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Online! | A FALSE HEALING REVIVAL?? -Florida | | [b]A FALSE HEALING REVIVAL?? -Florida[/b] [i]by Andrew Strom.[/i]
Many of you will have already heard about the "Healing Revival" that has purportedly broken out in Lakeland, Florida. Today Charisma Magazine put out a piece on it entitled 'A Holy Ghost Outbreak in Florida' - "...Charismatics are flocking to the sleepy town of Lakeland, Fla. to attend evangelist Todd Bentleys unconventional revival services." Is Charisma preparing to hype this one to the skies like they did with Toronto and Rodney Howard- Browne? It seems perhaps they are.
But why am I opposed to this 'Healing Revival' so soon after it has been announced? -It is because I already know Todd Bentley's ministry all too well, and this whole thing centers around him.
Todd Bentley actually has deep roots in the Prophetic movement, and he is one of the very few ministers that I have ever felt I had to publicly warn people about by name. -His ministry is that bad. False "angel" encounters of the weirdest kind, gold dust, guided visualizations of the "Third Heaven" that are straight out of the New Age, etc. And yet there is a "power" with it that makes it all the more dangerous.
Here is how Charisma describes his Florida meetings- "His methods are far from polished. When he prayed for people in Lakeland, he usually began by laying his hand on their heads and then yelling, Bam! Often the people fell backward to the floor. After one elderly woman fell, Bentley told the audience: She doesnt know why she fell down. The woman then laughed and said to him in the microphone: Because you pushed me! He prayed for her three more times that night, and she said she could hear better... During the past three weeks people have testified of being healed from heart conditions, skin rashes and back problems, and many said scars disappeared... Many charismatics are wondering if the protracted meetings will become a phenomenon similar to what happened in Rodney Howard-Brownes meetings in Lakeland in 1993, at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in Canada in 1994 and at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola in 1995..." [END QUOTE]
Sadly, the Charismatic movement is in such a sick state today that it would not surprise me at all if this happens. (-I say this as a strong Spirit-filled, tongues-speaking believer myself. I am by no means opposed to genuine miracles). Have we completely forgotten the warnings of "Lying signs and wonders" in the Last Days?
Below is a testimony by Lynn Clark who is a Moderator at our website 'RevivalSchool.com'. This is what she wrote about her involvement with Todd Bentley's ministry:
"I decided to check out Patricia King and Todd Bentley and, ignorant of their 'third heaven' guided visualizations, attended a five day conference of Patricia King and then two of Todd Bentley's conferences and began to imagine third heaven visitations - guided visualization - still not realizing that these are actually spirits of darkness - the New Age calls them spirit guides - demons is what they are. And so I bought Todd Bentley's teaching on third heaven visitations and brought it home to listen to. "I was in my living room laying on the floor listening to the teaching on how to visualize the third heaven and what to say and was getting caught up into his teaching and all of a sudden I began to shake uncontrollably and jerk and groan, and no sooner had this taken place I became frozen stiff - I could not move any part of my body and I knew this was a demon trying to take hold of me, and so with all the effort I could muster I cried out, "God save me - Jesus help me" - and as soon as I cried out to the Lord my body went limp. God spared me that night and I will be forever grateful.
"I spent much of the night in tears asking God to forgive me - and renouncing all the hands layed on me and all the awful deception I had opened myself up to..." [END QUOTE]
ANDREW AGAIN: I myself have heard the tapes of Todd Bentley's "Third Heaven Visualization" teachings, and I want to tell you - they are straight out of the New Age handbook. -Terrible stuff. And yet so widely accepted by thousands of Christians today.
Do these kinds of practices (above) produce a genuine 'Healing Revival'? -These are the kinds of questions that we need to be asking Charisma Magazine. I leave it for you to decide.
_________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2008/4/23 23:51 | Profile | sermonindex Moderator
Joined: 2002/12/11 Posts: 39795 Canada
Online! | Re: A FALSE HEALING REVIVAL?? -Florida | | Quote:
Sadly, [b]the Charismatic movement is in such a sick state today[/b] that it would not surprise me at all if this happens. (-I say this as a strong Spirit-filled, tongues-speaking believer myself. I am by no means opposed to genuine miracles). Have we completely forgotten the warnings of "Lying signs and wonders" in the Last Days?
May God speak to us clearly in these days and show us the truth. I believe this is a great deception and is [b]not true revival[/b] or anything that nearly resembles it. The preaching of the word of God must be in place. God is the Spirit of Truth. _________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2008/4/24 0:00 | Profile | JKail Member
Joined: 2004/2/29 Posts: 34
| Re: | | I love this website, but I have to say (as i did on the other post about the florida revival)... i feel that many are missing revival because they don't like or understand the package that it is coming in.
I would look into something a little deeper before labeling it a deception. We often judge people ( i know that i have been guilty of this) on hearsay, on out of context quotes, and without really ever hearing the teachings of the person.
We label someone a false prophet/teacher because some website (or person) says they are and we have never even heard the person teach etc...again, i say this because i have done this myself.
God Bless _________________ Jake Kail
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| 2008/4/24 0:15 | Profile | ginnyrose Member
Joined: 2004/7/7 Posts: 7534 Mississippi
| Re: A FALSE HEALING REVIVAL?? -Florida | | Sometimes when I read articles like this, news reports of alleged revivals, I sometimes wonder if we will ever see a "BIG" public revival. Does the kind we hanker for play into big egos? This is the question I wonder about. Yet we want it so badly, we want to see the LORD move and see crowds converted....
But is God working? Our daughter-in-law just told me of a wealthy man who had died, leaving behind a string of debts he never paid. During his lifetime he filed for bankruptcy three times. Today - as the story goes - his widow (I know these people well) is contacting these people working to repay these long outstanding debts. I do not know how old they may be - I am guessing 35 years old! Anyhow, when I heard this, I felt so blessed in my heart to see how God is bringing conviction and one person is responding to it. This kind of thing will never hit the news media, will it? and I do not think it should...
Blessings, ginnyrose _________________ Sandra Miller
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| 2008/4/24 8:50 | Profile | sermonindex Moderator
Joined: 2002/12/11 Posts: 39795 Canada
Online! | Re: | | Where is the holy esteem and awe of God in the meetings. They are enraptured by a man. This is a very dangerous event and the ministry of Todd bently is not catering to holiness of life but rather to experiencing spiritual manifestations. _________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2008/4/24 11:00 | Profile | MisterCheez Member
Joined: 2006/2/22 Posts: 96 Colorado
| Re: | | Yes, please be very careful regarding this man and event... I, for a time, was enthralled by this very ministry due to an extreme desire to see the miraculous.
The teaching coming out of this is mind-numbing - foreign to most Christian thought and heavily influenced by extra-Biblical knowledge/experience/revelation.
I truly believe a demon (or demons) were able to influence me due to my submission to some of these teachings. When one was cast out it said that it came in when I was listening to Todd Bentley.
There is power here but I warn everyone - be sure it is the Holy Spirit.
As Zac Poonen says, "The Holy Spirit produces HOLINESS." The jerking, sputtering, salivating, wild, chaotic, foolishness of these meetings doesn't evidence holiness. Mind you, this is not a warning against genuine revival where joy, dancing, laughter and such are very real...this is a warning against possible deception.
God is available to all of us where we are. May knowing and revering Him as friend and Savior trump fleshly cravings. _________________ Brian Erickson
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| 2008/4/24 13:18 | Profile | hmmhmm Member
Joined: 2006/1/31 Posts: 4994 Sweden
| Re: | | Quote:
The jerking, sputtering, salivating, wild, chaotic, foolishness of these meetings doesn't evidence holiness.
such manifestations are not from God, 2Ti 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and [b]self-control[/b]. - ESV
_________________ CHRISTIAN
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| 2008/4/24 13:36 | Profile |
| Re: TODD BENTLEY | | All, this is an exerpt of his teaching on the Holy Spirit straight from his website. I had to look into it because my mother in-law was talking about this 'revival' and my wife and I are concerned about it. Here is the link to the writing below so you know that I'm taking it straight from there. http://www.freshfire.ca/index.php?Act=read&status=teaching&Id=231&bid=916
Note:The parentheses with capital letter words are my critiques.
THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Let me give you a little background. I was impacted years ago, and first introduced to this kind of intimacy, through the ministries of Benny Hinn and Kathryn Kuhlman. They opened the way for me to go beyond the power of Gods Spirit, the gifts or any kind of experience like the baptism of the Holy Spirit At times I may be in prayer saying, Jesus
precious wonderful Jesus. I love You Jesus. Then all of a sudden, Father, my Holy Father! will flow out of me. My whole focus will be on the Fathers goodness and that Im His child. Then Im back in the presence of Jesus. But all of a sudden Im trembling and weeping, sensing the Holy Spirit covering me like a blanket. Wrap me in Your presence Holy Spirit. You are wonderful, I love You. Then Im back focusing on Jesus once again and after awhile I will be in the presence of the Father. This glorious cycle might last for hoursthe visitation of God and understanding the three different personalities. For instance, there are times when the presence of God will fill my room, and I can tell you which Person is waiting for me at that moment. Yes, its God and its the presence of God, but theres always one personality thats exemplified. In other words, Ive come to know which one is pressing Himself out of the presence to me. (NOTICE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PRESSING INTO HIM, HE'S THE CENTER AND THE 'PERSONALITIES' REVOLVE AROUND HIM AS IF HE'S THE SUN AND GOD, IN THE FORM OF THREE PERSONALITIES REVOLVE AROUND HIM LIKE PLANETS. HE TREATS THE TRINITY AS IF THEY COME IN AND OUT OF HIM FOR HIS EXPERIENCE AND NOT FOR THE WILL OF GOD).Ive come to the place where I can discern the personalities (NOT IN THE BIBLE)of the Godheadif its the Father, Jesus, or the Holy Spiritjust like I know the distinct personalities of each of my three children.
(THIS IS JUST A SMALL EXERPT OF THE ENTIRE WRITING HE GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT THE 'EMOTIONS' OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ETC.... MOST PEOPLE WITH ANY DISCERNMENT AT ALL CAN SEE THIS GUY FOR WHO HE IS...A FALSE PROPHETEER!!!)
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| 2008/4/24 14:14 | |
| Re: | | I read it right up to the name Benny Hinn... then stopped. Thats all I need to know.
Krispy |
| 2008/4/24 14:41 | |
| Re: | | Hi JKAIL......you write "I would look into something a little deeper before labeling it a deception." Ho do you know that those who comment have not? Why would you presume that they speak from a lack of actual experience?
Listen brother, I have been to these meetings. I have had the misfortunte to listen to a man from Brownsville speak to our church for over two hours. The entire time he spoke of anecdotal stories of what was happening in other meetings. Then , at the end of his "service," he said it was our church's time. People lined up and he went down the line putting his hand on their heads and shouting "fire."
He pushed the people over. There was no fruit from these meetings at all, in fact our church almost split because of it. On the one hand you had the people who knew the Bible well and called it for what it was, on the other(and I am not saying I have discernment, but I could have told you who would have been on the other side of this, all the people I knew that were discontent with their Christianity, who would run from one meeting to another and so on)you had people seeking experiences.
It has been my experience, as a Pentecostal, for lack of a better phrase, for 18 years that there are three broad group of people in Christianity today. I came to Christ when I was 26 and have been a Christian for 18 years. I am a Spirit filled, tongue speaking Christtian who has seen miracles over the years and also experienced miracles in my own life.
I also went to a Baptist seminary and attended a Baptist church for over a year. So, group 1...People who were raised in the church and have never experienced anything supernatural personally. These people, whether fundamental or pentecostal will then fall into two sub-groups. Sub -group A. Totally deny anything supernatural and are completely dismissive of the possibility of God moving in the gifts as described in Scriptures. They will go to extreme lenghts and go out of their way to explain to you why God does not move supernaturllly anymore.
Sub-group B. These people were also raised in the church and they too have never experinced anything supernatural personally. This group wants to though and are attracted to the Benny Hinns and the false teachers of the day. They will run to and fro seeking out signs and wonders and they want it so bad, that they will fall for anything. The mere fact that it is supernatural is good enough for them, they never consider the possibility that the power comes from a source other than God.
Group 2. Those who came to Christ as adults(to me meaning over 21)They are solid Christians and exercise much discenment, they are not easlily led astray and generaly they are good witnesses for Christ. Yet, because of Torronto and Brownsville and other such movements, shy away from seeking out the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. They do not deny it, they simply think that it is rare and not normative.
Group 3. People who came to Christ as adults, recognize the truth of God's word and his Spirit and are totally transformed in Spirit and body. Thye do not fall for the Benny's of this world, for they have experinced what the true presence of God is. They are reverential and in awe of God and of Calvary and there is nothing more for this group than to simply come into the presence of God and be humbled and refined and be changed and take that change to the world.
These are broad categories and of course not exhaustive, many cross-overs and other sub categories, but it is a snap-shot of the Church as a whole...............Frank |
| 2008/4/24 16:39 | |
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