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In the 1960’s and 1970’s God mightily poured out His Spirit in America in what is now known as the Charismatic Renewal Movement. Charles Simpson was one of the leaders in the epicenter of this move of God. When Charles Simpson recently sat down with VFNtv, they continued the discussion about the many different lessons and experiences that took place in Simpson’s life. Specifically, Simpson talks about Jesus’ command to make disciples and how we are to walk that out in our lives.

No relationship can be forced. For a relationship to be authentic, there must be a freedom to both leave and be present, for both individuals. This also applies to spiritual relationships. Simpson explains, “A lot of people, I think, try to make disciples in the sense that they’re aggressively try to grab people and I don’t think that works. First of all, the person that allows you to do that is not a very strong person.” We may want to disciple others. The question is: do others want to be discipled? “I think that if you are willing to make disciples, you can lead people to Christ and see if God gives them to you to train.” If we ever try to do something in our own strength, including discipling others and being discipled ourselves, the results never end well. In all things, we need the Holy Spirit.

Simpson continues to talk about the necessity to allow Holy Spirit to guide in the desire to disciple others in Christ. “You can’t change people. Discipling is not changing people. Changes will come but the Holy Spirit has to change hearts.” As Simpson recalls his first attempts of discipling, he reminds us that everyone is not the same. “Your job is not to bring conformity. Your job is to relate to them and bring out of them what God put in them.” This is not done in our own abilities. It is only through Holy Spirit that these miraculous transformations are realized. Simpson continues, “If [God] gave them to you, and they’re willing, and you’re functioning in the Holy Spirit, there will be a change, there will be a transformation.” Greg Lancaster responds by pointing out how “giftings can take us places that our character can’t keep us”. We cannot become gift focused, becoming blinded by someone’s talents, or even our own talents, at the cost of neglecting our own character, or the need to help someone grow their own character. It is this often dichotomy of gifts versus character that reveal the need for personal relationships and personal accountability in our lives.

Greg continues to elaborate on the reality that gifts do not define us when he points to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Just because something good may be happening, does not necessarily mean that everything is right in ones’ life with the Lord.

Simpson points out, in light of these Biblical truths, there was a need to bring corrected Biblical teachings because teachings that were quickly spreading weren’t aligning Biblically. “There were all kinds of strange things running around because the person out there in the audience, or in the home group, heard ‘a gift’, or somebody who was articulate…it was a move of the Holy Spirit so everything ‘had to be of God’”.   Just because something is ‘taught’ in the middle of a move of God, does not necessarily mean it is of the Lord.

Simpson recalls the spiritual landscape in the 1960’s and 1970’s. When people were moving away from denominations, trying to keep people focused on Biblical teaching and authority brought its own difficulties. Simpson explains, “But we knew there had to be some spiritual authority, or discernment. And so, when you begin to teach discipline in a movement that’s growing out of disciplines, that are moving away from denominations, and whatever discipline they have, it’s not a welcome message to a lot of people.” Simpson continues to explain how the sheer number and masses of people who were coming to the Lord was simply overwhelming. While describing how Holy Spirit was bringing all sorts of people from every imaginable fabric of society to Himself, Simpson shared how most responded to the continual plumb line teaching of Biblical truth. “Amazingly, they wanted it. At least a lot of them did. They knew, because they were in a bad place, they knew they needed instruction.” Simpson continues to describe how problems began to occur when people attempted to make disciples without first becoming disciples themselves, “they got the word, but they didn’t have a guide, in the sense that they didn’t have somebody that would walk them through it.” As Simpson continues, he shares how this lack of being discipled, while attempting to discipling others can cause negative results, “and so maybe they’d be heavy handed, maybe there was some kind of spiritual abuse that happened, and then that brings disillusionment to some people when that goes on”.

We can learn so much wisdom from Simpson’s experiences and the lessons he learned. It is so important that we know what Jesus Christ commands from His Church and to hold tightly to His teachings, and to teach others to walk the same. Be encouraged and inspired as you hear the whole conversation with Charles Simpson and so much more. Also shared in this segment: denominations, Holy Spirit, spiritual fathering, discipling, The Great Commission, transformation, gifts and talents, spiritual family, Biblical doctrine, revival, wisdom, the harvest, and encouragement. Greg Lancaster and Charles Simpson shared in this segment.

Image courtesy of Storyblocks.com

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In the 1960’s and 1970’s God poured out His Spirit mightily in America in what has been known as the Charismatic Renewal Movement. To many who experienced this moment in history, it seemed to have caught many by surprised, as an “explosion” of God’s presence that effected so much and so many. What is additionally important to remember about this Move of God is the cultural landscape that was simultaneously taking place: the Vietnam War, the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the assassination of Robert Kennedy, Roe V Wade, divorce was increasing, etc. This is the environment that God was miraculously reaching and bringing people to Himself. One of the leaders of the Charismatic Renewal Movement, Charles Simpson, recently sat down with VFNtv to share some of the lessons and experiences that he learned from being a part of this historic move of God’s Spirit.

What is so precious about this particular conversation is that, as Simpson explains, this is the first time he has sat down to have a recorded moment of him sharing his experiences. As one who has much wisdom and experiences, he begins his words with this preface; “I’m concerned, A., that I don’t come across defensive, and secondly, that I don’t attack anybody, having been attacked, I understand it’s not a good thing.” Simpson continues by recalling a profound quote from Dr. Calvin Thielman, who was at the time Billy Graham’s pastor, “my beautiful theory was murdered by a gang of ugly facts”. What Simpson begins to elaborate on is the significant difference of your reality the moment you begin to apply a theory. “Theories are neat and nice, and you can actually hold them without getting into too much trouble. It’s only when you begin to put things into practice that you learn yourself.”

As Simpson continues to elaborate on the difference between a theory and the application of it, he points out how our decisions also affect our opposition. “When you start to put things into practice, you get into the conflicts that come with change, and they’re numerous and the more radical the idea. The more radical the idea, the more radical the opposition.” When Jesus gave us certain commands, like making disciples, He didn’t expect us to simply “believe” His words, but that there would be an action, a response to His words. There is so much that we learn when we make that step from believing to doing. Simpson continues, “bringing things into reality is a whole lot different and difficult compared to just believing something or preaching something”. Even when we decide to do what Jesus has commanded us to do, we are going to encounter an array of differing people who have their own perceptions about life, and about your decision. “People will assign to you their own thoughts…and when they don’t like what you’re doing, they will attack your motives.”

As one who was witnessing all that God was doing, considering the landscape that America was in, Simpson was realizing that people without a Biblical background or a Biblical understanding, obviously were in need for Biblical instruction and teaching. “People were getting saved out of a non-Biblical background, and they needed teaching. They needed to know, what is the Kingdom of God, what is required, what is the Church, how do I live, and so, it was in that context that we began to teach, what I would call, very practical Bible teaching…” Without this spiritual direction, Simpson understood that the results would not be good. “Being baptized in the Holy Spirit without a Biblical background, and without a clear-cut path forward, and how we should then live, I think can be a problematic thing.” As Simpson points out, this is why the Lord has established His five-fold ministry as revealed in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”.

Even though this period of history has been known as the Charismatic Renewal Movement, Simpson explains how you can’t create your own movement. It is all up to the Lord. “You’re not trying to create a movement. You really can’t create a movement. What you do is, you latch on to something that creates a movement. There’s a revelation, or a revival, or something that it creates, and you’re just hanging on.” The amazing thing about being part of a move of God is that you survive it. Simpson explains, “Revivals are often like that, as I described. It’s a wave. And, if you’re fortunate, you can surf it and not fall off, or be crushed by it. But you don’t create it.”

As one who continually speaks with humility, Simpson understands that we are completely dependent upon the Lord, and he is not an exception. Simpson openly shares and admits that mistakes were made, “I’m sure we made mistakes. It’s like the first airplane wasn’t built very well, but it flew. You can’t improve something that doesn’t exist. I welcome anybody who can improve on what we did.” Simpson continues to point out how we must be those who obey Jesus in times of criticism; “most of the critics don’t make disciples, and when it comes down to it, that’s the real question. It’s not, do you like the way I made disciples, but have you made any disciples, because we’re commanded to”. This is where we begin to understand the true power of empathy, when we begin trying and doing, and not simply criticizing those that are.

These are such precious moments that we can glean so much wisdom and lessons from these experiences. See the whole conversation with Charles Simpson, and so much more. Also shared in this segment: healing, praying for the sick, deliverance, spiritual warfare, the Five-Fold Ministry of God, baptism of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, New Wine Magazine, evangelism, Shepherd’s Conference, and the Great Commission. Greg Lancaster and Charles Simpson shared in this segment.

Image courtesy of Storyblocks.com

RELATED CONTENT
You Have Not Many Fathers

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Journal of the Unknown Prophet

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Shepherding Movement

New Wine Magazine

CSM Publishing

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Charles Simpson

Bob Mumford

Derek Prince

Ern Baxter

iAbide.org

Emmaus Road Discipleship

VFN Kingdom Business

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Join the VFNKB Community

Follow us on Twitter

Partner with VFNKB