I have been attending a Charismatic church with my husband.  I saw one of the posts where you mentioned it’s sinful.  Is that really so?  We are so confused now if the Charismatic church doesn’t do any good.  So which churches are good, and which should we attend?  Lutheran?  Also, what’s the difference between Christian and Catholic?  Catholics pray to God through the mother Mary?  I was told they pray to the same God.

Sincerely,
Where To Next?

Dear Where To Next,

Yes, the Charismatic church is not from God.  The Charismatic movement believes that in order to be saved, you must have the Holy Spirit take control of you and give you spiritual gifts.  They also teach that God still gives people prophecies and visions, even though we have the complete Bible.  Both of these teachings are false and dangerous.  Please read “Lying Wonders” and “Just Gibberish” for further details on that particular religious group.

The Catholic church also isn’t from God because they don’t do what the Bible says (read “Catholics Or Christians?” for some of the reasons why the Catholic church is a false religion).

Many churches profess to serve God, and they profess to love God – but it isn’t enough to say that we love God; our actions must back that up.  Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Jhn 14:15)  A faithful person and faithful churches must have the right attitude toward God and the right biblical behavior (Jhn 4:24).

Churches that are faithful are ones that use the Bible and the Bible only.  They don’t add to God’s Word, and they don’t subtract from it (Rev 22:18-19).  They don’t replace God’s teachings with their traditions (Mk 7:8).  The denominational world is very confusing because most churches have replaced sound Bible teachings with manmade traditions.  They hold the Bible in their hand, but these churches don’t do the things that we read about the church doing.  For an in-depth look at the problem, read “Down With Denominationalism”.  If you would like, we would be happy to get you in touch with a congregation in your area that could talk to you about these things further.  If that would be of use, please feel free to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

What is dangerous about the charismatic church?

Sincerely,
Treading Carefully

Dear Treading Carefully,

The charismatic church teaches that they can perform miracles and that they receive new prophecies and direction from God apart from the Bible.  This is wrong.  We should never add or subtract from God’s Word (Rev 22:18-19), and that is exactly what the charismatic movement does.  The Bible teaches that the days of miracles, speaking in tongues, etc. have ceased (read “Three Cheers For Miracles” for more details).  The charismatic movement deceives people for money, power, and prestige… that is dangerous and sinful.

I want to know what spirit most charismatic preachers operate by since they claim to operate in the prophetic ministry.  Some people have said that some of the things they said about them came to pass.  What must I know?  I know a preacher who says he can line up fifty people and give them prophecies.  What is really happening??

Sincerely,
Testing The Spirits

Dear Testing The Spirits,

Charismatic preachers are false teachers that take advantage of the vulnerable and play verbal tricks to come across as prophets.  Many people believe that fortune tellers are able to tell their future… but that doesn’t mean they actually can.  It is all a game of smoke and mirrors meant to deceive.

The charismatic tent meetings that started the charismatic movement (the big tent meetings where people fall over, start randomly speaking gibberish, and supposedly are healed) are infamous for being rigged.  Many journalists have investigated these tent meetings and found that they are specifically designed to work people into a frenzy.  During that frenzy, the evangelists will tell people they are healed, give them a vague fortune cookie prophecy, and the adrenaline of the moment gives some the momentary feeling of being healed and the action of the meeting leaves people thinking they have heard a real prophecy.  There are documented cases of patients going to these meetings and being told that they had been cured of their cancer only to have the doctors diagnose them as terminally ill days later.  Other “healed” people are deceivers planted within the audience that pretend to be sick and throw their crutches away to add to the charade.

The charismatic churches create a highly charged atmosphere that sucks in those vulnerable to false teaching and they are consequently deceived.  They are seeking a cure, purpose to their life, or a religious experience and the false teachers know what to say to grab their attention (2 Tim 4:3).  The faith healers are false teachers, and they will be judged by God for their wicked deceptions (2 Pet 2:1-2).  A teacher is more strictly judged (Jas 3:1), and therefore, these preachers will be held accountable for their lies.  It is our duty to try and undo their deception by bringing the truth to those who have been deceived.

How much time should one pray, and if one doesn’t pray, can they still work in the gifts?

Sincerely,
Off The Clock

Dear Off The Clock,

We are never given a specific amount of time that we have to pray each day; we are simply told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17).  Prayer should be a normal, consistent, and regular part of your life.  Just like we make sure to stay in contact with our family and friends, we should make sure to stay in constant contact with our Father in heaven.  As the old adage goes, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak”.  Prayer is not only a command; it is a blessing from God.  It is a gift from our Father that He hears and answers our requests (Jas 1:5).

As far as the “gifts” that you mentioned, we are pretty sure that you are referring to miraculous spiritual gifts.  Some churches erroneously teach that God still allows people to speak in tongues, miraculously heal others, etc.  This isn’t true.  The spiritual gifts that the apostles and prophets had were for a limited time and for a specific purpose.  Read “Gifts That Stop Giving” for more details on the cessation of miracles.

I saw a vision when I gave my life to Jesus that I was preaching to millions of souls on a stage and crusades.  I praise the Lord who used me to bring at least sixty souls.  When will my whole vision come to pass?

Sincerely,
Visionary

Dear Visionary,

The days of dreams and visions have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible – there is no need for God to give people individual dreams or visions.  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).

We are sure that your dreams mean something, but they don’t mean anything supernatural or prophetic.  What you had was not a vision.  Prophets have visions, and there are no more prophets since we have the perfect and complete Word of God (1 Cor 13:8-10).  The human mind is a complex and wondrous thing (Ps 139:14).  It is perfectly normal for our minds to make mental connections as we pray, study, sleep, etc.  Those mental images aren’t visions; they are just your own thoughts as your mind meditates upon what you have said, read, or heard.

We recommend you read “I Dreamed A Dream” for more information.

“By His stripes, we were healed.”  I used it, and I have had it work.  The Lord said three times when Satan came to tempt Him, “It is written”, so when something doesn’t line up with the Word of God, I start out with saying that and the verse it coincides with.  My question is: why are the results not immediate (except once and that was because two other believers, an elder and pastor, laid hands on me)?  It took forty-five minutes of speaking to my son’s illness before manifestation of a cure – is this a faith thing, time willing to spend thing, or amount of people thing?  Pardon any religious ignorance ‘cause I have worked weekends for fifteen years, and the only church I get is once a month and computer/TV church.  I am not familiar with a lot of standards, and my current church doesn’t even lay hands on the sick, but I am looking for a job wherever my Lord wants me and a church my wife and I can agree on that is without religious/denomination issues.  Thanks and God bless.  You answer guys are a Godsend.

Sincerely,
A Heart For Healing

Dear A Heart For Healing,

The verse you quoted is Isa 53:5, and it refers to Jesus’ crucifixion healing us from our spiritual wounds… not our physical ones.  Peter quoted the same verse in 1 Pet 2:24 and clarifies that the healing we received was from the wounds of sin.  Many televangelists and Pentecostal churches teach that we can have physical wounds miraculously healed if we have enough faith, but that simply isn’t true.  There was a time when God allowed the apostles and prophets to perform miracles, but that time has passed (read “Gifts That Stop Giving” for more details on the cessation of miracles).

God never promises that we won’t suffer physical ailments.  In fact, we are promised that our bodies will deteriorate, and only our souls will live on forever (2 Cor 4:16).  Paul had a physical disorder that he prayed would be removed, and God said, “No.” (2 Cor 12:7-9)  Sometimes, suffering is just part of a christian’s life – after all, this world is not our home (Heb 11:14-16).

We love your attitude of accepting only what the Bible says.  We would be happy to help you find a congregation in your area without denominational ties!  We don’t believe in denominationalism either (read “Down With Denominationalism” for the Bible’s take on all the religious confusion today).  If you would like our help, feel free to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.