I was unaware that a very special event took place in Lakeland, Florida recently. Rob Rufus said this in his sermon last Sunday morning;
"Tomorrow at Florida men that I honour and men that I know and have met like Bill Johnson will be standing on that platform with Rick Joyner and many others of wisdom and father dignity and a long trail of credibility will be standing with Todd and we bless that in Jesus Name!".
So I have looked into what took place a little. C. Peter Wagner opened the meeting and the commissioning and there is a transcript of what he said here. According to this transcript 3 recognised apostolic ministries were present and involved in leading the meeting and blessing Todd Bentley;
"Todd is following Paul’s example by inviting to the platform three apostolic pillars of today’s church: Ché Ahn of Pasadena, California, Bill Johnson of Redding, California, and John Arnott of Toronto, Canada, Todd’s native land. They represent an apostolic network called Revival Alliance".
I found a video clip of some of the proceedings thanks to You-Tube. Here it is:
This event makes things a little more difficult for what some are calling the "scoffers" or what Rob Rufus called; "The doctrine police". It was fairly easy to accuse Todd Bentley of being a lone shark or a loose canoon ball. The unity that something like "Together for the Gospel" excited many. Why should this unity be any different? These ministries may be Pentecostal/Charismatic (and aren't renowned for always standing together) but for I one am really excited at the interest and the passion that what is happening in Florida is attracting. Traditionally many who have been involved in former moves of God often stand against new moves. Yet to see John Arnott standing and lovingly blessing Todd Bentley and what is happening shows TRUE humility.
So I continue to watch what's going on in Florida with loads of excitement at what God will do next after this wonderful blessing in the midst of this unity and this passion and this vision.
18 comments:
I agree with what Rob is saying and with every one of yesterdays' posts. I am so glad you put up today's clip because I had missed it.
I particularly feel what Don wrote yesterday to be of God. You know, in order to preserve a Spirit and Word balance, God has tolerated the grievance of the Holy Spirit in the years since 1907 when He has
again been poured out in great measure all over the world. But I so feel in my spirit that these years of patience are fast drawing to a close. Whilst those who were being filled with the Spirit were wandering to and fro,caring little for the Word, caring little for the fear of the Lord, caring little for a consistant walk....those criticisers of the move of the Spirit had some right to express their misgivings. But I believe that the Church of those who are following the Pillar of Fire and the Cloud are crossing a line in the Spirit in these days, may be this very year. Today, this very day, some measure of the fear of the Lord gripped our church. We crossed a line today.We have found ourselves on a parallel course to Hong Kong...in that the recent weeks have been on the subject of honouring...which contained the turning of fathers to sons and children to parents.The honouring of the household of faith too.
The Holy Spirit,the only active Divine Agent on Earth this side of glory, since Jesus is with the Father in heaven, and whose sole task is the Divine Preparation of a Bride fitting for the Bridegroom,must be increasingly angered by those who refuse his means, his tools for getting us prepared. His Divine ability to call in the Bride out of every nation and get her ready.His Divine instruction for how we enter in a fitting manner into the Presence of King Jesus.
You caught the intent of my comment exactly. I, too, feel the days of grace extended toward those who, in essence, blaspheme the Holy Spirit are going to come to an end.
Whether God sends discipline, or just allows the critical-spirit ministries to wither on the vine ("let no one pick any fruit from you"), is up to God. But the statistics show that essentially all church growth nowadays is coming from charismatic/pentecostal ministries; I think that speaks volumes all by itself.
I must say I agree with you both and that's partly why I posted the MacArthur quotes from a commentary allegedly being honest and true to Scripture. Why is it that men who are "Reformed and orthodox" seem to earn this kind of theological diplomatic immunity from being called to account for what they say - and even worse are held in massively high esteem, yet Pentecostal/Charismatic teachers whole lives are scrutinised down to the very smallest iota.
I am fully expecting to see a blog examining each visible tattoo on Todd Bentley and the "demonic" meaning behind them. I too am fearful that those days of immunity are coming to an end, and those men will be called to account for their days of being doctrinal policemen.
This is a very powerful clip. I don't think anyone could try and say that Todd Bentley is a loner, now (well, they might - but there is no grounds for them saying it).
These are leaders of great integrity. They have seen what God is doing and they have all come together to bless this. I really believe this is so significant. As Che Ahn said - it is a miracle in itself that all these leaders are able to be together in one place. I think we can expect to see an even greater increase in the anointing of God (and likely an increase in the criticism).
I was especially moved by the final prophecy about "I have released a cry... of desperateness... 'I can't live without Your presence, without Your glory.... I am undone without Your presence'."
Awesome.
I think it's disgusting that you endorse having video links that show pornographic links on your blog.
Pete;
"I was especially moved by the final prophecy about "I have released a cry... of desperateness... 'I can't live without Your presence, without Your glory.... I am undone without Your presence'."
I know - I wept too at that!! Shouldn't that be the swan song of all of our hearts!!?!?! If I get up in the morning and He is conspicious by His absence then why is the day worth living!? What breaks my heart the most is how the Holy Spirit of glory left the nation of Israel and they DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!!
God forbid that we EVER EVER wake up and not miss the fact that He has gone!
Anonymous ... what can I say? If it's causing you to stumble into sin, then stop coming to this blog. I can't stop the other videos flashing up at intervals - thats just how Blogger works - but YOU can stop looking at it. Most of us who are loving Rob Rufus's teaching on grace aren't even noticing that it's there seeing as you are the first one to react so vehemently.
monday - Dan, last night Christine was dipping into Salt and Light Ministries stuff. (She was in the very first meeting in 1978 of what is now East Midlands Christian Fellowship and Derby Church.) You may have been to an event there on Pride Park, next to Egg Bank. She found this amazing report on Lakeland by Roger Cole. So this is a Salt and Light Eye view. http://resource.saltlight.org/%02download,290
How about this one, when Todd Bentley kicks directly in the abdomen a man suffering with "Stage 4 metastatic colon cancer." Anyone know what happened to that dude? Was he for real?
Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUTCWLoD4-4
#13 RAISED FROM THE DEAD!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnvBNV7TBBo&eurl
Awesome - thanks for that resource from Salt and Light Chris, I will most certainly listen with great interest. Thanks Johnny for the video link. I don't know what happened to the guy with cancer, I guess Fresh Fire keep a track on how everyone's doing.
But this violence against different kind of diseases isn't new and unique to Todd Bentley. Other men such as Smith Wigglesworth did similar things. Jesus Christ did bizarre things too. I wonder what You-Tube would make of Him spitting in mud and slapping it in some guy's eyes?
Dan - this is awesome! All I can say is that Scripture says where there is unity the Lord COMMANDS His blessing (not requests or suggests but COMMANDS) - there was unity, visible, heart-felt unity in that place so the blessing will flow!
We watched quite a bit on God TV over the weekend and I have to admit it was hard to switch it off and go to bed!
Don't know about you but it makes me more and more and more hungry, more desperate for that presence of the Lord, I long for Him with my whole being, am yearning for Him ........... long for Him like no other!
John Piper is one of your heroes?
Are you familiar with what he teaches on this kind of thing? Are you also aware that some of the followups made to people being healed in lakeland confirm they are the same as they were - not healed, worse, or in one case dead?
So, what does John Piper teach "on this kind of thing?" I do know that John Piper teaches that the miraculous sign-gifts of the Spirit are for today!
Regarding incomplete/reversed healings: this is real life, in the time between the first and second comings of Jesus Christ. Divine healing, ultimately, is a mystery - no one knows why some are healed, others are not, and some healings do not "take." None of these realities make what Todd Bentley is doing ungodly or demonic. Todd never gives any guarantees at his meetings, have you noticed that?
I was listening to Rob Rufus' Sunday Morning message (6/22) when he mentioned that Bill Johnson and others were going to be at Lakeland the next day and I realized that the meeting he was refering to was about to take place! So I actually did get to watch it live on God TV. This video here doesn't show the end. Here are two links that show the last 12 minutes, if anyone's interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjl5wKso9eU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnNSiZfgvI
I was really hoping that part 4/4 recorded some comments that Todd made at the end regarding church government, I would have appreciated help to understand what he was talking about. If anyone else watched it live, and remembers that part please let me know. Thanks, Shawna
I heard that Todd Bentley has been told to step down from Fresh Fire Ministries because of sexual immorality. Is this true, and if so, what picture does it paint for the Pentecostal Charismatic church? Because through the whole out-pouring pastors from all over the world defended this man without question.
What you heard was incorrect - Todd Bentley made the decision himself in partnership with his team to step aside from public ministry. Furthermore it was not sexual immorality but an emotional relationship that was not healthy for his marriage.
What picture does it paint for the Pentecostal/Charismatic church? It paints nothing else but the reality that we are all human - whether we are Pentecostal and Charismatic or Reformed and Evangelical and all prone to the same temptations and the same sins.
What picture does this paint? One very similar to that when David the king fell with Bathsheba. It reminds us of the gospel of grace - that where sin abounds grace does much more abound and God will not be diverted from His purpose for the earth and for His Church.
It is amazing that not one of these amazing prophets(leaders) could see that he was having it on with the nanny. (The girl who held his mic while he was baptizing people.) . I wonder where the prophesies came from, The Spirit of God or the will of man?Wow someone is lying and it God
Harry
Why is it amazing? These men and women are just ..... human. Yes with extrordinary gifts - but still human. Deep down, if we are honest, we are ALL prone to sin and we are also ALL prone to being very good at hiding it if we want to.
Does that make me believe any the less in the prophetic? No. Does that make me believe any less in the infallibility of church leaders? Yes and rightly so. Does that make me believe any less in the need for Ephesians 4 Ministries? No.
What the Todd Bentley affair tells me is that church leaders should not be exalted upon such pedestals that they can act without being able to be challenged by peers.
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