A Time for Bold Faith, Wisdom and Discernment
As we look at the landscape of renewal movements being attributed to the Holy Spirit these days, we see an enormous variety of expressions. Where do we, Holy Spirit Renewal Ministries, find ourselves in this vast array? Here are some of our distinctives:
1. Our purpose is to do all we can, in cooperating with the Holy Spirit, to empower, build up and unite Christ’s body. Because of that, we do not feel comfortable with teachings that cause division between Christians, whether by creating a “haves-vs.-have-nots” mentality on the one hand, or by denying the validity of the full biblically-supported range of Holy Spirit ministries on the other.
2. We believe Christ-like character is essential to true Spirit-filled Christian life, and without it, spiritual giftedness is of no value to the cause of Christ (Gal 5:22-23; 1 Cor 13:1-3). We seek holiness, not hype. We seek to make love our aim even as we earnestly desire the spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1).
3. We are excited about all that God is doing in the world, and we want to be a part of it! However, we are not among those who jump at everything that is exciting or supernatural. We do not ascribe prophetic or biblical significance to spiritual manifestations or practices unless they are biblically supportable. We evaluate renewal movements by their character and fruit and by the degree to which they honor God and adhere to His Word.
4. We seek to practice leadership in a way that frees God’s people to grow to their full potential in Christ. We do not support teachings on leadership or structures that move people toward unhealthy levels of dependence on — or obedience to — human leaders. While affirming the importance of supporting godly leadership, we do not believe that God’s grace or anointing for ministry is transmitted down a spiritual chain of command. The destructive fruit of the “Shepherding movement” of several decades ago (for brief description, see Wikipedia article of this title) must not be repeated or accepted.
5. As we pursue the renewal of Christ’s church and the fulfillment of the Great Commission, we recognize that the Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of love and the Spirit of power; He is also the Spirit of truth. Love and truth without power are too anemic to make an impact in our world. Power and truth without love are an inadequate reflection of who Jesus is. And love and power without truth will inevitably lead to deception. Our effectiveness will depend on how well we live out these and all other facets of the Holy Spirit’s nature and purposes.
We are living in times of increasing world crises on many fronts. Fear and uncertainty abound. We must be awakened to the fact that we are being given unprecedented opportunities to shine our lights for Jesus Christ. Please join us as we seek to empower the church to fulfill her destiny in Christ! “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” — Isaiah 60:1-3