By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
The most scary thing that comes out of Todd Bentley’s Dec. 18th, 2009 service, however, is that Jessa Bentley, Todd’s new wife who is evidently learning quickly, apparently has the ability to call dead people into her dreams?
A big hat-tip to blogger P.J. Miller, who spotted this first and might even be more flummoxed than I am at the Bentleys’ effrontery.
At 101:37 of the Dec. 18th service, as saved on Todd Bentley’s website, Jessa Bentley comes up to share for a moment. It would seem that she might have a prophetic gifting, as Jessa emphasized in her remarks that ”Lakeland was just an introduction” of what God is hoping to do. (Cue ominious music again.)
Jessa began by saying:
“So, a couple of nights ago I had a dream where Oral Roberts was speaking to Todd–I didn’t understand what they were saying but I remember they were talking and then he stopped and he looked over to me and he ran over to me and he [Oral Roberts] stopped and he put his hands over my eyes and he said what do you see? And so I looked and I didn’t see anything at first then I saw this elephant racing across my eye and Oral Roberts, he said, he put his hand over my eyes and said what do you see and…I said I didn’t see anything at first and then all of a sudden I saw this elephant racing across my eyes and it was dancing, it was going crazy, it was just, it had this big smile, but it was just going crazy and I said, “It’s a wild elephant, I see a wild elephant.And then I said ‘What’s with the elephant and he said, “Exactly, what is it with the elephant?” And I looked again and in that vision what was highlighted was the trunk of the elephant and I said “The elephant nose (knows) and he said “yes” And I said it’s discernment and he said “exactly.” And then he says,” Do you see the lion?” and I closed my eyes again and then I saw the lion and the lion was just a golden lion and I woke up.And when I woke up…”
She continues to interpret her dream. At the 104 minute mark, she starts to emulate the prophetess Stacey Campbell, with stammering and wil shaking of her head. “Lakeland was just an introduction. Just a table of contents for what is to come.”
“It’s gonna be wild, wild, it’s gonna be much greater than it was before. Much greater…”
Todd takes the mike. “You know, when God spoke to her in that dream,” he said. “That was the night that Oral Roberts passed (away). And Jessa said to God ‘So many of our friends got to go out to California in the last few months [to be prayed for by Roberts]….’”
(Bentley parenthetically explains that Roberts was praying for people to receive his healing gifts and re-enact the healing revival of the 1950s. As I noted in an earlier post, however, while Roberts never renounced his healing ministry, he came to see it as well-intentioned and perhaps flawed. Healing came to be part of all the work he chose to do–not an emphasis–as shown by Oral Roberts University trying to have a medical school as part of their work. A more nuanced description, however, would interfere with Bentley psyching up his audience.)
So, Bentley continues, his wife was mentioning to God that she and Todd hadn’t had an opportunity to be prayed for by Roberts. “And Jessa said, ‘Lord you called my husband, you called Todd to be a healing evaglist, a revivalist. How come we never got to go out to California to receive this impartation?’ And I didn’t know that she was crying out ‘Lord I really want this and now he’s gone [died] And she had a dream. And Oral Roberts showed up in the dream and laid hands on her. And what she didn’t tell you is that she felt it go through her body and she got it!”
So what Todd is explaining is that his wife received an “it” in a dream from someone who she thought was Oral Roberts who had just died!
This is necromancy. The Bible tells believers not to seek to contact the dead. The only time that the Bible reports someone being forcibly brought back from the dead–the prophet Samuel and the Witch of Endor, horrible things happened as a result.
Why is Jessa comfortable recieving a blessing froma dead man when the Bible says not to seek one?
Why is Todd Bentley passing the pulpit over to someone who seems to have no problem with an experience that the Bible forbids?
This might be an explanation why Shonnah was kicked to the curb. Perhaps Bentley’s first wife was uncomfortable doing shady things in the pulpit. Can we wonder if wife number two, aside from being younger and prettier, will wade in with whatever is needed, even extatic prophect or seeing the dead–to put her husband over the top?
The new age is very popular amongst the young? Do we want young Chsritians or new converts to be influenced to dabble with seeking contact from the dead, because Jessa Bentley had this dream?
Was any of this compared to what the Bible teaches? Bentley has, reportedly, spent months in the Bible. You kave to know that he knows the Bible verses warning against this…but he continues blithely on, not even saying “I know that the Bible cautions against this, but…” while the lambs nibble the poisonous plants.
Even if Jessa is wise (and I certainly doubt she is) is tempting others to seek after an iffy experience wise.
And where is Rick Joyner, the wise mentoring hand in all this?
I mean, I would love to see my friends and heroes from heaven. But I think of them! On the night that Oral Roberts is finally with his wife, dead son, and Jesus, why call him down from heaven to talk to Todd Bentley and pray for Jessa Bentley? It would be a mean thing to do to Oral, wouldn’t it? (*Imagine Oral visiting with his wife in heaven. His pager goes off. Oral: “Jessa Bentley wants me to pray for her again?” 
)
)I think that Patricia King, Todd Bentley’s old friend, might have a very interesting point of view on all this. A few years ago, she released a teaching on CD, the “Great Cloud of Witnesses”–if memory serves. (It’s at home and not at hand as I write.)
On the CD, King talks briefly in passing, about the time that she believes that she met the spirit of Aimee Semple McPherson on a plane.
In subsequent months, there was a bit of a controversy, as concerned Christians were worried that King was dabbling in necromancy. On reflection, she then wrote on her webiste that whatever she might have seen, it was unwise for her–as it was a stumbling block to others–to have shared this. So, she pulled the CD and you can no longer get it from her store or download the teaching from her website.
I wonder what Patricia King would say to her old friend and his new wife about this.
I don’t want to know what Aimee or Oral for that matter would say, in a dream or otherwise, thanks. Neither should the Bentleys, for that matter.
Published 1 month, 3 weeks ago 63 comments63 Responses to “A little necromancy for Mr. and Mrs. Bentley”
- 1 Pingback on Jan 13th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
- 2 Pingback on Jan 15th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
- 3 Pingback on Jan 18th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
- 4 Pingback on Jan 30th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Leave a Reply
Search
Subscribe 
You are currently browsing the Bene Diction Blogs On weblog archives.
Related Entries
- Todd Bentley plays Can You Top This?
- Todd Friel, on the dead elephant in the middle of the Bentley living room
- Police called to arrest Todd Bentley critics?!? (Part 2)
- Seeing through a glass darkly. Of Fosters?
- Video of Bentley protesters - February 5/10
- Todd Bentley, man of compassion and order?
- The evangelist's new clothes
- Todd Bentley is back
- Todd Bentley speaks through Steven Strader
- I was about to become a king at Lakeland, says Todd Bentley
For blog design, Wordpress themes or blog help, see cre8d design.
Um… Having a dream is not techmically necromancy.
Its technically having a dream with someone who is dead/dying in it.
For it to be necromancy, magic would be performed to inquire of the dead or to use the dead for her purposes.
But it sounds like she is claiming to have cried out to God and that God gave her a dream where she suppsoedly received Oral’s healing ability.
Not the same thing as purposefully consulting the dead (ie. As the witch did).
Jessa didn’t really distinguish between dream/vision, she sees the terms as interchangeable.
Richard Roberts wouldn’t be impressed, while he hasn’t had any dreams or visions he believes his father gave him a ‘double portion’ of his anointing.
Bentley went on awhile back about getting Branham’s mantle, and now has his wife going on about her dream/visions where Oral Roberts talks to her.
I’ve dreamed about people who have died, they are dreams and distinguishable between reality. I don’t believe there was a message in them.
Is she referring to a familiar spirit?
Would anyone at Morningstar blink if she did?
Necromancy is a form of magic in which the practitioner seeks to summon “operative spirits” or “spirits of divination”, for multiple reasons, from spiritual protection to wisdom.
Jessa is spouting magical thinking.
The Bentley’s are clear about what they believe is the most important thing for the church is, and use Oral Roberts to set it up for them.
I think it’s a scam, and skirting very close to the real thing and the intent is to garner support and favour.
Given Bentley’s track record with his angel Emma and other facinations, nothing would surprise me.
I would define willing taking an “it” from a dead person in prayer in a dream–and Todd says that it really happened–as dabbling in necromancy.
What about what Patricia King did with meeting the spirit of Aimee Semple McPherson on a plane? Why would she pull the CD in which she discusses it if it can be defined as fine in line with what the Bible teaches?
From the online Oxford Dictionary:
“necromancy
/nekromansi/
• noun 1 prediction of the future by allegedly communicating with the dead. 2 witchcraft or black magic.
— DERIVATIVES necromancer noun necromantic adjective.
— ORIGIN from Greek nekros ‘corpse’.”
Jessa was communicating with “Oral Roberts” and Todd sought to argue that it was *the* Oral, so I would suggest that “necromancy might be fine here…
Embracing and promoting all this instead of running in the other direction may be a problem as well…
Fine lines and grey areas are sometimes hard to nail down – it’s very disturbing that this pair are taking it as fact that the deceased Oral Roberts appeared to Jessa in a dream and laid hands on her, and that she believes she actually experienced a spiritual download of some kind. In my opinion, it’s not necromancy strictly speaking if they didn’t actively seek this communication with the deceased (or did they?), but it’s small comfort and doesn’t make this any less disturbing to my way of thinking. They are acting more spooky to me than any ghost – I’d rather meet up with a dead man’s ghost in a dark alley than Todd any day (shudder). I’m just wondering how long before these two are put in strait jackets and carted away to a padded room for a nice long rest. Anything and everything they see, hear or experience they take as a sign of approval for their “ministry”, which is very peculiar considering the Bible is about 80% correction and only 20% encouragement. These two are spiritual kindergarten kids who still believe in fairy tales, and that God is their Santa Claus.
How can we find truth in this often phony, temporary world? I would venture to say, that those who share a friendship with Mr. & Mrs. Bently are involved with their familiarities and personalities. If I’m correct, then they share the interest, dislikes, passions and pursuits of the famed Lakeland couple. So, all involved are making choices to persue their ministry with them.
However, unlike David and Jonathan, the focus is not about trust, confidence and a true relationship. It’s more about the Bently’s packaging. I don’t think I’m far from the mark.
Pray for the young people and children around this ministry. You can’t go wrong with a sincere prayer to God.
Did any of you watch the documentary on Bellevue Hospital?
Some of the patients there are far more sane than Mr. & Mrs. Bentley. God-complex, delusions of grandeur, greed beyond measure – anything for attention and money.
If they were allowed to ‘perform’ on the street or elsewhere they would be Form 1′d quicky. (That the Canadian way of commiitting an individual who is a danger to themselves or others).
The Bentley’s are a serious danger to others. The way she shakes her head could cause serious brain damage if it hasn’t already.
Thank you for transcribing this. Like PJ I couldn’t figure out how to get the video to the 100 mark, so thanks also for the tip on her blog about loading the video.
You are linked to my newest installment of “The Shrewshape E-Mails”, my update on CS Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters”, the point of view from the demons writing back and forth is directed towards the debacle in charismania, at this point.
“It’s more about the Bently’s packaging. I don’t think I’m far from the mark.” I agree, and most of Churchianity is about marketing a product, and that is the point of view of my demons, posting their e-mails on my site.
You might like it. I hope you laugh, but end with a broken heart.
Food for thought:
The mantle that Elijah passed to Elisha was an official garment of the prophet Elijah. This garment marked Elijah as a prophet. The throwing of the garment over Elisha was a symbolic act, which was a summons to the office of a prophet. (1 kings 19:19)
Every believer has a gift now, some service we can offer to the church. All believers have spiritial gifts. But I must add we should not always see them as supernatural. I don’t see God throwing mantles out there. I see this because Jesus fullfilled all the scripture. (1 Peter 2:5,9 and 1 Peter 4:10)
I think you’re right on Susan – the prophets before Christ did not have the ministry of the Holy Spirit the same way we have him today. Jesus said after His crucifixion that he had to go away in order for the Comforter to come. It’s not just a matter anymore of a select few having the Spirit ON them, it’s a matter of ALL who follow Christ also having the Spirit IN them. I believe it’s the New Testament that instructs and informs us concerning the spiritual gifts under the New Covenant. But ministries like this one are as bored with the simple word of God as the lost are (because of having no revelation) and are always needing some childish fantasy for their play-acting to keep things in a state of emotional excitement, for themselves and their audience. In other words, they want to keep their flesh entertained, they are sowing to please their sinful nature (flesh).
They are bringing Ms Bentley into the picture just as they did ‘Bonny Jones’ and other wives of team members, makes it seem more acceptable that way don’t you think and ‘family’, so to have her enter with the very credentials ie: a dream/vision and ‘heaven forbid’ signs and wonders that are morning stars and the likes requirement for recruitment is to ”one of us’ her’.
If she was talking to Oral Roberts then she was in touch with his spirit and thats psychic she was a medium ;ie between the spirit world and this one. If I remember correctly then the war was with the spirit not the flesh when David was in battle.
If you put the name Jesus or God to something then in ‘their eyes’ it validates just about anything they care to bring us only when you witness something that is over and above and beyond the human capacity to ‘want to believe’, have to believe’ should believe’, need to believe can you truly begin maybe to believe AND from then on in you walk with CAN I BELIEVE.
I am suprised that America is still sane the amount of ‘prophetic voices they seem to hear’. (I could make a reference to Bob Jones but I won’t! dignity stops me).
LORD HAVE A GOOD DAY IT SEEMS LIKE YOU NEED ONE.
Jesus sometimes has to fight his way in to be heard through the voices of those who love to be heard and those that protect them.
Hi every one ,
I just had a thought , Jesus said God is not the God of the dead but of the living ,(Isaac Jacob etc.) plus wasn’t this just a dream…
I saw King David lay hands on me in a dream and I felt faith to fight a giant “in the dream” , when I woke up I knew it was just a dream , I dont think its a sin to have a dream and to watch or have a conversation. I had no controll in my dream to say I cannot talk to you , it just happened. then I woke up…
Now that would be different if like Saul going to a witch to call up Samuel or even Oral roberts , that would be a sin. but a dream , cmon.
Lets not get carried away here , keep it real. maybe Moses and Elijah appearing would be harder to believe , but it happened to Jesus on the mount of transfiguration (wasn’t even a dream) , that would probably be alot harder to handle for me any way than an everyday dream of elephants LOL..
Will of God – I don’t think the commenters here are getting carried away, I think it’s Todd and Jessa who are getting carried away, by attaching so much significance to this dream and bragging publicly about being visited and anointed by a deceased man, Oral Roberts. Is this ministry in keeping with BIBLICAL Christian orthodoxy? Todd seems to see nothing wrong with consulting the dead in this instance!
Therese:
forgive me , I just wrote off the top of my head ,
I’m sorry I didn’t take this more serious,
I’ll pray about it , bragging in public isn’t cool.
WOG – “Bragging” is just my way of saying “publicizing”, i don’t know if they mean to boast or not and for me that’s besides the point anyhow – for me the point is that people who purport to be Christian ministers apparently see nothing wrong with being visited by the spirit of a dead man (as they consider it), to the point where they see it as something to be talked about publicly, even celebrated, as ministers. I don’t think anyone needs to apologize for having a difference of opinion, by the way!
I find it difficult to see credibility in anything the Bentley’s say or do. The fact that this whole “restoration” process was done in such a questionable manner. It you think about, it appears they went through a very easy process to get back on the platform.
For example, the Bible states that we will be tested, and tried, like silver and gold. That means all the inperfections will be removed. Well, as for me I can’t see the issue of adultry resolved. It’s like it slowly became a non issue.
I’m just not eager to follow the walk and talk they are putting out there through Morningstar. There is just too many unanswered questions out there with this couple and what took place at Lakeland. As time goes on, little by little the truth will come out. We may never know it all, but one thing for sure with me is, this just does not feel quite right.
Therese,
Fair enough , I guess I was just apologizing for the sake of irreverence to other opinions. Some see this as very serious.
And I made a joke out of the elephant thing.
I guess motives are the root issue here .
when Jessa had that dream , maybe she really thought it was from God , so she shared it to encourage christians to have more discernment , or maybe the flipside. only God knows her heart.
I’m giong to watch the video to get a better understanding ,
but I do have 1 question , was it really necromancy when I talked to David in my dream?
Because I did tell my pastor and a few friends , I thought it was really cool to talk to someone from the bible, plus I really dont think it was the literal king David or a literal giant ,
I fought 3 differen giants in 3 different dreams 1 was goliath, and the 2 others , their name never was revealed . goliath is dead. but I fought him in a dream , so I dont believe it was the real goliath or David. It was just a dream.
so in my case is it necromancy?
Act 2:17, Joel 2:28
I see specific dreams as normal for the christian. We don’t have all the answers, but the dreams are for those who God chooses to give them.
Will of God, your dream was beautiful. Take care of that special dream, and know that Jesus is near you. Your dream shows that we all can have Jesus’ spirit. (The Holy Spirit)
WOG, I don’t know much about the occult and don’t have any particular revelation in this area – I don’t know the details of your dream, and I don’t know you either – but maybe a couple of things to keep in mind that might be helpful if you want to figure it out:
The Lord speaks to us in parables (says so in scripture) – dreams from the Lord are often parables, so people and things in our dreams are often symbolic.
Some dreams, even “spiritual” ones can be the products of over-stimulated imaginations, which certain church circles tend to wrongly encourage. But God’s word says that our imaginations are “vain”, ie, fleshly, so even our imaginations need to be sanctified and brought into submission to God’s word and the Spirit of Christ.
I don’t think you really believe you were talking to the spirit of the dead King David. If you did, that’s where the problem would lie, in a belief that is contrary to the word of God, is my humble ill-informed opinion off the top of my head about that subject.
Well ,
I just watched the dream and interpretation twice in a row , Honestly Before God I say these things:
1)Was the dream from God (unknown)
2)was the message from God (maybe)
I could not discern when she was shaking her head if this was of God , Flesh , or the devil , many people have their opinions of it , but its too dangerous to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and say, its the devil, (If we dont really know from God personally.) Then if when we meet the Judge of heaven and earth, and we find out it was God. Then ETERNAL CONDEMNATION would smite us. (not worth voicing an opinion) in my opinion.
The first time I saw it , I felt the peace of God , but got a little scared when she shook her head really fast,
The second time I watched it I laughed , because it just looked a little strange to me.
Jesus scared His deciples when he was walking on the water , they even said it was a spirit. Hmmmm… It was Jesus.
The fact that I could not discern it tells me that the message was Important , I may not understand the delivery , But the message Was very important ,
Isn’t that the whole purpose of this blog , Discernment between the false and the true?
when the deciples got scared in the boat it wasn’t true discernment , Discernment built around fear will always have distortion , when Angels apeared in the bible they commomly said fear not , probably because the people were scared.
If Jessa cooked a cake on top of poop that came from a man in the conference in front of all the pastors and said This is a Revelation
from God ,
for me WOAH WOMAN , NO WAY!
but in Ezekiel 4:12 it was the will of God.
Or Todd showed up naked for the next 3 years and said this is the will of God , NOOOOO , But Isaiah 20 It was the will of God and Isaiah did do it. (who wants to be a prophet?)
Discernment , yeah we need it. But my fears are not my discernment , the voice of Jesus is.
“My sheep know my voice.” Come to think of it, when it’s the Lord speaking to one of us, don’t we just know it in our spirit/heart? We don’t have to rack our brains trying to decide if it’s Him or not. I’ve found that those things I’ve had to wonder about in terms of it’s it from God or not, just fall to the wayside anyhow, but a word from the Lord, whether in a dream or otherwise, has a way of sticking around, it has a direct and real impact by itself, without any help from my knowledge of whether it’s from Him or not.
Jesus certainly was never seeking publicity, He was always telling the people He had healed to not tell anyone, until it got to the point where the limelight was unavoidable. That’s the only kind of ministry I consider to be genuine now, not those that like to advertise as though they think they are the only ones God speaks to or “anoints”.
(quotation marks because I question the biblical validity of their use of that term)
To question signs attributed to spirits will NOT endanger us to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. It was (and still is) God’s command to test the spirits for two reasons: 1. He knows that there are counterfeits and He does not want us to be fooled. 2. When the TRUE works of the Holy Spirit are proven by the testing, He is glorified.
This situation with Jessa, her dream and this head-shaking/hissing manifestation is absolutely NOTHING compared to what Jesus was doing when he was driving out demonic spirits from people. In that situation there was absolutely no question about what the people including the Pharisees were witnessing. They consciously chose to accuse the work of the Holy Spirit as being from the devil. In my opinion, these statements of blaspheming the Holy Spirit are wrongly brought up in this day and age in an attempt to quell the testing of the spirits that God commands.
The situations in Isaiah 20 and Ezekiel 4 had specific purposes. These strange activities were not performed just as gimmicks looking for attention. Both of these prophecies made specific testable predictions that were confirmed. Before uttering these prophecies, Isaiah and Ezekiel had demonstrated time and again that God was really speaking through them by confirmation of past prophecies. I believe that if there was a publication of a prophesy through a prophet with a track record similar to Isaiah or Ezekiel, it would be worth listening to, however strange. The Bentley’s certainly do not have such a track record.
False prophets generally try avoid predicting anything specific or testable. They speak in generalities when they can get away with it. Then they play the odds in that something usually happens that they can claim is tied to their prediction. Failing that, they hope that people will go on and forget about it. The Bentley’s will try to make this self-fulfilling with Todd trying to emulate some of Oral Robert’s characteristics.
When something goes awry and a prophesy is proven false, the modern prophets claim that there is a difference between the old and new testament prophets allowing such a thing to happen, and claiming that the requirements in Deuteronomy 18 are not applicable in modern times. However, God is the same now as He was then. He cannot get it wrong, and a prophet who claims to be speaking in the name of the Lord and fails is just as false now as they were then.
Many of us recognize Jessa’s head-shaking/hissing manifestation as identical to Stacey Campbell’s. I had seen a few of her prophesies uttered as she was manifesting. They turned out to be mostly generalities. Nothing that could be shown as false, but no impressive (unexpected) specific prediction that was confirmed either. However, during the “apostolic alignment” ceremony for Todd in 2008, Campbell uttered a prophesy that was transcribed and later proven to be false as the Lakeland event fell apart. Campbell recognized this and tried to excuse herself with a published “apology”. She tried to claim that her prophesy was “conditional”. However, if that were true, and she really was under the influence of the Holy Spirit when prophesying, the conditions would have been clearly spelled out at the time the prophesy was delivered. Furthermore, ALL of the prophesies that were delivered at this event FAILED to identify Bentley’s underlying personal issues (alcohol abuse and marital infidelity) that he was hiding. A true prophet would have delivered Bentley the rebuke that he needed at the time.
Evaluation by our personal emotional feelings? I knew people who claimed to have been gifted with this ability. Among the gifts was a claim of spiritual discernment. Their failure to discern the Lakeland event demonstrated the validity of their “gifts”. Our emotions are too polluted by our sinful flesh. It is far better to test things through the truth of the written Word in the Bible. The voice of God is clearly in there.
Necromancy? I would not go the distance to call this necromancy. It looks more like “opportunism” to take advantage of people’s attention on Oral Robert’s death.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? I have absolutely no fear of that. I think that it is more insulting to the Holy Spirit when we shirk our God given responsibility to test the spirits and by our lack of discernment, allow the false spirits to flourish.
1 John 4:1-8 (King James Version)
1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
God who is love is connected to discernment in full context of 1 John 4, Jesus did come born in flesh years ago on earth, He also has come in my flesh (VS 4) when I asked him into my heart.
My only opinion is true discernment comes through Love. (God).
Because discerning of spirits is a spiritual gift , and God is Spirit.
The discernment comes from Him in us. So the closer we are to Him, the closer our discernment will be accurate.
I’m taking a break to get closer to Him.
What if there was a comma after verse 6 ,
There is actually no comma’s in the original text . (Just a thought)
OK ,
I know it was a stretch the comma and period thing,
But I do listen to a free audio bible podcast. And you don’t always hear the comma and period stuff. I repent. I think??
Jesus still is our discernment , but stretching the bible to fit what I believe is wrong . I dont read the bible to fit what I believe , I read the bible so i’m fit to believe.
Heres the free bible link any way if you want a free good quality mp3 bible. Every week he reads a new translation.
feeds2.feedburner.com/dailyaudiobible
and (proverbs)
feeds2.feedburner.com/dailyaudioproverb
this is a repost the first one dissapeared????
I fully agree with your statement.
However, I have to point out that an extremely vital component to achieving closeness with God, that is often missed, is the honouring, reverence and application of the truth of His written Word in all things including discernment. Those who are not diligent in this do not have a complete love for Him.
You’ve stated that you’ve gone over the Bible 30 times. That’s very impressive. Is it enough? I don’t think that it’s ever enough. Please keep it up.
If the scriptures show us that a brother is in sin, then true love demands that we show him the truth and urge him towards repentance.
oops! forgive me for the stretch , “the comma and period deal”
my concience was bothering me. beause
I dont read the bible to fit what I believe,
I read the bible so i’m fit to believe.
…It might also be worth looking at what it means exactly to be closer to God since we are already “seated in heavenly places” and He is in us and we are in Him – hard to imagine being any closer than that! We need to “buy” the extra oil that gives illumination of the word (lamp) – which means there is a cost to us. The bible talks about how to have fellowship with Jesus – through suffering, ie, the disciple’s cross – the only prescription that exists and is given to us as a remedy for our fallen flesh nature which gets in the way of everything spiritual, including discernment, revelation of the word, ‘closeness’ to the Lord, etc. That’s why we are not to be surprised at the painful trials (1 Peter), all in a day’s work for a Christian.
On that cheerful note, hope your fingers get a good rest from typing, WOG!
Sean ,
well said brother , Its the Holy Spirit’s job to convict of sin and Reveal Jesus (the word), and he does do it through man , who knows maybe God will open the mouth of a donkey again , I’d like to hear that testimony.
PS:It doesn’t matter how many times i’ve been through the bible , I need Jesus (The Word) and His (Spirit) more now than I did then. Because only His Spirit reveal’s truth’s to my heart , It all goes back to the tree of Knowledge of good and evil, Or the tree of LIFE ,
Knowledge doesn’t require experience, but Life is Experience.
Try to have a marriage through knowledge without experience,
Should God be any Different (in a marriage context)? The true knowledge comes out of experience , how else could Moses write Genesis 1 and 2 , where did he get that information?
In 2 Corinthians 3:6 (King James Version) Paul says,
6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Wow ,
your right, thanks Therese
I just finished typing that He was in me in post 23,
Paul was right when he said “WE” have the mind of Christ ,
and we need to renew our mind daily in his word ,
People have told me that I’m Getting brain washed at church !
I need a good wash anyway, Thank God your all here.
You’re right too, W.o.G.! – we need more than just knowledge of His word, although it’s a good place to start, but we also need to be transformed by it.
Your point that people cannot have a healthy relationship with God based ONLY on the knowledge of His Word is absolutely right.
My point is that people cannot have a healthy relationship with Him WITHOUT a continued commitment to His Word either. I believe that this is a big problem with various ministries today.
BTW,
I think that if Balaam were given the opportunity to do it over again, I think he would appreciate the BLESSING that we have today of the availability of God’s written Word.
My prayer is that our disobediance does not get so bad as to force God to address us with a talking donkey again.
Amen, Sean! – not meaning at all to disagree with you, just that WoG’s point was well-taken in that we need both the Word and the Spirit – one without the other cannot lead us to Christ or transform our minds so that we grow to have the mind of Christ. We are only transformed as the word ‘enters’ us on the wings of the Spirit – it takes power, not just mental assent to change us from the inside.
I totally agree with you – God’s word is SUCH a blessing, without it we are lost. Jesus in scripture is equated with the Word, He’s the Living Word. Unfortunately in these days, we are seeing many ministries who are lost, they’ve lost the cross and they’ve lost the revealed word of God, and they’re making things up as they go along that seemeth right to them. To me that means they’re disconnected from the Head (Christ, the Living Word).
I believe the hour is very late and the Lord is giving many over to the strong delusion of 2 Thess. 2 and this is His way of spewing out the lukewarm apostate church. (mixture of hot and cold = mixture of flesh and spirit?) We’ve seen fleshly churches/ministries before, but as far as I know – and please correct me if I’m wrong – this is the first time we are seeing fleshly churches/ministries mixing things up with spiritual activity, such as this whole false prophetic movement which Todd Bentley is part of. “Fleshliness” is really just immaturity, a need for growth, but the counterfeit spiritual stuff is in reality occult – this is what the Lord hates so much – the mixing and defiling the faith and truth of Christ with the occult. He is coming very soon!
My statement above did leave a slightly wrong impression that both you and WoG caught, and I really appreciate that the both of you did point it out. It wasn’t intentional, but sometimes I say what I don’t really mean.
If I go astray again (and I will), feel free to correct me. It’s not important that I get MY point across. What’s important is that Jesus’ viewpoint is articulated.
No problem, I didn’t take anything amiss at all Sean, I was concerned I had left a wrong impression and sought to clarify! Happens easily on blogs when, unlike chatting in person, we can’t sort of qualify all our statements as we go along.
http:// feeds2.feedburner.com/dailyaudiobible
(type fasting is hard)
Therese,
I read your posts over and over again , especially about the honeymoon with God then the suffering , That is very impacting.
Because I recall most of the deepest encounters with Gods love came during a time of deep sorrow.
And I’ve been chewing on what it means to draw closer to God.
above is a link for a free audio bible , I put a space after http:// because for some reason the moderator ate it up 3X.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you ,
yes He is in us , but me and my wife also live in the same house , I guess I’m just looking for that close intimacy with God. His Word has been a launching pad for this in the past.
So I thought I’d share this link because it’s valuable to me.
Sean ,
I don’t think I misunderstood you . I just type too much sometimes . That was in my heart when I typed about the Word of God and His Spirit working together. Ephesians 1:16-21 is a good prayer , when your in His Word.
Thanks you, WoG and bless you…I know you want a break and I need one too, but if I can just add that I believe there is an aspect of the Holy Spirit that when we receive Christ and receive His Spirit, it’s only the deposit guaranteeing what is to come, the fullness we will only see Jesus when comes and is revealed in the believers.
When we first come to the Lord and heaven is pouring out on us, and it seems to last only for a while – maybe that’s because that was only the deposit – the firstfruits, a foretaste. If that’s the case, just think what the fullness will bring, once our flesh is crucified, burned away and when Jesus is revealed at His coming, which could be anytime now!
“He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor. 1:22)
“For while we are in this tent we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor. 5:4-5)
“Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14)
We need the Spirit, the Word and the cross – all three work together, and it’s to our loss if we neglect any one of them. Sadly most of the church today has laid aside the cross, which has resulted in a loss of revelation and understanding of the word, further resulting in the Holy Spirit pretty much having to leave. He is with us, we don’t have to always feel it, in fact, we often won’t in order that the cross can do it’s work – remember Jesus on His cross feeling forsaken by the Father.
God bless you!
Therese ,
“We need the Spirit, the Word and the cross – all three work together, and it’s to our loss if we neglect any one of them.”
Thats the first time I ever heard that! (nice), It illuminates-
Galatians 2:20 (King James Version)
20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Notice how it says the faith “OF” the son of God,
His faith Holds the universe together , and my Life.
Notice past the cross::
Colossians 3
1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
verse 2 , I’m off to church right now , with my affection set on HIM.
WAIT ,
It just hit me , during the passover on the old testament the blood was to be put on the door post (protection from death), this was a shadow of the cross ,
the blood on the cross is the doorway to life.
gotta go bye…..
please watch this 4 minute video , (I just googled you know who)
I watched the above dream video 2X. And here’s another clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekDJWlGxyGo
There is 2 sides to every coin!
I know I run the risk of losing my 2 new cyber friends, which I have come to love, And wait epectantly for every word you both type ,
I hope you both understand my piont of view , I’m not on any side but Jesus! and if your on His side , Were all on the same team imperfections and all.
I live for this, and desire to see it more in my own life.
To God be all the glory.
Before you leave a comment, my Cyber friends once wrote,
1)The Indian situation? Is she living in sin? As you pointed out, I’m not qualified to judge, but I do know through faith that God will work it out for her. “God will forgive the woman and meet her needs.”
2)I wish I had a testimony for you of coming all the way through, of my flesh being crucified once and for all, but I’m still struggling against those nails, every day my flesh rises up to complain and fight this cross I bear, often I wonder if I’ll ever “make it” – if I do it will only be by His strength and mercy – I can tell you with absolute assurance, there will be absolutely nothing I can point to in myself that helped me get “there”, that helped me overcome! “Myself” is the hindrance!
I believe you both ! God Will Work It Out , And Help Us Over Come.
Is God a respector of persons? what about the person in the video?
WoG – The fact that someone gives an altar call doesn’t mean much by itself – we have to look at their life and doctrine. The bible talks about people preaching the gospel from wrong motives, in Philippians I think. If all Todd did was to preach Jesus crucified and raised from the dead and gave altar calls – maybe we wouldn’t have to be warning about his ministry. Unfortunately that isn’t all he does.
There’s a big difference scripturally between how a preacher/teacher is dealt with in the church, and an ordinary pew-warmer. Todd the person is a very troubled guy from a very troubled background, and his issues are far from resolved – I feel very sorry for Todd the person and have prayed and wept for him. But Todd the preacher is another matter all together because he is feeding the sheep unclean food from his unclean hands – dangerously unhealthy for the sheep. That is the issue for me and many others. He is simply not “qualified” to be a minister, scripturally. Those people who genuinely receive Christ as a result of Todd’s altar calls, and then go on to follow his ministry are in big trouble spiritually speaking.
Did you notice his eyes in the video you linked, and in many other videos of him? They are opaque, like the eyes of some animals – I believe he is demonized up to his eyeballs, my friend. (I have heard testimony of this from people who have seen him in person as well, so we can’t blame it on the lighting or quality of video equipment, and we don’t see that with the eyes of other people in the videos.) Do you think the church should agree with and allow a demonized man to lay hands on people and preach his version of the bible to them?
I read his teaching on the “python spirit”, which was so defiling to my bridal ears/eyes that I couldn’t finish it – it was a teaching based on “knowing the deep things of satan” and it glorified the demonic realm. We don’t need to know all the gory details of satan’s kingdom – all we need to know is that we have authority to cast the demons out. How much detail did Jesus or the apostles get into about satanic workings? That’s all we need or should want to know.
When I see Todd “healing” people, I don’t see someone concerned with healing the sick, I see someone concerned with being seen to be healing the sick, if you know what I mean.
Please carefully look at each qualifier in the scriptures below and tell me you honestly think Todd meets the conditions for having a position of responsibility in the church:
“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect….He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. The must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.” (1 Tim. 3:2-10)
These scriptures are describing holiness, not an attribute I’m afraid we can ascribe here. Jesus was consumed with zeal for the purity of His Father’s house – driving out the money-lenders and rebuking the false spiritual leaders was a hallmark of His ministry. Shouldn’t we become like Him, shouldn’t we be consumed with zeal for our Father’s house?
Bentley was a serious drug user, an abused kid, an abuser, some of that zoning out and anger you see is classic.
He OD’d on hallucingens when his brain was still forming, who knows what kind of brain damage he has?
I wonder what an MRI would find.
He was getting loaded in Lakeland, alcohol may be his current drug of choice.
Who knows?
He has trouble reading and writing, but he’s street smart. He has a hyper-rich fantasy life which can be somewhat attributed to drugs and abuse.
Add in the toxic spiritual environment he has been part of since his teens and you have one very messed up guy.
Hello WoG,
Your comment certainly is not something that I will abandon a friendship over. I think that we’ve come a long way since we started our discussion. The feeling I had when we started was that you believed that we were monsters with blood dripping out of our mouths ripping into Mr. Bentley just because it was something we liked to do. Now, I think that you know that isn’t true.
I fully agree with you about that particular link you shared. I don’t see anything wrong with what went on their, and it does seem positive with people appearing to commit themselves to Jesus Christ.
In the spring of 2008, I was part of the board of directors of a small church. At that time, our pastor gave a sermon that encouraged us to take in the Lakeland revival. Then he e-mail us a link with which we could take in the broadcast.
In my position, I felt that I should check Bentley out. Maybe it was the Holy Spirit leading me, giving me a warning about this. I did a quick Google search and found some very disturbing warnings. Because of this, I sent a quick “reply to all” in response to our Pastor’s message warning people that they should avoid this ministry (Bentley’s). My response irritated some in our church and we had some long discussions about it.
Having disturbed these people, I felt responsible to do as thorough a check as possible. I looked at both sides of the issue. I took in some of the broadcasts, and some came across as very positive as this one. I also noted some extremely disturbing behavior there too. You would probably find some doozies if you look up some more Youtubes of him as well.
I really looked at both sides of the issue in what I thought was a balanced way and came to my conclusion about him. Most times I would disagree with someone publically contracting our Pastor the way I did, but in hind-sight, I’m very glad that I did. If people from our congregation had got involved, and they were swindled, or if they had medical conditions that were messed up with this “healing”, or worst of all, if their faith was damaged, I would have felt responsible. Several months later, our Pastor came to the realization that Bentley’s ministry was a false one and he publically apologized for endorsing it in the first place.
To balance the link you sent, I suggest that you go to this link:
http://thegreycoats.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/follow-up-responses-to-kundilini-warning/
If this posts correctly it is a pretty serious collection of testimonies demonstrating some of the damage that this ministry has caused, and will cause to others. Therefore, we feel that it really is God’s will for us to warn people to avoid this ministry.
In your situation (restoration), I can see the temptation to join something like this. It may produce some emotions that feel good in the short term. However, I really believe that this is not the way to truly grow closer to God and to be truly restored.
I do pray that your relationship with the Lord is restored fully and that He will richly bless your life and those around you.
Very good points you raise Bene – brain damage, possibly impaired judgment etc and that could explain a few things. It’s a very tragic situation, and I suspect really he is being exploited (more abuse) by the people around him, as well as the devil. And God knows all the details of Todd’s life and heart, the whys and wherefors, as He knows all of us…I’m sure we all hope and would like to think he will be heaven-bound one day. But a pulpit ministry?….Maybe some day in the future knowing the power and grace of God, but not now. People need to be woken up to the reality of this situation.
Hi ,
I thought this would raise up some dust,
I’ll start with Bene
I have the same past as Todd , I was sexually abused as a little child I was an alcoholic/pimp from 13 to 21 years , and a heavy drug user , cocaine, marijuanna, acid, mushrooms, pills.
until I found Jesus and He DELIVERED and HEALED me.
I’m simular to the forgiven prostitute at Jesus feet weeping.
I love much because I’ve been forgiven of much.
Sean,
my brother in Christ just emailed me the kundilini spirit warning message. Yes it is very serious, and Im glad you took a stand against the fear of man. And you were right to do that because many would have probably lost faith , because so many put their faith in a man and not God, and when they see the man fall , they fall with him. The reason I posted the video was to see a fuller picture. Although Todd had Issues and wasn’t perfect , God still used him to bring in a harvest of souls, If God can use someone in that condition (who’s life is falling apart), He can use us too if were faithful.
Therese
Yes there was much damage to the body of Christ over this ministry , and much repair aswell , many hearts were exposed ,
You minister to me in your writings, yet I still dont feel that I live fully up to these standards:
“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect….He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
but that doesn’t stop me from approaching the cross , and forgetting the things that are behind and looking to Jesus.
I’ve fallen short , sometimes I get a bad temper , hospitable?? I usually dont like people to overstay in my house, some times I can teach , I’d rather He teach through me though. I’ve had covetousness before , but I believe I’m free by faith,
PS:I’m still working on the wife and child obedience thing (smile).
Only God knows If I’m conceited , I hope I’m not. God knows.
But I will not nullify the power of the cross, I can sit under condemnation for my past, or I can walk by faith trusting God will work everything out in his perfect will.
http://www.veoh.com/users/jemimahmercy
watch the todd bentley 2 min video , If you dont laugh! I question your existance . Dont look at the ads their filthy , I stumbled across the video through google video with out ads, I dont know how to paste that one. cmon its funny.
Hello WoG,
I guess that you posted the youtube link because you may have felt that we only looked at the negative aspects of this ministry. I can tell that I looked at both sides.
The link you posted is like a piece of the puzzle. It certainly doesn’t show the whole picture. The link that I shared with you is another piece. When I looked at him, I gathered as many puzzle pieces as I could and tried to put them together although I’m sure that there are probably some missing pieces still. However, I think I assembled enough to get a good idea of what the picture looks like.
You’re right that God can use us even when we’re not following Him. A good example is how He used the sin of Joseph’s brothers who sold him as a slave for good.
I would say that Bentley does have a gift for evangelism as demonstrated by the video. However, it is undeniable that he has other issues that, according to Paul’s criteria in Timothy, show that he should not be in ministry until he goes through a true restoration.
In the case that you shared, my fear is that the people that were saved will pick up the false beliefs in the ministry and end up more messed up than they were before. My prayer for these people is that they get away from this ministry and link up with ones that are more grounded in truth before they lose the faith that they’ve gained. BTW, I’ve heard that of the souls “won” at evangelistic gatherings, approximately 75% end up falling away. Most people come to Jesus through the ministry of a friend or family member.
Regarding the criteria that Therese quoted from Timothy, they were written by Paul to give Timothy guidance on the qualities of men that God wants to be in ministry. These criteria are relevant to Bentley because he seeks to be considered in ministry. The fact that he falls short of some of these criteria shows further need for people to be warned away from his ministry.
I think that the important point about Bene’s comment is that Bentley’s substance abuse had returned while he was in ministry. This is another serious symptom showing that he should not have been in ministry.
However, our failure to meet these criteria do NOT prevent God from meeting us where we are. My favorite example is the thief that Jesus saved at the cross. No matter what our situation is, God still wants to be with us, to save us and restore us, although it does not necessarily mean that we would be leaders in the church immediately. To get to that point, it would be best to work towards Paul’s standard that he presented to Timothy. This issue will certainly not prevent you from approaching the cross and I’m sure that this was not Therese’s intention.
I guess the breaking point is “WHEN” he should have pulled out of ministry .
I believe He started out with a pure heart but the revival treadmill wore him out body soul and spirit, especially after the depression he went through (dark night of the soul),
I would love to see more accountability in my own life as well. And he has taken that step , wether you believe these are men of God over him or not , I believe they are still doing their best with the ability God gives them.
As for Andrew Strom and his kundilini spirit revelation , I have to question his motives for studying the occult , VERY Dangerous , But I’ll give him the benefit of the dought , That he wanted to help the body of Christ with discernment , But my method would be Christ himself not the devil.
Do I Believe Todd has the kundilini spirit , absolutely not , the devil would never bring people to repentance and confess Jesus as their Savior.
I just see a beat up brother by the church and the devil , but God in is in our midst, and gives his Grace to the humble.
And if Todd is humble God will recieve all the glory after he exaults him to glorify Jesus. (my opinion)
still love me?
KUNDALINI WARNING – Urgent
-by Andrew Strom.
This is going too far , He has links to the occult and expects me to watch it! ,WHY would I open myself up to demons for discernment!
sorry I’m not giving the website url to the public.
I’m sure you already read his little teaching on it, I”m not into this at all,
Would you go to a PSYCHIC for discernment?, REPENT , AND RENOUNCE ALL IMPARTATION! from those videos if you really desire true Holiness.
His article about falling down! I have no problem with , but I will not finish reading his teaching nor will I watch the videos. or renounce any one of my brothers and sisters on his list.
I’m not angry I’m in tears right now! God knows.
There is only one exit ramp off life’s highway to heaven. A tree is know by it’s fruit.
Mathew 7:13-15
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
It’s not hard to be a christian, it’s that there is just only one way to heaven. As far as prophets go, does Todd Bentley say the truth or does he say what people want to hear? Concerning the lies and cover ups I observed since Lakeland, can he discern truth in his own heart? (I think that one I want Jesus to handle.)
Look at the problem of Ananias and Sapphira in the early church. The couple were dishonest. The offense was a lie to God. I think even today we as christian’s need to test the truth. After all it takes all kinds to make the world go around.
I’m done ,
I’m deleting the bookmark after this message , (why?)
I sat staring at the tiles on my floor . In between the tiles formed a cross, Silly me, I gazed at the cross on the floor with tears dripping off my face to the floor as I remembered Jesus’s prayer while He stood in the gap , 5 times praying about us being one in John 17.
This was after I broke down in tears with my head on my folded arms in front of my computer begging Jesus for mercy and help. I nearly completed reading my emails from pastor Andrew when I realized ->
This is beyond Todd and Andrew , Behind the curtain is Ephesians 6, The wisdom of God is different from man , I choose His way
my last words…………..
WHO WILL STAND IN THE GAP?
this is the Will of God.
Hello WoG,
My intention for sharing the link was to show the testimonies of people who had been to the Lakeland event and suffered, not so much to look into Andrew Strom’s analysis and his sources.
Regarding the people on Strom’s list, I know for a fact that several of them were caught with their pants down in false prophesy at Bentley’s “apostolic alignment” ceremony. I don’t know much about Strom, but I do know that his warning about these ministries is worth heeding. If you don’t want to believe him then note their collective violations of God’s commands in the scriptures.
WoG – course we still love you! Having different viewpoints about some things is hardly enough to extinguish love! One doesn’t have to have anything to do with the other.
No one is suggesting that anyone stop loving Todd B with the love of Christ, or that we stop interceding for him, just that we hope people will realize certain things about his ministry that we strongly feel are dangerous. But I’m very sorry this is so distressing to you, and I’m afraid maybe I’ve been pushing my point too far…I apologize and hope you will forgive me! I think you’re right to give it a rest…..please accept a big cyber-hug from me, your big sister. The Lord bless and keep you…
Hi again,
Sorry if I preached too hard Sean , but Joseph was aggressive with his brothers too , and even wept over them in secret because he loved them.
There was so much misunderstanding over Joseph and his brothers.
But God had a purpose. And they were re united in the end, Praise God.
PS: This is a re post , the word muncher struck again.
So Tatted Todd & Co claims to have been given Oral’s mantle by the deceased Oral in a dream?
What is this except a Celebrity Endorsement where said Celebrity is conveniently dead and unable to embarrass the Official Story? With a Pentecostal Woo-Woo coat of paint?
“He has trouble reading and writing, but he’s street smart. He has a hyper-rich fantasy life which can be somewhat attributed to drugs and abuse.” — Bene Diction
“He had a Gift, the Gift of telling stories; which he perverted into deceiving people with false fact instead of true fiction.”
– G.K.Chesterton, “The Dagger With Wings” (Father Brown Mystery)
Todd Bentley, Oral Roberts, and an elephant walked into a bar….
Did Todd Bentley not learn anything in bible collage under Rick Joyner.
Thanks Doug for letting us know. Have not seen the new lot don;t want to either.
>I believe He started out with a pure heart but the revival treadmill wore him out body soul and spirit, especially after the depression he went through (dark night of the soul),
Interestingly enough, in the time period before Lakeland (same time he got most of his tattoos) when Bentley went through his “dark night of the soul” he had been having an affair.
When he got “wore out” at the Lakeland “revival treadmill” and once again went through his “dark nights” – he was cheating on his wife. Yes, that was Jessa with her adoring eyes standing next to him at the July 4 baptismal service. Sheeka-Boomba!
In otherwords, “Dark night of the Soul” is Bentley-speak for I’m having an affair and the holy ghost is convicting me.
Do not be fooled- it never has been about ministry burnout, it has everything to do with the stress of trying to minister while at the same time living in blatent sin. That would burn anybody out, would it not?
If Bently cannot figure this out, the final burn-out could be a hot one.
There is no such thing biblically as a “dark night of the soul” marking a phase in the believer’s spiritual journey. However, there are lots of reasons for depressions, funks, discouragements and feeling just plain awful – our fallen nature reacting to being “crucified” is one, thus “blessed are you who mourn” – but committing sin can never be justified as being part of the process of sanctification. Episodes such as what we’ve seen with Todd, look like a sign of someone who is deeply conflicted about the life he is leading as a believer and minister, his true self bubbling to the surface every once in a while – if so, it’s very harmful to Todd for his “handlers” to continue USING him the way they are and encouraging him to USE himself in ministry, when what HE needs is to not be USED. Jesus doesn’t NEED Todd Bentley, but Todd needs Jesus, deep calling to deep, the true inner self.