The Civil War in the Church

An open letter to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Several years ago, God revealed to me that a civil war was coming within the Body of Christ. 

It was specific: a conflict between the more conservative Cessationists and the more Charismatic Continuationists.

Cessationists are believers who generally hold that the gifts of the Spirit, such as tongues, prophecy, healings, signs, and wonders, ceased with the passing of the apostles and the completion of the New Testament canon. Many still believe God answers prayer and performs miracles today, but they do not believe individual believers presently operate in these supernatural gifts in the same way the early Church did.

Continuationists believe the gifts of the Spirit have continued and are still meant to be practiced by the Church today. They believe the gifts empower believers, build up the Body of Christ, and demonstrate the living power of God through healing, deliverance, prophecy, signs, wonders, and miracles.

I am not writing this as a theological position paper. I am not here to argue one side against the other.

I am writing this as a warning.

The enemy is trying to divide the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He has infiltrated both sides. He has used accusation, pride, suspicion, slander, theological arrogance, and spiritual insecurity to cause brothers and sisters to see one another as enemies.

But the Cessationists are not the enemy.

The Continuationists are not the enemy.

The enemy is the accuser of the brethren.

I am a fourth-generation Spirit-filled believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and a third-generation Pentecostal/Charismatic preacher. My grandfather, Rev. Andrew C. Maracle Sr., was the first Native man ordained by the Assemblies of God Pentecostal movement in the United States of America. He held his ordination papers with the Massachusetts District of the Assemblies of God for sixty years.

I deeply love the move of the Holy Spirit. I believe in the gifts of the Spirit. I believe God still heals, delivers, speaks, empowers, and demonstrates His majesty through His people.

But I also know this: we as Pentecostals and Charismatics have not always walked humbly.

At times, we have treated other parts of the Body of Christ as if they were lacking, lesser, or even outside the faith because they do not see everything the way we do. We may not have said it with our mouths, but we have carried it in our hearts.

That must stop.

At the same time, there have been voices attacking the Charismatic movement by going after the low-hanging fruit. 

Let’s face it, many times our excesses, lack of covering, loose living, and failure to properly disciple spiritual sons and daughters have made us easy targets ,and in the other hand some of those criticisms contain truth. We need correction. We need more accountability. We need fathers and mothers to disciple our movement. 

But correction must not become accusation.

Discernment must not become slander.

Contending for truth must not become partnering with the accuser.

Right now, I believe we are in a historical moment of worldwide revival, again. 

Whether this is the grace of God responding to the evil of the day, the harvest of years of prayer, or a sovereign move of God in the times and seasons He holds in His hands, we are standing at a holy precipice.

And just as world events interrupted and reshaped great missionary momentum in previous generations, the enemy is once again trying to hinder the advancement of the Kingdom by turning believers against one another.

We cannot afford this.

Not now.

Not in this hour.

The world is watching. Families are broken. Nations are shaking. People are desperate for answers. And the Church cannot be found biting and devouring itself while the harvest is ready.

So what am I saying?

We all need to repent.

To my Charismatic, Pentecostal, Catholic, and Continuationist friends around the world: do not stop believing for signs, wonders, healings, deliverance, prophecy, miracles, and the power of God to bring salvation to the world.

Do not shrink back.

Do not let criticism cause you to stop being who God has called you to be.

But walk humbly.

Love well.

Submit to accountability.

Disciple properly.

Be mothers and fathers.

Demonstrate the majesty of God with grace, purity, and humility.

And to my God-fearing, Scripture-loving, family-oriented Cessationist brothers and sisters: we love you. We honour your passion for the Word of God, your commitment to truth, your love for family, and your desire to see the gospel preached to the nations.

You are not the enemy.

Neither are we.

We may need to agree to disagree on some things, but we must come together under the Cross of Christ. We must value one another. We must walk humbly. We must love beyond knowledge.

Many of us, on both sides of the aisle, have strong opinions of what we deem to be right. I am not talking about overlooking sin and or character flaws. I’m talking about loving beyond our personal partisan positions! At the end of the day, like my life long friend Kevin Dowling says, “It’s always better to be Righteous than our need to be right.”!

Let’s face this, we all believe in the virgin birth, the sinless life, the full payment made through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, His resurrection, and His ascension.

We all love the Holy Scriptures.

We all want to see souls saved.

We all want strong families.

We all care about the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the nations.

There is more that unites us than divides us.

So let us stop the works of slander, pride, gossip, accusation, faultfinding, and suspicion. If we have anything to say, may it be for edification, comfort, and a good report.

Let us take inventory of our own hearts.

Let us ask God for the grace to repent all the way through.

Let us learn to love better.

The whole world is watching, and they are looking for answers.

We have the answer.

And Jesus said, the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

Best regards and much love,
Reverend Barry C. Maracle