Since I have many American and Canadian friends within the COG, I’m almost ashamed to say it was my first time in a COG church. I can perhaps redeem myself with the fact that my feet have walked on the holy ground of Cleveland, TN—Lee University and Pentecostal Theological Seminary, both COG schools.

Church of God?

If you’re not familiar with the COG, you may be surprised to learn that this Pentecostal denomination was formed in 1886, well before the 1906 revivals at Azusa Street in Los Angeles and the Hebden Mission in Toronto. Even more surprising, to some, will be the fact that about 130 people spoke in tongues at revival meeting they held in 1896 in North Carolina. The group adopted the name “Church of God” in 1907. Their name usually includes “(Cleveland, TN)” to distinguish them from the non-Pentecostal denomination the Church of God (Anderson, IN).

As a Pentecostal church, the COG holds to the “full gospel” of Jesus as Saviour, Healer, Baptizer (in the Spirit), and Coming King. In addition, as representatives of the “Pentecostal Holiness” tradition, they also emphasize Jesus’s work as “Sanctifier.” Historically, they emphasized that a believer needed to experience sanctification before they could be baptized in the Holy Spirit. A common rationale was that the Holy Spirit couldn’t fill a dirty vessel.

Today the COG (Cleveland) has around 1 million adherents in the USA and about 7 million worldwide (my numbers are a little dated). Many in Canada will not have heard of them, even though they have around 140 churches in Canada, with about half of those churches in Ontario. I hear that many are Caribbean-majority churches.

Sights and Sounds

I appreciated the time of worship at the COG church. We walked through the double-glass doors of the church and immediately heard boisterous sounds coming from the hall to our left. I recognized the sounds as a pre-service prayer meeting—the sanctuary was to our right.

This was no-mega church. The sanctuary has maybe a dozen rows with about a dozen chairs per row. But the church was up-to-date with burgundy padded chairs, contemporary grey carpet, and colored lights shining on the wall at the back of the stage. Unlike the mammoth pulpit I had previously experienced at a United Pentecostal Church (no, the COG are not Oneness), they had a sleek, metal lectern that the preacher could not hide behind.

There were only thirty or forty (if I’m generous) people in the congregation that morning, but the room was still full of life. I was surrounded by mostly black worshippers, with a few Asians and white folk. There was no doubt that we were in church. I may have heard “praise the Lord” and “amen” more frequently than I would hear swearing at a construction site.

Sadly, the drum throne behind the drum set sat empty that morning, so I wondered if they might “need” me to play—not that they would know. Unfortunately for me, perhaps, they had replaced the drummer with the upbeat sounds from a drum module controlled by the keyboard player who also led worship. Accompanying her was only a guitar player, but along with the four additional singers who swayed and shuffled across the front of the stage, the worship music sounded full. The worship leader had the voice of a Grammy-award-winning singer who expressed the soul of someone who had just welcomed home her child who was away studying at college for the past year.

Theology in Worship

It wouldn’t be quite fair to say that we (I do say “we,” because I was one of them) were fully dancing, but we were definitely moving our whole body to the music. This reminded me of the emphasis that I heard on a few occasions in the SPS meeting, that Pentecostals often engage their whole bodies in worship, consistent with their belief that salvation is for the whole person, sometimes including physical healing in this life, if not eventual healing in the future resurrection.

I did not recognize the first few songs but one theme became readily apparent. We reminded one another that even though Satan is “attacking everyday,” we could have joy in our soul, because “God is in control.” The same song declared repeatedly, “this means war, this means war.” And in the next song, we didn’t just testify that “there is power in the name of Jesus,” we also actively prayed/sung repeatedly the simple phrase, “break…chains…break…chains.”

Now take an brief energizing break to get a small taste of what I experienced .

At one point it struck me that the songs and other words spoken from the stage were individualistic. That morning (I make no assumptions about other weeks), I did not hear a concern for any world suffering or an emphasis on how God empowers us for mission. Instead, the emphasis was on my choice to worship Jesus and how he would help me navigate life.

At the same time, no one could accuse this church of falling into what scholars call “moralistic therapeutic deism” (a belief in a god who wants us to be good and happy, but who isn’t all that involved in our lives). Rather, we sung that God would lead us to victory in the cosmic spiritual battle. While there may have been an overemphasis on spiritual warfare imagery, I appreciated the reminder that the world is not spiritually neutral ground.

There was one moment during the worship service when it was clear that the church was not only concerned with how God would help them as individuals, and it came during the announcements. This small congregation had distributed 60 food boxes the day before, and they were preparing to do so again next month.

Continuing to Encounter God

The pastor’s sermon was filled with personal testimonies that illustrated the need for us to pray to God to know his will and the challenges that might come if we disobey. I realized that this congregation didn’t need anyone to convince them that God still speaks today—this was obvious to them.

When the sermon ended, the words “Altar Service” were displayed on the two large-screen TVs that were mounted to the wall on each side of the stage. The pastor invited people to come stand in front of the pulpit if they wanted prayer as they seek to hear and obey God’s will. Before he had finished speaking, two ladies walked to the front—they didn’t need to be coaxed—and three others surrounded them and laid their hands on them. And then the pastor prayed.

This reminded me of another SPS presentation—this one on a theology of preaching—that observed how Pentecostal preaching does not simply aim to inform or even motivate the congregants, but also to facilitate a life-transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit.

I imagine that not every week is the same at this COG church. And I’m sure that my experience that Sunday is not representative of every COG congregation.

How a person worships is not the key marker of their spirituality (see chapter 7 in my book Simply Spirit-Filled). Nevertheless, it is clear to me that many who lifted their hands in praise that morning were not there to simply fulfil a religious ritual. And perhaps more importantly, they expected that they would continue to encounter God during the week after they walked back out the double-glass doors.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Tales of Visiting a Oneness United Pentecostal Church
• 3 Lessons and Questions from my Visit to a Tourist Church
• 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church
• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is Professor of Theology at MCS and Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on X.

The post Tales of my First Visit to a Church of God (Cleveland) Pentecostal Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

This depends on what you mean by a generational curse. If a person means (as this page describes it) that a person can be socialized to learn sinful habits from parental influence, then the idea makes good sense. At the same time, such an idea doesn’t require the label of “generational curse.”

Generational Curses as Spiritual Bondage

When people use the phrase “generational curse,” however, they generally have in mind the idea that a person is experiencing “spiritual bondage” that involves demonic influence as a result of sin in previous generations (for example, see the ‘in a nutshell’ section on this page).

Where does this idea come from? The main biblical text is:

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:5-6. There are verses others like this that are very close in wording.)

Generational Love?

There are many problems with trying to get the “generational curse” theory out of this biblical text. First, while it affirms punishment for numerous generations, it also affirms God’s love for the generations following those who obey him.

So what happens if the second generation obeys God? Are they still cursed? To follow the logic behind the “generational curse” theory, then the second generation, and thousands more, would be loved by God regardless of their response to him.

Rather than teaching a logic of generational cursing, this text seems to be contrasting the expansive love of God (to a thousand generations!) versus the punishment of God (to just a few). Consider also Exodus 34:6-7.

The One Thing Missing

The even bigger problem with concluding that this text teaches “generational curses” is that the word “curse” doesn’t occur in the text! Rather, it speaks of punishment, and the punishment doesn’t involve demonic influence, which, the generational curse proponents teach, could hypothetically be denounced. Instead, the punishment comes from God.

A Curse for No Generations

Of course, there are other biblical texts that might point to the idea of generational curses. Consider, for example,

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse; the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28. Again, there are other biblical texts like this.)

Unlike the text from Exodus above, there is here no sense of generational continuation from the curse.

Furthermore, numerous biblical texts (even in the Old Testament!) make it clear that “the child will not share the guilt of the parent” (Ezekiel 18:20).

Deliverance

Just to be clear, I am not denying that demons have real influences in this world. I am, however, denying that the Bible teaches that generational curses exist.

More importantly, and here I agree with those who talk about generational curses, I would certainly affirm that God can (and does!) set people free from all kinds of nasty habits or oppressive thinking.

One thing we can proclaim with certainty, is that whatever curse there was for not obeying the law in the Old Testament (see above), “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13).

So, how do you break a generational curse? Based on all I’ve said above, there is nothing you can do, and there is nothing you need to do, to break so-called generational curses.

If you are interested in reading further about this idea, this is a good article.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Shouldn’t Faith Always Result in Healing?
• What it Really Means to be BAPTIZED IN FIRE
• Demons Have no “Legal Rights”

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post How to Break Generational Curses appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

I’m sure some Christian somewhere has even tried to apply the blood of Jesus over their cat. I don’t like cats.

If you aren’t familiar with prayers where people “apply the blood,” you might want to check out this video (see especially the very beginning and from the 4 minute mark).

Such prayers (are they really prayers?) can sound very pious. They can sound very spiritual. Who wouldn’t want the best for their family, their marriage, or even their car?

But, you will not find such prayers in the Bible. Why?

Because you can’t apply the blood of Jesus over your life . . . or anything else.

Two More Problems with Applying the Blood

Those who are consistently “applying the blood of Jesus” in their prayers can make others feel like their prayers aren’t good enough. Such prayers seem to imply that prayer is a technique that needs to be learned.

Crucially, simple prayers are just as effective as flowery “spiritual” sounding prayers where someone tries to pray the “right” way. Consider the tax collector who simply prays, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). If God graciously responds to such simple prayers for mercy, surely God will be just as gracious in responding to our other simple prayers.

“God help my marriage!” is just as good . . . actually it’s better than “I apply the blood over my marriage.” The former puts us in a place of trust in the sovereignty and grace of God.

By contrast, in the “I apply the blood” prayers the person making such declarations seems to be trying to take control—trying to take sovereignty—over the situation. It’s as though now that they are doing their spiritual duty of applying Jesus blood, God should now be obliged to do what they are asking . . . or at least God is now more obliged than if they had prayed a simple prayer of request.

Jesus’ Ordinary Blood (Yet Another Problem)

Jesus’ blood was not special. Jesus was fully God, but let’s not forget that he was also fully human. He, therefore, had fully human blood, just like yours and mine. Its chemistry was no different than yours and mine.

This means that Jesus’ blood is not some sort of magical spiritual fairy dust that you can apply over your life by reciting the correct incantation. That sounds like Christian magic to me. But I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing. Or at least it shouldn’t be.

“ Jesus’ blood is not some sort of magical spiritual fairy dust that you can apply over your life by reciting the correct incantation.

Where Does “Apply the Blood” Come From?

“Applying the blood” is primarily an allusion back to the Old Testament when Moses was trying to liberate the people Israel from their Egyptian oppressors.

In the tenth plague before the Exodus, God told each Israelite household to slaughter a lamb, eat its meat, and to apply “some of the [lamb’s] blood . . . on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses” where they ate (Exodus 12:7). Those who obeyed were protected from the tenth plague (for more info, read Exodus 12-13).

In the New Testament Paul once refers to Jesus Christ as “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). As a result, similar to how the Israelites literally applied blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their houses, some people suppose that we now need to “apply the blood of Jesus” to various aspects of our lives. Sometimes it is for some sort of protection (like the original Passover), but at other times the practice is used as a general means to get what one wants.

God Applies the Blood of the Sacrifice

Of course we can’t literally apply the blood of Jesus since he died so long ago. But the Bible also never instructs us to metaphorically or spiritually apply the blood of Jesus over our lives. The same is true regarding the practice of “pleading the blood of Jesus.” And, to emphasize the point, the Bible never gives us any examples of anyone in the Bible doing this either.

“ The Bible never instructs us to metaphorically or spiritually apply the blood of Jesus over our lives.

Instead, what the Bible gives us is a picture of God applying (metaphorically) the blood of Jesus to our lives (for example, Hebrews 12:24 and 1 Peter 1:2). But even this is not primarily a reference to the Passover.

In addition to speaking of Jesus as the Passover Lamb, the New Testament also refers to Jesus as a sacrifice, particularly one that makes atonement for our sins (Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:26-28). This is a reference back to the sacrifices that took place in the tabernacle and (later) the temple under the old covenant.

When the New Testament speaks of the “blood of Christ” or the “blood of the Lamb,” it primarily has in mind the saving work of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice.

The Precious Blood of Jesus

When the Bible speaks of Jesus’ blood and its value, it is short hand for referring to the salvation that comes through the death of Christ. (The same is true of when the Bible speaks of the power of “the cross”).

Biblical references to Jesus’ blood are, as I noted, allusions to how Jesus fulfills various Old Testament sacrifices—he was killed, his blood was shed, and God (metaphorically) applies his blood to us, with the result that we are forgiven of our sins.

When the New Testament speaks of Jesus blood it is also an allusion to how Jesus establishes a new covenant between God and humanity. As Jesus said regarding himself, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, compare Exodus 24:8).

Recognizing this, one can rightfully say that Jesus blood is precious. And his blood IS POWERFUL. It

• Frees us from sin (Revelation 1:5),
• Justifies us (Romans 5:9),
• Redeems us (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18-19),
• Gives us confidence to approach God (Ephesians 2:13, Hebrews 10:19), and
• Cleanses us and makes us holy (Hebrews 9:22 and 13:12, 1 John 1:7).

(Can I hear an AMEN!?)

But, Jesus blood is not something that we can apply over our lives or anything else. And yet, I’m sure God is gracious enough to hear the prayers of those who try to.

P.S. I’ve mentioned this in the comments below: I think that pleading the blood is less of a problem that trying to “apply” the blood, given that the latter suggests that we actually do something with Jesus’ blood. At the same time, we don’t find anyone “applying” or “pleading” the blood of Jesus in the Bible.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Demons Have No “Legal Rights”
• What Jesus Really Says about GREAT FAITH
• Should I Declare the Blood of Jesus Over my Home to Stop COVID-19?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Stop “Applying the Blood of Jesus”…Because You Can’t appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

I’m not talking about “fire tunnels,” where people walk in between two lines of people who place their hands on them and pray for them.

Instead, I’m talking about what John the Baptist refers to. He says that Jesus “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16).

What does it mean to be baptized with fire?

(Unlikely) Option 1: Fire = the Spirit

One might wish that being baptized with fire means the same as being baptized with the Spirit.

This might make sense since in the Old Testament fire sometimes was a symbol of God’s favorable presence (consider Moses at the burning bush, Exodus 3:2). Also, on the day of Pentecost, when people were baptized in the Spirit, “tongues of fire” rested on each of them (Acts 2:3).

(Unlikely) Option 2: Fire = Purification

In the Old Testament, fire sometimes symbolized God’s purification, much like fire is used to refine metals. For example, in Zechariah 13:8-9 the Lord said, “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. … I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

If this is what John the Baptist means, then being baptized with fire would refer to an event of being made more holy, like increasing in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5).

(More Likely) Option 3: Fire = Judgment

In the Old Testament, fire is sometimes used to refer to God’s judgment of Israel’s enemies. For example, Isaiah writes that “your many enemies will become . . . like blown chaff. …The LORD Almighty will come with . . . flames of a devouring fire (29:5-6).

Similarly, in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist warns the Pharisees and Sadducees about “the coming wrath” (3:7). He adds that “every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (verse 10).

In the very next verse, John states that Jesus will baptize “with fire” (verse 11). And he immediately continues by adding that Jesus will burn “up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (verse 12).

In this passage fire is only presented in a negative light.

The same thing is true for Luke 3:9-17, the only other place in the Bible that speaks of being baptized “with fire” (3:16).

If this doesn’t convince you, let me give you…

Three more reasons that being baptized with fire means receiving judgement:

1) Jesus never told the disciples they would be baptized in fire on the day of Pentecost. Rather, he only said, “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).

2) Even though they both quote John the Baptist as saying that Jesus “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8, John 1:33), the gospels of Mark and John don’t mention being baptized with fire, and, likewise, they don’t mention anything about God’s judgment (unlike Luke and Matthew).

3) Even though Luke writes about being baptized with fire in his gospel, Luke never mentions it in the book of Acts (which he also wrote), and he also never says that anyone received the “fire” of the Spirit.

Baptism in the Spirit is great.

But, if someone asks you if you want to be baptized with fire, I suggest you run away from them while politely yelling, “No, thank you!”

In the meantime, please be careful that you “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).  

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Why do PENTECOSTALS care so much about SPIRIT BAPTISM?
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong
• PAOC Clergy on Tongues and Spirit Baptism: Changing Views

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Touched by God: Experiencing the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post What it Really Means to be BAPTIZED IN FIRE appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

If you have read lots of books on spiritual warfare or deliverance, you might be convinced that Satan has legal rights. But those who haven’t bathed themselves in such books wouldn’t come to this conclusion simply from reading the Bible because, well, it simply isn’t there.

The Bible never claims that demons have any “legal rights.” In contrast, Charles Kraft erroneously claims that demonic “rights are granted according to the rules God has set up to govern the universe.” He suggests, for example, that “one of the rules God has set up is that if a person holds on to anger or any other negative emotional reaction, a demon has the legal right to live inside that person.” He then wrongly claims, “This is spoken of in Ephesians 4:26-27, where we are told to not hold on to anger past sundown … lest we give the devil an opportunity—a legal right—to cause us trouble, presumably from inside of us.”^[2]

This passage says nothing about legal rights. Rather, Ephesians 4 indicates that a person might “make room for the devil” (v. 27, NRSV)[3] to destroy the unity of the church community by means of more sinful behaviors.

Practically speaking, if the devil or demons have legal rights over all people (including Christians) who have unconfessed sin, then the devil probably has legal rights over every Christian because I’m pretty sure that most Christians have sinned in ways that they have forgotten to confess. Some liturgical traditions have their parishioners confess their sinfulness in every worship gathering, so perhaps they are safe from demons (tongue in cheek).

“ If demons have legal rights over all who have unconfessed sin, then the devil probably has legal rights over everyone.

But those who speak of Satan’s “legal rights” generally claim that we need to name and renounce the specific sins we have committed in order to remove Satan’s legal rights over us.[4] I don’t recall Jesus ever saying anything like this.

I believe that demons are real and that they do affect people, but my impression is that many books on spiritual warfare and deliverance turn dealing with the demonic into magical formulas that we need to follow. If we don’t follow the formula right by renouncing the right sins, then we don’t break the spells (“legal rights”) that demons have over us.

This seems eerily similar to the prosperity gospel, where you have to “confess” your faith in just the right way in order to get God to act in the way that you want. The difference here is that the magical formula of our words is meant to control demons instead of God.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• How to Break Generational Curses
• Shouldn’t Faith Always Result in Healing?
• 3 Ways the Holy Spirit Works Among Non-Christians

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Touched by God: Experiencing the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

[1] Derek Prince, War in Heaven: God’s Epic Battle With Evil (Grand Rapids: Chosen, 2003), 158-160.

[2] Charles H. Kraft, The Evangelical’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare: Practical Instruction and Scriptural Insights on Facing the Enemy (Grand Rapids: Chosen, 2015), 219.

[3] The Greek literally reads “do not give a place [topos] to the devil.”

[4] For example, Kraft, The Evangelical’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, 165. See another example here: http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/legalrights.php, which, contrary to its name, is not a great bible study.

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