Apostle David Johndrow - Fire And Grace

I have finally distilled what it means to be a true Christian. I have read blogs on being spiritual and not religious , on the reasons why the Book isn't really the "book" , on being followers of Jesus , about the doctrine of universalism and been slammed in the comments over the years for being to narrow-minded about the path to salvation. Please allow me a short paragraph to sum up where I have been over the years. I mean there are nearly 600 posts on this blog and even I haven't read them all! We have discussed denominations , who gets to go Heaven , is there one true God , dead religion and host of other churcified topics. I have also challenged belief and faith . And today, I am going to tell you why I know what makes a true Christian! POWER! There are a million debates we could have. This whole mess started about a bajillion years ago when the earth was without form and void. There we see the adolescent God of the universe messing with the chemistr...

God's will, what is it for you? For the church? For the world? The basic plan for the Kingdom is to bring salvation to all mankind so that they can share in God's love for Jesus. We were created to be a witness to, and participate in this amazing love. The church has been chosen for this task. (Ephesians 4) But what about you and me, the individuals? How do we fit in the church in such a way that we fall into God's will and bear fruit? How is it that we do the work of God, be led by the Holy Spirit, and stay humble at the same time? God's will isn't all that simple some days, yet there is only one will for you, and one will for me. A few years ago I received and email linking to a pastoral sermon about what we could do for the pastor; how we could pray to make him a better servant of Christ. Now don't get me wrong, I want every pastor to be awesome, but I was bothered by the tone of how we could serve him. Certainly I do think we need to pray for our pastors...

Have you thought about why you go to to church, why we have services on Sunday morning and stuff like that? I don't know about you, but when I go to church, I just want the good stuff. I want worship that is so good, you don't even need to know the words. I want preaching that not only sounds good, or sounds like my Jesus, but it changes me. I want fellowship where I feel close enough to my brothers and sisters to confess my sins, and be myself. I want to see God heal the sick, give encouraging prophesies to his people, and enjoy His presence. Friday night I have been teaching a class - maybe you have caught it online . For the first few weeks, as exciting as it was, it was mostly the transfer of godly information. That is not entirely the case, but it certainly wasn't all the "good stuff." I don't really know why, but I keep praying, keep caring, keep studying, and keep showing up - hoping for the good stuff. It is starting to ha...

My blog title is grammatically correct. Jesus did not get a touchdown, that was the nickname a 62 foot tall, upper torso sculpture, of Jesus was given. The sculpture, off I-75 in southern Ohio, was struck by lightening and burned to the ground. HERE  is the Yahoo News story. I an not going to segue into some prophetic sign of how the End Times are upon is. Much more interesting, and relevant, are the comments on the article by some 3,500+ readers. Here is one by Joshua - "God and Jesus was just made up in a book too. Same with Lucifer and every other angel. Anyone who says Zues is just made up cant prove it. Nor can anyone prove Jesus or God is too. Anyone can write a book and make up some higher being and some poor fools will buy into it." This is one of my favorites from What122: "I wonder if their insurance will cover it, or will the insurance company say it was an act of God?" One commenter characterizes Christianity by using the Bible against itself. Be...

What made you believe (or what would make you believe) in God? Faith in God, or belief in the Bible don't come easy in a scientific world; one filled with new discoveries and plausible theories. Christians often site proof texts and archeological finds, but the truth is that all of these discoveries have been refuted - with or without science. For many, the biblical fact that God says He is, is enough proof. Well, it wasn't enough for me! The Bible, a seemingly rambling collection for random writers and styles was no match for my intellect, reason and personal logic. For this Christian, there are only three things that make me certain of God's existence, and the validity of Christianity as described in the Bible. 1 Peace -  Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.  Unless you have experienced it, th...

I heard a commercial on the radio today.   Little girl: Daddy why is the sun in the sky?   Father: Well it is not in the sky, it's very far away.   Little girl: Why?   Father: Well if it were closer it would be too hot.   Little girl: Why?   Father: Because the sun is made of hot gasses.   Little girl: Why?   Father: I don’t know.   Fade to a commercial about saving for college. The creationist would say because God made it. And the scientist would tell us all about the Big Bang Theory. Both views are not able to be proven. The Christian says they have faith and that settles it, while the scientist says he has a methodical and logical process – and based on some facts (not all) he can make such and such a conclusion. His logic tells him that if he could go back in time, he’d show you how his hypothesis is correct. A lot of Christians feel that Christianity is under attack, both in our government, and in a number of ot...

As a blogger of faith and occasionally politics, I get challenged on my beliefs, my faith and my positions on the popular issues. There are some very intelligent people out there who have done their research-- they scare me. I am just an average Joe, sitting here this morning enjoying the foliage out my New England window, as I eat baby Goudas and sip Colombian coffee. I honestly can't compete with intellectuals- and I don't really care too. Go read the Huffington Post or Politico of some blog where the writer has 10 degrees from your favorite university. Today I want to challenge your faith when it come to the miraculous. Why? Because God is not just waiting to bless you and those around you when you get to heaven. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is AT HAND! It seems odd to me that Bible believing Christians get a little widgy when a manifestation of the Holy Spirit doesn't seem to have an exact match in the Bible. Things like healing eyes with dirt and spittle might se...

It's Easter when people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, not just from the dead, but to His long awaited place in Heaven. Who cares really? Although I believe that Christians should be better taught about what they believe, I would much rather see them doing 1/10th of what they already know! Topics such as "what goes on in Heaven,?" and the Biblical meaning of Easter aren't as relevant to the troops on the ground. Once we understand the hope of Heaven, can't we move on to walking in our destiny until the end of our days? These past few weeks I have been angry about the church. Why? Because I am saddened by the lack of leadership, one which does not promote character, power or love. Let me explain. I have seen too many cases where the children of Born Again Christians have been neglected, abused and mislead. When the world sins, I think, "well they don't know Jesus. Should I be surprised? No." When a Christian sins, I think, "who are they a...

Over many years I have tried to fix myself with self-help programs, books, tapes, Christian radio, conferences, Christian music and thousands of hours of prayer. One would think that this type of assault on the darkness in my own life, would have produced much better results. There is only one word in the Bible that describes the problem accurately, "stronghold." A stronghold is exactly what it sounds like, it's something that is very resistant to being overcome. Pop-Christian culture glibly tosses around the word "victory," apparently overcoming a stronghold. However; the true measure of victory is easily assessed by the fruit and character in one's life. Just look around the church, and you'll see that many are conformed to the ways of this world (age). I know, you are thinking that's not me, but shut off the PC, the TV, the Blackberry, the cell phone, the electricity, the heat or A/C and start foraging for food and growing crops. Are you the same...

I don't know about you, but I am tired of canned biblical teachings. How to do this, and how to do that like a real Christian. After 35 years it seems a bit trite... even my own writing. I am no longer enamored by the revelation of another man. I need to hear from Heaven, and now is good! What makes is even more urgent, is that fact that since I started to write this blog a day or so ago, three people have died. One a woman younger than me with two children; 23 and 21. Another, a hero of mine in the faith, Jill Austin, and the husband of another sister in Christ. I believe he was also younger than I am. Aren't you hungry for more than a simple "get through the week" sermon, and some Jesus music on Sunday morning? I am! I want to hear from Heaven. I have been meditating on this verse for some time now. Matthew 5;16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Where are the good works? I guess what...

As Christians, we may not have ever been taught about, or experienced a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. We all have been encouraged to have a personal relationship with Jesus by praying, reading the Word and going to church. He is our savior, friend, forgiver and strength. We are often taught of the role of the Father as Creator, Judge, the One who is slow to anger, and the One that knows the date for the end of the age. What is puzzling to me is this, for some reason the church global, often excludes the role of the Holy Spirit and rarely teaches us to have a relationship with Him. Experiencing the Holy Spirit as the manifest presence of Jesus here on earth, should be part of our daily activities and spiritual life. So what is the difference between having a personal relationship with Jesus, and one with the Holy Spirit? There is not a difference per se. However; understanding the relationship between the persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are essential to a full a...

If you have been following these last few blogs , you can see that God is at work against the powers of darkness, while He makes it possible for us to participate. As a Christian I never would have picked many of the circumstances that I have been in where God has used me. I would have preferred some much neater, and less stressful situations. Something like Sunday school teacher, nursery worker or vacuuming the sanctuary. But that is just not me. I am looking for the types of meetings where God is at work, it is not always entirely predictable, and there is some sort of anointing -- a song, a word or a prophesy. I have a lot of other things that I would rather do with my time then sit and listen to what I can hear on the radio. I am looking for a relationship with my Lord. As the last part of my series on the the demonic and the wiles of the devil. Some times the life of a minister can become routine; even a part-time one. I admit that I was kind of board of teaching home groups, mess...

My wife and I had been dating for four or five months. Let's just say that our spiritual experiences at the time were different. Mine were more the type of thing that you can read about on this blog. Hers were more like most normal folks. I don't consider my experiences in the main stream of Christianity, but I think they should be. It is also true that those that know me, never ever uses the word "normal" to describe me. Be Sure to Read The Demonic Parts I and II. One evening I decided to make the trek to visit my friends from ministry school out in western Massachusetts. Our classmate that had normally hosted these reunions had since moved to the Midwest. Therefore; a friend-of-a-friend agreed to host our little gathering of Jesus lovers. I decided to invite my new girlfriend and see if she would enjoy it. After all, in our few short months together she had already survived my my mother's funeral, my 25th high school reunion where one of my drunken classmates of...

The last night I ministered in Brazil (See The Demonic Part I ), wrapping up about 20 days of continuous meetings, pastor's luncheons, TV appearances, personal meetings, encouraging missionaries, and occasional street ministry, I was in the Monté Hebron church in Curitiba. The pastors there had been very instrumental in helping me put together this dizzying itinerary. Their church had about 200 members, and many of them were there at the meeting. My friend and interpreter preached and ended with an alter call at which nearly 40 people got saved! I was asked to come to the platform and say a few words. The pastor's wife interpreted for me, and I began to minister individually. After about 20 minutes, we ended the meeting with an opportunity for folks to come forward to the alter for the laying on of hands, which is common in Brazil. As I went down the line, we prayed for about 40 or 50 people. After 20 days and probably 18,000 one-on-one ministry encounters, you would have thoug...

Are you bored in church? Don't like going anymore? Stopped going? Wishing for something better? Not plugged in? Offended and never going back? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Longing for the good old days? Did you feel God's presence today? Are you enjoying your salvation, or just feeling guilty about the rules that you can't seem to follow, no matter how hard you try? Do you even care about the rules? I have been around the "born again" church for nearly 30 years. At some point along the journey I have attended just about every Christian denomination. If you follow this blog at all, you know that it matters greatly to me what non-Christians think about God and the church. It also matters that, as a church, we are progressing towards the goal of bringing real redemption, while being ministers of reconciliation. The church has to have a purpose, not a facade. We need to be heading somewhere, and that takes both vision and action. What were you thinking the last time you a...