Signs & Wonders Blog

This past Monday night at Union Station in Washington, DC, I noticed a woman wearing a T-shirt that stated “Faith Can Move Mountains”, plus made reference to Matthew 17:20. She later approached me asking about electric outlets available. I pointed to one I was using to charge up my iPhone. She then plugged in her phone in the extra open socket. I went on to compliment the woman’s shirt and asked if she knew Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She mentioned liking the artwork and then asked what denomination I was.   This woman eventually revealed her Jewish heritage and later attended a Methodist church, but she found it unfulfilling. She now identifies as a gnostic and claims to have gained a deeper understanding of spiritual matters. I referred to 2 Corinthians 10:5 which talks about “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” She made statements about Jesus tha...

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...

As last week’s blog article stated, October is Clergy Appreciation Month. There’s also a Clergy Appreciation Day on the second Sunday in October (which happens to be today). Since the early 1990s, these unofficial holidays have reminded congregations to honor ministers and their families.   Sadly, too many Christians use the Internet to criticize preachers  they don’t like. How about they instead express gratitude for the ones who helped them grow in the Lord? Over the years, God has used ministers from various denominations to speak into my life. Some are pastors whom I previously wrote about in this list . This article will highlight others who weren’t mentioned: John Arnott - In 1994, a supernatural move of God began at Toronto Airport Vineyard. Changed lives resulted from what became known as “ The Toronto Blessing .” I first saw Pastor John during a 1995 meeting in Minneapolis. A few weeks later, I made the first of many visits to the church now known as Catch the Fir...

It’s often been said the gospel is so simple it takes the mind of man to complicate it. While evangelizing with other Christians, I’ve seen some give too much information. One night, I hit the streets with a woman who preached a sermon to everyone she approached. That wasn’t necessary since some of these people were already saved. Another time before an outreach I led, the pastor’s wife (who didn’t even go out with us) suddenly showed up and insisted we hand out large flyers promoting the church plus “Our Daily Bread” devotionals. Although two people got saved during this outreach, we could have seen more if our focus hadn’t been diverted to handing out all the extra literature. We already had gospel tracts, mini-Bibles, and business cards from the church. I usually give out gospels of John or Bibles only to people who don’t have one.  Then there was the time a man who I had dinner with showed me booklets he hands out when witnessing. In response, I showed him the “ Good News ” ...

Years ago, I looked forward to having drinks. Nowadays, I consider myself a teetotaler. I’ve seen firsthand the devastation alcoholic beverages can bring.  During my twenties, I frequented nightclubs and beer parties. One night, I got arrested for drunk driving. Eventually, I plea-bargained to lesser charges but still had to pay over $400 in towing charges, fines, and court costs. Two other times, I went to the hospital for stitches after being attacked by men who were intoxicated. One of them was my then-roommate. Family and friends have also been negatively affected by drinking. My mother grew up in a home where her father physically abused the family when drunk. One of my uncles died from alcoholic poisoning. Another former roommate of mine got killed when his car collided with a drunk driver going the wrong direction on the freeway. A few months after giving my life to the Lord in 1991, I made the decision to shun alcohol completely. For those of you who think I’m being...

Two nights ago at Rodney Howard-Browne ’s church, I attended a service where evangelist Jonathan Shuttlesworth was the guest speaker. At the end, he offered to pray for everyone. When Jonathan laid hands on me, I didn’t get slain in the spirit but noticed a tingling in my hands afterward. When I woke up the next morning, I felt a stirring in my spirit. Even as I write this, my hands are still tingling.  Christianity is not dependent on feelings such as Mormons urging potential converts to seek after a “burning in the bosom.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us,  “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  Nevertheless, God has often manifested Himself to where I felt Him doing things in me. On the night on my conversion in 1991, my brother-in-law led me in a prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I then felt a surge of electricity flow through my body. All the guilt I felt from the sins I committed suddenly left. One Monday night in 1995, following a street evangelism o...

As a boy attending a Lutheran church in North Dakota, one song I learned in Sunday school had these lyrics… Into my heart/Into my heart Come into my heart, Lord Jesus Come in today/Come in to stay Come into my heart, Lord Jesus Sorry to say, that song didn’t mean anything to me then. None of my Sunday school teachers or my Lutheran pastors taught I must be born again. It wasn’t until years later when I understood why one should have Jesus in their heart. Some Christians oppose using the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” claiming it’s unscriptural. One nationally known pastor went so far as to label the phrase “superstitious”, “dangerous”, and “damning.” I beg to differ. Jesus Himself said in John 7:38,  “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”   (Other translations use the terms “belly” and “innermost being” instead of “heart.”) Even the Old Testament talked about a time when man could receive a supernat...

Some individuals go to ridiculous measures to try discrediting God’s word. In 1992 while living in suburban Minneapolis, I attended a memorable school board meeting. A local atheist tried to get the Bible banned in public schools because it is full of “obscene and offensive passages.” American Center for Law and Justice spokesman Jay Sekulow showed up (along with numerous Christians) and convinced the school board to reject the atheist’s complaint. Once I received an email by someone initially protesting my YouTube video defending the Ten Commandments displayed on public property . After sending a response, this person wrote back saying, “Would you say it’s morally wrong to rape a woman? Nowhere is this mentioned in your commandments.” Look at Deuteronomy 22:25… “But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die.” Shechem the son of Hamor, a Hivite, raped Dinah (see Genesis 34:2-7), and Amnon raped his sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13...