Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

In my enthusiasm for the Holy Spirit - the witness of Jesus on earth - I just couldn't contain myself. I somehow rounded up a bunch of friends from the local evangelical church and invited them to one of the conference meetings. They were nice folks, loving, but always struggling. By there own admission, they were saved, but each one confessed that they didn't seem to be going anywhere with God. Religion for them was boring and bit dry. They had been told that tongues were of the devil, and that any worship of the Holy Spirit and not about Jesus, was a cult. Off we went to the meeting! “Do you believe God?” shouted a loud and fiery preacher from the platform; right in the midst of worship. There was such a sense of the need to repent, that I hit my knees as soon as I found a seat. Closing my eyes, I quietly cried out, “God forgive me, God forgive me! Oh Jesus, please forgive me.” I wasn't looking around me—it was me and the Lord right then. A few minutes later, when I f...

Just about all people follow someone's leadership. They have heroes, bosses, managers, parents, pastors and teachers. And yet most of us also lead. We can lead ourselves, a family, or a country; someone is in always in charge. I believe Church leadership is partly talent, partly learned and always entrusted to us by God. All of our choices have consequences, and therefore are leading somewhere. Every entity has some sort of leadership; the church is not exempt from that. It seems I have come across more then few uniformed church people in the area of leadership. They don't seem to understand the fundamentals of leading, but have no problem taking control . They don't seem to get that leadership is not about them, but about those they lead. Simply stated in the Bible, "But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." Leadership in the church is about getting at the end of the blessing line and encouraging others to join you. Church l...

I have been writing about religion the last few posts - mostly why I think it is a spirit killer. I often wonder if  vegetarian, eats a juicy steak, are they a hypocrite? If a Satanist DOES not run someone down in the crosswalk, are they a hypocrite? Is it really what we believe that gets us into heaven, or what we do? Is a Christian a hypocrite because they have poor character, fruit-less lives or don't speak in tongues and cast out demons? For sure, I have more questions than answers. Here's a tough one: What is the difference between being religious, and being a Christian? Ha! After all, isn't Christianity a religion? -1 Rote Practice: Why is it that we make formulas for getting God to move? One of the reasons that I hate WWJD?  is that it limits us from God doing something different. We stuff him in the same yesterday, today and tomorrow  box like He won't ever surprise us with a new and creative solution. AND when we get something that does work, ...

I can get angry at the devil for messing with me and my Christian friends. I don't mind conflict, but I sure do prefer it when it's resolved. I recently had another one. It seems that gossip is more important than relationship, and that makes me even angrier. Matthew 5: 23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 Make friends quickly with your opponent... (NASB) It has been my experience that many church people hold things against you, and they don't really say what they are - somehow in the name of Christ or something like that. I think they find it easier to abdicate from resolving issues by avoiding them. I am sure that it is not every Christian, but it seems there are enough of them to provide leaven to the religious bread. Matthew 16:12...

This next few posts are going to be about religion. If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know that religious practice that is disconnected from a living God, is a something I often rail against. If you have any doubt, just click on the Religion topical link down to the lower right! Religion is in itself, a bunch of hooey. One person believes their pet philosophy and practices it in a certain way. They are all out there, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Rastafarians and a half a million more. They all claim to follow someone,or something, while they incorporate the teachings, practices, sayings, or theologies into their daily lives; or not. It seems that no one can prove anything, therefore; there is this debate that never ends. No wonder most people find at least one aspect of religion boring. There is a new religion that is is taking hold in Austria. It is the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster whose memb...

I have an online buddy and last year we had a chat about some denominational differences. It wasn't a debate, but a sincere conversation about what the Bible says, and what man has added to it. In the midst there were questions about religious practice. A denomination is simply an emphasis on certain biblical truths; often "colored" by a culture, a religious experience, or a move of God. The truth is there are lots of denominations . We have many expressions of Christianity in the US , and also some cults which seem Christian on the outside but reject the central truth that Jesus taught: Jesus is God. A cult is defined as any so-called Christian organization that denies the divinity of Christ - Jesus is/was/always has been God. I am not going to try to answer the age old question regarding theology: "Who's right?" (I am writing this blog because I think I am!) Please keep an open mind and explore the links. In the end, you will be challenged in your own...

Happy Campers We've all heard the song "A Letter from Camp." "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. Here I am at Camp Granada. Camp is very entertaining. And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining." What's it going to take to make us all happy campers in church? I think I have a few ideas - so bear with me as I lay a foundation. The song assumes that the "singer," a child, has two parents, one male and one female. But this blog is not about families - no - it's about church. Presently, in most developed countries, the cultural status of the nuclear family is fractured. There is rampant divorce both in and out of the church, resulting in single parent families, and various other aberrations of the biblical family. Regardless of what the world thinks is politically correct, God has a standard. I am assuming that you have noticed there is a difference between the way males and females act? The healthiest families are meant to have...

Division and disagreement in the church is nothing new, but it sure ain't God's fault. For awhile it seemed like the most popular church planting model was a resentment and coffee pot! As I discussed in the blog "The Great Divide ", there needs to be a way to reconcile the opposing views by inserting the will God over everything else. This is not an intellectual endeavor, but a spiritual one. However; division in the church is historical. 1 Corinthians 3:3 For you are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men? There are more divisions in church then there are denominations! It's still not God's fault. The central problem lies with human nature - but hey, aren't we supposed to control that with the Spirit? In the US Army, AIT is an acronym for "Advanced Individual Training"... but for the purpose of this blog, it means, "attitude, integrity and teaching." Tha...

-10 Lack of Deep Relationship - I think of all the stupid things Christians commonly do, the fact that so many do not understand what it means to be a church family, a brother or sister in the Lord, or a godly friend tops the list. John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Somehow this scripture from John (above) has been Americanized to mean "be nice to each other." Sure, some will take it deeper and pray for others, and some will even serve each other by bringing a meal or visiting someone in the hospital. The deeper the better - but I don't go to church to be "niced" to death! I think the basic problem is that we love as we have been loved , not as Jesus has loved us. The true test of a loving and deep relationship, however; is not good feelings, personal satisfaction and a plaque for expressing love using one of the 5 Love Languages . A deep relationship creates an atmosphere of trust, accountability and camaraderie. It i...

-9 The Influence of Witchcraft In the Church - What? The church does not engage in witchcraft! Well, some Christians do - and it is more common than you might think. Human beings are designed to engage the supernatural realms. Some of it's just not God! Even 33% of atheists believe in the paranormal and prayer. Martin Luther taught that witchcraft was a sin because the 2nd commandment says, "you shall have no other God before me." With that in mind, and before we look at the scriptures, here is brief list of practices and topics that I found in the Google search "christian witchcraft." - Divination, Fortune Telling, Horoscopes, Tarot Cards, Psychics and Ouija Boards - Fantasy characters such as Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Disney, Santa and the Easter Bunny - Holidays that take place on pagan holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentines Day - White and Black Witchcraft, Wicca and Liberal Christians only casting loving spells (I ...

-8 Settling for Less - Mediocrity in the church is a foothold for Satan. As church members are lulled into lifeless religious pursuits, believers grow lukewarm in their relationships, commitments and passion. Revelation 14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. We have all heard this verse. Most church hoppers use it at least once to describe the church they are leaving for another church. The question is this: is being lukewarm the fault of the believer, or the fault of the church? I believe the answer is both. When individuals are not passionate about their Jesus, about the mission of the church, then, for lack of a better word, they get bored like teenagers on MySpace. When you ha...