Although this website features my recordings, and information about my itinerant ministry, make no mistake about it--this website is not about promoting the Word of Faith ministry of Mel C. Montgomery. This website lets people know about my ministry, but it's main purpose is about far more than a particular man's ministry. It is about: Reforming the Word of Faith and Charismatic Church world. In my opinion, we are today at the same place the Church was in back in the Middle Ages. By the 1500's Church leadership had become drunk on money, power, and sex. The people were being led further and further away from the Bible. Sound doctrine had been replaced by personal opinions, traditions, rituals, and information gained from visions. They were promised every imaginable blessing, even free trips to Heaven itself, in return for "generous giving." As Johann Tetzel quipped at the time: "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs." Now we should say, "As soon as thine offering check doth clear, thy miraculous blessing shall surely appear." Even though I believe the Charismatic and Word of Faith branch of Christianity to which I belong has many solid teachings and many good things to offer the world, I am not blind to our increasing flaws and to the extremes to which our teachings are being taken. In the Charismatic church world, I believe we have come very close to that same place of greed, power, immorality, and unbiblical teachings that the Church had fallen into back in the 1500's. We've been here before. Like all Charismatics, I believe in the modern day supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. However, I believe that the truth revealed in God's written word is to be our ultimate authority. I believe that sound doctrine and biblical preaching has been largely replaced in our circles by personal opinions, supposed words of prophecy, and questionable visions. The solution 500 years ago was presented by a German priest named Martin Luther. He wrote down 95 Thesis (questions or objections) to the unbiblical teachings and practices of the corrupted Church of his day and nailed them to the door of the Wittenburg Church. His objections then mirror what we see today. Luther's thesis (objection) number 86 was, "Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?" Equally I am asking, "Since some of our national Word of Faith leaders brag unendingly about how 'financially blessed' they are, boasting of wild shopping sprees at the most expensive and exclusive of stores, living always in the best of the best, and driving luxury cars that cost more to buy than most people's houses, why don't they build their big buildings, and their ever-increasing-in-size mansions with money from their own pockets rather than with the offerings of the poor?" Luther asking these questions nearly 500 years ago, sparked the Protestant Reformation that swept the world and ushered in a new move of God. I can only hope that asking similar questions today will light the fire of a Charismatic and Word of Faith Reformation. May God make it so. I seek nothing less than a comprehensive re-thinking, and a scriptural re-examination, leading hopefully to a substantial Reformation of our Word of Faith and Charismatic movements. I am urging that we begin to "prove all things, hold fast that which is good." We need to examine our teachings in the light of scripture, sifting out and casting away the chaff from the wheat. In my opinion, we need more than a little tweaking here and there. I think we need an acutal Reformation of our movement in several areas. I believe we need to return to our original biblical teachings, to sound doctrine, to genuine manifestations and gifts of the Holy Spirit, to ministerial integrity and accountability, to financial transparency, to doing all things decently and in order, and most importantly of all, to the winning of souls by the powerful preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is by no means a totally negative picture. But fervently ignoring the negatives will not make the picture any brighter. Although Christ is the Head of His Church, He has command that we see to it that all things are done decently and in order. We are failing in that role. I long for a genuine move of God's Spirit. I have experienced the real thing. But the real thing has for a long time been replaced in many of our circles with hype, dishonest appeals for money, unbiblical teachings, ridiculous conduct, open immorality, and other excesses. I believe God's real blessing will come again only as we humble ourselves, judge and repent of the sin in our midst, and develop again a holy reverence for God's word and a holy awe of His Holy Spirit, a holy fear of God's Judgment, and a holy passion for the preaching of the Cross of Jesus Christ. I invite you to listen to recordings of the Pentecostal giants we revere, that we feature on this site by download for free. Hear for yourself that the gospel we are preaching today has little in common with the powerful Pentecostal messages that swept the world as they fell from the lips of our forefathers in the faith. You can read articles in which I teach on tongues, spiritual gifts, prophetic ministry, and on other Bible subjects. You can also read articles I've written or collected that address the extreme teachings that have taken over our branch of Christianity. I present these to you for your prayerful consideration. I am not anti-Charismatic. In fact, I've been a Charismatic and a member of the Word of Faith for nearly 30 years. I'm proud of our branch of Christianity, and I have no intentions of leaving my spiritual home. If you disagree with me, I respect your right to disagree with me. If you think the WOF world is great and getting better by the minute, I can't help you. I can only help and give voice to the multitudes out there that have become deeply concerned and uncomfortable with the excesses and the wrong direction in which our movement is headed. I am not available to come to your church for the purpose of getting everyone to fall on the floor and giggle themselves silly. I love it when the Spirit of God turns a service into a Holy Ghost meeting. But really folks, don't you think we've laughed ourselves into a fit enough times already, prophesied over each other until our voices have grown hoarse, and emptied out our bank accounts into offering plates, only to return to our personal lives and find we are still as bound up, still as broke, still as sick, still as depressed, and still lacking the power and presence of God in our lives? Aren't you tired of the games that have no acutal meaning? If you want more of that, I'm not available to come minister for you. I am available however to come to your church or conference and preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I am available to preach on righteousness, sanctification, obedience to God, humility before God, and on receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. I will come to your church and preach on the correction and Reformation that we must endure in order to return to sound doctrine and the genuine moving of the Holy Spirit again. I am available to minister for the purpose of repentence, reformation, renewal, the salvation of souls and for changed lives. And isn't that what this ministry thing is supposed to be about anyway? If you believe as I do, then I ask you to join with me in this task of praying and working for a Reformation by signing up for our monthly newsletter. This will keep you updated on our latest articles, material, and itinerary. Help me in this work also by sharing these Reformation articles and rare recordings with others. Support me in this ministry also by prayer and financially if you are so led. Kind Regards, Brother Mel Contact Brother Mel |