Following are snippets of the top new stories posted over the past week on charismamag.com. We encourage you to visit the links to read the stories in full.
Prophetic Dream? Dolly Parton’s New Song Issues Staunch Warning to Believers
Dolly Parton isn’t taking a recent dream she had lightly. The iconic country music star says the dream she received months ago is a staunch warning for believers everywhere.
She composed the song called “Don’t Make Me Come Down There” and, instead of receiving gifts for her birthday on Jan. 19, she wanted to give the new tune as a gift to the world.
“I finished it as things would come to me, and I just felt like I should drop it on my birthday,” Parton says. “It is a song that came to me in a dream and I felt like it was worth putting out there. It’s something special. Well, it’s special to me.”
Get Ready, the Next Revival Will Be Very Messy
Many Christians pray for spiritual awakening, and that’s good. But I wonder if we realize how disruptive revival will be when it hits us like a tsunami. If you read accounts of previous revivals, three things become obvious: (1) revival requires a lot of work; (2) it’s always chaotic; and (3) it offends religious people. It’s not always welcome in traditional churches.
Just read the account of the revival in Samaria in the book of Acts. There was nothing orderly about it. Because the Samaritans had been entrenched in occult practices, many of them were set free from demons—and the evil spirits were “coming out of them shouting with a loud voice” (Acts. 8:7). Then, after the apostles arrived from Jerusalem, a prominent sorcerer named Simon offered to buy the Holy Spirit’s power, and Peter rebuked him. The arrival of Christianity completely unplugged Simon’s deception.
When the Azusa Street revival began in Los Angeles in 1906, many mainstream Christians labeled it a heresy, either because they didn’t believe in speaking in tongues, or because white Christians were worshipping in the same building with Black believers.
The first reason was that it was taking him away from his main ministry objective—the saving of lost souls. And, he wrote, “The second reason I stepped away is because I do not want to be on at the same time as a certain other guest. It has to do with his association with two false preachers. I went to him—as Jesus taught, privately. I implored this person to deal with these counterfeit voices. He did not agree with my counsel. One of these false ministers is called a prophet and another that is called a seer. Why am I so adamant about these false prophets? Once again, you will see it has everything to do with preaching the gospel.”
The blog article has caused a major firestorm in the body of Christ on social media, as Murillo called out evangelists Kat Kerr and Robin D. Bullock as “false prophets.” Murillo followed up with another article saying that he would not back down from his original words and would stand by what he said.
Was Mario Murillo right to publicly rebuke certain contemporary “prophets? The answer is clear, not only from Scripture, but also from history.
In fact, there is an example from history with amazing parallels to this situation.
Peter Cartwright (1785-1872), for example, was a circuit-riding Methodist revivalist who saw great revival and thousands come to Christ during his many years of ministry. He also encountered and contended with a prophetic movement that based its beliefs and actions on visions, dreams, prophecies and supposed angelic visitations.
4 Tips to Fix Your Christian Marriage Problems
Christian married couples, like everyone else in the world, can have their ups and downs. The pressures at work, home and family can mount a pile so high you barely see your spouse on the other side. God created marriage and He longs for you to have a healthy, thriving marriage that produces much fruit.
With that in mind, Charisma magazine sat down with marriage coaches Stephen and Jenny Weaver to hear some tips on keeping a marriage fun, fresh and filled with God.
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