Because I won’t preach through all of my doctrinal positions whenever I’m invited to speak, I thought it would be helpful to share my core messages (what I’m likely to preach when invited to speak somewhere) as well as my doctrinal positions so that you can get to know where I stand on important issues as well as what I preach.
What I Preach:
The Gospel: Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we enjoy healing, deliverance, forgiveness, true freedom from sin, a new identity in Christ, and fellowship with God by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are no longer fearful slaves, but we have received the Spirit of Adoption through whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” Because of Christ’s amazing grace we are now partners with Him in His reconciling work in the world.
The Mission: Jesus told us to make disciples of of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey the commandments of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). The means by which we make disciples and that is preaching the Gospels. Jesus taught and modeled only one method for evangelism and it is found in Matthew 10:7-8:
“As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
The proclamation of the Gospel was always connected to the demolition of the enemy’s work. Where the Gospel of the Kingdom is proclaimed the sick are healed, the demonized are set free, the dead are raised, and the unclean become clean. This is a “show-and-tell” Gospel and we have been provided with power to demonstrate it in the person of the Holy Spirit!
The Spirit: The Holy Spirit has been given to the Church for the purpose of being witnesses to Christ’s resurrection and rule. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit is meant to equip the Church for Gospel proclamation. He is also the means by which we enjoy a present experience of union with Jesus Christ.
The Presence: The purpose of life is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the veil was torn that separated humanity from the holy presence of God. I emphasize in my ministry the importance of enjoying the tangible presence of God in our everyday lives and becoming conduits of His power in every aspect of life.
The Gifts: It’s my opinion that spiritual gifts have been overcomplicated and therefore reserved for the “spiritual elite” but that is simply unbiblical. Paul told us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts and anything that we should desire can be acquired. Spiritual gifts are accessed by faith, but because of poor teaching, misunderstandings, or faith that needs to grow, much of the Body of Christ is severely lacking in these areas.
The goals of my teaching on spiritual gifts are to:
- Create a safe and healthy prophetic culture in every church by teaching saints to:
- Share prophetic words in humility.
- Listen to the authentic voice of God.
- Discern prophetic words for themselves.
- Engage in the prophetic process as a community.
- Help everyday saints believe that God wants to heal and He wants to use them to do it.
- Assist Christians to be led by the Spirit in everyday life.
- Give the Church confidence to use any spiritual tool that the Holy Spirit has given for the purpose of making disciples.
Doctrinal Positions:
As a credentialed minister with the Assemblies of God fellowship, I adhere to the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God.
These teachings form my doctrinal foundation, however, they are very broad and do not represent what I am likely to teach on. I am aware that there may be churches outside of the Assemblies of God who would want me to come minister but do not hold to all 16 of these doctrines and out of a love for unity, I’m not going to stir any theological pots if you were to invite me to your non-Assemblies of God church.