Tag Archives: Vineyard Authors

Book Reviews

Your Church Can Grow by Peter Wagner

9781579105891The year was 1976 and the church growth movement was beginning to start. Peter Wagner, a former missionary to South America, was on the forefront of this movement due to his job at Fuller Theological Seminary’s new church growth department.

The church growth movement, in a nutshell, was a movement that placed the focus of the local church on increasing the number of members attending said church. This in turn led to “seeker friendly services” and the attractional church model (i.e. do whatever it takes to get people to come to your church). Now the times have changed a bit, if you’re looking for more members for your church or maintain records these Church Software Solutions from Drupal could be a helpful start!

The sad thing about this movement was that it tended to a) leave out certain groups of people and b) create churches full of attendees, or spectators, and not true followers of Christ. Continue reading Your Church Can Grow by Peter Wagner →

Book Reviews, Theology Thoughts, Vineyard Movement

Catch The Fire: The Toronto Blessing by Guy Chevreau

catch the fireIt was 1994 and amidst the trees and rocks of northeast Oklahoma a rumor was spreading: “The Spirit of God has touched down in Toronto!”

Yet, as fast as that rumor was going, another one was going faster: “The devil has deceived the church in Toronto and they are all doomed!”

As a young teenager, I remember being very confused about the revival and what was really happening. So much so, that in the end, I decided that the Toronto Blessing was a fluke happening of a bunch of crazy Canadians.  This was I was able to focus on the important things in life – like getting that Jose Canseco or Nolan Ryan baseball card!

Little did I know that years later I would join the movement that sparked the Toronto revival! God is something else… that much is true.  😕

Enter the book “Catch The Fire: The Toronto Blessing” by Guy Chevreau.

I picked up this book a few years back out of a desire to learn more about what happened in Toronto in 1994. Even though I had studied the history of the Vineyard Movement and knew a little bit about the Toronto Blessing and the resulting fall out (the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship left the Vineyard in 1995), I still didn’t know what “happened.” Continue reading Catch The Fire: The Toronto Blessing by Guy Chevreau →

Book Reviews

Start Here: Kingdom Essentials For Christians by Don Williams

The first phrase that came to mind when I sat down to review Don Williams’ new book Start Here was: “It is the new Mere Christianity”.

It may sound crazy, but that is what it is…Don Williams follows in the foot steps of CS Lewis in trying to put and describe the mysterious and wonderful event of being resurrected into a new life. The life of Christ.

It all started when Rich Nathan, Columbus, Ohio Vineyard Church, asked Williams to write a book for new believers. Yet, it couldn’t be just any book – it needed to bring to light the fullness of the Kingdom of God. In that vain, Williams wrote a book full of Kingdom language.

For example, in the first chapter, “What’s Happened to Me?”, Don Williams explains that once a person has accepted Christ as their personal savior, they have now been “delivered from Satan’s kingdom” and into “God’s kingdom”.  It is an “exchange of sovereignties.” [@more@]

We are no longer our own. We belong to Christ and He is our Ruler and King. As such, we must only do what He says. That is the foundation of Faith.

From this foundation, Williams takes the reader on a journey from “Life in the Kingdom” to the “Call to Kingdom Ministry” onward to “The Road Marked ‘Suffering’” and “Kingdom Power”, ending with the “Community of the King” and “You’re in the Kingdom Now.”

Please note that while this book was written for those new in the Faith, it is also one that should be read by believers of all ‘ages’. For me personally, it called to remembrance the reason why I walk the path that I do: the grace of God and for the love of a King.

Book Reviews, Theology Thoughts

Going Beyond the Complementarian/Egalitarian Debate

My journey into the issue of women in church leadership began around my senior year of High School. During this time, my folks where helping start a small church with a female senior pastor. Even thought I knew this lady and respected her, I always felt uneasy sitting in her church. My mind said that it was wrong; yet my heart said that God was there and working….

It was all very confusing… I guess that is why in the end, I decided to follow Jesus’ advice to His disciples in Mark 9:40: “whoever is not against us is for us.” (i.e. As long as the Gospel was going forward, I would let God sort out the details.)

For years, I lived in this tension – sometimes leaning towards the egalitarian side (ie. man and women are equal in both role and essence); sometimes toward the complementarian view (ie. men and women are equal in essence but differ in roles).

Then I heard that Derek Morphew (a Kingdom Theologian that I trust and respect) just wrote a book about “going beyond the Complementarian/Egalitarian debate”…  My inertest was peaked and I bought the book, “Different But Equal”, as soon as I could.[@more@]

The Book: “Different But Equal: Going Beyond the Complementarian/Egalitarian Debate”

One of the “un-written rules” of reading a book is to always read the author’s bio and introduction. These two things will tell you a lot about how the author is going to approach the subject matter (another rule is to check the publication date as it will give you some context for the material…).

This book is no different.

Continue reading Going Beyond the Complementarian/Egalitarian Debate →

Book Reviews

Kingdom Ministries: Come Holy Spirit

The first thing that came to my mind as I wrote this post was “old school.” My second thought was to laugh out loud at the thought of calling a 1987 conference “old school.”

Yet that is precisely what it is.

The conference I am referring to is John Wimber and John White’s “Come Holy Spirit” conference given on May 7-9, 1987. See, old school. =)

Actually, it’s not the date that makes this conference “old school” – it was the material taught.

The fist half of the conference (i.e. the first 4 cassette tapes) was hosted by Dr. John White. He walked the participants through a Biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit using a ton of scriptures. While the information was good, Dr. White’s teaching style was a tad…hmm….slow and drawn out…

Wimber’s half, however, was the antithesis of Dr. White’s part. This half (also 4 cassette tapes) dealt with the practical nature of the gifts of the Spirit. Wimber told the story of what happened when the Holy Spirit broken into his life and church followed by examples from church history.

It was awesome information; well worth the listening.[@more@]

The reason I called it “old school” was that as I was listening to the conference I was struck at how far the Church has come. Back in 1987 when White and Wimber were teaching these conferences, all of this was “new”.

Granted, classic Pentecostalism had been around for about 80 or so years at that point. But as far as the main body of believers having an understanding of the Holy Spirit and His outpouring – that was unheard of!

One of the benefits of the “Third Wave” of the Spirit was a blend of classic Pentecostalism with Evangelicalism. It was this “blend” that gave rise to several new movements, including the Vineyard, as well as revitalizing some old traditions.

Now days a lot of the information taught at this “Come Holy Spirit” conference is “old news”. i.e. It is taken for granted.

I guess that is what struck me the most in listening to these tapes: Don’t forget what you have been taught; hang on to them and teach them to the next generation.

Book Reviews

Authority To Heal: Answers For Everyone Who Has Prayed For A Sick Friend by Ken Blue

Authority to Heal by Ken Blue

A few years ago I was browsing the bookshelf of a good friend when I noticed Ken Blue’s book Authority to Heal. Picking it up, I was intrigued with this book that claimed to have “answers for everyone who has prayed for a sick friend.”

Unfortunately, I was unable to read the book even after I borrowed it due to another journey God was taking me on at the time. As such the book sat on my book shelf – begging to be read…..Undecided

Then a couple weeks ago I was attending a webinar by Derek Morphew about world missions and the Kingdom of God. At the end of the webinar, Morphew listed some helpful books upon different topics – one of those books was Ken Blue’s book. This reference made me sit up and dust off the book – and I am glad it did because it is the best book on healing that I have read to date.

So what is the book about? Well, Ken Blue starts off the book by pulling weeds – or as he puts it, “Clearing the ground of theological hindrances.” These are misconceptions about the healing power of God floating around in Christian Theology. [@more@]

This selection was actually the best part of the book – at least for me. Blue tackles such issues as “Sanctification through Sickness”, “Divine Determinism”, “Faith Formula” and the “Secular World View”.

After pulling the weeds, Blue spends the next five chapters laying the foundation of fight to heal and the Kingdom of God. He shows that it is God desires to heal the sick, that the fight is real and that we have the victory both here today and in the future. This is another powerful selection as Blue really lays the foundation for a Bible view on healing.

It is during this selection that Blue tackles the questions of why some people are healed and other are not. Why some times the healing takes place right there and other times it is a delayed action… These are not easy questions, but I think Blue does a great job at answering them while using Jesus as our example and model.

The last selection of the book is very practical – namely it is about how we, as believers, can walk out Jesus’ command to heal the sick, cast out demons, cleanse leapers and raise the dead.

One thing I love about this selection is that Blue talks about the various healing models in the Christian church today: Anglican-Episcopal, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, etc. Granted he doesn’t go into much detail as that is not what the book is about – but he does take a look at them and confirms what God is doing in each of the Christian traditions.

Blue also lays out a very simple prayer model that can be used within any church and by anybody. It is the model developed out of the beginning of the Vineyard Movement to help empower the church to live out the Bible and to do the stuff.

  1. Interviewing – as questions about why the person wants prayer. This could be as simple as asking where it hurts and what happened.
  2. Choose a Prayer Strategy – A lot of times the root problem is not the issue described during the interview period. During this step, we should be asking God what He is doing and how we should pray. Is the problem spiritual? Physical? Or emotional?
  3. Pray for Specific Results – When we pray we need to pray for the issue(s) that God has shown us as well as the issue(s) given to us by the prayee. If it is for a hurt leg, then pray for the hurt leg – be specific and try to stay away from vague and general prayers.
  4. Assess the Results – After you’re done praying, ask the prayee is they are still in pain or if they felt anything. This is not a time to “fake” healing or claim the healing in faith. It is a time to be real, if your leg still hurts, then it still hurts. Pray again. If the pain is gone – praise the Lord!
  5. Post Prayer Direction – Some healings are instantaneous why others take longer. This is the time to give the prayee some direction; however, it is not a time of counseling. We let the prayee knows where to go for further prayer or, if the case may be, we let them know what they experienced so they wont be afraid of the touch of the Lord.

As you can see Authority To Heal by Ken Blue is a powerful book. I would recommend it to all believers – even if you have been praying for the sick for a long time, it is still worth the reading. Shoot, I have been teaching the pray model for a few years now, yet I learned a lot by the reading of this book.

Book Reviews

Who Is My Enemy?

The church talks a lot about “Who is my neighbor?” – which can be good. But I think Rich Nathan has a point when he said that the “first question the church must answer correctly is, ‘who is my enemy?’”

From this premise, Rich tackles five of the most pressing issues facing the modern church in his book Who Is My Enemy? Welcoming People The Church Rejects.

  • Is the Postmodernist My Enemy?
  • Is the Feminist My Enemy?
  • Is the Homosexual My Enemy?
  • Is the New Ager My Enemy?
  • Is the Liberal My Enemy?

Unlike a lot of books that tend to rant and rave about each of these issues, this book takes a very logical, pragmatic approach to each of the issues. This does not mean that Rich leaves out the aspect of love and compassion – far from it!!

The heart of this book and of Rich Nathan – if I might be so bold – it to draw people to the person of Jesus (especially those rejected and/or cast out of the church). Basically, Rich is calling the church to be the church – to quite tossing out those whom are sick and are in need of a Savior. [@more@]

One story in particular really stands out to me. It was about a Christian man who was struggling with homosexuality. Being in a church, he went to his pastor to share his struggles and to have someone pray with him. He wasn’t looking for a silver bullet or anything – he just needed someone to talk too.

However, the pastor of a Christian church told the man to leave the building and never come back!! Ooch!! I can’t even image the heartache felt that day! Yet – I am confident that this is not a “one-off” story. Shoot – I’ve talked to homosexuals in my city that have heard similar statements from Christian believers. How messed up is the church if we can’t love people?

The good news is that after leaving the church for many years, God brought this man back into his fold through a group of Christian guys who invited him to join their Bible study. While at the study, they be-friended the man and brought him into their lives – even after he told them about his struggles.

That is how we are supposed to act as that is what Jesus did. He hung out with the drugs, the prostitutes, the hurting and the struggling.

If you have any questions, anger or fears towards any of these five groups of people, I would highly recommend reading Rich Nathan’s book. You will find a powerful Biblical, historically, pragmatic, and spiritual look at who is our enemy.

Book Reviews

Naturally Supernatural by Gary Best

Living between the ages – between the here and not yet.

Gary Best’s book Naturally Supernatural is about such a life:

  • Joining God in His Work
  • God’s Powerful Tools
  • Seeing What God Sees
  • Empowered by God’s Spirit
  • Bringing the Kingdom to People
  • The Key to Persevering

This is a book about joining in God’s work – not just preaching the Gospel – but praying for the sick, cleaning the leapers, raising the dead and casting out demons. [@more@]

Gary does a great job a telling real life stories about working in the ministry while staying firmly planted in the Bible. He even talks about why people sometimes don’t get healed when we pray…

I must note, however, that the book feels a bit disjoined at times….almost as if Gary goes off to to left field and forgets he is suppose to be headed to home-base….

Over all, it is a powerful book and a great read. I was especially touched by the last two chapters.

Book Reviews

Jesus Brand Spirituality by Ken Wilson

“To a growing body of people, the simple answers now seem simplistic, the certain answers less certain.” – Ken Wilson

That is me.

The simple answers no longer work. Nor does certainty.

What I do know is that I know and love the Person who started it all; The Person who created time and spun a blue ball on the table of nothingness.

In a lot of ways, that is the heart of Ken Wilson’s new book. The way to Jesus is not as simple or as neat as we would like it to be. There are questions that don’t have answers – answers that don’t make sense.

Yet, the midst of this complicity…no that’s not the right word…. In the midst of life – for life is not simple – there is but one truth:

On the pilgrims’ path, the only important step is the next one.

Wow!!

That statement rings in my ears so loud, I’m thinking of changing my blog tag line to it – to highlight the fact that it’s not where we are or where we have been. All that matters is that we take the next step towards the Center – towards the Creator of Life. That’s it. [@more@]

Correct theology doesn’t matter. The Bible doesn’t matter. Church doesn’t matter. All good things – within their proper place and time – but at the core, all that really matter is that we are moving towards Him:

Jesus is a presence distinct from the religion that represents him. We are drawn to him (or not) for reasons that defy easy explanation. But being drawn to Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean buying the package of faith as defined by those with the biggest bullhorns. It may be the most subtle of inclinations…What’s important is the movement – the leaning toward as if to listen, to object, to surrender, to question, to help. That’s the quivering nerve of what makes Jesus a movement maker: he moves people.

Maybe it’s time to adjust some of the conventional assumptions about Christian faith. Maybe the starring point is as basic as people in motion, moving towards Jesus.

This is a book about life; the complicity of life.

Ken, whom I’ve met and trust, does a great job a raising a lot of questions that people are asking – both in the “Church” and outside. The beauty of his book is that he doesn’t claim to know the answer – all he does is point the reader towards the person Jesus Christ.

In fact, he is probably the only author I’ve read whose at ease with the mystery of God.

I’m not sure what else to say… if I had to compare Jesus Brand Spirituality with another book, it would have to be Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. But even that comparison falls apart.

I guess I would have to be contempt with just saying that this book taught me a lot about God, Christianity, myself, and the path towards the Center.

Book Reviews

Muslims, Magic, and the Kingdom of God by Rick Love

I know I wrote a reivew of this book before… but was while I was still in the first half of the book. I have now finished the book…so, by my rules, that means I need to write another review. Tongue out

Don't worry – I will make it quick, simple and fast. Laughing

On your mark…..get set….GO!

Don’t let the title fool you – it is not JUST about working with Muslims. In a lot of ways, it has helped me understand the post-modern worldview and the mindset of fringe groups here in the USA.

How? [@more@]

The book deals with how someone can claim to follow Islam (ie. a formal religion) while still using magically charms and spells for everyday events (ie. folk religion). This same breakdown is happening here in the USA where people claim to be following one religion while actually doing something else. This book helped me to understand how that is possible – and how to ministry to people living this way.

Oh – did I mention that that the book also gives a great Biblical, sane, practical view on spiritual warfare? In fact, I think Rich Love does more in one chapter then a lot of books do in 20!!

Trust me, this book is not just about Muslims – it’s about ministering to people bound by magic, charms and folk religions.

 

Done!

 

See that wasn't that painful. Simiple, short and too the point. Laughing