Diamonds in the Coal: The Pursuit for the Authentic in an Imperfect Church

In the late 1990s, a friend, passionate about his megachurch, gave me a bag containing a sample of gold flakes that "fell from the sky" during worship. As a scientist, I tested the flakes, definitely proving they were glitter—plastic. For years, I distanced myself from that ministry and church. Yet, the leader’s gentle spirit still spoke to me of God’s presence.

I’ve often wondered if I should publicize the truth. My initial response was anger and bitterness. The Christian world deserved to know the truth, but I couldn’t be certain whether the pastor knew what had happened. It’s possible that someone else added glitter to the air conditioning system without his knowledge. Maybe he thought it was real, or maybe he directed it himself. I will never know for sure, and so I’ve never gone public with what I found.

This experience highlights a larger issue within the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Word of Faith movements. We often accept things at face value, neglecting the importance of truth. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, and if truth is absent, so is His presence. I want no part of a place where the Holy Spirit is not at work. While I’ve experienced many miracles throughout my time in these circles, the journey has felt like searching for diamonds in a coal mine—rare, precious moments hidden beneath layers of dirty, false coal.

I’ve witnessed miracles beyond count—none more precious than the instantaneous healing of my two-year-old daughter from leukemia. After two doctors gave us the devastating diagnosis, we waited two agonizing weeks to see a specialist. In the midst of sleepless nights struggling to deny thoughts we could not voice, I felt the Lord’s prompting to walk with her in my arms, around our downstairs staircase, singing a song I detested. On the seventh cycle, a supernatural joy filled me, and I knew, I just knew it, that she would be okay. That supernatural peace calmed me to where my trust in God’s promises allowed me to receive what God had for her all along. When we saw the specialist, leukemia was gone—Praise God!

This miraculous moment became a centerpiece diamond among many other jewels – too many to recount here: my wife’s healing from debilitating anxiety, a sudden, miraculous healing of high blood pressure, another of hearing in my left ear, and stupendous financial blessings that came in perfect timing with declarations of faith in God’s promises. But there has also been much more “coal” than diamonds on this journey—things that are not what they seem. Like faked “courtesy-drops”, false leg-lengthening techniques or a manufactured laughter movement. The laughter began as a genuine move of God with evidence in people’s lives to testify to its truth. But soon it turned into an imitation that left many disillusioned. One of many disturbing things I saw was two teenage girls lying on the floor laughing, pausing then looking at each other, winking and starting to laugh again. Those two girls, like many who experienced fake events, left the faith altogether and are atheists to this day.

The glitter incident is a microcosm of "coal" in the church. I know, without a doubt, that it was glitter, but many choose to believe it was gold because they want it to be true. The desire to believe can sometimes overshadow the importance of truth. But truth matters. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, will never dwell where truth is not honored.

Once a minister used a muffled hand over a microphone to “speak in tongues”. The crowd was initially swept up in the excitement, whooping and wailing. But she began confessing that she had only been saying "hamburger" over and over. The crowd began walking out as she spoke the truth: “Young people want the real, and they will run away from fake experiences.”

I’ve seen many miracles, but there have been more fake than real. Coal is the enemy’s attempt to turn away the faith of those not rooted in God’s promises. I was blessed to have a scriptural foundation for God’s promises, so when I saw the microphone in the ear, and the legs being shifted to the side, it did not turn me away from my pursuit of God’s promised diamonds. 

Know this: no lie is harmless. Lies are the tool of the powerless accuser and when lies exist, the accuser’s plan is revealed. We must recognize the hand of the father of lies just as we recognize the hand of our loving God. 

The truth matters. 

Many have quit the coal mine. But for those of us still digging----is the Lover we seek to adorn with our praise worth the search for diamonds in the coal?