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Lakeland Outpouring Evangelist Todd Bentley Writes an Open Letter to the Body of Christ

Aimee Herd : Jun 18, 2008  Todd Bentley - Fresh Fire Ministries

Our mission is to save the lost. Period. Everything that is happening at Lakeland is to that end. God is good. People are being saved. That should be the priority of every Believer.

EDITOR?S NOTE: I have seen the Holy Spirit move in very powerful ways in some of the most traditional and liturgical of settings. I have witnessed the unseen hand of God fall on hundreds of rowdy, worshipping teenagers at once; bringing every single one of them to their knees without a word from anyone else. I have personally experienced much of what has happened in Lakeland, even years before, in my own time, alone with the Lord. And so, though it may be uncomfortable on occasion, I?ve learned to "expect the unexpected" when it comes to our awesome God. It is with that heart that I offer excerpts from an open letter written by evangelist Todd Bentley, who is currently heading up the "Outpouring" meetings in Lakeland, Florida. To read the entire letter, CLICK HERE, or follow the link provided. ?Aimee Herd, BCN.

Excerpts from an Open Letter by Todd Bentley:

open letterRevival is often messy because there's a lot happening and sometimes it's hard for people to take in everything they see in the natural. Many come and some do manifest fleshly things, but for the most part, everyone is sincere and of good intention at a revival.

People may see me or others sprawled out on the floor, or in heavenly laughter, or shaking because of the glory and presence of God, but try to look beyond and understand that something's happening in the Spirit, trusting that there's that other realm that you may not see.

Please examine the fruit before you pick apart the worker. People are being saved! Certainly this is common ground with every Believer?our hearts should always be for the lost. Can we not come together and make this our mission, understanding that our theologies may be different but that we agree on this very important and vital commission? We serve the same God. God is the Father of all of us. We are His children. We are all in the same family. We are all running the same race but at different paces. The Word planted on good soil bears good fruit!

If you're watching out a window from a distance and see a child running around a busy street and in obvious danger of being hit, but see someone close by who could help, what would you do? Would you first judge the person to determine if he or she is "fit" enough or qualified to lend assistance, in your eyes? Would you check to see that the person is wearing an "S" for "Superman" on his shirt? Would you wait for the right person to come along that fits your mold, or would you throw open the window and yell, "That child?save that child!"

Please. Our mission is to save the lost. Period. Everything that is happening at Lakeland is to that end. God is good. People are being saved. That should be the priority of every Believer. You may not understand some of the things that you see. It may be out of your paradigm or traditional way of thinking, but trust that if God didn't want this to happen that He is more than capable of shutting it down single-handedly without the help of man.

This move of God may not fit your perception of revival, especially if you are basing it on previous revivals, or even on the traditions of the Church. So too, I likely don't fit the mold of the traditional evangelist. Jesus used the Pharisees' disapproval as an opportunity to teach why it was important that He didn't fit into their mold. First, He used the metaphor of the patched garments and said "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old." (Luke 5:36). To try to attach a new, unshrunk garment to the old will not only tear and destroy the new but also the old won't look right and will eventually tear again. Jesus contrasted the old and new again with a parable about new wine and old, saying that if a person pours new wine into old wineskins the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out, and the wineskins would ruin (Luke 5:37, 38).

Signs, wonders, and miracles should be proof of the Gospel. However, Jesus said there would be false signs and wonders in the last days that were not done by Him (Matt. 7:21-23). Of this, I am well aware. Some people may do these things in His name and yet never really have a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus. Salvation is knowing Jesus and being known by Him?it's much more than spiritual works or a verbal confession. I understand that lofty places in this visible kingdom are no proof of anyone's acceptance with God, and neither are the mighty works, even done in Jesus' name. However, the condition of the heart is what truly allies us with Him. This I've stressed repeatedly in my ministry. The heart changes when someone spends much time with the Lord. This is the foundation of my ministry and my walk with Jesus.







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