Signs & Wonders Blog

Recently I got together with an old friend for coffee. Her expressing interest in going to Germany inspired me to show her photos on my laptop from the times I went there. A few of the photos were from a Reinhard Bonnke meeting at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. During which, a Nigerian pastor testified of being raised from the dead after receiving glimpses of both heaven and hell. My friend’s attitude suddenly changed as she called that “satanic” and said, “I’ll bet you a million dollars this is not true!” When I mentioned Jesus’ commandment in Matthew 10:8 to “raise the dead” , she said that was for the Jews only. I found out my friend believes “Paul’s gospel” and claimed the apostle didn’t raise anyone from the dead. In response, I reminded her of the incident of Eutychus falling out of a window. My friend insisted it was Peter who God used to bring that dead man back to life. Not wanting to debate doctrine with my friend, I changed the subject. But when I got home, I ...

While he was governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura made this statement; “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers. It tells people to go out and stick their noses in other people's business.” In the New Oxford American Dictionary, one of the definitions of crutch is “a thing used for support or reassurance.” An example cited by the dictionary is “they use the Internet as a crutch for their loneliness.” Everybody has a crutch. For some it is cigarettes. How many of you know people who cannot go a short period of time without smoking? During winter, I’ve seen workers willing to brave freezing temperatures outside just so they can smoke on their breaks. For other people, their crutch is alcohol. Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx once told Hit Parader magazine, “The thing that inspires me the most is my bottle of Jack Daniels. It's my best friend in the world. Ol' Jack will never let you down. He's always there ...

This past Tuesday, a young man from the Netherlands sent me an email requesting permission to post a video I made with John Crowder on his own YouTube page (for personal reasons I had removed the video from public view). When I examined this Dutchman’s account, I noticed it only contained videos critical of other ministers. This man believes his purpose in life is to warn people of “false prophets.”  During an ensuing exchange of emails, this man suggested I look up two passages of Scripture. One of which was 2 Timothy 4:1-5. I noticed verse 2 says, “Preach the word!” Verse 5 exhorts us to “do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Constantly criticizing other preachers is not a ministry nor does it advance the kingdom of God. It only brings division amongst the body of Christ. Certainly I agree rebuke is necessary when a fellow believer is living in blatant sin or preaching false doctrine (in my July newsletter I wrote against those proclaiming "universal rec...

Just before I logged off the Internet yesterday morning, I decided to check the headlines one last time. The news was already full of reports about the mass shooting and bombing in Oslo, Norway the day before. Still I had a hunch another tragedy had just occurred. On the home pages of Yahoo and CNN, I read “Breaking News” that British singer Amy Winehouse died in her London home. What stood out to me in those headlines was that Amy was only 27 years old. Immediately I thought of other rock stars who died at that very same age: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. Like Amy, all of them had a history of drug abuse. I first became familiar with Amy Winehouse while watching the 2008 Grammy Awards on TV. The singer was nominated for six awards and won five of them, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for her hit “Rehab.” Amy made more headlines with her erratic behavior and run-ins with the law. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the singer, I occasio...

What if you’re facing a situation that in the natural seems impossible? Because the Bible says, “Faith without works is dead” (James chapter 2), you might ask yourself, “When do you take action and when do you cast all your care upon the Lord?” (1 Peter 5:7) Here are some guidelines to help you determine when to step out and when to ‘let go and let God’… 1) Ask God for direction . James 1:5 in the New Living Translation says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” Sometimes God allows people to get into difficult situations as a reminder that we are to look to Him as our source. 2) Obey whatever the Lord leads you to do. He might instruct you to do something that seems ridiculous but will ultimately lead to victory. In Joshua chapter 6, the children of Israel silently marched around the walls of Jericho for six days and then shouted on the seventh. The walls then fell flat and God gave them the city. 3) “Let...

Once in a while I get criticized for sharing praise reports on the number of people I lead to Christ during evangelism outings. Some Christians think that’s being prideful. My intent is not to brag about myself but what the Lord did through me. As 2 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV) says, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” One evangelist I know often points out God is into numbers. The book of Acts specifically mention groups of 3,000 and 5,000 people that gave their lives to the Lord as well as individuals and an entire household in Acts 16:34. There’s even a book in the Bible called “Numbers.” Before I go out street witnessing, I pray and ask the Lord to direct my steps and for His angels to set up divine appointments for me. God often gives me a number of salvations to aim for. One day as I was about to evangelize at a college in Ashland, Virginia, the Lord told me to aim for 20 salvations. At first I thought this number was too high since I hadn’t prayed with la...

A minister known worldwide for writing the best selling book “The Cross and the Switchblade” and starting up Teen Challenge has gone home to be with the Lord. David Wilkerson was killed last Wednesday when the car he was driving on a Texas highway swerved into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer. David was 79 years old. Back in 1958 while pastoring a small church in Pennsylvania, the Lord compelled David Wilkerson to go to New York City. He later wrote “The Cross and the Switchblade” about his early years in the Big Apple ministering to drug addicts and gang members. Over 15 million copies of that book have been published in numerous languages. David’s story was made into a movie starring Pat Boone as David and Erik Estrada as Nicky Cruz, a gang leader who later became an evangelist. David also founded Times Square Church in an area of Manhattan that had been infested with X-rated movie houses, strip clubs, prostitution and drugs. The chur...