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Post by andrewchapman on May 25, 2008 9:53:26 GMT -5
That's a good list from Lee Grady but he avoids the most important current error which is ignoring and refusing to obey the bibles's teaching on women's ministry. Luther is quoted as saying that if we don't fight the devil on the ground in which he is advancing then we don't fight at all. Derek Prince did a sound teaching called Women in the Church which expounds the scriptural teaching on the subject in a fair and balanced way. One consequence of deviating in this matter is that we open a door to deception and deceiving spirits including dark angels. And on that particular subject there is a good teaching letter by Derek Prince called Because of the Angels which touches on head covering, without which we can't move forward.
His commandments are not burdensome.
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Post by Michael on May 26, 2008 7:23:50 GMT -5
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Post by Michael on May 28, 2008 4:00:18 GMT -5
After a brief ( 40 sec. ) introduction, Tony comments on “ The Dudley Outpouring” see www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmfrzWyeA78After 15 minutes I noticed the following comment on Youtube on this particular video clip. Well said! We need real life-changing revival where people are healed from sin by the blood of the precious lamb as a primary goal. All things apart from salvation should be secondary!
from shekinahgloria from USA |
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Post by Michael on May 29, 2008 6:10:55 GMT -5
An Appeal for Unity in a Divisive Season
by Lee Grady
The Lakeland Revival has created tensions over doctrine and ministry styles. To avoid a crippling rift in the church we need strong leadership, clear discernment and a lot of love. Revival is messy. As much as we would love for it to come in a neat and orderly package, history teaches us that outbreaks of the Holy Spirit are often accompanied by holy chaos. There may be conversions and healings in one corner and demonic manifestations in the other. In seasons of revival you can have miracles and mayhem. Holiness and heresy can erupt simultaneously. When we look at the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, we tend to focus on the positives: Dead people were raised, whole villages were saved and prison doors were opened supernaturally. On the flip side, this same revival season was interrupted by riots, opposed by religious legalists and tainted by false prophets, greedy charlatans and demons masquerading as angels. Why must revival movements be so muddled? Perhaps it is because imperfect people (as well as sinister devils) get involved. Strange things happen when God’s power touches a sinful earth. “I am appealing to the elders in our movement. In a desperate moment we need older, seasoned veterans to release the counsel of the Lord.” When revival hit Wales in 1904, almost an entire nation bowed before Jesus within two years. Yet the weight of God’s presence drove the revival’s humble leader, Evan Roberts, into depression. Meanwhile author Jessie Penn-Lewis, writing in her book War on the Saints, suggested that fleshly manifestations in Welsh prayer meetings had snuffed out the Spirit’s power. In our nation today thousands have been swept into the current of the Lakeland Revival in Florida, which began in early April in evangelist Todd Bentley’s meetings at Ignited Church. The fervor quickly spread because of God TV’s broadcasts, and today up to 10,000 gather nightly at a venue near the city’s airport. In recent days, people who were touched in Lakeland have started similar meetings in Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C. and other cities. Bentley and his colleagues believe this is the beginning of a worldwide healing revival that will cover the globe. But not everyone in the charismatic/Pentecostal community is convinced. Some say this is the last end-time revival while others maintain it is a demonic counterfeit. Cult-watchers and anti-heresy bloggers post Bentley’s comments on YouTube as evidence of a theological scandal. Revival advocates respond by posting documented evidence of healings. It all begins to resemble a childish competition. Still others worry that Lakeland represents a questionable mixture of truth and error. Since the initial eruption of the revival, my inbox has been full of messages from charismatic leaders who are concerned about weighty issues as well as trivial ones: Everything from Bentley’s tattoos and body piercings to his claim that he once interviewed the apostle Paul in heaven. When I wrote an article in mid-May calling for scrutiny of some aspects of the Lakeland Revival, I was labeled a Pharisee and a “religious policeman.” People who said they had been deeply impacted by the Holy Spirit in Lakeland used spiritual threats and harsh terms to tell me that I had become the enemy. I refuse to go on the defensive, and if I need to retract any statement I’ve ever made about this revival I will. But what these nasty exchanges have shown me is that a divisive spirit is certainly at work in our midst—and we need urgent prayer to short-circuit what the devil wants to do. When the early church was hit with the issue of Jewish legalism, Paul and Barnabas determined that the answer was to seek the counsel of “the apostles and elders” in Jerusalem (Acts 15:2, NASB). The church was being divided because the legalists were insisting that gentiles be circumcised. But when the elders looked into the matter, the apostle James settled the dispute by issuing this wise ruling: “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood” (v. 19-20). In other words, James affirmed the gentiles’ access to salvation and overturned the legalists’ bad doctrine. Based on this biblical example, I am appealing to the elders in our movement. We need to hear from them in this hour. In a desperate moment we need older, seasoned veterans to release the counsel of the Lord. Today the charismatic movement has become fractured, and opposing camps have formed. On one side there are those in the apostolic camp who tend to emphasize biblical order, proper church government, spiritual warfare and the reformation of society. On the other side are those in the prophetic camp who focus on miracles, healing, mystical experiences and the reclaiming of all the supernatural manifestations of the New Testament. Both of these camps are contending for valid, biblical truths. We need the prophetic and the apostolic! We need miracles as much as we need healthy church growth and societal change. Yet if we do not have a holy intervention, we could bite and devour one another—and cancel out our collective impact. A biblical council must include the leaders of both of these camps. And leaders must address all of the difficult issues triggered by the Lakeland Revival. Those include: 1. Biblical guidelines about angels. Some people in the prophetic camp speak of frequent visits to heaven, “third heaven revelations,” and long conversations with angels who use names such as Emma, Promise and Winds of Change. Are these indeed spirits sent from God, or agents of false light? 2. A proper theology of the dead. Some in the prophetic camp claim they have had conversations with dead Christians—including Paul the apostle. Is this within the bounds of Christian experience, or is it necromancy? 3. Pastoral guidance about exotic spiritual manifestations. In some circles in our movement, unusual signs and wonders have been reported in church services—including the sudden appearance of gold dust, feathers, gemstones and oil. At the same time, worshipers are vibrating on the floor, jerking uncontrollably and acting intoxicated. How can we protect people from the abuse of manifestations, and from demonic influence, while at the same time leaving room for genuine encounters with God? 4. Clear guidelines concerning the restoration of fallen ministers. The appearance of one prominent fallen evangelist, Paul Cain, at the Lakeland Revival in May unleashed strong reactions from many sectors of the church. Many people feel unprotected when they sense that church leaders have chosen not to enforce proper discipline for a minister’s unbiblical behavior. In this adulterous generation, how can we draw lines to protect congregations while at the same time offer healing and grace to a repentant preacher? These are some of the crucial questions we face as a movement. May we proceed with a fresh gift of discernment, while at the same time laying hold of all the blessings that revival will bring us.
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Post by andrewchapman on Jun 10, 2008 12:51:13 GMT -5
I decided to watch the services in Lakeland for a week before forming a more definite opinion. It has been good to see the moving of God's Spirit in healing especially, in repentance and salvation to some degree, and in the impartation of anointing to believers who have come hungry to see revival in their town or city. I don't really have any problem with what I've seen. It's a lot better than 90% of so-called Christian television because there is virtually no mention of money, apart from one occasion on which Todd Bentley was preaching from Deuteronomy 1 v 11 on thousand fold multiplication for the harvest of souls into the kingdom. People began to bring offerings to the front and he started to say specifically that he was not speaking about finances. Loads of people started coming down with their offerings so he decided to let them come and saw that this was in fact something that God was doing to finance the revival.
He usually starts by praying to God that He will continue to bless the work, and one occasion spent the first ten minutes on his knees imploring the Lord to pour out His Spirit once again to heal, bless and deliver.
Perhaps he has been deceived on occasions by an angel of darkness masquerading as an angel of light. It's not so easy to tell the difference and it's only God's mercy that keeps us from deception by the enemy. Evan Roberts had terrible problems trying to sort out which of voices he was hearing were which, right in the middle of the Welsh revival and God didn't stop using him just because he got it wrong on occasion.
Shalom,
Andrew
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Post by Michael on Jun 14, 2008 7:30:13 GMT -5
Hi Andrew, Thanks for your input! I read this from Revival Fires BLOG Sat 7 June: Day 42 BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE UK
God said this is not a battle for an individual or for the church but for this nation!
Michael the archangel came in response to this word. And we know from Dan 10:12 when Michael the warring angel shows up that he destroys the demonic over regions and over nations!
Heaven is breaking into the UK with a freedom to move in our nation; to heal the sick and to drive out demons.
Ps 103 says Praise Him you angels you mighty ones who do His bidding.
We ought to know that we... |
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Post by Michael on Jun 20, 2008 4:32:46 GMT -5
Bam! Pow! When Prayer Ministry Gets Violent by J. Lee Grady Lakeland Revival leader Todd Bentley’s unusual prayer methods have triggered questions about Holy Spirit etiquette. For weeks the blogosphere has been sizzling with comments, pro and con, about the unusual ministry style of Todd Bentley, the leader of the Lakeland Revival in Florida. Thousands of people have watched the tattooed evangelist shout “Bam! Bam!” as he prays for the sick and interviews those who say they were instantly healed. Nobody could ever accuse Bentley of lacking zeal. And he always gives Jesus the credit for the healings he announces on God TV every night. But he has come under fire because of video clips from a sermon in which he says the Holy Spirit told him to use violent means to heal people. The sermon, preached in Lakeland and posted on YouTube, features Bentley demonstrating how he (1) banged a woman’s crippled legs “like a baseball bat” on a stage; (2) tackled, mounted and choked a man to free him from a demon; (3) shoved a Chinese man to the ground to pray for him (causing the man to lose a tooth); (4) kicked an older woman in the face with his biker boot to heal her; and (5) “leg-dropped” a pastor—a professional wrestling tactic, popularized by Hulk Hogan, in which the aggressor jumps in the air and lands on his opponent with one leg outstretched. “Why do we think that more bodies on the floor equals ‘more anointing’—especially when the evangelist shoves people to the ground or slaps them silly?” When we asked Bentley about his unorthodox methods, he assured Charisma that none of the people were hurt and that many were healed. He also explained that British evangelist Smith Wigglesworth, a legend in the hall of fame of Pentecostal preachers, used similar methods. So if Wigglesworth healed a man by punching him in the stomach, and Bentley sees similar results by using techniques borrowed from the World Wrestling Entertainment, does that mean we should teach all altar workers to become more aggressive? I know that people have been healed in the meetings in Lakeland. I know of a woman from South Carolina who was healed of cystic fibrosis while sitting in one of Bentley’s services. (She was never touched by anyone.) I also know a man from California who was healed of sleep apnea while watching the Lakeland revival on television. Jesus is most definitely still in the healing business. I also know that Bentley is not performing Hulk Hogan stunts from the stage in Lakeland every night. But because his comments about violent prayer have been so widely broadcast, we need to call a timeout and make it clear that hitting people is wrong, period. Bentley’s teaching on unorthodox prayer methods should include a disclaimer: “DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME.” Here are three reasons why: 1. The Holy Spirit is gentle. Jesus boldly drove the moneychangers out of the temple with a whip. But when He prayed for sick people, there is no record of Him head-banging or leg-dropping anyone. He rebuked evil spirits authoritatively, but He never hit, slapped, choked, mounted or kicked a person. He was meek, which means He knew how to control His strength, and He never threw His weight around. When He commissioned His followers to heal the sick, Jesus told them to “lay” hands on them (Mark 16:18). Since gentleness is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (along with kindness—see Gal. 5:22-23), any ministry we do should be tempered with mercy and concern. 2. If we minister in the flesh, we will reap flesh. Several years ago I was standing near the stage in a large meeting when a visiting evangelist said he wanted to pray for all the ministers in the room. Immediately some ushers yanked me up to the platform and the man of God raced over to “pray” for me. Before I knew it, I was assaulted in the name of the Lord. Whack! The guy hit me so hard that I fell down and held my face in my hands to hide my grimace. The skin on my neck was stinging. When I finally went back to my seat, a friend ran over to congratulate me, saying, “Wow, I saw you go down under the power!” I had to grit my teeth and ask the Lord to help me forgive the preacher who inflicted pain instead of a holy impartation. Why do we think that more bodies on the floor equals “more anointing”—especially when the evangelist shoves people to the ground or slaps them silly? To build a ministry on such foolish theatrics is to trust in the arm of the flesh. 3. Somebody’s going to get hurt. We reported last week that a Tennessee man sued his charismatic church because its pastoral staff did not provide the proper “catchers” when he fell down during a prayer meeting last year. Matthew Lincoln of Knoxville said he struck the hard floor of the sanctuary with his head and aggravated a disc problem in his back, resulting in the need for surgery. I don’t know the specifics of the situation in Knoxville, Tenn., and it may be that this church has done everything possible to provide a caring atmosphere in their meetings. Plus, the man suing the church does not say anyone hit him or knocked him over. But serious accidents are bound to happen if we don’t stress the importance of ministering with gentleness and wisdom. In our zany charismatic world we often let our zeal run wild. I’ve been in services in which all kinds of injuries happened. Once I watched a 300-pound man fall on a frail woman. I’ve seen heads hit metal chairs. I’ve seen evangelists step on people’s arms and legs. We may say the Holy Spirit is moving, but—more often than we want to admit—our chaos may be a sign of our immaturity. Please understand me. I desperately want the power of God to invade our churches. I’ve been in meetings in which the Lord’s glory was so thick that no one could stand up. I have felt the weight of His presence fall like a blanket on a congregation. And I remember falling to the floor when I got within four feet of a humble Indian preacher who barely touched people on the forehead when he prayed for them. We don’t have to force things to happen. God’s power is real. May we never settle for a man-made imitation.
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Post by Michael on Jun 20, 2008 4:38:34 GMT -5
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