Restoring the Charismatic Movement

The Church of Jesus Christ needs restoration. That includes the Charismatic Movement. In order for the Church to be restored and to become all that Jesus Christ intends for her to be before He returns, true Christians must learn to base everything upon the Word of God rightly divided. This includes everything they do or say, as well as everything they listen to and accept from others. Whether we minister through the written word or the spoken word, anything that is not in line with the truth of God is a hindrance not only to the people of God, but also to the cause of God. If we cause people to listen to a person because we promote them, and/or publish their works, or refer to them as being a prophet when, in actuality, they are not, then we are doing grave harm to the people of God. If we refer to what others have said or written as being from God and it is not, we are hurting the cause of God.

The Charismatic Movement has been walking on shaky ground for a long time. Many years ago, Derek Prince said the Charismatic Movement was a prime candidate for the spirit of the Antichrist because it is lawless, largely ignorant of Scripture and wild about spiritual gifts. He went on to say that he did believe it was of God. If it is of God and its proponents want to fulfill God’s purpose for its existence, then they must repent, return to God, walk in the Spirit, and build only on truth. If the Charismatic Movement was actually started by God, then someone planted wrong seeds early on, and/or somewhere along the way, there has been some major hijacking and infiltration by the enemy. It must, like the Church at Ephesus, test and identify the false apostles (and false prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers). It must find the false to be liars!

A.W. Tozer said that “a prophet is one who knows his times and what God is trying to say to the people of his times.” What is God trying to say to the people of our time? One major thing He is trying to say is that His Church needs to be restored. The overall Church is in need of restoration, and the Charismatic part of the Church is no exception. The Charismatic part may well lead the way in the need for restoration!

One way to identify a true and mature prophet of God is that he is calling the Church to repent and return to God and His Word of truth. All true and mature prophets are calling for the restoration of the Church. If anyone is known to be a prophet and they are not calling for restoration of the Church, then question whether or not they are a true and mature prophet. Caution: false and carnal prophets will try to pick up on anything that God is doing and use it for personal promotion and gain. We don’t need Charismatic prophets, Baptist prophets, etc.; we need God’s prophets! We need prophets who are hearing from God and not from their vain imaginations. We do not need any of this blue or gray, elephant or donkey, white or pink junk; we need truth!

Any true and mature prophet of God understands that the Church is in need of restoration. They will be doing all they can to wake up the Church and bring humility, repentance, and restoration. True and mature prophets of God will be emphasizing what God is emphasizing. Any true and mature prophet of God is saying in one way or another that the Church must be restored to God and His biblical pattern—not the Baptist pattern, not the Pentecostal pattern, and not the Charismatic pattern, not any pattern but God’s biblical pattern. True prophets will work to lead all parts of the Church to repentance, restoration, maturity, and true unity of faith. True prophets, along with the other true ministry gifts, will help equip the saints to be true salt and light and to work together in the harvest fields that are white for harvest. As noted above, the Charismatic part of the Church may well lead the way in the need for restoration! Will the Charismatic part of the Church wake up and do its part in leading the Church to restoration, revival, and awakening?