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‘This Will Surprise a Lot of the Audience’ Max Lucado Says He Started Praying in Tongues For The First Time At Age 64

Author Max Lucado says he’s now a tongue speaker, revealing that three years ago, at 64, he acquired a heavenly language after praying about it for a couple of weeks.

We last wrote about Lucado, who pastors Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, after he argued ‘Faithful People May Disagree About What The Bible Says About Homosexuality. In an interview with Ed Stetzer for the Church Leaders podcast, he explains:

Lucado: “A significant gift came my way, and this will surprise a lot of the audience, it already has. It sure surprised our church. But you know, when I was 64 on a July morning, as I was praying, I began praying in tongues.

I had not done anything different, except I came across the passage where the Apostle Paul said, ‘Eagerly desire the spiritual gifts’…I said ‘Lord is there any other gift you desire for me?’ And I prayed that every morning for two or three weeks. And then one morning, early in the morning, I began praying in a heavenly language.”

Again, I had been taught those languages were discontinued and I really am not raising this topic so somebody can send me an email okay I’m really not.”

Stetzer: “Yeah. The restoration herald is writing an article right now.”

Lucado: ‘You know I get it and… I’m not advocating one way or the other. But I will say, that it is just a tender moment every morning when I enjoy it.”

Stetzer: “So you regularly now pray in tongues as part of your prayer time?”

Lucado: “Yes sir, yes.”

The use of a so-called ‘Private Prayer Language’ is diametrically opposed to scripture and opposes the conviction he intends to uphold. While we know that speaking in tongues, in and of itself, is described in scripture, we do know that scripture never condoned an unintelligible form of babbling. John MacArthur had this to say about the biblical use of tongues in the early church:

The Gift of Tongues was a divinely bestowed supernatural ability to speak in a human language that had not been learned by the one speaking. According to the Apostle Paul, when believers exercised the gift of tongues in church, they were to speak one at a time, and only two or three were to speak in a given service (1 Cor. 14:27). Furthermore, when tongues were spoken in the church, they were to be interpreted by someone with the gift of interpretation so that the others might be edified by the God-given message (1 Cor. 14:5, 13, 27). In this way, tongues did not serve as a private prayer language, but rather “like all spiritual gifts” as a means by which one might serve and edify the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7; 1 Pet. 4:10).

Some who defend the use of a private prayer language will argue that the language is unintelligible in order to communicate with God in a way that only God can understand. They suggest Satan and his demons can’t, and therefore cannot use our weaknesses against us. The idea is pure nonsense and remains one of the more bizarre speculations of the charismatic movement.

Many who favor the practice defend it based on their personal experiences, but speaking in tongues is a learned behavior, both consciously and subconsciously, and its experience can be emotional, based on the mind and body’s natural reactions to “new things.” The truth is, this babbling use of a Private Prayer Language is a contemporary invention popularized by the modern charismatic movement and has no basis in scripture or church history, and the fact that many cults and false religions also use the practice of speaking in tongues and claim personal experience with the Holy Spirit doesn’t help them any either.

The claim that Paul taught a Private Prayer Language is a manufactured idea based on conjecture. Acts Chapter 2 shows the apostles having the ability to teach in foreign languages as part of their preaching ministry. Still, it does not offer this as an indecipherable driveling that nobody but God understood. First Corinthians 14 is probably the most cited verse in defense of the use of a personal prayer language, but this verse, when understood in context, has nothing to do with the modern-day gibbering we hear from Pentecostal cults, charismatics, and sadly some who are creeping their way into orthodox Christianity. Verses 13-17 reveal that even this “praying in tongues” was to be interpreted. Therefore it could be used to edify and illuminate the body of Christ.

Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. (1 Corinthians 14:13-17 ESV)

The private use of this gifting is never condoned – and neither is it seen in all of Scripture. We don’t know what Lucado thinks is happening, but it’s not the Holy Spirit.

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Charismatic Nonsense Church Evangelical Stuff Featured Heresies News

Francis Chan Talks Speaking in Tongues, Virgin Mary, Calvinism, Transubstantiation, and John Piper Endorsing a Heretic


In a recent interview with Remnant Radio, Francis Chan, once a Master’s Seminary grad and now a spiritually squirrely scoundrel who was last seen healing an entire village without the Holy Spirit, butchering church history, and speaking at a Roman Catholic conference, covered a whole gamut of topics in an exquisitely interesting interview, demonstrating that he is confused, unmoored, and uncertain about what he believes, tossed to and fro yet touted as a highly sought after leader. Here are a few nuggets from the program.

John Piper says Mike Bickle loves Jesus 

I got so much hate mail, that I remember asking John Piper where I go, ‘man, what do you know about Mike Bickle?’ Like I’m getting so many people angry, you know, and kinda asking his permission almost. He goes ‘Francis, if you’re asking me if I’m mad at you because you’re going to speak for Mike Bickle,’ he goes, ‘no, I’m not. I tell you he loves Jesus.’ He goes, ‘I don’t know all his theology and I think we differ some on eschatological things,’ he goes ‘but he loves Jesus.’  And that’s exactly what I found in Mike – ah the man loves Jesus. 

Speaking in tongues 

Now I will say in the last two years, it was during a conversation with Sam Storms, and I was speaking with him on the phone about that very issue, I believe I began to speak in tongues, (apparently, N.T. Wright and Max Lucado also speak in tongues) and it was kind of a shock to me, and then it wasn’t until a trip to Burma a little over a year ago that I experienced healing and miracles.  I believed they could happen but I never sought and never was the vehicle in which it came, but then it happened.

Meeting Roman Catholic Matt Maher and an analogy comparing meeting the Virgin Mary to meeting known heretics.

And so I’m meeting these people (Roman Catholics) and they have such a character and love for Jesus and their understanding of justification by faith sure sounds a lot like I was told. 

And so I don’t know man, I’m trying to do my best but I have this fear, and I think it’s a right fear that if I believe I see the Holy Spirit in a person’s life, based upon what they say about the blood of Christ, based upon the fruit of the spirit I see in their life, based upon the power I see in them, their love for the word of God, I’m going, ‘gosh this person sure acts a lot like Jesus, speaks a lot like Jesus, sure seems to have the Holy Spirit in them,’ I have a hard time like just…saying anything irreverent about them.

Or not that I don’t question their theology, because I do, but I have a reverence. I tell people it’s like the Virgin Mary.  Like if I lived in that day and I knew the Virgin Mary was carrying my savior, that Jesus was really in her womb, how would I treat Mary, Ok? She could throw a rock at me And I’ll be like, okay, but Jesus is in you.  My point is if Jesus is in her I’m gonna be really, really reverent with her. Honor her. And so if I believe the Holy Spirit of God is in you, I’m just not so quick to say anything like strongly against you.  

 The hosts get sloppy

What we all agree on is that we can’t save ourselves, Jesus stepped in, and Jesus saved us.  Now the mechanics of that and how that works out are Arminianism and Calvinism and Molinism and all the other isms, but what we’re agreeing on is the essential piece, right? The essential piece is the Trinity. The essential piece is the virgin birth. The essential piece is gospel that saves men by grace through faith. Right, like those are the essential pieces.

 
[Editor’s note: No, the essential piece is that gospel that saves men is by grace ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ’s work ALONE.  This clarity matters in light of the way Francis is obfuscating justification with the papists.]

On whether or not he is still a Calvinist

I’m like…can you be like 50 percent? And I’m not even saying like 4.3.5. I’m like… I’m like….yeah 60%.  Like I used to be so 100% sure of everything and the more I listen I’m going, ‘gosh, it’s not that easy.’

Transubstantiation and the Real Prescence

I was always just told it is just a symbol, and so if you believe it’s anything other than that it’s wrong and you’re Catholic. Now I just assumed that’s what even Protestants have always believed…I really didn’t understand my church history, I didn’t understand… I never studied the first 300 years of church history deeply and that’s what I was challenged to do.  And I started reading more and more of the ancient fathers.  And again, I’m not a brilliant scholar, I’m just reading going wow, this seemed like the common view. It seemed like no one really saw it as just a symbol with no Real Presence until about 500 years ago, so I’m like gosh you know, the best I can there’s something. Now does that mean it turns into the literal body and blood of Jesus at this time, I don’t…I don’t think so, but it’s…it’s, to me my best understanding is there’s more to it than just anything…

Where I land specifically I’m still not sure. I just know I have a much higher reverence for it.

Part 2 coming soon.

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Charismatic Nonsense Evangelical Stuff Featured Heresies News

Charismatic Conference Sees 4-Year-Old Kids Taught to Speak in Tongues, Prophecy, and Get ‘Slain in the Spirit’

A worship session during a charismatic children’s conference had kids as young as four years old being encouraged to speak in tongues, prophecy, and get slain in the spirit, with rejoicing testimony that these young ones were “falling out under the power and crying and trembling.”

The Fire21 Kids Conference was held in Orlando, FL, and ran alongside the Fire21 Conference, a 3-day charismatic extravaganza that featured speakers Daniel Kolebda, Todd White, and Bethel’s Sean Feucht.

In a video that was uploaded to Facebook, children as young as 4 years old sway and raise their arms while worship leader Jenny Weaver leads them through a read and response, asking them to repeat after her, which they enthusiastically do. She is joined by her daughter on stage, a 10-year-old who travels with her and has allegedly cast out demons and healed the sick.

Fill me up
To overflowing
I receive now
My prayer language
In the mighty name
of Jesus.

Weaver tells them, “now just begin to speak in your heavenly language!” as she begins to “speak in tongues” from the altar, prompting the children to imitate her and follow suit, with some beginning to shout gibberish as others look around confused and uncertain.

She concludes by bending down and releasing an impartation, touching several of the children on the head and shouting, “Fire, fire on your life!” and “Never the same!”

During another part of the conference, some young girls get up on stage in front of adults and a mixed audience and begin speaking in tongues. Done under the thundering, rhythmic music setting the stage, one girl preaches about the “breaker spirit” and declares that the “spirit of religion” would be broken.

While receiving overwhelming support and awe from the charismatic community, nearly 7000 shares and thousands of positive comments, a few naysayers pointed out that this sort of thing would not have nearly the same effect if it were done in front of a quiet room without the crashing drums and pulsating drone of the music permeating every word, along with pointing out that these children don’t know what they’re even doing and likening the whole event to spiritual abuse.

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Charismatic Nonsense Evangelical Stuff Featured Heresies

Famed SBC Bible Teacher Beth Moore Doesn’t Know Denomination’s View of Spiritual Gifts

Beth Moore has been in fine form this last week, proving much fodder for the faithful demonstrating why she’s been flagged as a false teacher and all-around unqualified to be lauded and promoted by the #BigEva elites within the Southern Baptist Convention.

Yet in recent comments where she also accused the SBC of being racist and not wanting black people in positions of power (Editor’s note. These Tweets have since been deleted from her page, but posted here for posterity) she also betrayed a frightening lack of knowledge about her lifelong denomination, despite using her decades within it as a cudgel to carve out the problems she sees with it.

Beth Moore claims that the SBC doesn’t want women in leadership. Presumably, she’s talking about women pastors, and that her denomination should have the guts to say it and own it. Yet they do say it and own it. The official position of the SBC, as outlined in Article 6 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is that they are against women pastors- Beth just has been ignoring it for 20 years.

While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

In the aforementioned posts, Moore further cites the SBC position on charismatic gifts and speaking in tongues, again telling her denomination to just admit it and own it and have the guys to say it.

The thing is, the SBC has no official position on it beyond what it says in the BF&M 2000, which affirms that Christians receive “spiritual gifts” from God that are exercised in the context of the church. That’s about it. They make this clear in a variety of ways, the least of which is on the official SBC website in the FAQ.

The sending arm of the SBC, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) website also supports and reiterates this, explaining:

Although Southern Baptists generally do not practice speaking of tongues in public worship, many apparently practice speaking of tongues in private. A recent LifeWay study reported that half of SBC pastors believe that God gives some Christians a private prayer language. According to the same report, 41% of SBC pastors think that the gift of tongues passed away with the death of the apostles. NAMB takes no position on this question.

In another deleted tweet which we unfortunately did not screenshot, someone shows Moore the SBC view of charismatics gifts, that same FAQ picture above, and she seems astounded, saying something along the lines of “I’ve never seen that before in my life.”

So Moore, who proudly states that’s she’s been neck-deep in the SBC for 63 years, speaking at untold women’s conferences, having her books and bible studies and teachings consistently featured at Lifeway and hailed as a brilliant vaulted bible teacher, doesn’t know what her denomination teaches about spiritual gifts, believes that the SBC is racist and doesn’t want black leaders, and thinks it’s unbiblical to reject women pastors?

We can think of a few other things the SBC should have the guts to say and own.

If you want to know more about Auntie Beth’s wily ways and why she’s such a dangerous teacher, click on this link to Seth Dunn’s Book So Long, Beth Moore: You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us.

For a few more of her recent greatest hits:

Beth Moore Doesn’t Want You To Preach or Share The Gospel at The Protests

Beth Moore Openly Affirms Woman Pastrix

Beth Moore Falsely Claims ‘White Supremacy’ is Running Rampant in ‘Much of the Church’