Signs & Wonders Blog

2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to "be ready in season and out of season." Yesterday morning I had an opportunity to minister on the joy of the Lord to an audience at the Charlotte airport. When I arrived at my departure gate, an employee announced on the intercom he was offering free business class upgrades to anyone who would sing a song with "happy" in its title. Initially I thought of songs like "Happy Birthday", "Don't Worry, Be Happy", and "Happy Together." (Keep in mind I used to be a nightclub disc jockey). One man went up first and sang the old children's song "If You're Happy and You Know It." When the employee asked for another volunteer, I quickly raised my hand and then with my laptop computer played "The Happy Song" by Delirious and tried to sing along. Because I didn't have all the lyrics memorized, the employee insisted I dance around instead. So I did a brief jig and then told everyone wa...

By now many of you have seen (and perhaps attended) the Florida Healing Outpouring meetings in Lakeland. What began on April 2nd as five days of meetings at Ignited Church by Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley quickly exploded into a worldwide revival thanks to GodTV and the Internet. I was in Lakeland for six days in May and then watched more meetings via GodTV this past summer. In mid-August, it was announced that Todd Bentley was stepping down from public ministry due to failures in his personal life including a breakdown of his marriage. Many ministers have since made public statements regarding Todd and the Florida Outpouring. Until now, I didn’t plan on making my own comments mainly because I do not know Todd personally (although he added me as a Facebook friend). But then a couple of weeks ago, an incident came up that made me decide otherwise. One Saturday morning I attended a men’s breakfast at a church in Virginia. After eating and a time of worship, the pastor preached ...

Occasionally, I receive critical messages from people who don’t agree with things I show in my videos. A remark I often hear is, “Where’s that in the Bible?” Certainly I agree the Word of God is our standard in which everything we do and say must be judged. But has it occurred to you that some generally accepted Christian traditions aren't specifically mentioned in Scripture? For example, Sunday Schools cannot be found in the Bible yet most churches have them. The same thing could be said about altar calls for salvation. God uses people in different ways because we are all unique. Jesus Himself did unusual things like spitting and putting mud in people's eyes to bring healing. No doubt things like that done today in our congregations would offend many church folk. John 21 says that Jesus did many other things that were not written down. Those "other things" could have been more radical than what was recorded in the Scriptures. Of course, we must reject all id...

Last Saturday afternoon, my friend Wendy went with me to Richmond, Virginia. There we met up with my friend Kirby at a coffee shop called Crossroads. Just before Kirby showed up, I went online with my laptop computer. A man sitting near me asked about the latest headlines involving Hurricane Ike, which hit Texas that day. This man later asked if was a body count. I responded by asking this man if he knew where he would spend eternity when his life ended. This man was a bit antagonistic towards Christianity and made a comment about millions of Chinese people not knowing the Lord. I responded by pointing out Wendy is Chinese and certainly a believer. It became a seed planting opportunity. A short time later I witnessed to an African-American couple who sat by us. The man claimed to know the Lord but his girlfriend was uncertain of her eternal destiny. Shay prayed to get born again. As Kirby, Wendy, and I were leaving the coffee shop, I saw two boys riding their bicycles in the...

Recently I attended "A Night of Hope" in Washington, DC featuring Joel Osteen. This was the first time I heard Pastor Joel live. Listening to him minister from the heart without time restrictions gave me a greater appreciation for his ministry. It grieves me how some religious folk criticize Joel Osteen for being too positive. One website labeled Pastor Joel a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” (Matthew 7:15) Yet as I heard one evangelist point out, “Wolves cannot be shepherds. They are among the sheep.” Many of us often hear the phrase “God is good…all the time.” Sadly, a lot of individuals don’t really believe that. A few preachers think their calling in life is to thump their Bibles and yell at people they think are going to hell. But ministers who lack compassion and do not speak the truth in love may cause sinners to be even more resistant to the gospel! Romans 2:4 says that it’s the goodness of God that leads one to repentance. The truth of God’s goodness can be foun...

A few months ago I exchanged emails with a man who originally contacted me about something he didn't agree with in one of my videos. Eventually I found out this man believed in “once saved, always saved.” Not long afterward, my roommate heard someone at a Bible study teaching the same thing. Let’s examine this belief in the light of Scripture. Salvation is a gift based on our beliefs, not upon our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Once a man is born again, it’s up to him how much he will grow as a Christian. Philippians 2:12 says, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Notice this verse does not say, "work for your salvation". The works referred to are works of belief, not of things done. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 warns, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doc...

"Chill & Refill", the follow-up album to "New Wine Party", is now available. Featuring a mixture of electronic music with the anointed preaching of John Scotland, "Chill" is mellower but more polished than "Party." My prayer is that this album will minister joy to everyone that hears it. If you want to preview "Chill & Refill", samples of it can be heard on MySpace... http://www.myspace.com/trpost If you are interested in purchasing a CD, you may do so by sending $15 through PayPal or my snail mail address. John Scotland will also sell the album at his meetings. To find out when John might be ministering in your area, go to www.johnscotland.org Keep drinking! :D