I went to a Presbyterian Church last night to listen to a Pastor speak on Church and Culture. I pulled into a field to park, thinking are these cars for the townhomes or the church? I walked through a packed parking lot, into a little country church and it was wall to wall people. I took a seat right inside the back door as there was nowhere else to sit. As I sat there and listened to this man speak, I was thrilled the whole time. His intellectual understanding of culture not just today but historically, tied with his biblical understanding made for a refreshing time of learning of the likes I have not had in years. His words were filled with fire, passion, life and theological depth. His delivery was at a pace that demanded a biblical worldview to grasp all the truth he was espousing. It was exhilarating for me on many levels.

When I left I was thinking about how the Charismatic church needs the denominational churches, and how the denominational churches need the charismatic churches. Not because of worship style, but because each brings something to the table we need for wholeness as believers. Charismatic preaching can be very life coachy and lack depth, while Denominational preaching can be dry and lack the fire of God. Oh if the two would merge it would set this nation on fire again. Depth of truth with fire is what the circuit riders brought and many of them were Methodist ministers. Many of the revivals we love like Cane Ridge and Azusa Street were Denominational preachers that God set on fire.

Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;” The word of God is an architectural structure in our soul that creates the infrastructure we need to be inside strong. When we do not have the word of God inside of us, we are weak, like a beautiful house of cards but lacking structural soundness. Just like developers who throw up houses fast, if we don’t have the word of God inside of us, we lack the craftsmanship that is needed to build a high quality life. I pray the word of God becomes desirable again to us as the Church, for without the word we are a house of cards.