ctmi concerned parents

A singular group, obviously very concerned with Bible semantics, Eschatology, Theology, Hermeneutics, and Exegis has made such a fuss over the past few months about CTMI. The word that has tied them in knots, and made everyone spitting mad seems to be such an inoffensive one: “revelation”

It is incredible how people can clutch at the lightest of straws and create a major doctrinal issue about something so minor. To deal with this dangerous issue, have been brought together the following crew: An ‘expert in cults’, self proclaimed after his bad experience with a real cult, a ‘discerning’ ministry, and a purported “Christian Therapist” – no irony that we don’t hear of too many of those mentioned in the New (or Old) Testament – who has defined the way young people from CTMI talk. All of this from interviewing 2 youngsters against their will – as using an internal, in-house, language, and almost Pauline in tone. Leaving aside the psychobabble, and that there is a Biblical precedent for this sort of issue, I believe that the ‘therapist’ does have a point about one thing.

The issue of language is indeed one that distinguishes the Pentecostal and Charismatic Church from old-line traditional denominations. One only has to watch parodies of televangelists in movies, or on comedy shows, to know that all the humour to the generally unsaved audience relates to the words used by preachers and Christians from these types of churches.

Thus, speaking a type of Christian “language” is hardly an offense for which people are likely to burn in hell. On the contrary, just as surfers have their own language that only they seem to understand, Christians the world over are also known to use expressions like ‘sharing’, ‘my heart’, the Lord ‘told me’, etc. None of these, and similar expressions, is an implication that the speaker presumes that he alone is in direct, exclusive communication with God.

As a young Christian over 20 years ago, I recall a very popular expression at the time, which was all about the difference between ‘head’ knowledge and ‘heart’ knowledge. I am convinced that very few readers will need to have explained the difference between the two. The first one simply meant that we could clearly understand and grasp some point about God, the Bible, ourselves, grace etc. However, this remained in our heads only, and it had no power to transform our lives, or change old habits.

The second was all about something entering our hearts. Suddenly, all the lights flashed on! Everything became crystal clear and we could see where we had gone wrong; and somehow, we acquired a miraculous power to change even the most entrenched habits, be set free of long-term sinful ways; seeing issues, situations, and people in a completely different way. The light could be called ‘revelation’, while the miraculous power could be described as ‘grace’.

I believe that this word “REVELATION”, as it is used across the churches working with CTMI, is merely another way of saying heart knowledge. No more, no less! Jesus rightly told off the Pharisees who were prepared to strain at gnats, while swallowing camels.

For Pastor Miki Hardy, Basil O’Connell-Jones, and all those hundreds of pastors who work with them at CTMI, ‘revelation’ simply means some Biblical truth that reaches the heart of a man or a woman with the power of God to reveal the true state of that person’s heart on that specific issue. There is nothing unique, nothing secret, and nothing exclusive about it. The revelation of the gospel of the cross is available to ALL who seek it with humble, repentant hearts.