- We ignore the Holy Spirit. Many churches today make no mention of the Spirit. He is, as author Francis Chan says, the “forgotten God.” We play it safe by focusing on Jesus and salvation—yet we forget that Jesus talked incessantly about the Spirit. And it was Jesus who told His followers that they must be “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). We are not being faithful to Christ if we don’t take people into the deeper waters of the Spirit that He Himself promised.
- We limit the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are thousands of churches in this country that teach that the gifts of the Spirit no longer function. Even though the apostle Paul said, “Do not forbid speaking in tongues” (1 Cor. 14:39) and “Do not despise prophecies” (1 Thess. 5:20), speaking in tongues and prophecy are off-limits—along with healing and miracles.
It was a lack of faith that created the doctrine known as “cessationism.” Respected Bible teachers have convinced whole sectors of the church that God no longer operates supernaturally. Christianity has been reduced to an intellectual argument, devoid of power. And even in churches that wear the Pentecostal label, we have created such tight controls on our meetings that the gifts can’t function.
- We misuse or abuse the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We Pentecostals and charismatics have sometimes quenched the Spirit more than evangelicals who deny His power. We have whacked people to the floor or waved our sportcoats in the air to prove our “anointing,” manipulated audiences with mood music, used fancy titles to fake apostolic authority and manufactured counterfeit miracles to con people to give in offerings.
God forgive us. We cannot use the Spirit or His gifts to achieve our selfish agenda. Either we submit to His plan, or He withdraws and lets us play our silly games.
- We misrepresent the Holy Spirit. How often have we heard, “Thus says the Lord,” or “God told me this,” when the Spirit had nothing to do with the message we cooked up on our own. When we give the Spirit credit for messages that did not originate from Him, we take the Lord’s name in vain. There are many popular “prophets” given platforms today, but some of them bring lying words and false visions. Never let a charming false prophet mislead you with flattery, manipulation, exotic visions or promises of wealth.
