It's odd isn't it that a lot of churches don't get the grace/gifts balance right? But I have to admit that I was heavily into the charismatic signs and wonders scene. It was really exciting for me to attend a church that experienced such profound miracles. I believe that the early stages of my Christian life spent in Kensington Temple, renowned for it’s pursuit of revival and the regular expression of signs and wonders, really cemented in me, a passion for the church. However, we must bear in mind that while signs and wonders are found to be acceptable and exciting to many Christians – people from the outside world can see it as being rather bizarre, as this article about Kensington Temple recounts.
Signs and wonders, miracles of healing and the like, really encouraged me at the time and showed me that Christianity wasn't just a dull ritual. However, now that I look back on it all, I see that I was trying to overcome my absence of God's love and a sense of being right with Him, by aspiring to do signs and wonders myself. You could say that the signs and wonders in the church became a distraction for me that plunged me into a fantasy world that pulled me away from experiencing a more down-to-earth, but exciting life in Christ.
The church I go to now, Hillsong London, does not experience signs and wonders as such, but the grace teaching, servanthood and fellowship are utterly amazing. It makes me think of 1 Corinthians 13 when Paul is talking about love and the way in which it is so much more important than spiritual gifts, such as prophecy. It makes me think, “Hey, maybe the Christian life is not all about miracles and the pursuit of power after all?”
If a church asserts that it does not believe in signs and wonders, I would say that there is something wrong with that. I would say that praying in tongues should not be a strict requirement, but certainly, something which is highly recommended. In summary, there really needs to be a balance. All Christians should be prepared to allow the Holy Spirit to move as He wills. If He wills words of knowledge, prophecy, tongues and supernatural healing - so be it, we should welcome that.
If a church is heavily into signs and wonders, but there is no positive vibe, fellowship is dull, there is no growth and the teaching is not focused on grace - there is something wrong. I think there has been too much emphasis on church growth – to the point of obsession a lot of the time. The very term “church growth” for me now echoes corporate America’s approach to the church. But I use this term “church growth” in relation to a church attracting people to it.
If a church is lively and vibrant and the teaching is grace-centred, I don't think it matters if there are no signs and wonders in the church. However, if that church does not believe in signs and wonders, in that it refutes and discourages them, then that is not right.
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