A WORD TO THE CHARISMATIC AND PENTECOSTAL FAMILY
I say this as someone who loves the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit:
We do not need less Holy Spirit Power.
We need more of His Holiness.
We do not need to abandon the gifts.
We need to steward the gifts.
We do not need to become less spiritual.
We need to become more Christlike.
We do not need to silence genuine prophetic voices.
We need prophetic voices that are willing to be corrected, accountable, submitted to Scripture, and more concerned about pleasing God than preserving a platform.
We do not need to reject miracles.
We need to remember that miracles are never substitutes for character.
Signs point somewhere.
Gifts serve someone.
Power belongs to Someone.
And the glory belongs to God.
AND THIS IS NOT ONLY A CHARISMATIC PROBLEM
I would be careful not to make this exclusively about Pentecostals or Charismatics.
The temptation toward self-glory is not denominational.
The temptation toward money is not denominational.
The temptation toward sexual compromise is not denominational.
The temptation toward pride is not denominational.
The temptation toward celebrity is not denominational.
The temptation to use sacred things for personal advancement is not denominational.
Every stream of Christianity must recover the holiness of God.
Every leader must ask whether they are stewarding the gold or touching the glory.
Every church must ask whether it is building the Kingdom of God or building its own kingdom.
Every believer must ask: “Have I lost the fear of the Lord?”
But underneath all of it, there has always been something deeper for me: The Reverence and Holiness of God.
Because if we pursue the power of God without the presence of God, if we pursue the gifts of God without the fear of God, and if we pursue influence without character, eventually what is hidden will be exposed.
The issue is not whether someone is charismatic or non-charismatic. The issue is whether Christ is being formed in us.
I have probably been called too charismatic by some and not charismatic enough by others. I have believed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the supernatural, miracles, healing, prophecy, and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit.
I still do.
THE GREATEST NEED IS NOT MORE POWER BUT HOLY FEAR
We can talk about anointing, gifting, calling, platforms, influence, revival, miracles and prophetic ministry, but none of those things exempt us from the need for holiness.
There can be genuine gifting where there is deficient character.
There can be anointing where there is a lack of holy fear.
There can be a legitimate calling where there are illegitimate compromises.
There can be spiritual manifestations while the condition of the heart is being neglected.
That should sober all of us.
The fear of the Lord is not terror that drives us away from God. It is awe that causes us to take God seriously. It is recognizing:
I have often taught: Private posture affects public position. What happens in the secret place eventually affects what happens on the public platform.
The question is not simply, “Can God use me?” The more important question is: “What is God forming in me while He is using me?”
ANOINTING IS NOT CHARACTER
One of the great dangers in ministry is confusing gifting with maturity.
A person can have tremendous gifting and still need tremendous character development.
A person can preach powerfully and struggle privately.
A person can prophesy accurately and still need correction in his or her own life.
A person can have an extraordinary platform and an underdeveloped interior life.
A person can be celebrated publicly while something is deteriorating privately.
That is why Scripture continually places character alongside calling.
The fruit of the Spirit matters.
Integrity matters.
Faithfulness matters.
Humility matters.
Self-control matters.
Purity matters.
The fear of the Lord matters!!
Character precedes influence. And when influence grows faster than character, the very platform God intended to use for His glory can become a platform for our own destruction.
SAUL, ESAU, AND THE DANGER OF DISCOUNTING OUR INHERITANCE
We see this principle throughout Scripture.
Saul was anointed.
Saul was chosen.
Saul was given authority.
And yet Saul’s anointing did not make him incapable of disobedience.
Esau had an inheritance.
Yet he was willing to exchange something of lasting value for something immediate.
That is still one of the great temptations of ministry: to exchange inheritance for appetite.
The lust of the flesh.
The lust of the eyes.
The pride of life.
What begins as an appetite can become an agreement.
What begins as an attraction can become an affection.
What begins as a temptation can become a bondage.
What begins as a compromise can eventually become a defining characteristic.
I have often used language about Babylon in my teaching because Babylon represents more than a geographical place or historical empire. It represents a system that competes with the Kingdom of God: power, wealth, prestige, sensuality, pride, self-exaltation, and the seduction of influence.
We need to deal with our “Babylons” and “baby sins” while they are still small. Because if we don’t deal with them privately, they eventually become full-grown publicly.
Small compromises do not remain small when they are continually fed.
WHEN THE PLATFORM MAGNIFIES WHAT WE HAVE NOT DEALT WITH
A larger platform does not necessarily make a person more dangerous. It can simply make what is already inside the person more visible.
If humility is present, a larger platform can magnify humility.
If servanthood is present, it can magnify servanthood.
If generosity is present, it can magnify generosity.
But if lust is present, a larger platform can provide greater opportunity for lust.
If pride is present, greater influence can amplify pride.
If insecurity is present, applause can become an addiction.
If greed is present, ministry can become a marketplace.
If the need for affirmation is unresolved, the crowd can become our drug of choice.
This is why I have become increasingly concerned about a culture that can subtly teach people to aspire to platforms before they have learned to carry presence. We can become more concerned about being seen than being transformed.
And eventually:
Platform without prayer becomes performance.
Promotion without purity becomes compromise.
Image without integrity becomes hypocrisy.
Charisma without character becomes dangerous.
PERFORMANCE WITHOUT PRESENCE
I have used the phrase: Performance without Presence.
That is one of the great dangers of modern ministry. We can become so good at producing a spiritual experience that we forget that Christianity is not ultimately about producing an experience. It is about knowing Christ.
We can substitute:
Charisma for character.
Celebrity for servanthood.
Production for Presence.
Influence for obedience.
And when that happens, we can create the appearance of spiritual life without the substance of spiritual transformation. Jesus did not tell His disciples to build platforms. He told them to follow Him.
He did not call them primarily to become influential. He called them to become faithful.
While men reach for thrones to build their own kingdoms, Jesus reached for a towel to wash men’s feet.
That distinction remains central to Kingdom leadership.
THE GOLD AND THE GLORY
I remember the late Dr. Edwin Louis Cole, founder of the Christian Men’s Network, teaching us about the difference between the gold and the glory. As I remember his teaching, he would say in essence: We can steward the gold (resources), but we must never touch the glory. That distinction is profound.
There is nothing inherently wrong with resources.
There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth.
There is nothing inherently wrong with influence.
There is nothing inherently wrong with excellence.
The question is: Who gets the glory?
God may entrust us with resources, but they are not ours to worship.
God may entrust us with influence, but influence is stewardship.
God may give us a platform, but the platform is not our identity.
God may entrust us with a gift, but the gift does not belong to us.
We steward the gold. We return the glory to God. The danger begins when we take what God gave us to steward and begin using it to magnify ourselves.
That principle is not limited to charismatic or Pentecostal circles. It applies to every church tradition, be-it , Non-Charismatic or Charismatic, Non-Pentecostal or Pentecostal, or any other expression of Christianity can lose the fear of God.
The question is never merely: “What tradition are you part of?” The question is: “Who receives the glory?”
WE HAVE NOT ONLY FORGOTTEN CHARACTER, WE HAVE FORGOTTEN DISCERNMENT
One of the most concerning things I have observed is that we can talk extensively about spiritual gifts while neglecting one of the gifts we desperately need: DISCERNMENT.
We can become fascinated with prophecy and forget discernment. Fascinated with manifestations and forget holiness. Fascinated with supernatural encounters and neglect Scripture. Fascinated with the next prophetic word and neglect the still, small work of obedience.
Discernment asks questions that excitement doesn’t always ask:
Is this biblical?
Is this Christ-centered?
What fruit is being produced?
What spirit is operating?
What is happening beneath the presentation?
Does the life match the message?
Is Jesus becoming more visible, or the preacher or minister?
Discernment is not cynicism. Cynicism assumes the worst. Discernment seeks to recognize what is true. And we desperately need discernment without becoming judgmental.
That is why I have often said: Others may. I may not. That is not necessarily a statement that everyone else is wrong. It is a statement of personal consecration. There are things others may choose that I have determined I cannot choose because of what God has entrusted to me.
CREDIBILITY BY ASSOCIATION IS NOT CHARACTER
Another issue I have taught about repeatedly is association. Association can create the appearance of credibility. But association cannot substitute for character.
Being connected to somebody famous does not make us faithful.
Standing beside someone anointed does not make us holy.
Being invited onto somebody’s platform does not automatically validate our life.
Name-dropping does not create spiritual authority.
Faithfulness creates trust.
Trust creates credibility.
Credibility creates access.
And access creates influence.
But influence without character eventually becomes manipulation. That is why access itself requires discernment. Not everyone who can give you access should have access to you. And not every platform that opens to you is a platform you are supposed to stand on.
PEDDLING THE GOSPEL
I have taught for years about peddling the Gospel. Paul warned about those who corrupted or adulterated the Word of God for personal gain. The danger is not simply selling something. The deeper danger is turning something holy into something that serves our own interests.
We must not peddle the Gospel for money, peddle it for applause, peddle it for access, peddle it for influence, peddle it for political power, peddle it for platform, peddle it for followers, peddle it for reputation, or even some even peddle it because becoming addicted to being needed. The temptation is always to make the ministry serve the minister instead of making the minister serve Christ.
Paul’s warning about those who “peddle the word of God for profit” is therefore much larger than a financial warning. The Greek term used in 2 Corinthians 2:17 carries the idea of corruption or adulterating.
The question becomes: Have we allowed the holy things of God to become commodities for our own advancement?
PROFANING THE HOLY
There is a difference between using something holy and profiting from something holy.
There is a difference between stewarding a gift and exploiting a gift.
There is a difference between receiving honor and craving honor.
There is a difference between being recognized and needing recognition.
There is a difference between influence and self-promotion.
And there is a difference between excellence and entertainment.
We must never become so familiar with holy things that we cease to treat them as holy. Familiarity can produce irreverence.
When we lose the awe of God, we can begin handling sacred things casually. And when the holy becomes ordinary to us, compromise becomes easier.
WHEN THE PROPHETIC BECOMES PERFORMANCE
I believe there are genuine prophetic gifts. But even something that begins genuinely can become corrupted when a person becomes dependent upon the platform. The pressure to continually perform can become enormous.
What happens when the crowd expects another word?
What happens when yesterday’s prophetic moment becomes today’s expectation?
What happens when the minister begins believing that the platform must be maintained at any cost?
That is where compromise can enter.
The person who once spoke because God spoke may eventually feel pressure to speak because people expect them to speak.
The person who once ministered from intimacy can begin ministering from memory.
The person who once carried a burden from God can begin carrying the burden of maintaining an image.
And eventually, the temptation becomes: “I have to keep the stage.”
When maintaining the stage becomes more important than maintaining the altar, we are already in dangerous territory.
UNHOLY ALLIANCES
I have also taught about unholy alliances.
Not every relationship is an assignment.
Not every invitation is a divine connection.
Not every door is a God door. And not every association is harmless.
Sometimes we justify an unhealthy relationship because of what it can do for our ministry. We tell ourselves: “I can influence them.” But sometimes we fail to recognize that they are influencing us.
Grace does not eliminate boundaries.
Forgiveness does not eliminate wisdom.
Love does not require us to surrender discernment.
And being relational does not mean being indiscriminate.
THE GREAT EXCHANGE
I believe we are living in a moment when we need to recover what I have called The Great Exchange.
Not: Performance for Presence.
But: Performance → Presence.
Not: Pride for promotion.
But: Pride → Humility.
Not: Power for self-exaltation.
But: Power → Servanthood.
Not: Image for appearance.
But: Image → Integrity.
Not: Success for significance.
But: Success → Faithfulness.
Not: Religion for relationship.
But: Religion → Relationship.
This is where revival begins.
Revival rarely begins on a platform.
It begins when somebody gets honest before God.
It begins in repentance.
It begins in consecration.
It begins when the altar is repaired.
It begins when the heart says: “Search me, O God.”
EXPOSURE, IMPLOSION, EXPLOSION
One of the themes I have taught for years is: Exposure. Implosion. Explosion.
What is hidden eventually comes into the light. Sometimes exposure is God’s mercy before destruction. God exposes something because He intends to heal something.
But if what is exposed is defended rather than repented of, what was once hidden can eventually implode. And what implodes privately can eventually explode publicly. That is why I would rather experience conviction in the secret place than exposure on the public stage.
Conviction is mercy.
Correction is mercy.
Repentance is mercy.
Accountability is mercy.
God’s discipline is mercy.
The goal is not merely to avoid embarrassment. The goal is to preserve the testimony of Christ.
PREPARATION PRECEDES VISITATION
We have talked repeatedly about preparing the way for the King. Preparation precedes visitation.
Repair the altar.
Turn the hearts.
Prepare the generations.
Prepare the way.
That preparation cannot simply be organizational. It must be personal.
Before we ask God to send revival to our cities, perhaps we should ask Him to search our hearts.
WHAT IF GOD IS MORE INTERESTED IN WHO WE BECOME THAN WHAT WE ACCOMPLISH?
At this stage of my life, I find myself thinking less about proving what I can do and more about finishing well.
After 45 years of ministry, I am increasingly convinced that one of the greatest measures of a person’s life is not how many people know their name. It is whether they know Christ.
Not how large the platform became.
But whether the altar remained intact.
Not how many people followed them.
But whether they followed Jesus.
Not how impressive the ministry looked.
But whether the life behind the ministry is pleasing to God.
The question eventually becomes: When the applause stops, who are we? And even more importantly: When the platform disappears, is Jesus still enough?
HOLINESS IS NOT LEGALISM
We must also be careful here.
Holiness is not legalism.
Holiness is not trying to earn God’s love.
Holiness is a response to His love.
Grace does not make holiness unnecessary.
Grace makes holiness possible.
We do not pursue holiness because we are trying to become worthy of Christ. We pursue holiness because Christ is worthy of our lives.
The fear of the Lord does not diminish intimacy. It deepens intimacy.
When we understand who God is, we understand more deeply what it means that He invites us near.
The holiness of God should not push us away from God. It should cause us to come before Him with humility, awe, repentance, and gratitude.
A GENERATION NEEDING BOTH POWER AND PURITY
I believe the next generation needs to see something more than spectacular ministry. They need to see credible Christianity. They need to see leaders who can pray privately and serve publicly.
Leaders who can carry authority without arrogance.
Leaders who can receive honor without becoming addicted to it.
Leaders who can handle resources without worshiping them.
Leaders who can receive correction without becoming defensive.
Leaders who can walk away from an opportunity if accepting it requires compromising integrity.
Leaders who know that their identity is not in their platform.
Leaders who understand:
Character before influence.
Integrity before visibility.
Presence before performance.
Obedience before opportunity.
Faithfulness before fame.
That is leadership awakening.
That is Kingdom character.
That is what makes someone worth following.
THE ALTAR BEFORE THE PLATFORM
Perhaps the greatest question before us is not: “How do we get the platform back?” Maybe it is: “How do we get the altar back?”
Because ultimately, the greatest evidence that God is moving is not that people are falling down. It is that people are getting up and walking differently.
It is not merely that gifts are being manifested. It is that fruit is being produced.
It is not merely that crowds are gathering. It is that Christ is being formed.
And it is not merely that we have been anointed. It is that we have learned to remain holy before the Holy One.
Anointing may open the door, but Character determines whether we can remain faithful once we walk through it.
And when the day comes that the gold is gone, the platform is gone, the applause is gone, the titles are gone, and the crowd is gone…may we never forget that Jesus is still enough.
BY DOUG STRINGER
