Steve Lumbley
Boyd Miller
Chuck Swanson
Phil NaessensTodd Bentley and the Florida Outpouring
Todd Bentley has been conducting a series of meetings in Lakeland Florida known as the Florida Outpouring. Apparently people are being healed and if this is a true movement of God I think it’s great. However I have some concerns I’d like to share with you that leads me to believe that this is nothing more then another Satan inspired hoax perpetrated by Mr. Bentley and some of his cohorts……..
Todd Bentley is a 32 year old man from Canada. Apparently he was “saved” at 17 and shortly after began preaching. He also began prophesying during this time and allegedly people came to know the “Lord”. You can read more about Bentley here.
Like many of today’s “prophets” Bentley claims to have visited heaven and actually met with the Apostle Paul. He makes some interesting claims about this “visit”, such as;
1) Paul told Bentley that Abraham co-authored the Book of Hebrews.
2) Paul told Bentley to eat the Books of Titus and Hebrews.
Most biblical scholars agree that Paul is the author of Hebrews and most likely Luke penned the book for Paul due to the language used. This is the first time I’ve ever heard that Abraham was the co-author…I’ve always assumed the Holy Spirit inspired the writings of the Bible….silly me. I guess we aren’t as privileged as Bentley to actually visit Paul and get the scoop first hand??
Eat the Books of Titus and Hebrews? I suppose this makes sense as Bentley probably couldn’t read the manuscripts in their original language. Fortunately for Bentley Paul had the gift of tongues because it appears Paul spoke to him in English!!!
Bentley hasn’t only visited heaven, but he also sees angels! You can read the rest of this outstanding article here.
:
…the second night of the Lakeland meetings…he said he saw an angel he described as carrying the “Winds of Change.”
Asking him to describe this angel, Bentley replied that those familiar with the life of William Branham would recognize the angel from being a relevant factor in his healing ministry. He felt that this angel’s appearance signaled a “shift in the atmosphere” for the meetings and felt that an openness for revival had been ushered in.
-Teresa Neumann, Reports of Revival Breaking Out in Lakeland, Florida
http://www.freshfire.ca/index.php?Act=read&status=revival&Id=132&pid=954&bid=923
This is a new youtube clip (from Florida) where Todd Bentley talks about this angel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-nwMfOKgXo
Of course Charisma Magazine has reported on this “move of God” and you can read Lee Grady’s column here. Grady believes this “revival” is “of God”….which doesn’t surprise me at all. Charisma has a LONG history of endorsing these types of “ministries” only to wind up with egg on their face…as I believe will be the case with Bentley and his “Lakeland Outpouring”.
This “revival” has it all folks….holy laughter, people being slain in the Spirit, mass healings and hour long worship music highlight this “revival”. A buffet of signs and wonders all thanks to Todd Bentley. Here’s a 10 second clip of people “drunk in the Spirit”.
Now, isn’t one of the Fruits of the Spirit self control? Laughing uncontrollable, dancing in the aisles and acting “drunk in the Spirit” hardly demonstrates self control….which makes me question what “spirit” is actually in control of this “revival”.
There are just too many red flags here for me to believe that this “outpouring” or whatever they’re calling it is Holy Spirit inspired. In all of the videos and articles I’ve read I have yet to hear the word “repent” or anything even remotely close to anything biblical.
Matthew 7:15
Any thoughts?
Filed under: Todd Bentley
Hi Max,
I agree with you completely….this Bentley certainly does some unbiblical things…..
I had a guy nattering on and on about 1,000,000 decisions for Christ….and medically confirmed healings…..as well as folks being resurected from the dead…..I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Those like Todd Bentley are satan’s bellwethers today: false teachers and prophets leading many astray.
Since this ‘revival’ broke out i’ve been reading his teachings and watching him pervert the word of God..its frightening.
What has amazed me even more are the multitudes who are defending him, believing his false words over the word of God. On my blog i’ve post scripture after scripture in response to comments left by those who defend him—its like they do not care what the scriptures say about the things this guy teaches…
A couple of comment-ers even got angry because i posted scripture.
God bless..
pj
PJ,
The silly sheeple don’t believe in the Scriptures because they aren’t taught the Scriptures….except Joel 2 and Acts 2…which BTW they misinterpret badly. Plenty of eisegesis and ZERO exegeses.
Phil
I have been reading alot of the criticism of Todd Bentley. The thought that keeps coming to mind is while you might not agree with the messenger on some levels (or any) the fact remains that people are getting healed and saved and it’s breaking out in places who don’t even know who Todd Bentley is.
A group of men from our church went to the Lakeland meetings last week to see what God was doing. They all said they didn’t need any physical healing, but God did something for them on the inside, on a deeper level than what they were expecting. They also said they couldn’t get over the large number of children who were healed. Children are completely innocent in the things of God and I don’t think they would just come up and say something happened if it really didn’t.
But my final comment is this: I got healed in my living room this past Saturday while watching the Lakeland broadcast. No one prayed for me, no one laid their hands on me. Todd was praying against the spirit of chronic pain and I touched my TV and fell to the floor where I remained for 45 minutes or longer. I had fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, Hoshimoto’s disease, gluten allergy, hypothyroidism, anxiety, digenerative disk disease, arthritis of the spine, bursitis in my hip, and terrible headaches. I had been so sick and on heavy duty pain meds. After being out on the floor and having my 10 year old daughter pray for me some more, I got up with no pain for the first time in over 10 years! I then went outside and did something my 10 year old had never seen me do, run! That was last Saturday, May 3rd. I have not had to take any of my medications since. I had an MRI just right before this healing that showed I had a disk and bone protruding and it was the source of a huge amount of my pain, but that pain is gone. I can’t tell you how many times up to this point I have been prayed for to be healed. But this time, God just came and did it.
So while some of you might not agree with Todd Bentley personally, or feel he is not of God; and please understand that I am not trying to defend him, the fact remains that GOD did something in me because I have no pain for the first time in over 10 years. God came and healed me.
Amy Frentheway
amyrose31@juno.com
“So while some of you might not agree with Todd Bentley personally, or feel he is not of God; and please understand that I am not trying to defend him, the fact remains that GOD did something in me because I have no pain for the first time in over 10 years. God came and healed me. ”
Are you sure it was God who healed you?
2Cr 11:13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness
I try to discern Todd Bentley’s message, but get caught up in the unspiritual aspects of his ministry. I try, and try, and try to lift him up as a saint…but get brought back down by his erroneous ways. Not to diss him…but just question him. I fear for those who unwittingly follow him. Lord, give me discernment!
Someone mentioned that there was no call to repentance at these meetings…Incorrect. I went last night and there was definitely a call for repentance. Why do so many of you using the word “for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light….” How about recalling that they accused Jesus of driving out demons by Satan also. Why are you so quick to judge others when you are, most likely, not helping to set anyone free. You sound like a bunch of pharisees straining at knats and forgetting the weightier matters of the law. So are you telling me that Satan is raising people from the dead so they can say that Jesus did it and then so that they can look like a bunch of dopes? Know what? Many of you had better take the beams out of your own eyes instead of so trying to pick apart others. What’s the deal? Does your Jesus not like to heal people? Is your Jesus so proper? Was John the Baptist not a weirdo? Didn’t they acuse Jesus of being a lunatic. Remember all…God uses the foolish things to confound the wise…Now, I say to all you wise folks out there…Wise up and fear God for the Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. When you profess yourselves to be wise you become fools. Watch the judging thing or you will be judged as well. Remember Jesus wrote in the dirt and He knows your heart which may actually be “deceitful above all things” Get on your face and humble your self before Him and ask Him to show you your own failures and sins before knocking and accusing others who YOU THINK are charletans…Maybe you are just like one of the pharisees in Jesus’s time who killed the prophets because they didn’t do it properly according to the traditions of men.
I’d like to comment on the comment “the unspiritual aspects of his ministry” What exactly does that mean? Are we sure we are the one who decides what is really spiritual and what is not? Hmmm….Let’s just keep God in the box we have decided he needs to be in. The Apostle Paul must’ve been quite a mess then and he must’ve been lying to us when he talked about being caught up into heaven. And how come God told Hosea to marry Gomer when it was not appropriate according to the religious folk to do such a dastardly thing? It must’ve been a naughty thing for those coming out of the upper room on the day of pentacost to act like a bunch of drunks. Do you really think, really, think that was the only time it happened since it is the only time it is recorded in the Bible? These kind of incidents probably happened much more, but only certain ones were recorded. God doesn’t fit into our boxes. He keeps pointing this out to me over and over over the last 30 years that I have been gettting more intimately acquainted with Him and His ways. There are so many places in the Bible that don’t line up with the way we think God should do things. I think this revival is another one of those areas. This is 2008 and I struggle with it too at times, but I refuse to “throw the baby out with the bath water” I want to know Jesus in a deeper way and if persecution comes along with it and if people think I’m a nut…so be it. I’d rather be crucified with Christ and live than to be trying to perfect myself in the flesh and miss out on the Glory of God in this present day.
Evelyn,
I think you will find some of the same emotional outburst at a rock concert or even an Obama speech (people swooning and pasting out from excitement)that you see at these meetings. Are those moves of God? What more do you want from God than forgiveness and eternal salvation? The next time you go to a meeting, find someone who is a paralytic in a wheel chair and take them forward. Why are all the healings of an interior nature (can’t prove)? I believe God can heal, however he doesn’t do it with a collection plate in his hand. This guy is just like Hinn. Also remember it was the pharisees who were constantly asking Jesus to show them a sign!
Folks,
What I am reading is most disheartening. Why do we as Christians, spend so much time picking holes in each others coats? I think Evelyn may have it right when she cites biblical examples in her comments.
As concerns Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, and so on,
it would behoove us to check out the “fruit” being produced, “for by their fruit will you know them”. In the gospel of John, ch 14: 12-14 we read: ” The things that I do will you also do, and even greater works than these will you do, because I go to the Father. If you ask
me anything in My name, I will do it!”
What did Jesus do? heal the sick, raise the dead, drive out demons, preach the gospel, heal the lame, heal the deaf, etc.
What is happening in Florida? the deaf hear, the lame walk, the sick are healed, demons are driven out,
the gospel of the kingdom is preached together with repentance. Pray, what is wrong with this? Nothing!
Perhaps the questions that a lot of us “Christians” should be asking are, “What am I doing to further the Kingdom of God? Am I seeing the deaf hear, the lame walk, the sick healed?”
If we’re not, why not ? Instead of picking apart ministries that ” aren’t doing it according to biblical standards”, perhaps we should concentrate on what the Lord has called us to do and to walk in. God is Sovereign and ” He does what He wants.” Who are we
that we put God in a box? We are seeing a Sovereign move of God that does not fit into our preconceived notions of how the Florida Outpouring should go.
As concerns the money issue, let me close by giving
a quote that goes something like this: ” The Gospel is free, but somebody’s got to put in the plumbing”. In other words, ministry expenses to get to the various places and living all cost money. The early church shared their resources around as each had need. Today, we give to many reputable and godly ministries to spread the gospel so that ” by all means I might reach some.”
Better yet…Why don’t YOU take a paralytic to the Lakeland Revival and see what happens???? :o)
As a nurse for 35 years I have seen many bonafide miracles…healings on death beds, people with casts and broken limbs having their casts removed and walking with out crutches, infections miraculously healed, etc… and twice, in the name of Jesus, I called 2 people back from the dead. Once in the Emergency Room after a doctor killed the person right in front of me by messing up a procedure and the person arrested and flat lined and another time on the street..I hope to do it more often in the future too as the Lord leads. I’ve been with many, many people dying, but only was led to use the name of Jesus twice to call them back..
Hey Bentley defenders you can join him in his work on his website in the following way.
Harvester Partner-$30/month
Kingdom Builder-$80/month
Global Fire Partner-$500/month
Pointing out that someone is stealing money in Jesus name does not put God in a box. I suppose the apostle Paul just wasn’t smart enough to get some partners and hire some musician and rent the Roman coliseum.
For the love of money is a root of ALL kinds of evil-1Tim.5:10
Paul said, “When I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ WITHOUT CHARGE SO THAT I WILL NOT ABUSE MY AUTHORITY IN THE GOSPEL”- 1 Corinthians 9:18. Would you now say that Bentley is ABUSING the gospel? The gospel that he rarely preaches?
Dave,
I would say that he is…..there are quite a few people cashing in off of this “revival”……namely GOD TV and Charisma Magazine….
Yep…abusing the Gospel that he rarely preaches is dead on Dave.
Evelyn,
Todd Bentley talks a lot about repentence….but what exactly are we to repent of? Sin? He never talks about this…..
Hmmmm….in my Bible it’s sin. What else could it be?
Evelyn,
It’s in my Bible as well….and probably Bentley’s too….but you’d never know it because he never talks about sin…
Here’s a challenge for you….have a pad and pen next to you as you watch this “revival” and write down how many times he mentions Jesus, Sin, Angels, Hot Coals and then tell us what he mentions more of…ok?
Hi All,
It appears that Mr. Bentley has removed any reference to his visiting heaven and meeting the Apostle Paul. If any of you would like to see the original “Heavens Reality” teaching that was up prior to the “Florida Outpouring” please contact me through this site.
Phil
It took me all of about 20 or 30 seconds of watching Todd Bentley and the Florida Revival to conclude this was not of God.
Terry you are sharp and fast lol to what you said I agree with ya. It sure isn’t rocket science is it?
Look it’s a simple as this, read the word, believe the word, preach the word and people will get saved.
The notion that we have to come up with new ways to draw people into the church is a lie.
First of all we do not do the drawing, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job.
And He’s done a great job of it for several thousand years.
Second someone please show me where in scripture, barking or howling like an animal is evidence of a manifestation of God’s presence.
Granted Nebuchadnezzar did it, but that wasn’t a blessing!!!
I’m not being smug when I ask these things, I’m just being like the Bereans.
Thank God for the heresy hunters,the few who are not fooled by this apostasy!