This is a really good post about Lakeland. Patsy got sent to Lakeland by her folks and tells her tale. What I really like about the testimony is that she did not say that Lakeland is a Panacea for all things ministry. Instead, she knew God was moving and she prepared herself to not try to receive from Todd, but instead receive from God what He is doing there. Here is a quote:
During the service, I went out an shared with the vendors who were working the food stands in the stadium. I was amazed at how open they were. I just shared the love of Jesus with them and invited them to come and experience Him for themselves. The amazing thing to me was how open the people in Lakeland are to the gospel. I talked to one girl there who has led over 1,000 people to the Lord since April 2. ONE THOUSAND SOULS! If that doesn’t excite you, you need to get saved.
Yes, there were miracles. Yes, people got out of wheelchairs. Yes, it was amazing. The response of the crowd, though, was to the presence of the Lord. The stuff was great, but what was the most awesome was the fact that the Lord was there in such intimacy. He was showing His great love to people by healing their diseases.
I have heard people ask why Todd does not take his gift out of the church and into the streets. I have seen it written that he only sees these manifestations where he has whipped the crowd into a frenzy and there is some sort of mass trance.
It should be obvious that I am a supporter of the move of God Lakeland. But that does not mean that I support everything that happens in every meeting. I have never been a part of anything that I thought was 100% on track (including my own ministry). That does not mean I reject my own ministry as the work of the devil. And just because you see some issues with Lakeland does not mean it is the work of the devil. In 2 Corinthins, Paul repented for not receiving an offering. Does that mean his ministry was a work of the devil prior to that point? Of course not.
Steve Strange has checked in on the revival and he is not in 100%. Nothing wrong with that. But contrary to others, he has not said that since these meetings don’t look completely like a meeting he would lead they are of the devil. He has chosen to eat the meat and spit out the bones. Some might think there are more bones than meat. Others may not see any bones at all. Here is what he has said
A great revival took place in Wales in 1904. Sadly there is little to show today for the effects of that revival. Two years later the Pentecost revival started at Azusa Street in Los Angeles. The black church where it started actually closed around 1930. But the revival it generated continues to include more than 400 million people around the world today.
The difference between the two revivals is that the Pentecost revival has actually been a “series of revivals” that has happened again and again over the years– the Latter Rain movement and the healing revivals of the late 40’s; Full Gospel business men that started in the 50’s, along with ministries emerging such as Kathryn Kuhlman; followed by the Charismatic movement of the 60’s in the mainline Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic church. Then there has been the Faith movement, the Apostolic movement, and various revival outbreakings in places like Toronto and Brownsville.
The latest outbreak of revival is apparently in Lakeland, Florida. It started with meetings with Todd Bentley on April 2 at Ignited Church pastored by my long-time friend Steve Strader. I’ve know Steve since I was in the 9th grade and he was in the 6th grade when his father Karl Strader came to pastor the church my family attended in Lakeland. That was also the church where Rodney Howard Browne’s ministry really took off in the United States with extended meetings back in the early 90’s.
Many of you will not care about this but I have been saving my pennies and finally bought a camera, a Canon a590is.
I first got serious about building websites when I built one for my family. I borrowed a digital camera from my job and never looked back.
If you count that first borrowed one, this is my fourth camera. The second, and olympus, was left at a church meeting where it disappeared. The third was broken at a youth event. This time, I did not get fancy. I went almost entirely by reviews.
The cannons get consistently high reviews by users and professionals. So here you go. I should be posting more pics in the weeks to come.
There is another move of God afoot so that is sure to bring out all the people who hate God. Sure enough, Hank Hanegraaff has checked in on the Lakeland Revival. Hank Hannegraaff sees that people are having their faith restored in God, are getting saved, and healed and here is how he views the events,
“We’re in desperate times, and we’ve got desperate people. And they’re looking for a quick fix,” Hanegraaff said in an interview from Charlotte, N.C. “But all they’re getting is false hope.”
There you have it folks. Hank has played his final hand. Faith in Jesus is a false hope. There is no salvation. Jesus never heals. God does not deliver. To believe in the God of the bible is to put your trust in fables.
Jesus warns the church repeatedly to beware of false teachers. In fact, we know that the anti-christ will try to divert attention from Jesus to himself. Surely this is the foundation for the end time deception. If the devil can convince enough people that sickness is from God and healings are from him then he can set the world up for the anti-christ.
edit: I have made corrections based on the response by Michael.
Pastor Steve Hickey has written about the happenings in Lakeland with great wisdom.
Personally, a few of his antics and of course, the observables (tattoos and piercings) don’t make much sense to me. But here’s how I’ve overcome that… I asked myself what the 21st century equivalent to eating locusts/wild honey and wearing wild camels hair and a belt might be. What do you think it is? Wearing wild camels fur put John the Baptist in league with the outcasts and unclean. I’m thinking today’s equivalent might be tattoo’s, t-shirts and piercings. Lou Engle once commented about the young generation that God is raising up today that is so full of piercings. Frustrated, he told God… they “look like fishing lures.” God responded something to the effect, “Precisely, and I’m going to use them to reel in the nations.”
I understand people’s misgivings. I really do. I do not understand how believers can be so unbelieving or prideful as to judge how God is allowed to move.
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