Do you truly enjoy the grace of God? Many Christians know the Bible, attend church, and even do ministry work while they struggle to understand the core of the gospel. They can quote Scriptures about what Christ did for them, but they still feel they must work to earn His love—and often they end up feeling unworthy and separated from God. Even though Jesus died on the cross so we wouldn't have to be judged according to the law, many Christians are still living in the Old Testament. They have never embraced the reality of New Testament faith. They are slaves to performance-based religion.
This past weekend I spoke at a men's conference in Rwentobo, Uganda. Most of the men were Anglicans, including an archbishop from Rwanda and a bishop from Kenya. But these were not your grandmother's Anglicans. These men danced in the aisles, shouted their praises, and spoke in tongues. Even the bishops with clerical collars talked about healing the sick and casting out demons. In Africa, Christians aren't embarrassed to talk about the Holy Spirit. If your church allows this kind of freedom, you are blessed—because many American pastors today are afraid to allow the Spirit to move. We've put Him in a box.
Have you ever reached a point where life was too hard? Have you ever prayed, "Lord, I want to be more like You," and then all hell broke loose? I have a friend in another state who is feeling overwhelmed like this right now. Life is just too difficult for him. First there was a wave of family drama, complete with accusations, betrayal and hurt feelings. Then there was an accusation at work that triggered doubts about his job. On top of that, one of his children was rushed to the hospital because of a viral infection. And right after that, his youngest child fell against a glass table—and the bloody cut sent her to the emergency room.
I preached at a conference in California in 2013. During one of the meetings the Lord showed me that a woman there was struggling with infertility. I didn't know who she was—all I knew was she was in the auditorium. When I shared this word of knowledge with the audience, a young woman in the back of the room burst into tears. She had recently endured three miscarriages and was depressed because she feared she would never have a baby. After this woman reluctantly came to the front of the auditorium, I prayed for her and asked the Lord to break the spirit of barrenness. Nothing dramatic happened in that moment. But I found out a year later that she became pregnant a month after the conference.
Last week was tough. One of my best friends, Doug, died unexpectedly, and the tragedy shook me to the core. Doug's death also shook my friend Jeff, a pastor who looked up to Doug as a mentor. Before and after the funeral, Jeff and I cried together. We shared our memories of Doug and processed our feelings as honestly as possible. At one point Jeff admitted that the loss made him want to run away and hide. He was halfway joking when he said: "I'd like to just move to the beach and forget everything." I knew he wasn't serious.
I was filled with the Holy Spirit three weeks before I went to college, and I immediately became a serious student of the Bible. I remember waking up early and reading Scripture at my tiny desk in my dorm before my roommate woke up. My hunger for God's Word became insatiable, and my studies laid a strong spiritual foundation that I've built on ever since. One thing I discovered in those early days is that the Bible is all about Jesus. It is never boring when you realize this! It becomes like a puzzle to solve.
The Bible is full of stories of men and women who waited and waited for God's promises to be fulfilled. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for Isaac's birth. Hannah endured years of barrenness waiting for her baby. David spent years in the wilderness before he became king. God calls each of us to join Him in His work but accomplishing anything spiritual, such as building a church, engaging in missions work or influencing secular culture for Christ, is impossible in human terms. We can't accomplish anything for God without faith.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples He would send the power of the Holy Spirit upon them. But they had no idea what that would look like. Jesus didn't give them a script to prepare them for Pentecost. There was no church bulletin to explain that a rushing wind would blow at 9 a.m., or that flames would rest on their heads at 9:05 a.m., or that they would speak in strange languages at 9:10 a.m.
Have you ever wanted to go to a secluded place and scream at the top of your lungs, "God, why are you taking so long?" I have. Everything about my life has seemed too slow. My last name even means "gradual." Some people might look at my life and say, "Lee has had a fruitful and successful life." But you should know that I waited a long time to see that fruit. Nothing came quickly. My first job lasted eight difficult years, and the pay wasn't adequate. Then, at age 31, I watched a ministry implode.
When I was filled with the Holy Spirit many years ago, I knew my Southern Baptist mother probably wouldn't be happy about my Pentecostal experience. She and I shared the same core beliefs in Jesus and salvation, of course. But I knew that some Christian denominations don't encourage believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit or to practice the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament. So, I didn't share my testimony with her for a few years. I'll never forget the day my mother learned of my experience. After she told me a story from her childhood, in which she witnessed some Christians "rolling in the sawdust" at a backwoods Pentecostal meeting, she widened her eyes and asked: "You don't speak in tongues, do you, Lee?"
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