Showing posts with label todd bentley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label todd bentley. Show all posts

Thursday, April 24, 2008

A Few More Initial Thoughts on Lakeland Outpouring....

I've been watching a few clips online of some of what's been going on in Florida where Todd Bentley is. The one I just watched was of a pastor from Ignited Church, I think, who have been hosting this whole thing. I confess to being a little concerned...but maybe not for the typical reasons! He was speaking, just before taking up an offering, about sowing into the revival for breakthrough in your life. Now, I have no problem asking for money if money is needed. That is, in a straightforward way let people know the financial needs your facing and ask for generosity as led by the Spirit. But in the context of such a legalistic church culture, I have a big big problem with making people feel that in any way at all they need to give in order to receive from God. That's plainly Old Covenant, and it undermines the gospel and will eventually undermine any work God is trying to do!

But I'm not saying this to be critical, I'm asking those of you who really understand what I'm talking about to pray with me that God would send many great men and women of God to these meetings to inject them with grace! If this dynamic move of God can be strong in both supernatural miracles as firmly rooted in revelations of grace, then the sky is the limit! But if a bit of law gets mixed in faith will be largely nullified and people will be hindered in receiving from God, because they will base how much they receive on how much they perceive they 'deserve' and not on how much Jesus has earned on their behalf. Satan will have a field day in the end, and many confused people will think God has backed off because of their unworthiness of some kind and leaders will start calling for 'personal holiness' or 'more prayer and fasting' or well, who knows, but guilt and condemnation will come and put out any remaining embers of this outpouring very quickly.

I'm not trying to be a prophet of doom at all! I believe amazing revelations of grace have been going out into the whole world for the past few years, and not without reason! It has been to prepare us for these days, and we need to stop sitting back timidly allowing our brothers and sisters to be duped any longer by doctrines of demons that have been controlling the church for centuries. It's time for freedom to break free! And yes, this means war, a civil war. Many in the church are choosing to fight the Holy Spirit and the Good News in order to maintain their control and self-righteous sense of security, but many many more are longing for true freedom and intimate relationship with God.

Here's a part from one of Rob's Invading the Impossible messages, he's talking about some things Bill Johnson said in the first part:

But he said, there is a civil war coming to the church and brother will fight brother on the issue of the goodness of God. It is an issue of law and grace - those that are standing for preaching the law and condemnation and those that are preaching the goodness of God. There are people preaching that God is bringing the storms and God is shaking the world and God is killing people with storms. Bill Johnson said - did you EVER see Jesus bless a storm?! No, He commanded them to stop! And He expects the Church to do the same thing!

You say oh rubbish Rob! Well what did He say when they woke Him up? He said, "Oh ye of little faith" - He wanted them to do it! So civil war is coming to the church - and I can just feel it. It is an issue of law and grace - it is an issue of the goodness of God. Bill said there are people preaching that God gives you cancer. That is a LIE! Jesus is perfect Theology and He healed them ALL! Every person! So did the Book of Acts in Acts 5. He said;

"I hope the civil war takes place in the right context and not for the world to watch".


You know the exciting part about the civil war word? I got a kind of related word almost a year ago, God spoke to me after I read a short biography of Harriet Tubman and said that we were part of his underground railway, that we were to help people get out of slavery one by one until the Great Emancipation when he would set many many free at once! But what came before the Great Emancipation could? Civil war. And we already know that freedom will win out! Jesus has already delivered the death blow to sin and death, and every evil power has been crushed and defeated.

So let's all pray that God continues to work in power, and that he pours out his Spirit all over the world and his glory covers the earth. And let's ask him to pour out revelations of grace on all of us, and let the prophets rise up with glorious words of the NEW COVENANT, leaving what is old and obsolete behind for good...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Todd Bentley in Lakeland Florida


There's a bit of a buzz about what's happening in Lakeland Florida recently. Apparently Todd Bentley was scheduled to do some meetings down there at Ignited Church and then felt he should stay indefinitely. You can watch live streaming video, and there are many testimonies coming out from the meetings. And it also seems that pastors and others are flying from around the world to get a taste, though many cannot even get into the building it's so full.

A friend of ours from Florida has recently visited and posted a detailed account along with some great pictures on his blog. Dan is also watching online and blogging his reactions here and here.

What do I think? I'm only a little familiar with Todd's ministry, having listened to a message of his a while back and really liked it. Not only did I like it, but I really felt I got a great impartation of faith from it. Is he a flaky charismatic? I would answer a resounding YES! Of course I think that's a compliment. He's not the flaky charismatic of past years, because nowadays charismaniacs also know Scripture and for all the weirdness, they actually have something of substance to share as well. Not to mention I don't regard healing and casting out of demons to be peripheral ministry, but the real work of the kingdom, the works that are inseparable from true gospel preaching! (And maybe I would argue that the non-charismatic wonderless ministries are the ones truly without substance....hehehe that was brave of me...eh?)

Looking forward to hearing and watching more with much much interest!

Just realized Todd has a blog as well...