7 CHARISMATIC "CHARACTERS"...
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
BE on YOUR MINISTRY TEAM"
-by J. Lee Grady
Have you encountered any spiritual flakes in your church?
When the Holy Spirit comes in His fullness, people receive
miraculous anointing, remarkable boldness, overflowing joy
and irresistible enthusiasm. Yet because we are all bent
toward sin and selfishness, many people who experience the
Holy Spirit's raw power sometimes also act weird. Their flesh
gets in the way, and they misuse the gifts of the Spirit.
I've seen this happen oftentimes during prayer ministry times
at a church altar. Because of poor training and a lack of mature
leadership, things can get wacky when people come to the front
of the auditorium for ministry. If this flakiness isn't immediately
corrected, visitors will stop coming and your church will get a
bad reputation.
Here are seven people you should never allow to be in a ministry
position in your church:
1. Bulldozer Bertha. If this woman decides to pray for you at the
altar, put one foot in front of the other, hold onto a chair and brace
yourself. She intends to push you to the floor, one way or another.
She's been told over and over that it is rude-not to mention
dangerous-to push people during prayer. But she claims
"the Spirit" turns her into a samurai warrior when the anointing
comes on her.Steer clear. Bulldozer Bertha is an accident
waiting to happen.
2. Shonda Wanda. I appreciate the gift of speaking in tongues,
and there is a time and place for this gift in a church meeting.
But it is not appropriate for a person to scream in tongues while
they are ministering to someone at the altar. Shonda Wanda is
notorious for offending visitors by pummeling them with noisy
glossolalia. She should be reminded that seekers who come for
prayer should be treated with sensitivity and respect-and that
tongues is best reserved for private prayer times
(see 1 Corinthians 14:18-19).
3. Lascivious Larry. It is totally acceptable for people on a prayer
team to lay hands on those who are seeking healing or comfort.
But in this age of sexual perversion, some people are looking for
a cheap thrill, even in church. Prayer ministers should be
carefully trained on what kind of touch is appropriate during
ministry times. We must have a zero tolerance policy for those
who grope in the name of Jesus.
4. Freak-Out Frances. It's a fact: Some people just act plain
weird when they feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Some
shake, others vibrate, others shriek or make birthing noises.
I don't believe we should allow prayer ministers to carry on like
this at the altar. The people who are entrusted with the job of
praying for others should minister with gentleness and
self-control. You will scare and confuse people if you are
flailing your arms, jerking your torso or acting as if you have
a nervous tic while you pray for them. This kind of immature
behavior squelches the Holy Spirit.
5. Shrill Bill. The gift of prophecy can be a wonderful blessing-or
it can be a total turn-off when the person prophesying is out of
order. Nothing kills a church service like a prophet who sounds
like he is channeling a banshee. Those who desire to minister
in the gift of prophecy should learn to speak in a normal tone of
voice-and they should convey love and grace even when they
are passionate. Don't allow angry or bitter prophets to ruin
church for everyone else.
6. Slick Rick. I believe it is scriptural to anoint people with
oil when praying for healing (see James 5:14). But "anoint"
does not mean dousing a person with two quarts of scented
olive oil. I've seen some prayer ministers get so carried away
with the oil that the poor people they were praying for left the
church slimier than a pasta salad. A dab of anointing oil is
enough!
7. Groovy Greta. God has gifted certain people with grace in the
arts-whether it is singing, songwriting, music or dance. But not
all artistic expression belongs in church, and not everyone who
thinks they are gifted should be given a platform. We've all been
in situations where someone performed an awkward
"praise dance" that should have been screened before it ended
up on the church's live webcast. Don't allow the holy worship of
God to be tainted by people who are selfishly seeking attention.
I believe we charismatics are entering a new season in which
God is raising the bar and calling us to a higher level of maturity.
We must put away "childish hings" (see 1 Cor. 13:11) and
embrace not only the Holy Spirit's gifts but His fruit as well. Let's
reject the flaky, the goofy and the weird and choose an
authentic spirituality that honors God and respects the people
we are called to reach for Christ.
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