The Lakeland Legacy
The following appeared in the Lakeland Ledger, September 13, 2008:
“The giant white tents are gone now, and so are the crowds of thousands. The evangelist, disgraced, is in hiding. The revival carries on as a bare remnant of its former glory. …Now followers and observers are left to wonder what the legacy of the Florida Outpouring will be. Will it be remembered for its rapid growth and for its claims of spectacular miracles? Will it be regarded as a spiritual circus, filled with outrageous sights but little substance and even dangerously misleading teachings? Or will it be an event in which there was good despite the flaws of its leader?” —Cary McMullen, religion editor, Lakeland Ledger
So, what are your thoughts about what happened in Lakeland? I'd really like to know.
UPDATE: There are some really interesting and insightful comments on the Lakeland phenomenon that have been posted by our readers. I encourage you to check them out. Good food for thought.
I wrote an entry on my blog about Todd Bentley...
http://prosperousindividual.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/is-todd-bentley-a-saint/
Thanks, Randy.
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My friends daughter was set to move from Tampa to Lakeland. I guess she was caught up in the signs and wonders. I'm glad this has passed if not of God. People want to believe in miracles today.
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I have been reading a book by Rob McIntosh in which he studies and outlines revivals of the last hundred or so years. Many of the people that God anointed and used in these movements ended up in personal disgrace after having been powerfully anointed.
Bro. McIntosh concludes that in every case the fall of the high profile minister can be attributed to lack of rest more than anything else. When the power of God comes on a person, whether they are preaching, or ministering to the sick, or whatever, you feel somewhat invincible.
King David described it by saying he felt like he could "run through a troop and jump over a wall." When the anointing lifts, there is a presence of physical and emotional fatigue. Every preacher knows that when you really have a "good one," you are wiped out afterwards. While you are preaching you feel like you can go on forever. When the anointing comes on a person and abides for a season, as with many of the Revivalists over the years, those men and women have had the tendency to charge on full speed ahead for months or years on end. This is a natural tendency, you want to do as much for God as you can, especially when you can see so clearly how much work there is to be done.
The problem, however, is that while your spirit man is doing just fine under the anointing, you emotional man and your flesh become weary and need rest. If you don't maintain your flesh and emotions, there will come a time when any inherent character flaws will no longer remain in check, and those flaws will surface. This happened in days gone by with many high profile figures.
All of us have weak spots, and we can control those weaknesses, and not yield to them, but only if we retain the proper balance between spirit, soul, and body. The formula for this balance in incredibly simple. It's in Genesis 1. God worked for 6 days, rested on the 7th. God did that as an example to us, not because He was in any danger of failure and not because he was tired. If we follow God's pattern, we will be more likely to avoid succumbing to temptation.
In my humble opinion, Todd Bentley did what others had done before. When the glory fell, he worked as hard as he could for as long as he could and fell into temptation that he likely would have avoided if he had only rested one day a week for over the past six months. ....Of course I could be wrong...but you asked, "What do you think?" so that's what I think...
Thanks for maintaning this forum. It's a blessing...In Him, Verl
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I do think you are on to something here, Verl.
Satan is always looking for the most "opportune time" to attack the people of God. Times of physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual weakness would qualify as such.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
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I am not sure there is enough room to write about Lakeland :-). Undoubtedly there was good that came from it - that's just the nature of our Lord.
However, from the start something felt uneasy in my spirit about the whole thing. I learned very quickly that I needed to be quiet and not talk with people about it because there was such passion on "either side". That in and of itself was disturbing because it seemed the Body was divided over it.
I had conversations with some close friends who believed with all their heart it was the great revival we all had been praying and waiting for. Even to this day they believe that it was just that--however because Christians didn't come together and pray, it allowed infidelity to come in and ruin what God was trying to do. I am at a loss, because what I noticed from a distance seemed to be more angel worship and "come get my anointing" than it was about Jesus and knowing Him more deeply.
Regardless of who it is or what they are doing or saying or what they look like, if Jesus is not the center of their message (remember Paul said "I know Him and Him crucified only"), then I don't care what miracles they can perform. Jesus told us that in the end times many false prophets will arise and do great signs and wonders, so it is important that we stay grounded in the Word and not grounded in an experience.
American has adapted a "swallow and follow" mentality. If it looks good, then we'll eat it and follow. We need to use discernment and grow up so that we can move on to meat and not just eat anything that we can get our hands on or eat just anything that is offered to us. The good news in all of this, is that we are hungry! We are so hungry that we are eating whatever remotely resembles something good to eat.
Was it wrong? I don't know. Was it God? I am not sure. Only time and fruit will tell.
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If Todd Bentley has put his faith in Jesus Christ, then he is a saint, like him or not. Yes, he has ugly tattoos and a loud voice and claims to hear from angels and so on. I understand how the more religious saints out there could get their phylacteries in a knot over it.
I have followed Todd Bentley for many years. Even back when he was a regular on Dick and Joan Dewert's Miracle Channel. He never waivered from his confession. As far as Saint Todd getting revelation from angels, I think, perhaps, you should read the following before you judge the saint too harshly. You see friend, Todd is in very good company:
Revelation 22:16 "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
How should we treat Todd?
"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;" --Romans 12:10
The church I attend had/has an intimate relationship with the Lakeland revival. We sent people down there (from Canada) to check it out, see if it was a real, Asuza type event. It was. People in our congregation were being healed; some of life-threatening illnesses. And it wasn't because of Todd. It was because of God! Todd was obedient and we haven't seen the last of him. He will, once again, be led to repentance and restored, just like the man in IICor. who was restored after having his father's wife (can you imagine?). What would the church do to a man like that today, I wonder? Just ask Jimmy Swaggart. I'm sure he could tell us.
Thanks Randy.
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We begin watching the outpouring on the internet, We are hungry this begin to feed us, so we went. This was in the early stage, when they were still in the auditorium.
The first night there was great--Todd wasn't there--but there was a good word and a good spirit there. The second night we sat down up on the beachers and decided to move to the lower floor. There were seats on the back wall. Everyone who came in just about passed by us. We got our seats and the music begin. When the music began, these, I'm gonna call them "crazy people,"-- crazy people begin to do there thing, they were almost acting like swans moving all over the floor. We decided they were pick pocketing. People would sit there pocketbooks down anywhere and never look back. Anyway, this went on for 2 hours, I was like, "Lord, What have we gotten ourselves into?"
Then around 11:30 the wind and the sound changed in the place, It was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard. When the Spirit of God fell upon this place, It was really loud--but the loudness changed into beautifulness-- I don't how to express what happen, but these crazy people sat down it was like they could not move from their seats when the Spirit of God fell. From then on the worship was great. We also went to the morning services they were having, Great Bible teaching. The only thing I can compare that teaching to was when we were at World Harvest back in 2000 and the teaching that was coming forth then.
In the AM services they would tell you -We realize there is alot going on in the PM services that is not God. They told us the Lord had showed them the parable of the Wheat and Tares- Don't worry about the tares until harvest time. I guess what I am saying is there was alot more going on than just the PM services and the "wild times". I also know of 2 people in our town who got saved watching the revival, So no matter what Satan sticks his foot in, God can bring some good out of it. If He can use a donkey, He can sure use Todd Bentley.
You know I've come to realize all "ministers" are men or women just like me. I know I make mistakes, and if I make mistakes what would make me think that anyone else might not. I don't know alot about the ending of the revival and what truely happen but, I believe there were souls Saved and Lives changed from the outpouring. No, matter how it ended.
As children of God we need to keep our eyes on the Lord and not on the fallen man and we will all be better off. In 2 Timothy 2:14 (Amp) "Remind (the people) of these facts and (Solemnly) charges them in the presence of the Lord to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good but upsets and undermines the faith of hearers."
There are people who may have gotten saved through this revival who don't know what happened after-the-fact and I don't believe they need to know. They need to know God is good, God is real, God is an ever-present help in the time of need.
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One thing I do want to comment on about the Fl. outpouring, was the Churches who were involved with the outpouring. More Churches need this revelation. They were not in competition over what was going on in Fl. They were pulling together as the "Body of Christ" and trying to minister and reach out to every person who went through this ministry to make sure the ones who had gotten saved found a church home. It didn't matter if it was their church or another church.
If the Church as a whole would come to realize we need each other, and one man in a pulpit has not got all God has in his Box the church, I believe would begin to go further and it would quit being about joining this church or joining that church it would be about building the Kingdom of God.
I believe if you know someone who went to Fl. to be ministered to by God. I beleive if that's what they were after, I believe they found Him, I Did!
The Bible says" "Touch not my Anointed" I do know Todd Bentley was anointed by God. I also know God's Grace is sufficient, and I pray Todd is walking in Gods Grace & Repentance.
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I think what God started out for good, the devil intervened for evil. Everybody - no exceptions, are susceptible to the sins of this world.
I don't know if the miracles really happened or not, but it gave a lot of people hope and that is something that we need. Most people have not learned that GOD is our HOPE.
I do know that it inspired us and we learned to weigh the good with the bad. There were too many well known evangelist there for this not to have been of God. All we can do now is pray that there was no permanent damage done to God's people.
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Thanks, y'all, for taking time to share your thoughts. You're making me think!
Ouch!
:^)
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