I am highly skeptical when it comes to televangelists and Benny Hinn-ish "moves of God." The whole "bam" touch on the forehead and the person falls out just was never something I could wrap my head around. It always looked phony to me. Over the last few weeks, I've realized why it looked so fake to me, and I had to repent.
My wife and I have been watching the live revival from Lakeland, FL that is being televised live on GodTV (channel 365 on DirecTV) for about 10 days now. You can read about the revival elsewhere, so I won't go into a long explanation about what it is and what's going on, other than to say that God is radically healing, saving, and delivering thousands through this revival. The Holy Spirit taught me a great lesson about myself. I consider myself a bit of a forward-thinker and someone who doesn't judge a book by its cover. Oh, how prideful of me.
The preacher of this revival is a guy named Todd Bentley. Todd is literally covered from knuckles to neck with tattoos. He has a pierced lip and pierced ears, preaches in jeans and t-shirts (like the one in the picture that says "Jesus Love Me and My Tattoos"), and wears gaudy, biker-type jewlery. No, he wasn't saved out of a biker gang, he got the majority of his tattoos since being saved at the age of 18. He looks nothing like the traditional preacher that I'm used to, and though I know the Bible does not condemn tattoos, it was still hard for me to believe the annointing of God could be so strongly on someone who looks so radically different from what I was used to seeing.
The first time I watched it, this tattooed, radical preacher was calling out various illnesses and diseases, praying against them, and then inviting people who had been healed in the crowd up onto the platform to testify. I was extremely skeptical until I saw a nine year old girl who was visibly paralyzed on her left side (the left side of her face was visibly drooping) due to a brain tumor. Todd prayed, and then asked her if she felt anything. She spoke only spanish, so her family translated to her the question. She didn't reply in words, but rather lifted up her paralyzed left arm with a big smile on her face. Her face was not drooping any more. God healed her right in front of my eyes, live on GodTV. Okay, God...you have my attention.
Anyways, back to the human flaws. This revival didn't look like what I have grown up with in church. The preacher looked nothing like I've come to expect from ministers with that level of annointing. Therefore, I was highly skeptical of it, at moments (before the Holy Spirit gave me a tune-up) almost outraged by what I was seeing. It didn't look "normal" to me, so it had to be fake. The Holy Spirit indeed tuned me up and taught me a life changing little bit about myself. For being a forward-thinker, I still have pride. It's not necessarily my fault...I believe it's a human flaw.
As a matter of fact, I am certain there will be a few individuals that read this, look at Todd's picture, and have a self-righteous fit because "God doesn't look like that. He looks like a heathen. That's of the devil. That's a false doctrine." etc., etc.
Here's what it comes down to. We are to judge things and people by the fruit that is produced, not by appearances. "Well, he looks like the world with all those tattoos, and we are to be in the world but not of it." Grow up. Why does it look like the world? Because it doesn't look like you? Because it doesn't fit in your little holy box? If you are so arrogant and full of pride that you think the only genuine moves and men of God are the ones that look like you or line up with your ideas, you need to get a brand new revelation of who God is and how much bigger He is than any little box you could try and stuff him in.
Many churches fall into one of two dangerous ruts. The one puts God in a little box and unless something looks and sounds like their idea of God, it's not of God. On the other side, the attitude of non-traditionalism becomes the box. If it looks like a traditional move of God, they shut their heart doors. Both are absolutely wrong because they are putting God in a box. The key to receiving everything God has for you is to eliminate the box. Open your mind and judge things by the fruit. Who is being lifted up, man or Jesus? Are people being permanently changed by the power of God or are they wrapped up in emotionalism? Are people coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus and coming to repentence? Are people growing deeper in their walk with God? Don't judge it because it doesn't look or sound like what you think it should. Make your decision based on an open-minded review of the fruits.
So what are the fruits of the Florida Outpouring? Thousands coming to salvation. Thousands being healed. Revival breaking out in other cities (and in my own life). People drawing closer to Jesus. As a personal testimony to the power of God in this revival, my wife and I were watching the worship service one night. We desperately needed a touch from God as we were overwhelmed by several circumstances going on in our lives. As we watched the worship service and prayed and worshpped God, the annointing fell in our bedroom and God ministered to our needs and dramatically touched us and spoke some things to us that increased our faith and gave us hope.
God is so much bigger than our little preconceptions. God is a radical God. Jesus came teaching, preaching, healing the sick and casting out demons. Do you know who hated Him? The holy, pious, religious Pharisees. Jesus came against the spirit of prideful religiosity and the Pharisees hated him for it. So the next time you step out to judge something or someone, stop and ask yourself "Am I being like Saul in persecuting Jesus by persecuting his followers?"
My wife and I have been watching the live revival from Lakeland, FL that is being televised live on GodTV (channel 365 on DirecTV) for about 10 days now. You can read about the revival elsewhere, so I won't go into a long explanation about what it is and what's going on, other than to say that God is radically healing, saving, and delivering thousands through this revival. The Holy Spirit taught me a great lesson about myself. I consider myself a bit of a forward-thinker and someone who doesn't judge a book by its cover. Oh, how prideful of me.
The preacher of this revival is a guy named Todd Bentley. Todd is literally covered from knuckles to neck with tattoos. He has a pierced lip and pierced ears, preaches in jeans and t-shirts (like the one in the picture that says "Jesus Love Me and My Tattoos"), and wears gaudy, biker-type jewlery. No, he wasn't saved out of a biker gang, he got the majority of his tattoos since being saved at the age of 18. He looks nothing like the traditional preacher that I'm used to, and though I know the Bible does not condemn tattoos, it was still hard for me to believe the annointing of God could be so strongly on someone who looks so radically different from what I was used to seeing.
The first time I watched it, this tattooed, radical preacher was calling out various illnesses and diseases, praying against them, and then inviting people who had been healed in the crowd up onto the platform to testify. I was extremely skeptical until I saw a nine year old girl who was visibly paralyzed on her left side (the left side of her face was visibly drooping) due to a brain tumor. Todd prayed, and then asked her if she felt anything. She spoke only spanish, so her family translated to her the question. She didn't reply in words, but rather lifted up her paralyzed left arm with a big smile on her face. Her face was not drooping any more. God healed her right in front of my eyes, live on GodTV. Okay, God...you have my attention.
Anyways, back to the human flaws. This revival didn't look like what I have grown up with in church. The preacher looked nothing like I've come to expect from ministers with that level of annointing. Therefore, I was highly skeptical of it, at moments (before the Holy Spirit gave me a tune-up) almost outraged by what I was seeing. It didn't look "normal" to me, so it had to be fake. The Holy Spirit indeed tuned me up and taught me a life changing little bit about myself. For being a forward-thinker, I still have pride. It's not necessarily my fault...I believe it's a human flaw.
As a matter of fact, I am certain there will be a few individuals that read this, look at Todd's picture, and have a self-righteous fit because "God doesn't look like that. He looks like a heathen. That's of the devil. That's a false doctrine." etc., etc.
Here's what it comes down to. We are to judge things and people by the fruit that is produced, not by appearances. "Well, he looks like the world with all those tattoos, and we are to be in the world but not of it." Grow up. Why does it look like the world? Because it doesn't look like you? Because it doesn't fit in your little holy box? If you are so arrogant and full of pride that you think the only genuine moves and men of God are the ones that look like you or line up with your ideas, you need to get a brand new revelation of who God is and how much bigger He is than any little box you could try and stuff him in.
Many churches fall into one of two dangerous ruts. The one puts God in a little box and unless something looks and sounds like their idea of God, it's not of God. On the other side, the attitude of non-traditionalism becomes the box. If it looks like a traditional move of God, they shut their heart doors. Both are absolutely wrong because they are putting God in a box. The key to receiving everything God has for you is to eliminate the box. Open your mind and judge things by the fruit. Who is being lifted up, man or Jesus? Are people being permanently changed by the power of God or are they wrapped up in emotionalism? Are people coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus and coming to repentence? Are people growing deeper in their walk with God? Don't judge it because it doesn't look or sound like what you think it should. Make your decision based on an open-minded review of the fruits.
So what are the fruits of the Florida Outpouring? Thousands coming to salvation. Thousands being healed. Revival breaking out in other cities (and in my own life). People drawing closer to Jesus. As a personal testimony to the power of God in this revival, my wife and I were watching the worship service one night. We desperately needed a touch from God as we were overwhelmed by several circumstances going on in our lives. As we watched the worship service and prayed and worshpped God, the annointing fell in our bedroom and God ministered to our needs and dramatically touched us and spoke some things to us that increased our faith and gave us hope.
God is so much bigger than our little preconceptions. God is a radical God. Jesus came teaching, preaching, healing the sick and casting out demons. Do you know who hated Him? The holy, pious, religious Pharisees. Jesus came against the spirit of prideful religiosity and the Pharisees hated him for it. So the next time you step out to judge something or someone, stop and ask yourself "Am I being like Saul in persecuting Jesus by persecuting his followers?"
Here are a few links so you can check out the revival for yourself.
http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/29/1075189.aspx (MSNBC article)
Story of a woman being raised from the dead, followed by an article explaining the connection to the revival.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Hoss
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