4 Pitfalls of Charismatic Movements: A Prophetic Call to Reignite Your Spiritual Fire
They can kill ministry faster than the combined fury of a moral scandal, an IRS audit, and investigation by 60 Minutes.
Like massive blood loss, these people can inflict a drowsy death. Their effect is the same as the black holes of deep space that suck up everything around them. They will use up a ministry, a leader, and even a move of God.
I call them “high-maintenance/low-impact converts.” Because of them, pastors dare not preach past noon. They are the reason leaders burn out. These “preemies” demand constant care and yield nothing in the way of service. In many Charismatic churches, leaders are neglecting prayer, evangelism, and vision as they blindly try to counsel, entertain, and lend life support to this group that never seems to grow out of danger.
They are born arrogant and weak. Imagine the combination! This breed is the product of the 1980s theological genetic engineering. They have never felt the sting of repentance and, therefore, have never experienced true resurrection.
Since they are born with an inflated sense of self-importance, they interpret every Scripture and define every experience from a “What can it do for me” attitude.
They boast of great authority, but they crumble at the first wave of adversity. They know of all their biblical rights, but none of their responsibilities.
To tickle their ears, leaders have endowed them with disastrous misconceptions—victory is no longer a matter of contending but escaping and avoiding pain. They wage war in a “Sesame Street” fantasy world and dismiss any challenge of life with the collective cry of, “I don’t receive that!”
High-maintenance/low-impact types run the gamut. They range from the cold, nominal Charismatic whose murky concept of God’s love rationalizes drinking, occasional indiscretion, feeble worship, and sporadic church attendance—to the wild fire, commuter Charismatic who yells and froths at the mouth during “bless me, teach me” extravaganzas.
Their common bond is that they are users, not givers. Their fickleness has leaders in a panic and constantly running to keep them distracted. These brats call pastors at all hours for even trivial problems, until the leader finally collapses.
They have no thirst for depth, no long-term commitment, no faith beyond feeling, and no sense of mission to a hurting world. The thought of denying self to grow and be equipped to touch others is as beyond them as quantum physics.
Their unanimous condition is leanness of soul. This was the judgment of God on the Israelites in the wilderness. They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, and sent leanness into their soul (Psalm 106:13-15).
Modern Charisma stands guilty of those same four wilderness sins:
We forgot the miracles that birthed our movement.
We didn’t wait for His counsel.
We lusted in the wilderness.
We were finally given our request, but produced converts with leanness of soul.
The current crop of Christians, garbed in their high-sounding confessions of power, are critically lean of soul.
There is no foundation to build a soldier. The normal immune system that fends off disease is missing. For all their confident boasts, these “weakened warriors” dare not wander beyond the barracks. True combat would be their immediate undoing.
Worse yet, because they are the darlings of our movement, we don’t see their destructive impact.
We see ministries stagnating and leaders know they are exhausted. America is not listening to us anymore. Our sermons, which are largely harmless talks, are continually being crafted and tooled into even less threatening self-help talks that further foment egotistic Charisma.
To be sure, we pray! But at the same time, we blame the devil and accuse the secular humanists. The American church has come to believe that the lack of money is the root of all evil. We frantically search for the cause of our depletion, while right under our nose this “parasite” attitude consumes all that is precious.
The 1980s Message that Created High-Maintenance/Low-Impact Converts
Millions of people rushed into the Pentecostal/ Charismatic Movement from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s.
We were an innocent, compelling phenomenon. I was in Los Angeles during what must be remembered by many as a “golden age.” It was 1969, and in the Shrine Auditorium, Jesus wrought astounding miracles by the hand of Kathryn Kuhlman, evangelist and “faith healer.” Every month for a decade, it was standing room only! What a presence of God followed that woman! These were meetings with violent miracles in an atmosphere of dignity. Now we have violent meetings, but few miracles. All who believe today that they have inherited her mantle should be quiet! There are still many of us who remember her anointing.
David Wilkerson was preaching at the Melodyland Theatre every month at this same time. He spoke as a prophet to the lost youth of Los Angeles. There were nights when 1,000 souls were mightily converted. The conviction that accompanied his preaching was thick and wonderful. It seemed the whole of Southern California was swirling with outreach, power, and an infectious simplicity and joy.
But this charged atmosphere was by no means limited to Los Angeles. Similar reports of power covered America.
The preaching of that time was demanding. The sinner was accosted by love and fire and directed to change now and change totally.
Against the backdrop of power and glory, preachers could be demanding. Obeying God in this atmosphere seemed reasonable; radical change followed automatically.
As stated before, every revival movement reaches a point where original fire wanes to a flicker. What is done at this time is crucial to the future of this awakening.
What we should have done was to repent and to plead for the fire to be restored. My contention is that, like Samson, we “knew not that the Spirit of God” had left so many of our projects (see Judges 16:20).
Healthy awakenings change the secular culture around them. Weakened movements begin to absorb surrounding cultural trappings.
The message we began to preach in the 1980s was born of double panic—dwindling crowds and the need to compete with American greed.
Too many of our leaders were intimidated by the selfishness of the 1980s. They began preaching as revelation a message that was nothing more than “scripturized Wall Street.” Back then, the infection was believing that you can have it all and get it without effort. A nation gorged itself on pleasure without responsibility; excellence without exertion; and expression without restraint.
What this lie did to America is beyond calculation. The family is a war-ravaged refugee; the public school system is a nightmare; the USA is so violent that few nations on earth approach her potential for mayhem.
Many ‘80s preachers will answer to God, not only for not rebuking that insane decade, but also for perpetuating the madness.
Here is a distillation of the teaching that lured an entire generation into a synthetic faith:
God wants you to have it all now.
You are instant royalty and, therefore, immediately entitled to authority, power gifts, and profuse blessing.
Don’t let Satan rob you of your joy, finances, or anything.
Rebuke adversity; don’t receive it.
Now observe the basic tenets of early Charismatic/Pentecostals:
You have been snatched from eternal damnation to show forth the praises of Him who called you out of darkness.
Your body belongs to Jesus; be a living sacrifice. This is reasonable service because you were bought with a price. Crucify the works of the flesh daily.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit has been given to you to be a witness and to fulfill the great commission.
Live modestly, vigilantly, and in constant prayer and fellowship because of end-time darkness and because your true reward will be in Heaven.
When you contrast these two sets of values, it is easy to see what kind of person each produces.
One is selfish, turned inward, looking for more candy from God. The other is sober, gratefully serving Jesus as Lord, and strong in faith.
One is addicted to feelings and flattering leaders. The other is low maintenance, standing in God and reproducing other strong disciples who are ready to turn the world upside down.
