REPORTS OF MIRACULOUS HEALINGS CONTINUE TO FLOW FROM LAKELANDS

Editors comments: Many of our readers will be aware that reports of many miraculous healings are being received from a healing crusade in Lakelands in Florida as well as many other parts of the world. Accompanying these reports are also reports from some Christian leaders of unease in relation to some of the teachings that have been heard during the meetings. To be fair we understand that these teachings were given in the early stages of the meetings and may not now be being taught.

As is usual in outbreaks of spiritual activity as has occurred at Lakelands much controversy and hype surrounds the meetings and reports tend to be effusive in the area of reporting the manifestations occurring at the meetings rather than on the substance of the actual healings themselves. This is why much of the Christian media has not reported on these events and balanced and verified reports of healings have been hard to come by. That is not to denigrate the healings that are taking place but simply to acknowledge that verified reports usually take a little longer to emerge than the initial excitement which people see happening on television or in person at the meetings themselves.

Having said that we have spoken to and received reports from a number of respected Christian leaders who have attended meetings at Lakelands, and whilst concerns have been expressed by some others have indicated they did not hear or see anything that caused them concern. All however were in agreement with one thing and that was that there was a manifest presence of the healing power of the Holy Spirit powerfully present and that those giving spiritual oversight to the meetings were well aware of the concerns some have been expressing and were doing all they could to ensure that biblical doctrine and practice was being maintained without wanting to quench what God was doing that might not always be understood by the mind of man.

As with all matters we report on through the Australian Prayer Network newsletters our policy is to exclude that which draws attention to man rather than God, remove the language of hype that is prevalent in some reporting, and give only the balanced and verified facts so that our readers can make their own judgement on all matters on which we report. In that spirit this article gives a report on what is currently occurring at Lakelands as well as outlining some of the concerns that some respected leaders have been expressing. I trust you will accept our coverage in that spirit, of not wanting to deny what God is doing but wanting to also warn of excesses that inevitably seem to accompany the work of God and ultimately quench all that He wants to do for His people.

 

A VISITATION FROM GOD IN LAKELAND FLORIDA

By Rev. Eric Strachan writing in The Daily Observer

Todd Bentley is 32, a Canadian from Abbotsford, British Columbia, married with three young children. Bentley is not your stereotypical healing evangelist.

Some will dub him as the most unorthodox, unconventional healing practitioner they've ever seen. Converted to Jesus Christ from a life of drugs at the age of 22, Bentley's arms and neck are literally covered with tattoos. He strides around the platform in Lakeland, Florida like a modern day John The Baptist, heralding the good news, that Jesus Christ is the Healer, Deliverer and Saviour of the world.

About 60 days ago he came to the "Ignited Church" in Lakeland, a city midway between Tampa and Orlando. He wasn't there for too long in the 700-seat auditorium before they had to move to a 3,000-seat facility. As crowds kept pouring in, the healing meetings they had to be moved to a 10,000 seat venue, which is jam-packed every night with thousands more standing outside.

People are coming to Florida from all over the world. It is estimated that as many as 400 million are tuning in to the broadcasts being carried live each night by GOD TV. At present as I'm writing this negotiations are underway for a much larger facility.

Something quite "out of this world," is happening in Lakeland. Together with many others I've been watching what Christians are calling a great visitation of God, these evening meetings, beginning at 7 p.m. and going on until two the following morning are characterized by phenomenal signs. I must say in all honesty I've never quite seen anything like this. The number of healings, and the type of healings are quite extraordinary.

I've watched people who've been confined to wheelchairs, by the dozen get up and walk, terminal cancers healed, visible bodily tumours as big as golf balls and grapefruits literally disappear, the hearing impaired hear again. I've watched kids throw away their glasses as they've been given new vision, every disease under the sun is coming into contact with the incredible power of God - and succumbing to it. I've wept as I've seen little kids with cancer fall on the floor like Mary Pettigrew did, and rise up with tears in their eyes- healed.

What we are witnessing is The Bible's "Book of Acts" being revisited. This is unquestionably God revealing Himself to this generation in power and reminding a backslidden nation that is morally bankrupt and immersed in angst and hopelessness, that He is the answer to the human dilemma, and that these healing signs and wonders are the outpouring of His Spirit, and a revelation of His great love for men and woman globally.

AND ALSO IN ALBANY OREGON

by Pastor Denny Cline of Albany Vineyard Christian Fellowship in western Oregon as reported by Breaking Christian News

Last week we saw a noticeable increase in the level of God's presence in our meetings, and had a pile of testimonies by the end of the week. Every meeting is different. Last week there seemed to be a theme on God's heart to let His people know that His Glory is His goodness. It's almost as though God is pleading with the broken, the sick, the oppressed, and with us, to believe how good He really is and how much He cares for the lost.

No wonder the Gospels say "Jesus wept as He looked upon the multitudes because they were weary and scattered like sheep with no Shepherd." The phrase "weary and scattered" means harassed by the enemy. I am so impressed that God is first healing up His own children, and showing them His goodness to wreck us on His love. The result is, and will be, an army of people who are free, confident, and overflowing with God's love to take into the fields of harvest. We have seen people receiving Christ every week, but I believe it is just the beginning. The atmosphere of God's presence is amazing. And then He just moves as we follow His lead.

Every night people get healed on the inside and physically. The kind and level of healings is growing. But we need to continue till we see the lame not just get up for the first time, but leaping and praising God with complete wholeness. There have been dental miracles, and even one woman reported to me of receiving weight loss after prayer. That may seem trivial to some, but not if your health is at risk and you have tried everything to lose weight with no success. God is truly good to all, in all kinds of ways. One young boy was healed of cancer in his knee after missing his surgery and coming to the meetings instead to receive prayer.

God is breaking out in places like Albany and other states. God will meet you wherever you are.

 

A WORD OF CAUTION

by J. Lee Grady Editor of Charisma Magazine

God is stirring deep spiritual passion in the hearts of the thousands of people who have travelled to Florida during the last month to experience the Lakeland Healing Revival. Since these meetings began in a 700-seat church on April 2, the crowd has moved four times to bigger venues, the fervour has intensified and the news has spread worldwide-thanks to God TV and online broadcasting.

Within a few weeks, the bandwagon effect was in full swing. I rejoiced when I heard the news about Todd Bentley's extended visit to Ignited Church. It was thrilling to hear the reports of miracles and to watch the crowd grow until a stadium was required to hold everyone.

When I personally visited a service on April 15, I was blessed by the audience's exuberant worship. And I laughed with everyone else as I watched Bentley pray for the sick in his own inimitable style and flail his tattooed arms over the crowd. Hey, Jesus didn't pray for people according to the Pharisees' rulebook, so I'm open to unconventional methods.

But I would be dishonest if I told you that I wholeheartedly embraced what I saw in Lakeland. Something disturbed me, but I kept my mouth shut for three weeks while I prayed, got counsel from respected ministry leaders and searched my heart to make sure I was not harbouring a religious spirit. The last thing we need today is more mean-spirited heresy hunters blasting other Christians.

I am not a heresy hunter, and I support what is happening in Lakeland because I know God uses imperfect people (like me and you) to reach others for Jesus. At the same time, I believe my questions are honest and my concerns are real.

My motive is not to criticize Bentley or the pastor who is sponsoring these meetings, Stephen Strader. I believe Bentley is a sincere brother who wants people to encounter God's presence and power as he did when he was converted from the drug scene. No doubt this 32-year-old evangelist needs our prayers now more than ever, especially since he has become the focus of international media attention.

But some words of warning that apply to all of us, not just the folks in Lakeland. I hope everyone understands that these cautions are offered in love:

1. Beware of strange fire.The name of Jesus is being lifted up in Lakeland's, and three people came to the altar for salvation the night I attended. Larger numbers have come to the front of the auditorium to find Christ every night since then.

Yet I fear another message is also being preached subtly in Lakeland - a message that cult-watchers would describe as a spiritual counterfeit. Bentley is one of several ministers who have emphasized angels in the last several years.

He has taught about angels who bring financial breakthroughs or revelations, and he sometimes refers to an angel named Emma who supposedly played a role in initiating a prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. Bentley describes Emma as a woman in a flowing white dress who floats a few feet off the floor.

All of us who believe the Bible know that angels are real, and that they work on our behalf to protect us and minister to us. But the apostle Paul, who had encounters with angels himself, issued stern warnings to the Corinthians, the Galatians and the Colossians about angels who preach another gospel or that demand attention. In Colossae, believers were so enamoured with angels they had seen in visions that they became "inflated without cause" by spiritual pride (Col. 2:18, NASB). Paul was adamant that preoccupation with angels can lead to serious deception.

We need to tread carefully here! We have no business teaching God's people to commune with angels or to seek revelations from them. And if any movement - no matter how exciting or passionate - mixes the gospel of Jesus with this strange fire, the results could be devastating. We need to remember that.

Mormonism was born out of one man's encounter with a dark angel who claimed to speak for God.

2. Beware of bizarre manifestations.When the Holy Spirit's power comes on people they may feel weak or even fall. The Spirit's power can also cause people to tremble, shake, laugh or cry. Such manifestations are biblical and we should leave room for them. But where do we draw the line between legitimate experience and fanatical excess?

The apostle Paul had to deal with outrageous manifestations in the Corinthian church. People were acting like raving lunatics-and turning the church in to a free-for-all of unbridled ecstatic behaviour. Paul called for discipline and order, and he reminded early Christians that "the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32). In other words, Paul was saying that no one under the influence of the Holy Spirit should act out of control.

In recent times ministers have allowed people to behave in a bizarre manner on stage-and they have attributed their attention-getting antics to the Holy Spirit. We may think it's all in fun (you know, we're just "acting crazy" for God) but we should be more concerned that such behaviour feeds carnality and grieves the Spirit.

When exotic manifestations are encouraged, people can actually get a religious high from jerking, vibrating, screaming or acting intoxicated. (I have even been around people who writhed as if in pain, or made sexual noises-thinking this was a legitimate spiritual experience.) But emotional euphoria doesn't guarantee a heart change. The person who is bucking like an untamed bronco in a church service would benefit more from sitting still and reading the Bible for an hour. When we put bizarre behaviour on the platform we imply that it is normative. Thus more strange fire is allowed to spread.

3. Beware of hype and exaggeration.Our hearts are crying out today for a genuine move of God. We want the real deal. We've read about the Great Awakenings of the past and we long to see our nation overcome by a wave of repentance. The church is in a backslidden state, and our nation has rebelled against God. We are desperate! In our longing for a holy visitation, however, we must be careful not to call the first faint breeze of the Spirit a full-fledged revival. If we do that, we are setting people up for disappointment when they realize it may not be what we blew it up to be.

Some of the Revival talk and language used during the Lakeland meetings has been brash and cheapens what the Holy Spirit is doing - and they do a disservice to our brothers and sisters who are experiencing New Testament-style revival in countries such as Iran, China and India. We have a long way to go before we experience their level of revival. Let's stay humble and broken before the Lord.

I am rejoicing over all the reported healings at the Lakeland meetings. Miracles are awesome. Crowds are great. But miracles and crowds alone don't guarantee a revival. Multitudes followed Jesus during His ministry on earth, but many of the people who saw the dead raised or ate food that was supernaturally multiplied later crucified the Son of God.

It was the few disciples who followed Jesus after Calvary who ushered in a true revival-one that was bathed in the fear of God, confirmed by signs and wonders, tempered by persecution and evidenced by thousands of conversions, new churches and the transformation of society. We should expect nothing less.

Source: Compiled by APN from various sources

 

Past Feature Articles

WHAT IS WRONG WITH A BILL OF RIGHTS
HALLOWEEN - HARMLESS FUN OR DABBLING WITH THE DEMONIC?
HOW WE RECLAIMED EASTER AT OUR HOUSE
NO REVIVAL WITHOUT REPENTANCE
A NEW GENERATION OF ADULTS BEND MORAL AND SEXUAL RULES TO SUIT THEMSELVES
HOW MORALITY IS DESTROYING HOLINESS
BABYLON AND THE CHURCH
A FURTHER FIVE CHANGES THAT COULD REVOLUTIONISE THE CHURCH
THE WHITE-ANTING OF CHRISTIAN CULTURE?
DOES SLAVERY STILL EXIST?
FIVE CHANGES THAT COULD REVOLUTIONISE THE CHURCH
PORNOGRAPHIC SPIRITUALITY
THE IMPORTANCE OF A FATHERS LOVE
CHRISTIANS - THE MOST PERSECUTED PEOPLE GROUP ON EARTH
HOW GOD BREAKS US FOR HIS PURPOSES
PROTECTING OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE FROM THE ADVANCE OF SECULAR HUMANISM
FROM ISLAM TO CHRIST - THE JOURNEY OF ONE RADICAL MUSLIM
BONO SPEAKS OUT ON RELIGION, POVERTY AND JUSTICE
FROM FREEMASONARY TO CHRIST - THE TESTIMONY OF A 33rd DEGREE FREEMASON