How to know if your church has gone hyper charismatic
Don’t lose your Jesus
The sub headline is a statement that a previous Bible teacher of mine would say before each semester when I attended bible college.
He has gone on to be with the Lord, yet that phrase has stuck with me.
I believe he was saying that as you grow in your knowledge of the Bible, you can tend to rely on your knowledge more than Christ.
Or, in other words we become so intellectual as believers that we sometimes lean upon that instead of yielding to the Holy Spirit.
This is something that is very prevalent here in the American Church.
We have a number of people that know about the Bible but do not know the Word.
Yet, there is also a flip side to this dichotomy.
Being from the camp of the Charismatics, as some would say, I have seen this first hand.
I’ve seen how experience, emotions, and a desire to live in a place of signs, wonders, and miracles can take precedence over sound Biblical doctrine.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with seeking the whole counsel of God.
However, this can potentially lead to a hyper-charismatic posture in a church.
So, how do you know if your church has crossed over to being hyper charismatic?
Here are a few things to look out for:
The church is driven by the personality of the leader and not by the Holy Spirit.
There is a sense that if you leave the church something bad will happen to you.
The leader speaks more about personal revelations instead of revelations from scripture.
Leadership makes decisions that elevate their personal profile over what’s best for the church.
Worship is seeker friendly and focuses more on the people than on God.
Hyper Charismatic churches are driven by fear.
The fear of displeasing the pastor.
The fear of being called out subliminally in a message.
The fear of being isolated and ostracized if you do express concerns that you may have.
These things aught not to be so in a place where believers gather.
This hinders the proper flow of the Holy Spirit in the gathering.
Jesus said the true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth.
We need a balance of both to be the true believers God has called us to be in this modern world.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit should be welcomed and coveted.
Not used to wield control and power over fellow members of the Body of Christ.