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What do you guys think of Todd Bentley -
June 11th, 2008, 10:16 AM
Here are some links to youtube if you aren't familiar with who im talking about. He is the evangelist that is putting on the Florida revival everyone is talking about.
Slogan/motto:
Ephesians 3:9: "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"
From Apologeticsindex.org
Todd Bentley is a Canadian preacher with a ”Toronto Blessing”-type ministry.
He works with and/or otherwise promotes false prophets such as Bob Jones and Rick Joyner, as well as such offbeat churches as the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship.
The latter is where the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing’ began. The movement is characterized by a plethora of false teachings and unbiblical practices — encouraged and promoted by alleged ‘words,’ ‘prophecies’ and ‘visions’ from God, and accompanied by anything from outbreaks of uncontrollable laughter, people acting as if they were drunk, and claims of having received gold dust or other ’supernatural signs’ from God.
‘God Dust’ and Other Nonsense
Bentley’s teachings and practices place his ministry squarely among the controversial renewal and revival movements.
His meetings include alleged healings, as well as manifestations such as the appearance of “gold dust,” ”diamond dust,” or even “gold dental miracles“:
Diamond dust manifestations of God’s presence have appeared in meetings led by Evangelists Todd Bentley in Canada and Ian Turton in Australia. There have been other places where they have appeared also, but it seems that they are not as commonplace as the gold dust and gold dental miracles. According to Todd, they look like fine sparkly ” ground glass”, reflecting light in beautiful colors.
- Source: Message posted on the pro-Toronto Blessing New Wine mailing list (item on file), Feb. 16, 2000
After worship and after some people having experiencing a mist and a dew Gold dust began to appear on evangelist Todd Bentleys hands. “Look, theres gold” he shouted.
Soon others began to see gold on there hands and faces.
It wasn’t long and he began to pray for people who needed fillings. Seven people received Gold teeth last night.
One lady was standing at the front and while waiting to be prayed for received five gold teeth in a row. Not just filled, but buldging with Gold.
People were being healed in there seats, others heard the instruments prophesy in an audible voice, over the two nights there were salvations and more healings.
- Source: Message posted on the pro-Toronto Blessing New Wine mailing list (item on file), March 22, 1999
Alleged Healings and Miracles
Following what he declares are promptings from God, Mr. Bentley calls up sick audience members and prays for their healing. But as his renown as a faith healer grows, Christians and non-Christians alike are warning that, in the world of faith healing, what you think you see is often not what you get.
[...]
Interestingly, Mr. Bentley avoids actually pronouncing people healed, and urges those with whom he has come into contact to work with their doctors. He does not keep a tally of his healings, but says about 20% involve something visible and 80% something internal, including “inner healings” of emotions, guilt and fear. As for proof, his ministry has only a halfdozen or so noncommittal notes from doctors about the disappearance of their patients’ symptoms.
- Source: Report Newsmagazine, Mar. 5, 2001
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
I'm curious about how you guys come to this conclusion. What are the characteristics that make it hard to believe?
The foundation was laid at the hands of THE Apostles and Prophets 2000 years ago. ALL present day claims that someone is an Apostle or Prophet are false claims.
Slogan/motto:
opinions vary - don't let the facts trouble you . . .
Reputation:
June 11th, 2008, 01:06 PM
Here are three articles on Todd Bentley showing complete departure from Scripture. Besides kicking and punching people, his meditative process comes straight out of Sundar Singh, blending eastern religion with "christianity". Todd was also given his healing power through an the angel "Emma" who is also connected with William Branham. It's obvious that Todd Bentley is not acting for God.
Quote:
May 28, 2008
To the Reader: Below is a partial word-for-word transcript of a YouTube video titled, "Todd Bentley's Raging Revival." As of this writing, the 2 minute-37 second video may be reviewed at http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=_K8XjObzfXM
The video is presented in segments. At 10 seconds into the video, 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.
This is what he saw:
“…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….”
And this is the revelation he learned from the man with a turban:
THE CHRISTIAN CONTEMPLATIVE TRADITION (LECTIO DIVINA)
Sundar Singh spent at least two hours daily in reading the Scriptures, meditation and prayer. He would arise at 5:00 am and finish by 7:00 or 8:00 depending on what his schedule was for the day. He often spent the whole day or night in prayer. His discipline was to read one chapter of the Bible, rapidly at first reading, then to return to reread passages or verses that were more suggestive to him. These he would linger with and meditate on for as long as it was fruitful for him to do so. Next, he would enter into a period of “recollection” for twenty minutes or so. This was a time of silence, in which he would allow the Lord to speak to him in some way. With his own mind and heart quieted, he opened his mind and his heart to hear what the Lord would have to say to him or just simply enjoy companionship with his Lord. Often this period of silence would extend into a deeper state called “contemplation” in which he enjoyed complete rest and refreshment in the love of God.
Often during times of contemplation, he entered into experiences of ecstasy. He regarded these experiences as the same as St. Paul’s entrance into the “third heaven”. During his latter years, they occurred frequently, as often as ten times a month. About these experiences he said, “I never try to go into ecstasy; nor do I advise others to try. It is a gift to be accepted, but it should not be sought; if given, it is a pearl of great price.”
Anyone who contemplates the heavenly calling of the apostle Paul and his being caught up into the third heaven, and again into Paradise, will lift up his voice to God and say: Glory to God who surely gives great gifts to men!
THE FOUR R’s OF THE CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL LIFE
This key is one of the most important tools if we are to see an increase of wisdom and revelation in our lives. In the western Christian tradition, meditation refers to thinking about or the use of the imagination around a passage of scripture, whereas, in India, traditional meditation refers to silencing one’s thoughts. The Christian tradition practices the silencing of thoughts and emotions, but it is called “contemplation” rather than “meditation”. This is one of those unfortunate twists of semantics, which has caused confusion when discussing the spirituality of East and West.
Sundar Singh practiced a sequence of prayer discipline that is identical to ancient Christian monastic disciplines: reading the scriptures, meditation on a passage of the reading (also called response of the mind and heart), recollection, and rest. This sequence is also called lectio divina in Latin. It means divine reading, or more precisely, divine listening, since few people in that day could actually read.
Why would God give his children a vision of a contemplative who combined the East and West in his meditative disciplines? Is this where Todd Bentley’s ideas about visions, spirituality, and ’soaking’ prayer are coming from?
There is a Todd Bently resource called Developing Your Seer Gift - CD that can be purchased here:
According to the description at the above link, some of the ways in which Todd Bentley teaches to develop your seer gift is by Activating Your Spiritual Senses and by opening Spiritual Gates, Doors and Portals:
There are over eight ways that Todd will outline in this teaching that will help you position yourself for God to open the eyes of your heart, such as: overcoming fear of the unknown, meditating in your heart and being still, soaking and contemplative prayer, and meditating on God’s Word.
…Todd will give clarification, both through the Word of God and by sharing amazing personal experiences, how spiritual gates, doors and portals trigger supernatural encounters with God. Using Jacob’s life as an example, Todd will teach you how to position yourself for a holy visitation from God.
The Bible warns us about spiritual realms and principalities. Rather than teaching about contemplative spirituality and opening the gates to the dangers of the supernatural, a real shepherd would be more concerned about laying down his life to protect his sheep.
Watch out sheep. When you see wolf tracks like this, run to the real Shepherd.
———-
**********Note: Update: It appears Freshfire has been playing hide and seek with this page on their website. However, you can find something similar at the Elijah List here (it is a little bit different):
Quote: "Now let me talk about an angelic experience with Emma. Twice Bob Jones asked me about this angel that was in Kansas City in 1980:
"Todd, have you ever seen the angel by the name of Emma?" He asked me as if he expectedthat this angel was appearing to me. Surprised, I said, "Bob, who is Emma?" He told me that Emma was the angel that helped birth and start the whole prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. She was a mothering-type angel that helped nurture the prophetic as it broke out.
Within a few weeks of Bob asking me about Emma, I was in a service in Beulah, North Dakota. In the middle of the service I was in conversation with Ivan and another person when in walks Emma. As I stared at the angel with open eyes, the Lord said, "Here's Emma." I'm not kidding. She floated a couple of inches off the floor. It was almost like Kathryn Khulman in those old videos when she wore a white dress and looked like she was gliding across the platform. Emma appeared beautiful and young-about 22 years old-but she was old at the same time. She seemed to carry the wisdom, virtue and grace of Proverbs 31 on her life.
She glided into the room, emitting brilliant light and colors. Emma carried these bags and began pulling gold out of them. Then, as she walked up and down the aisles of the church, she began putting gold dust on people. "God, what is
happening?" I asked. The Lord answered: "She is releasing the gold, which is both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that I am bringing into this church. I want you to prophecy that Emma showed up in this service-the same angel that appeared in Kansas city-as a sign that I am endorsing and releasing a prophetic spirit in the church."
See, when angels come, they always come for a reason; we need to actually ask God what the purpose is. Within three weeks of that visitation, the church had given me the biggest offering I had ever received to that point in my ministry.
Thousands of dollars! Thousands! Even though the entire community consisted of only three thousand people, weeks after I left the church the pastor testified that the church offerings had either doubled or tripled.
During this visitation the pastor's wife (it was an AOG church) got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost - she began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her. Also, as this prophetic
anointing came on her, she started getting phone numbers of complete strangers and calling them up on the telephone and prophesying over them. She would tell them that God gave her their telephone number and then would give them
words of knowledge. Complete strangers. Then angels started showing up in the church.
I believe Emma released a financial and prophetic anointing in that place. That was the first angel that I have ever seen in the form of a woman. Some angels I've seen seemed like they were neither male nor female. However, Emma
appeared as a woman who was like a Deborah, like a mother in Zion. When she came, she began to mentor, nurture and opened up a prophetic well. The people in the church began having trances and visions and the pastor began getting words of knowledge and moving in healing. That congregation also saw more financial breakthrough than they had ever seen before.
I was at another meeting in Atlanta when my wife, Shonnah, saw two financial angels walk into the service and pour oil out on the pastor. Shonnah then knew there was financial breakthrough coming. That night two people wrote the pastor
cheques for $16,000 and $17,000 and others also wrote cheques to Fresh Fire for thousands of dollars, which we used
for missions to the nations. In addition, many people experienced great financial blessing as well. The day after this
angelic visitation one guy had millions of dollars released to him-he had been waiting for about 10 years for this breakthrough. All this financial release came because my wife saw two financial angels walk up and stand on the platform. Can you imagine? We need to pray for the Father to give us financial angels for our lives, our church and region. With this angelic assistance, we will prevail and overcome the warfare trying to hold back our financial breakthrough. Some of you don't know how to use the angels in intercession like this. You don't even know whether it's OK or not..."
I will stumble
I will fall down
But I will not be moved
I will make mistakes
I will face heartache
But I will not be moved
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
I will not be moved
The foundation was laid at the hands of THE Apostles and Prophets 2000 years ago. ALL present day claims that someone is an Apostle or Prophet are false claims.
Considering he is Canadian, he seems awefully American. My wife and I were at a meeting and did not care for him. I believe he is a sincere brother, but the above article raises appropriate concerns. We need discernment and wisdom, not overreaction.
Based on Eph. 4:11-13, there is no exegetical reason to think apostles and prophets have ceased (unless pastors/teachers/evangelists have also stopped). This does not mean everyone who claims to be or thinks they are one actually is.
Know God and make Him known! (YWAM)
They said: "Where is the God of Elijah?"
I say: "Where are the Elijahs of God?" (Ravenhill "Why Revival Tarries")
Based on Eph. 4:11-13, there is no exegetical reason to think apostles and prophets have ceased. This does not mean everyone who claims to be or thinks they are one actually is.
Another False Prophet
Another False Teacher
Another Con-man
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