Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

Is there anyone that thinks we don't need revival? I have studied revival pretty extensively, and I'd like to share a little bit of that knowledge with you. Revivals have come and gone since the beginning of Christianity. The Spirit of God ebbs and flows like the seasons described in Ecclesiastes 3 . Because God is sovereign, He gets to determine the seasons of the Spirit, not you or me. I also know that He responds to events in creation by answering prayer, and raising up standards against evil. As we take a quick look at revival, I'd like to mention that we have had renewal over the seasons as well. A renewal is that which happens in the church to believers, where a revival encompasses a community or region, involving both renewal in the church and the salvation of the lost outside of the church. Many Catholics were responsible for renewals and revivals at various times over the centuries. St. Patrick brought a miraculous revival to what is now Ireland. After the Protesta...

L. Ron Hubbard, a fiction writer and founder of Scientology (there's your sign), coined the terms Cybernetics, a form of thought control and Dianetics, a study of the metaphysical relation between the mind and body. Good luck Tom Cruise. I am coining the term Sermonetics - the theory of the stuff you hear every Sunday from the pulpit. Take a minute and think about what you have learned from the pulpit over the years - your participation in Sermontics. A preacher once said, "I don't remember every sermon that I have heard, nor do I remember every meal that have ever eaten. I just know that in both cases, I was fed." Unless of course you were doing something ELSE . What comes from our pulpits should be life to us every week. I happen to feel that there are some misconceptions regarding the pulpit. The first being that the pulpit has, unfortunately, become an icon for church, and sometimes the central focus of church ministry altogether. We we look at a church, we should...

Hopefully you have heard of Mad Libs (R) ! They are stories that you blindly fill in the blanks for articles of grammar and then read the completed story. Since I was a kid, these have always been a hoot. I decided to make up my own. Just fill in the blanks next time you are at small group and then read it back. It is sure to shake up a few religious spirits. An Unforgettable Church Service We arrived at _________ ( time of day ) at the Church of the Holy _________ ( noun ). It was ___________ ( day of week ) and we got out of the _________ ( mode of transportation ). We were dressed in our __________ ( day of week ) best. We all held _________ ( plural body part ) as we crossed the street. Today was special because it was ___________ (holiday) and the kids look forward to receiving _________ ( noun ) as part of the celebration. Pastor _________ ( name ) was there to greet us and shake our ________ ( body part ). He welcomed my __________ ( family member ) with a big _________ ( bodil...

I have passed the 300 blog mark, and I wanted to take a few minutes to express my thanks for reading along - some since 2006! And no hateful comments; amazing! I have written about a lot of things over the years, but mostly Jesus , Holy Spirit , Stupidity , Politics (some think that that's the same as stupidity) and Relationship . I have been most passionate about the the 5-Fold Ministry . My top 2 most read blogs are The Role of the Holy Spirit and The Cost of Following Jesus . That sort of makes me happy - because they are important topics. I am also a little impressed that my blogs on the Demonic are also well read. The most commented blog on Fire and Grace is yesterday's on No More Church a Usual ! I was a little disappointed that my series on The Top 10 Stupidest Things Christians Do , did not become a best seller. I have written some other blogs that don't appear here, but you can search me out at Tony C Today , and Kingdom Bloggers if you just can't get e...

Some years ago I had a dream. The Lord simply gave me the word "Antioch." At the time, all that I knew was that is was a biblical city where one of the apostles went. The first thing that I did was a word study on " Antioch ." What the Lord was trying to show me was that in the book of Acts there was a rich history describing the working of the spirit-filled church of the 1st century. Here are a few bullet points. - The church was planted after the persecution of Stephen in Jerusalem. (Acts 11:19) - The church was evangelistic having outreaches to the Greeks (Acts 11:20) - It was overseen by the Apostle (Greek "sent one") Paul and Barnabas for about a year. - Prophets from Jerusalem went there to minister. (Acts 11:27) - The new church had apostolic, prophetic and teaching gifts. (Acts 13:1) There is a lot more about the church at Antioch that one could glean just by reading Acts. It was a well known center with the ENTIRE 5-Fold ministry operating in it ...

The fodder for many of my blogs come from behavior that I observe, and posts on social media sites. Today I had one with a fellow that identified himself as very LEFT. As an independent, I occasionally agree with the lefties on issues - like getting off foreign oil and renewable energy - but I think Global Warming is a buffoonery. And of course I agree with the righties when it comes to smaller less intrusive government, pro-life and similar issues. Here is Lefty's post: " Personally, I can't stand right-wingers of ANY stripe, though the "religious" hypocrite American variety particularly annoy me. What kind of Christian robs the poor to enrich the wealthy? Lets people die in the street for lack of health care? Has a death penalty in the Age of Grace? The list goes on and on.... they arrest over half a million people for the "crime" of smoking pot (smoking a flower!), yet allow the Madoffs of the world to rob and plunder with wild abandon. Capitalism is...

Elections always seem to raise the level of rhetoric - in the same way the gossip reaches new heights in church when someone has a well publicised affair or other significant moral failing. Bad news and character assassination are as popular as Celebrity Worship. Over at Kingdom Bloggers we have written about grace all week. It is a term that the church tosses around when, often, they simply mean salvation, or when someone needs it to cover some sin whether unintended or not. BUt today I am talking about Sloppy Agape. Hypocrisy in the church makes most folks about as mad a broken political promises do. Today we are going to switch roles - politicians are going to take to the pulpit and Christian leadership is going to take to the Senate Floor. As the CSPAN cameras focuses on the speaker, a famous pastor says: "I think today we are here to create new amendment - we have a religious precedent for it, and now it's time to make it law. Men attending the "true churches...

The Bible is a good book, don't you think? Or, maybe you don't, and think John Edwards is a saint. It doesn't matter. The fact that this very blog might be about the Bible may already have you thinking "I'm bored," or "religion is not for me." If it was my kid listening to this, she'd might slip in one earphone from the iPod as she was talking to me - or disappear into a text message frenzy ending with a one word sentence, "Hunh?" When a message is not received, it doesn't always mean that the message is flawed - but it might be the messenger is - I'll take my chances. Have you asked yourself if you really believe the Bible from Genesis to Maps - and why? Do you think that Adam and Eve were real people? How about that Noah fellow, did he really build an ark that housed two of each? Do you think the ark smelled after 40 days? I do. And the Gaterenian Demoniac, was he just mentally ill? It's hard, isn't it, to read the Bib...

Vehicles are a part of life, and this week my life is characterized by three. As you are probably aware, Scott Brown, a candidate that I supported for Senator, was elected yesterday. He drove a pick-up truck which was part of his campaign commercials; one that became the butt of Democratic jokes. He showed real character and passion during his campaign. We'll see how that translates in Washington. My friend Tony C broke the STORY in Blogville earlier today, so check it out. We think alike; he just does the thinking faster than I do. Today I am working and then off to practice with my new band, Up Country playing the likes of Big Green Tractor and Sounds Like Life to Me . It's been fun playing with real people. I'll get some MP3's posted eventually so you can judge for yourself. The third vehicle is an Accord, but not a Honda. It is something in the church that I have been talking about on-and-off for 10 years, but I wrote about it again last week. Acts 2:46 So conti...

Tomorrow’s the big day in Massachusetts as voters head to the polls to replace Ted Kennedy. It is also a big day for US citizens, as a Republican upset could change the balance of power in Washington, thus affecting everything from health care to the war in Afghanistan. Even if you don’t like politics, you’ll want to read on. As an unenrolled voter, there is no onus on me to vote one way or the other. I’m glad. I think both parties have their shortcomings. I champion myself as a free thinker with biblical principals. I do my best to vote for people that support issues which benefit the kingdom of God. On election day I will end up voting for the lesser of two evils simply, because there aren’t any Born Again candidates in this race. In the final analysis, it comes down to hearing God, and godly wisdom. God is not fickle, nor is He a Republican – but He does have a choice. I have said it a few times, and it is worth repeating, As Christians, we are to seek first the kingdom of God, not ...

Well, old age seems to have taken it's toll on my musical sensibilities! Those that know me have often caught me wearing Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin t-shirts, along with a few from ChristianRock.net and ChristianHardRock.net . They probably think I've flipped out or that I am having hallucinogenic flashbacks from former drug use. Who knows? Recently a couple of guys from my church asked me to audition for a band named Up Country . That's right and I said: "Sure, I'll give it a shot." Before you get all widgy about your own musical tastes, giving this post a thumbs up or a thumbs down, let me explain. In August of 1978 my friend Dennis and I went to Guitars Unlimited in New Haven and bought our first guitars. I bought a used Yamaha electric, and he bought an acoustic. He wanted to be James Taylor, and I wanted to be Jimmy Page. Fall of '78 came, and we went off to different colleges. I started to play every day - became a music major - transferred to a rea...

"I'm tired of trying in church, I've be hurt too many times - I never seem to fit in." "There is too much hypocrisy, and we don't seem to be getting any better." "The programs just don't seem to grab me - it's the same old stuff." "Church is boring, and we don't seem to be making any progress." "No one seems to be getting saved any more - we should do something about it." Maybe you've said something like that at some point in your walk with Jesus, I know I have. Today I am going to compile a few thoughts from previous works with a new spin, so that maybe you'll be saying, "That makes sense to me!" I have had some exciting devotions as I search for the Lord's heart. Most of you know that I think the key to church growth is Ephesians chapter 4 - but not in some sort of corporate structure. At the very least, I believe that it means we are have ministers that are co-equal and complimentary in t...

I was talking to a relationship starved believer and she said, "Why is it that you go to church, and for the most part people don't talk to you - and when they do they tell you that God is on the move?" It's an interesting question that I believe reveals the character of others, and also reveled her anger. It got me thinking about what makes a Christian sound like a Christian and not a hypocrite? Hmmm... As my thoughts skipped across one synapse to another, I came to the conclusion that it is easier to act like a Christian or religious person than it is to respond like one. When we are in control, it is easy to play the part - even acting like others think we should. When others act, especially badly, our reaction is a far better indicator of where we are with Jesus. You don't always know what's in the cup until it gets knocked over. When people push our buttons, our reaction is controlled by us, or by God. Pick one! It is easy to say this is how I feel, and r...

This morning I received a text-message from my best friend, Antonio (2nd from left); better known as Carlos. To make a long story short, he and I have known each other since the Spring of 1999 and our history of ministering together is as long. We traveled to Brazil on my first International mission trip , he was the best man at my wedding and there is no one friend that I have shared more of my life with. We have often said that we are like David and Jonathan. As you may have read a few months ago HERE , he was picked up by INS for an immigration violation. His friends and I prayed and collected money for his bail. For the time being, he is legal, but that could end fairly easily and he would be deported. His text message was simple, are you available to get together today? Are you kidding me, I pretty much would have dropped everything to see him. The good news is that I didn't haven't any plans for the day. He arrived with a friend, and my wife made us coffee. As much as I ...

It is almost time for Massachusetts residents to vote in a successor to liberal Democrat Ted Kennedy. Scott Brown is within 8 or 9 points of Martha Coakley in the polls. If he were elected, then things like Cap and Trade, Health Care reform, and adding troops in Afghanistan would not have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate - meaning that there would probably be more moderate and less expensive solutions. It is interesting that I take some comments from Christians who think that you can't be both spiritually minded and politically active. I have two response. 1 - I seek first the Kingdom of God, and so should everyone else. 2 - It is this very thinking that has caused a significant decline in morality in the US and many other countries. Why? When folks don't care about godly principals they vote form other motivations - financial, social etc. - or abdicate altogether! Christians have sat back as prayer and Bible reading was banned in public schools, abortion was made lega...

Each year a couple of researchers rate the US states from the highest happiness quotient to the lowest. Everyone is trying to connect the poll data from 1.3 million folks that simply rated their personal happiness on a scale of 1 to 10, to some sort of real data to substantiate the polling. The data is simply asking the question, what makes you happy? Here's my take. I am a bit of a statistics geek, but please bear with me - in the end it will all make sense. I just need to give proper credit to the guys that did the work. Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., both economists, compared the happiness ranking with studies that rated states on a variety of criteria ranging from availability of public land to commuting time to local taxes. This poll has been reported in dozens of online journals - just Google it. Here are your top 10 Happiest States. 1. Louisiana 2. Hawaii 3. Florida 4. Tennessee 5. Arizona 6. Miss...

This morning I received a prayer request for a young man that is out partying it up, working part time, and in trouble financially. He is the son of a Christian couple that are church goers, happily married and decent folks. I spent a day last week with another young guy in the same predicament. You can't look at one of of these teenagers/young adults without asking yourself, how does the child of a solid Christian couple become more interested in the ways of the world, than Jesus himself? It is easier to see it, if a kid is the child of divorce where one parent is off in the weeds, while one has a working faith. Kids from single parent families are even more at risk. So why do kids make bad decisions? I have a few ideas. First of all, we are created for real relationship. The lack of healthy relationships is part of the problem for our kids. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Even after Noah survi...

Like many, I skipped the New Year's stuff. I still have a couple of days off before I go back to work which I plan on using to try to get some momentum towards a couple of personal goals. As a guy, I live my life in compartments which are not always related. I have work, family, church, music and writing - well those are the things that take up most of my time. Christians often talk about balance in life. You know, getting our priorities in order: God, spouse, kids, work, church and free time. I know that as our little one has grown older, and we actually found a babysitter that wants to make money, my wife and I get more date nights and time together. My new job, for which I am grateful to have, costs me 2 to 3 hours more of my time each day. There are those compartments again. Something had to give, so I pretty much have given up playing guitar; although this vacation I have played a lot. I don't think there is a formula for balancing your life. Whatever you schedule seems t...

Soon, the two best football teams in the US will pair off against each other. I don't know how big the arena is, but there will be tens of thousands of spectators in the stands and 22 players on the field at one time. That is what the church has in common with the Super Bowl - very few players on the field compared to the total amount of Christians in the bleachers. Church, it is not supposed to be that way. John Wimber said, "everyone gets to play." ( HERE is more on that.) What he meant was that Christianity is for everyone - each one of us a gift to the Kingdom; a part of the body of Christ; an integral part of God's work here on earth. ALL Christians need to discover and use their gifts for the good of the Kingdom. From cleaning toilets to feeding the poor and praying for the sick, it is certainly not a one man job (paid holy man syndrome), nor is it an elite team operation; performed by a select few ultra-religious folks. The problem with the personal vision of ...