Following are snippets of the top stories posted over the past week on mycharisma.com. We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.
Prophetic Warning to Megachurches: Free Chapel’s Revival Signals Paradigm Shift
In a recent episode of the Encounter Today Podcast hosted by Bishop Alan DiDio, Larry Sparks from Larry Sparks Ministries shed light on the powerful revival that took place at Free Chapel, led by Pastor Jentezen Franklin in Gainesville, Georgia.
The revival, spearheaded by Evangelist Perry Stone, witnessed a profound outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with approximately 3,000 individuals experiencing a transformative baptism in the Spirit.
Amidst the chaos and disunity prevalent in the 21st-century church, Sparks passionately conveyed a call to move beyond superficial expressions of many modern churches, emphasizing a genuine hunger for more of the Holy Spirit. He highlighted an unfortunate trend of what he termed “Pentecostal light” in certain gatherings, where the pursuit of God’s presence is diluted to mere comfort without embracing the dynamic move of the Spirit.
The Spiritual Force Choking the Life Out of the Church
Earlier this week I spoke at a leadership conference for a group of pastors in El Salvador. These pastors face a lot of spiritual challenges in their culture: Drug addiction among youth, alcoholism, idolatry and rampant witchcraft. But I had to tell these pastors that the biggest challenge to their churches is not something outside—it is something inside the church.
One of the biggest enemies of revival is the spirit of religion. It could be the reason your spiritual life is stagnant. It could also be the reason your church isn’t growing.
Religion opposes biblical preaching, resists the Holy Spirit, persecutes those who truly love God and turns vibrant faith into empty formalism. And most of all, it sterilizes churches until they die from barrenness.
Kat Von D on Leaving Behind Alcoholism, Throwing Away Occult Books and Baptism
Kat Von D is breaking her silence on how she became a Christian and her journey of leaving behind alcoholism, throwing away occult books and her baptism that left the entire world in awestruck.
On the Relatable podcast with Allie Beth Stuckey, Von D explained that she grew up learning about God, but that the concepts of Christianity didn’t stick with her.
“I ended up straying,” Von D says. “I ended up like being a pretty wild teenager and leaving home at the age of 14 running away and putting my parents through a literal hell that I have made amends for now…I had a lot of questions as a kid and I don’t think my parents were equipped with the answers.”
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Dr. Ron Kenoly Rebukes Congregation During Worship
In Psalm 96:8-9 it says: “Give unto the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.”
Well, how do we enter into His courts? Psalm 100:4 answers that question: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
When a worship leader sees a congregation that is not focused on the Lord and respecting the holiness that comes with worshiping Him, it is their responsibility to correct the people lovingly.
Sean Feucht: Peace Anthem ‘God of Israel’ Is ‘A Prophetic Sign’
During the holidays in December—especially Christmas and Hanukkah—”peace on earth” has been a popular phrase for nearly 160 years. Henry Wordsworth-Longfellow, one of the most prominent American writers of the 19th century, composed the poem of the same name on Christmas Day in 1863.
It’s a concept that three songwriters and performers—all of very diverse backgrounds—are trying to keep alive today in a time when bitterness, contempt, prejudice and outright hatred are becoming more prevalent each day as the return of our Lord Jesus Christ draws nearer in these treacherous but hopeful end times.
American Christian Sean Feucht, Lebanese Christian Carine Bassili and Israeli Jew Yair Levi’s collaborative song “God of Israel” is sweeping the globe to help bring about peace in a world gone completely mad. Released—and not without controversy—this past week, the song, performed in Hebrew, Arabic and English, has risen to No. 1 on the American Christian chart on iTunes in only a few short days.
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