From a video transcript Todd Bentley states:The woman was standing in the back of the room when the faith of God hit the meeting, and her tumor exploded out of her right leg, slid down her leg onto the floor! (audience applause)
I said, "God! I prayed for like a hundred crippled people. Not one?" He said, "That's because I want you to grab that lady's crippled legs and bang them up-and-down on the platform like a baseball bat." (audience laughter)
I walked up and I grabbed her legs, and I started going, BAM! BAM! I started banging them up-and-down on the plat[form]! She got healed!
And I'm thinking, God, why is not the power of God moving? He said, "Because you haven't kicked that woman in the face." (audience laughter)
And there is this older lady worshipping right in front of the platform. (audience laughter) And the Holy Spirit spoke to me--the gift of faith came on me--He said, "Kick her in the face with your biker-boot." (audience laughter)
I inched closer and I went like this [Todd Bentley performs a kick with his right leg and yells] BAM! (audience laughter) And just as my boot made contact with her nose, she fell under the power of God.
The remaining moments of the video speaks for itself and demonstrates what happens to Todd Bentley when he is overcome by the so-called "gift of faith." In what may be termed an award-winning theatrical performance, Bentley claims that "God" told him to: run and knock a person to the ground; "Ground and pound;" choke a man; run and hit a man so hard "it drove him back several feet! He hit the ground and his tooth popped right out of his mouth!" (audience laughter)
The video ends with Todd Bentley claiming that "God" instructed him to perform a "leg-drop" on a pastor.
And the audience laughed...
You decide: Todd Bentley or the Holy Spirit?
The laughter from Todd Bentley's audience is heartbreaking, and clearly demonstrates how easy it is for people to be conformed and conditioned into believing anything, regardless of how non-Christian it is. (Bud Press)
Everybody has to have a Todd Bentley message and this is ours. We've have spent much time identifying the New Age practices and doctrines lately so I was wondering how Todd Bentley's Rootin Tootin Holy Ghouls Bammin and Boomin Revival is associated with such. Yes there is a connection as the narrow path of Christ is increasingly being perverted into a broad highway leading to confusion and destruction. Surely these must the last days of the passing age, as they are filled with apostasy and perplexity(confusion) of the nations. Joian and I often marvel and wonder, "how that which is the Truth in Christ will be known when the counterfeits so masterfully appear on all sides, as holding a false substance paralleling real Faith." I truly don't know but I am darn sure excited to find out. My spirit tells me it will not be long.
So the other day, I discovered an article that tied Bentley to the Indian Christian Mystic and Evangelist Sindar Singh who was a Universalist. Personally, Singh is a little more "mystical" than I personally have found myself comfortable with. I believe Sindar broadened the path a little bit and his mystical wanderings were not of the sort which I would recommend. Anyway, I mention this only to say, I can only follow and share that which has Life for me and I didn't find that with Sindar's teachings. Below are a few excerpts that illustrate Bentley's ties to Singh and when I read them I thought, "Oh, so there is the possibility of the eventually tying together of this world wide money making apostate revival with Universal Reconciliation through Christ Jesus. This gives me rise once again to repeat my earlier pondering, "How will God reveal the Truth to the world when all that is Truth is surrounded with a foul facsimile that arises from the carnal souls of ambitious men?"
These two quotes are taken from a fundamentalist site and an article titled "Todd Bentley -God is Releasing a Sundar Singh Anointing" by Mishel. They should give you pause.
"According to Todd Bentley, God is releasing a Sundar Singh type anointing of revelation to the church .......
Now let’s take another look at the Vision that Todd Bentley claims God gave him. "...in a vision, the Glory Cloud of Revelation descending upon the church. It was also during this time of prayer that God took me in a vision to what I believed to be the Himalayan Mountains. I saw an Indian man with a turban on his head and heard the whisper of the Spirit say, "This is Sundar Singh. I am releasing anointing of revelation like this." I had no communication with this old saint, nor did he say anything to me. The experience lasted only a moment...." from "The Glory Cloud of Revelation & Prophetic Mantles"- Todd Bentley
A fellow I know from the forums made this statement after his reading of the full article mentioned above. He succinctly describes Todd Bentley and gives hint to the dilemma Bently might be presenting.
Strike 1: He yells "BAM!" and hits/kicks people
Strike 2: He has conversations with a female angel named "Emma"
Strike 3: He endorses 'aberrant' universalist beliefs
Result: World wide Revival!!!
Go figure.
(Byron)
So if you haven't had your fill of Todd Bentley yet, I give you a few quotations from, and the link to, a fascinating and entertaining writing by a disillusioned believer who knows the revival game well. This one opened my eyes as to how it is all done to get people moving into a expectant soulish mindset to receive just about anything. You've experienced it and so have I. And I shudder at the thought, however it makes me ever want to cling tighter to Jesus and bury myself deeper into the Father's breast.
Here are a few quotes and should you read the whole article describing this particular "healing revival meeting," I believe you will be as pissed off as this man was. I certainly was and the descriptions of the angelic little girl broke my heart, only to add pain to my anger. (parentheses are mine)
(Intro)
"Todd Bentley is a healing evangelist holding revival crusades all over the world. His quick rise to fame is all but miraculous, and the fact that he has garnered the support of heavy hitters like Bob Jones, Bobby Conner, Paul Cain, Rick Joyner and others, tips the scales of his charisma-cred. They're calling it the "thing" they've been waiting for, the next big move of God, "this is it!"
.
(before the meeting)
As I made my way around the floor seats I noticed several wheel chaired individuals, people with various infirmities and some with obvious deformities. Some were old; some were young; like this one little girl with dark hair and angelic smile. Her legs had not formed properly and they hung from the wheelchair motionless but most notable thing about her was the way she brightened up the space around her with her presence.
(during the meeting)
"One-by-one they sifted through and gave their testimony with Bentley ending each with his signature "BAM!" (which he totally ripped from Emeril) and an open handed push to the forehead which sent ninety-nine percent of them to the floor resulting in a quivering pile of mush."
(after the meeting)
"I saw the angelic little girl, still lighting the path with her smile, head back to her seat along with all the other wheelchair faithful. They're the ones that need the miracle. No amount of suggestion can heal them. Hypnosis cannot create body parts or even restore life to them and these folks are the evidence of that. They are also evidence that Bentley's healing revival is merely a revival of hype with no actual substance. All of the physically impaired individuals with very real and evident medical problems were not healed. They're still in their chairs Todd; they're still in their chairs and you're pissing me off."
"Walking to the car I noticed a young lady being lifted out of her wheelchair into a van. She's still in the chair Todd and you're still pissing me off."
The rest of this article entitled, "Leaving Lakeland" by Mike Kirkland can be found here and it is I believe well worth the read:
http://www.darinhufford.com/article.php?id=19
I used an old saying as the title of this blog and in closing I want to leave you with a couple more sayings along with a scripture that seemed apropos for the subject addressed tonight. Allow me also to share some thoughts on an upcoming message that I have been pondering for a couple weeks. It is a positive and encouraging word for those that have "surrendered all unto Jesus" while groaning for the healing of this confused and pained world.
"All tables (from which the Church is fed) are filled with vomit and filthiness, so that there is NO PLACE CLEAN" (Isa. 28:8).
"This is the difference between two ministers that preached.
After the first one, people said "Oh what a wonderful preacher!!"
After the second one, the people said "Oh what a wonderful Savior and Lord!!"
"Ah, how rare is it to find a soul still enough to hear God speak!"
Lord willing in the next couple of days I want to share on what it means to me to be a "friend" ..... a friend of God, my friend and my best friend. I will also add a beautiful message from Fellership Forums posted by Joian on the subject of "friendship" It so humbled me and gave me great encouragement to carry the Cross of Christ" a little further. How we need to pray and speak encouragement into the lives of the small handful of friends He gives us.
Todd Bentley and others like him will minister to the fickle thousands looking for the loves and fish to feed their flesh. But there are a only a few, a little flock, that lay their heads on Jesus breast to feel and know the Father's heart. I know some like that. I have some friends, a few, and I am so thankful!
"Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved." Jn 13:23
and remember to "always drink upstream from the herd,"
Jack and Joian
* PS. Our sovereign God permits and sustains these movements in His over all purpose. Lord willing, I will add to this blog a few thoughts this evening as to maybe a deeper view of such as we see with the Todd Bentleys and their healing crusades. No doubt some will be healed. As to the end results I just don't know. I have a couple testimonies to add about a couple friends that were miraculously healed in a such meetings. Their later demise saddens me to this day and I still scratch my head as to the why.
* Bless you Eliyah for sharing your testimony of the Todd Bentley meeting you attended. I hope our readers will view your comment. I often use the "last will be first" verse as it has so much to do with sonship. And how often I say, "follow the money."
Eliya you shared both points eloquently and I thank you for the time you took to write your message.
.
