Is Spiritual Power Earned or Given? Jon Thompson of @SanctusChurch

Most of us have asked God for more power.

September 30, 2026

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Most of us have asked God for more power. Pastor Jon Thompson wants to know when you last asked God what you DON'T get.


Jon has spent nearly three decades on staff at Sanctus Church in Toronto. Along the way he led a functionally cessationist congregation into spiritual gifts, spiritual disciplines, and a three-year season of renewal. So when he says "God's 'no' is your best friend," it isn't a slogan. It comes from a close reading of Romans 12:3 and the "measure" God assigns to every gift.


ABOUT THIS EPISODE
A lot of believers were told that if they prayed harder, fasted longer, and lived holier, more anointing would follow. And when it didn't, some burned out, while others quietly stopped asking God for anything at all. Joshua Lewis sits down with Jon, author of Convergence, to examine whether that promise was biblical in the first place.


Josh and Jon discuss:
- Why Jon reads Romans 12:3 as a guardrail for leaders, not a ceiling to break through
- Whether praying, fasting, and holiness unlock "more" anointing
- What 1 Corinthians 14:1 and 2 Timothy 1:6 mean for pursuing spiritual gifts
- The regulative vs. normative principle
- Where godly ambition comes from, and where it doesn't
- Whether spiritual gifts are residential or occasional
- Common, office, gift, and assignment authority in deliverance ministry


They don't agree on everything. Join us for a healthy discussion among Christian brothers about how to biblically operate in spiritual gifts.


0:00 – Introduction
3:07 – Convergence Book Origins
6:20 – Regulative vs Normative Principle
11:52 – Courts of Heaven Gnosticism
16:02 – Romans 12 Anointing Limits
32:12 – Godly Ambition & Sovereignty
49:01 – Guaranteed Places of Encounter
59:41 – Revival and House Rules
1:03:09 – Love, Word, Power Gifts
1:08:29 – Residential vs Occasional Gifts
1:15:13 – Office & Authority in Deliverance


ABOUT THE GUEST:
@SanctusChurch
- Jon Thompson Books & Resources: https://jonthompsonresources.com/

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