The Most Recent Charisma

We received the latest issue of Charisma magazine in our mailbox today, and I had the opportunity to look it over for a little while this afternoon. Charisma is not my favorite magazine, except for J. Lee Grady's Fire In My Bones column. He is a prophet for our times, and isn't afraid to say what needs saying. His piece on Todd Bentley in this issue is no exception. Todd's restoration to public ministry shouldn't even be brought up yet - what should be the focus of this painful situation is his family. His ex-wife and three children should receive any funds raised through the mail. Sending money to restore Todd's ministry is absurd. Lee is bringing the focus back to where it needs to be.



The other articles are all about Israel, and the range of views makes me wonder if Lee is somewhat lacking in his editorial role. Maybe Charisma lets all kinds of views be printed so that readers can sort out what they believe, but I would think a little editing would be in order. I'm not excited about seeing what the next issue holds after going through this one.



In three different articles about Israel, I learned that if I bless Israel according to the blesssings laid out in Deuteronomy, I will be blessed. Is the focus of those blessings me? Weren't they given to God's people so that they could be blessed? Shouldn't I be praying that the Jews would do according to what God says in those verses on blessings and curses? (At least the ones that can still be applied today.) I do believe that if I follow the ways of the Lord, I will be blessed. But by blessing Israel, while they blow off God's instructions, so that I can be blessed seems misguided.



The second article that made me wonder who puts this stuff together involves the Torah. One of the last paragraphs of this writing says, "Believers, of course, are partakers of a new covenant with God, marked by the forgiveness of sin and sealed by the blood of Christ. Yet gentile believers can receive amazing insight and pratical knowledge by examining the roots of the Christian faith, which begin in the Torah code and extend to the covenant God made with Abraham so many centuries ago." The article stated that the Torah is reason the Jews are so smart, and if we take time to read the Torah we can be smart, too. I thought that in Christ were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, but no - we need the Torah!



Then one of the end-times guys informed me that John Wesley, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards and a host of others were all convinced that the Antichrist is Islam. When Jesus returns to fight that final, big battle, it will be against Islamic nations. I thought Revelation said that the kings of all the ungodly nations will be in that battle, but maybe Islam will be taking over the whole world before that final battle. I do wish Mr. Wesley, Mr. Luther and Mr. Edwards were around to defend themselves. Maybe they said that Islam will be an evil force to reckon with in the future (I definitely agree!), but to take this and make such a case frustrates me. Stick to what people say, don't just use a possible suggestion and run with it to make your case, especially when talking about the most unclear book of all - Revelation.



In a final, weak defense of the magazine, there were three articles I appreciated. Barry Segal, whom I've had the opportunity to host in our home, has a right-on article about worship and intercession used in battling Israel's enemies. "The Rise of Anti-Semitism in Europe" is a short wake-up call to how hateful many in Europe are - calling out "Kill the Jews" as survivors of the Holocaust march in a parade in Sweden!



"Ten Ways to Bless Israel" is a title I have problems with (Did Ezekiel and Jeremiah encourage people to bless Israel when Israel was rebellious?), but the first two ways got my attention. If I were to go to Israel, I would want to spend time at Succat Hallel, a 24/7 praise and worship center, facing the very place where King David began round-the-clock worship in the tabernacle. Israel desperately needs prayer - reconciliation with Jesus being the focus, and then wisdom for their national leaders would help. Number Two is "feed the poor with Living Bread Ministries" - serve in a Palestinian Refugee camp. Karen Dunham has started a ministry to refugee camps in Jericho, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron. She has favor with the Palestinians and the Israeli army that lets her in and out of these territories. Now that is putting the Christian faith into action.