought your grades up and studied your Bible diligently, but why haven’t you gotten a haircut?” The young man replied, “Samson had long hair. Even Jesus had long hair.”  His father said, “Yes, son…and they walked everywhere they went.” Technically, the pastor’s claim isn’t 100% accurate. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. People have used that as an excuse to criticize modern-day preachers who drive expensive cars and fly in private jets . If Jesus riding a donkey is supposed to be a sign of humility, then how come these critics don’t practi

Back in 2008, my then-roommate and I took a road trip to attend revival meetings in Lakeland, Florida. When a friend found out about it, he sent me an irate email because I didn’t ask him to go with us. His anger was unwarranted. I had no idea he wanted to go to Lakeland. He also didn’t consider the possibility of there not being enough room in the car for him and his luggage. On top of that, this man was unemployed and probably lacked the money to cover his food and lodging. I pointed these things out to my friend and he apologized. But then he sent another email asking me to pray that someone would take him to Lakeland and pay all his expenses.  Some Christians who know it’s God’s will for them to prosper still come across as beggars. I’ve had friends send me emails saying they are “believing God” for finances but then ask for money. One of them even accused me of being a moocher. Yet this same person has often solicited donations from me and other people. Certainly, Chris

Often I receive Facebook friend requests from ministers (mostly from Africa and Asia) who eventually ask for money. This is despite a notice on my wall stating I do not send donations in response to unsolicited emails . 1 Thessalonians 5:12 (KJV) tells us “…to know them which labour among you.” While some of the appeals I receive may be for legitimate purposes, many others are fraudulent. I prefer giving to preachers whose teachings have impacted my life. As Galatians 6:6 says, “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.” However, we must watch out for scammers setting up Facebook pages pretending to be well-known ministers. A fellow evangelist told me about a time he exchanged messages with someone claiming to be Joyce Meyer . He knew it wasn’t real when “Joyce” started asking for money. One article I found online listed these excellent suggestions for giving: 1) Let the world take care of worldly charities. 2) Support your local c