Jim McCracken answers the question “What are the top two things an apostle can do for a local church?”

Kari and I spent some time with Jim and his wife Mary at the 50th Reunion (November 15-17) of Grace Life Church in Marshall, Minnesota. The founding members officially began as “The Church on the Hill” in 1969 in Lynd, Minnesota.

Grace life has passed through several modifications, yet has remained faithful to God’s calling throughout her history.

At the 50th Reunion celebration Pastor Doug Wing outlined four values the church continues to hold.

The Bible is the Word of God and has power to save eternally and transform life and society.

Grace is God’s power which He gives freely to humble people.

The Holy Spirit is sent from God to enable believers to life like Jesus. Speaking in tongues enables believers to keep filled with the Spirit.

Above all, genuine Christian love is our aim in life.

Brian Miller was the founding pastor of the church.

In 1968 Kari helped plant the church and was the first woman God joined to the church. Kari is the attractive woman in standing in blue.

I served as assistant pastor of the Church on the Hill in 1971-1972. Kari and I were married September 30, 1972 in the glen below the hill.

Pastor Gustavo and his Wife Marta

Pastor, prophet, apostle and church planter–all that resides in the job description of Gustavo Villanueva. He and his wife Marta and their extended family reside in Mexico City, Mexico.

Kari and I caught them breaking a fast following the recent prophetic conference which he and his church hosted.

Column of Fire is the English translation of their church’s name in Spanish: Columna de Fuego. Pastor Gustavo is a fiery evangel with a passion for God.

For my wife and me, it was an experience to see this man in action. A dynamic preacher with a keen word of knowledge, we saw first hand as he preached the Word and led someone to Christ. We witnessed many healings following his messages, and we saw how God uses him in prophecy.

Perhaps most significant of all, Pastor Gustavo aptly trains numbers of young men and women for ministry. At least four churches are currently growing up under steady leadership from Gustavo and Marta.

Mexican Hospitality–a Lesson for the World

I once remarked to Rocio (the wife of Pastor Waldo) that Americans are noted for independence and efficiency. I then asked, “What in your opinion is the forte’ of the Mexican church?” Without a second thought, she replied, “Hospitality!” So right she is.

Each excursion we enjoy into Mexico, the saints outdo each other with genuine love and hospitality. Churches the world over could come to Mexico to learn first hand what Biblical hospitality looks like. The saying Mi casa es su casa exemplifies the heart to serve and put others first.

Araceli and her husband Ray are a delightful couple. (Sorry I don’t have a picture of you, Ray senior.) They opened their home to us even though they had not fully moved into their new house. Each drove us around Mexico City for hours on end. They interpreted so capably for us. What wonderful examples of Christian service and hospitality. Thank you, Ray and Araceli and family!

Kari with Another of Our Hostesses, Laura

God used Kari in Mexico. One of our purposes was to challenge capable Christians to hear and obey the call to missions. Kari is an “object lesson” for all to see when it comes to hearing God and following Him.

When God spoke to Kari to go to Murang’a County in Kenya, she prayed and went. She obeyed to go to Mongolia. In each of those nations Kari was able to encourage pastors. She is now in the process of equipping pastors with the Jesus film in their native tongue complete with solar powered projectors, screens and backpacks.

Local Churches in Mexico are Empowered by the Spirit

La Pescadora (the Fisherman’s Church) pastored by Waldo Ceron and his wife Rocio) are a joy to visit. We had so much fun there and the people are so responsive.

Marco (and his wife Melissa) Mendoza lead El Pastor de Amor (The Shepherd of Love) church in Mexico City. This large church is built on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Strong and stable, it serves as a Lighthouse beyond it’s walls in the city.

The church in Mexico is strong and growing. Prayer, fasting, and preaching the Word are pillars of the ministry. Genuine love, as for churches everywhere, is central to the message. Every church we visited begins with a time of ministering to God through talking in tongues.

May God be glorified in Mexico!

We are all united in Christ. What a joy awaits us when we will gather together in heaven to worship our Savior.

Kari and I will participate in a Prophetic Conference in Mexico City on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 25-27. We will also minister at various local churches following the conference.

The host pastor is a wonderful guy named Gustavo. We met Pastor Gustavo Villanueva and his wife for the first time in March, 2018. Without even knowing us personally, he trusted us to speak at his church based on reports he’d heard about us. He had a lot of a faith to invite us!

We went to his building and found an amazing and wonderful fellowship. So many young people! So much uplifting music! So much hospitality!

God has orchestrated Pastor Gustavo’s life and placed him in a position of influence in Mexico.

May God use the upcoming prophetic conference for purposes beyond the ordinary. I don’t know the contact details. If you want to be a part of this conference or visit Pastor Gustavo’s fellowship, contact me via the form below or on Whatsapp at 1 563 554 1401. I will try my best to get back with you with the place and time.

In the meantime, please pray that God will use and anoint us for His purposes on this trip to Mexico.

May God guide and bless you and yours.

Sincerely,

B Mark and Kari

God spoke to me, “Get yourself to Mongolia.”

Out of obedience I went!

When I got settled in a hotel I asked God to show me why He sent me there and I felt impressed that there was one person in particular God wanted me to meet.

I met her that day in a shop. Duure, a young, but very mature, 19 year old Christian girl.

I attended her church a couple of days later which turned out to be a Spirit-filled Presbyterian fellowship made up of such wonderful people. They greeted me warmly asking me to share a welcome and singing to me and inviting me back. The pastor told me that he was formerly a gangster and is now president, or such, over a pastors’ group of 400 pastors in Mongolia.  The associate pastor shared with me that he’s the youngest pastor in Mongolia.

At the church I met a man who has started several house churches in the countryside and he took Duure (the young girl) and me on a very, very long drive into the country to meet some of these dear people in home churches.

Later that week I taught a Bible study at a cell group led by Duure.

I was invited to visit a family who lived in a ger (yurt) and gave them a Mongolian bible and prayed with them all. I was asked to try on a traditional Mongolian dress, which I loved and purchased from the mother who continued to pour out gifts to me – salted, canned chives, dried milk chips, and silver earrings which she carefully inserted into my ears!

I was asked to join the home church pastor’s family for a birthday party for their boys, ages 17 & 19.

I expect to keep an ongoing relationships with these people.  God led me and I’m thankful.

My stay in Hong Kong was for my business but I did find a wonderful Spirit-filled church there and when one of the pastors came to chat with me, I asked what we should pray for? He said, “Pray for Hong Kong.”

Then I visited our youngest son, John, in Bangkok. He’s a captain in the United States Army and works for the Embassy there. I attended a ceremony with John honoring POW/MIAs and met so many people including the acting US ambassador to Thailand. John had taken a week off and we then explored southern Thailand together.

I asked John what I could do for Thailand and he said without skipping a beat. “Mom, Thailand needs missionaries!”

I encourage anyone who senses that God is directing them, “GO!” He will lead and guide and bring much fruit for His Kingdom.

Can you name 5 reasons to join a local church? Some people are saying they don’t need to go to church. They say it’s a waste of time. Or they have other reasons: “I can’t find a good church,” “Too many hypocrites in church,” “I’m too busy,” “Sunday is my only day to rest.”

Joining a Local Church Demonstrates that Jesus Christ is Your Lord

At salvation, a new believer is automatically joined to the universal body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). When we allow Christ to become our Lord, we join a local church (a local expression of His body).

At conversion, we as infant believers have little knowledge of who Jesus really is. Few, if any, Christians know Jesus as Master (Lord) at justification. As time goes on, we become aware that Christ is sovereign, that He is trustworthy, that He is Healer, Lord, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and Soon-coming King. We are all learning more about Jesus as we grow.

Is Jesus Christ your Lord? You will join and be a functioning member of a local church!

Second Reason to Join a Local Church

The local church is God’s primary unit of spiritual warfare. The reason the Son of Man came was that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b). Every church that follows Jesus will battle the devil in one way or another.

No one goes to the war zone alone. If he faces the opposing army by himself, he is almost 100% certain to die. We need each other to be effective in spiritual conflict.

Psalm 148 speaks of spiritual warfare in both the public and private settings:

Let the high praises of God be in their throats. and a two-edged sword in their hands, inflicting vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, binding their king with chains and their dignitaries with iron shackles, carrying out the judgment decreed against them.

This is an honor for all His godly people. Hallelujah!

The believers dual weapons–high praises of God coupled with commands of faith–are powerful. We are seeing media giants exposed, pastors removed from pulpits, and politicians taken down.

There’s much more to do. Join a local church that has an intercessory fighting unit. Or better yet, lead one yourself.

Third Reason to Join a Local Church

Obedience. The Bible implores not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).

Verse 24 shows the purpose of this command: to show concern for one another and to promote love and good works.

Fourth Reason to Join a Local Church

Holy Communion and its benefits. True, one can take the “Lord’s Table” in a family or solitary setting, but do they? It’s much like the man who says, “I can worship God on the golf course.” That may be true, but does he?

Communion with Christ though the bread and wine brings benefits. Immediately following one of our regular communion meetings, a man blurted out with excitement, “I’m healed!” “From what?” I asked him. “From cancer,” he replied so all could hear.

Fifth Reason to Join a Local Church

The local church is not complete without you. Let’s look at the illustration in 1 Corinthians 12:14 Are you an eye to the body? Without you, the body is blind or at least sight-impaired.

Are you an ear to the body? Without you the body (the local church) is either deaf or hearing-impaired.

Are you a foot to the body? Without you, the local church is suffering some form of paralysis.

By not participating regularly, you are defrauding the other people in the church. Every member is important. To not join a church is to withhold your gift from the church. You are important and necessary.

By refusing to become faithful and active, you are frustrating God’s plan for both you and the church. God gave you the gifts primarily for other people, not for yourself. Without your regular participation, you may even endanger the other people in the church.

To illustrate, a minister in Africa invited me to come to his country and hold prophetic meetings. I was interested and began making plans to travel. Bernie, a member of our church got a “check in his spirit” about my plans. He advised me not to go. Fortunately, I cancelled my plans. I found out later that if I had gone, that trip would have caused me great grief. Bernie’s gift spared me!

I’m interested in your thoughts. What do you think of these 5 reasons to join a local church? What are other reasons? If you would, please send your ideas to me.

C Peter Wagner’s Discover Your Spiritual Gifts was published by Chosen Books in 2017.

Though short in stature, C Peter Wagner was a whale of a man and minister. His writings and life have left a monumental wake on current Christianity in America and around the globe.

I enjoyed the man and found his ministry heart-warming and enlarging. He was a genuine modern day apostle. Peter died in 2016.

He also had a delightful sense of humor.

In earlier years, I may not have dared to critique the works of such a noteworthy figure. Now I know even heroes need to be reviewed.

So here goes. . .

Pros

Significantly, Wagner is writing about spiritual gifts, a subject too often neglected and misunderstood. His fame, wisdom and understanding helps right the ship.

The short history of spiritual gifts in chapter one can be helpful to many.

Wagner emphasizes the fact that “spiritual gifts are for use within the context of the Body” and that “individual Christians disconnected from the Body are not as useful as they could be. Spiritual gifts are not for Lone Rangers.” He constantly emphasizes the Body of Christ, whether the nuclear body (the local church) or in the marketplace (the extended Body).  

Chapter 4, Pitfalls to Avoid, especially “Gift Projection,” is well worth digesting. This spoke to me and may help bring unity and confidence to church members.

Wagner is a true apostolic father, often considered “the Grandfather of the New Apostolic Reformation.” He sincerely labors to help members of the Body of Christ to discover their spiritual gifts. He designed his questionnaire to aid Christians to become everything that God wants them to be.

Cons

Wagner Minimizes the Importance of the Fullness of the Holy Spirit

Surprisingly, Wagner, does not mention the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (or Fullness or filling, or whatever people call it). If he mentions it at all in this book, I missed it. He simply assumes that believers receive one or more gifts at conversion. This assumption leaves many, perhaps most, believers unaware of receiving spiritual gifts.

Wagner teaches every believer receives spiritual gifts at the time of conversion. Is that true? He bases his theory on the references to spiritual gifts in Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4:10. In the New Testament era, all the churches emphasized the Fullness of the Holy Spirit. When there were some churches or individuals who were not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit, the apostles took action to get them filled (Acts 8:14-25). The baptism in the Holy Spirit is part and parcel of the Full Gospel (Acts 8:25).

The same scenario occurs in Acts 19:1-7 where Paul brought the novice believers up to speed by asking, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No, we have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit.”

The situation differs significantly today where there has been little or no teaching of the importance that converts open to and receive the Fullness of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues as was the practice in the early church.

Practically and experientially, most believers today become aware of the gifts when they receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues. Tongues then become the gateway to the other Holy Spirit gifts.

I Have Trouble with His List of Gifts

With no Scriptural backing, Wagner lists voluntary poverty and martyrdom as spiritual gifts. Although each is mentioned in 1 Cor 13:3, neither are designated as a spiritual gifts.

He correctly includes celibacy (from 1 Cor 7:7) as a charismatic gift. However, on the basis of that verse, he would also have to include marriage as a spiritual gift. Does that mean that marriage is a charisma? Perhaps something deeper, something in the nature of God and creation, is at work here.

Is hospitality a charisma, as Peter Wagner claims from 1 Peter 4:9, or is it an attribute for all members of the Body of Christ to develop? Without a clear Bible designation, it seems most appropriate to name hospitality as an attribute for all Christians to work toward.

He also includes deliverance, which is the casting out of demons, as a spiritual gift. However, Mark 16:17 says deliverance will “accompany those who believe,” not limited to those who have a spiritual gift for it.

In Romans 5:16 salvation (justification, dikaiosune) is directly termed a charismatic gift. (This means even the most inflammatory anti-charismatic is actually a charismatic whether he knows it or not!) Wagner nowhere lists salvation itself as a spiritual gift.

What is a spiritual gift and what is not? Wagner leaves us with no clear understanding. On the basis of his writing might I suggest a few more spiritual gifts? What about fasting? What about suffering, is that a spiritual gift? What about investing for the sake of the Kingdom? Perhaps child-rearing? The suggestions could become limitless.

Conclusion

The book is useful, though not without fault. It has helped many understand their spiritual gifts and will continue to guide individuals and churches. C Peter Wagner’s Discover Your Spiritual Gifts was written by a wise and influential apostle. Worth reading as long as the essential requirement of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is emphasized.