Yesterday I watched another hour of the Lakeland Healing meetings with Todd Bentley (A re-run of Thursday night). I was actually very impressed for a good long time, and I feel it is only fair for me to report this. For most of the time I watched, Todd was speaking in Jesus' name and declaring many diseases healed. He told people that Jesus was healing them and to expect Him to touch them deeply. Granted, it was very emotional, but I can overlook that--God made our emotions, so why not use them?

But after the ministry time, when Todd had people get up on stage to testify, things took an ugly turn and Todd fell right back into the very things I've been speaking out against for the past week and a half.

Over and over, Todd reminded people of the "word of knowledge" he had that brought each person their healing and even once asked, "Do you know why this man is healed?" I waited in anticipation for a presentation of the Gospel, but Todd answered himself: "He got healed because I had a Word of Knowledge..." No mention of the Gospel. No mention of Jesus. But he did say that when he gave the Word of Knowledge, the healing angels of the Lord visited the man.

It grieves me to keep seeing these things because so much of it was on-track and opened wide such huge doors for a presentation of the True Gospel. But Todd Bentley keeps doing such subtle things that completely squash the revival-potential of this movement. I'm reminded of the popular sermon illustration in which the kids tell their dad that they want to watch a PG-13 movie, arguing that "there's only a little bit of bad stuff in it." The kids come home from school, and the dad has made brownies. The kids rush to the brownies, and the dad stops them. "Before you eat them," he says, "You should know one thing: I put a 'little bit' of dog poop in them...but it's only a little bit."

It's that "little bit" of problems I have with the Lakeland meetings that make me so disenchanted with Todd and everything going on there in Florida. I find it hard to rejoice that they have rented the "Joker Stadium" to house the thousands of people now flocking to the meetings from around the world. Why? Because it's only catering to the flesh.

Jesus performed many signs and wonders, but it was always to confirm His word--same thing with the apostles. If you are performing signs and wonders--especially at the magnitude of Todd Bentley--then you have an intense responsibility to speak the truth along with them. Yes, Todd is leading people in "God, save me" prayers, but there is nothing happening in the areas of exposing sin or inviting people to repentance. Physical healings fix the body and bless the soul. They are an external work. Preaching the full Gospel of Jesus Christ (including the need for repentance) is where the internal application comes. Unless there is an internal work, the event is nothing more than carnal and fleshly.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul addresses the church of Corith by saying that they are carnal and worldly because of their quarrelsome focus on following mere men. This is the same Corinthian Church about whom Paul said, "...you do not lack any spiritual gift..." (1 Cor. 1:7). They had the gifts, but they were earthly-minded. They focused on human leaders and how to meet the needs of their flesh. Yes, they believed in Jesus, but their focus was misplaced.

I see the same thing happening in Lakeland, Florida, with Todd Bentley. People are looking at Todd for an "impartation" and for the "10 anointings" he promised them (whatever those may be). There is a tremendous external application, but barely any internal application. It's carnal. It's fleshly. It's earthly-minded. And it is focused on a mere man instead of the pure, holy, and righteous Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

1 Corinthans 3:21-23--So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God (NIV).

Keep your eyes fixed on the Son of God, and don't be distracted by big names and external miracles. Seek God for the internal application of His Word.

Why do we call shaking, rocking, jumping, laughing, and shouting "revival"? For that matter, why do we automatically suppose that the evidence of spiritual activity is somehow synonymous with "revival"? I'll admit, many of these things may indeed happen in the midst of a true revival, but they are not necessarily evidence that God is moving. As a matter of fact, they can just as easily be evidence of demons (there are plenty of cases of this in the Bible).

The things we're seeing in Lakeland, although exciting and emotionally gripping, are not true revival. Real revival takes place when the Spirit of God grips the hearts and souls of both the churched and the unchurched with repentance. It starts in the house of God (meaning "Christians") and spreads to the lost. Real revival takes a fiery boldness on the part of its leaders to preach the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ--exposing sin for what it is and bringing people to realize their desperation for our Father in heaven.

If that makes you shake, cry, laugh, or shout, then I'm all for it. And if healing, miracles, "words of knowledge," prophecy, and the like are happening in the midst of such a movement, then clearly they are from God.

But what we see happening in Lakeland are all the signs, wonders, and manifestations without much of the repentance. Yes, people are responding to "salvation calls," but the prayers they're led in have a sad lack of a "repentance" theme. So let me ask you: is this "revival?"

Now I have to be careful here, though, because I don't want to fall into the trap that I've seen on so many sites recently. It's very easy to speak out against the meetings and spout opinions of what I think about them, but Proverbs says that "a fool delights in airing his own opinions." The Internet is littered with opinions, and I want to make sure that I'm remaining in the realm of discernment. The popular opinions right now seem to be polarized--either people are head-over-heels for what's happening in Lakeland, or they have condemned the whole thing; but I feel from the Lord that it's more complex than that.

As I shared yesterday, I sense that Todd Bentley's healing gift is from God, but he has unfortunately stepped outside his gifting and been led astray in regards to his ministry methods, teachings, and many of his "revelations." We need to pray for our brother and believe God to bring transformation into his life. Please keep in mind that it would be wrong for us to slander our brother in Christ--these blog posts are meant to bring clarity, maturity, and true revival to the Church--not more divisions.

I honestly believe that out of this movement in Lakeland, Florida, God can raise up a TRUE revival of repentance in America and ultimately the World! But it will require a few things. First, something will need to happen that ensures Jesus Christ gets the glory and not Todd Bentley--either Todd will repent, or his sin will be exposed. Second, we need to make sure the Church is not shooting flaming arrows at each other--I hope everyone can see that my intent in these last three articles has been to promote the truth and encourage prayer for our brother Todd--not to slander him or his ministry. Thirdly, we the church need to start repenting for our own sins and cry out to God in desperation. We need to "hunger and thirst for righteousness." And we need to get out in our own spheres of influence and share the True Gospel with anyone we can.

I say, let Lakeland be what it is; but let the Church be what it is! If the events in Lakeland stir people up and cause the world to hunger for spiritual things, then I praise God for it! But if people get stirred up for spiritual things and the Church is not ready to meet that need with the Truth, then we will be just as guilty for missing the opportunity God has opened up. We must be a people actively pursuing true revival!

So here is my challenge to you: Pray for Todd, pray for America, pray for the whole world, and look actively for the slightest spark of spiritual hunger in every person you meet--then point them to Christ. I've been saying for years that the next "great revival" will be a grassroots movement that can't be pinned on any one person or ministry. Now is the time for the Church to rise up and bring true revival to the world!

Yesterday, I wrote about a judgment I had formed, and how I found I was guilty of the same thing. This illustrated Romans 2:1, which says, "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."

When we judge others, we put ourselves in an awkward position. Either we are already guilty of what we are judging in others, or we soon will be because "God's Word will not return void." If the Bible says that we are guilty of the same things, then the spiritual law of sowing and reaping will be put into effect, and we will find it very hard not to fall into the same trap.

I remember a period in my past when I was doing great financially but someone close in my family was going through a bankruptcy. I judged them, thinking of myself more highly than I ought to. And you know what the Bible says, "Pride goes before the fall." Within a matter of weeks, I suddenly found myself in a heap of financial trouble, racking up debt and missing bills. This went on for several months. It didn't make any sense to me until I realized that I had judged these family members. I repented for my sin, confessed it openly, and renounced the judgments I had formed. Suddenly things started turning around again.

In Matthew 7:1-2, Jesus says this: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

We need to be very careful to expose and uproot judgments when they are formed because they always have an adverse effect on our spiritual lives! Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any judgments you may have formed against others. Confess these things, renounce them, and speak blessing toward those people, organizations, businesses, governments, or demographics. Forgive the people involved, and also forgive yourself. You may be surprised at how quickly certain circumstances change as you get set free from judgment!

Good Friday. Today we celebrate the most profound turning point in history. The epic story of all creation pivots at this one defining weekend, starting with the crucifixion of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I was actually a little hesitant to write anything today because it almost seems cliche--like it's the good "Christian blogger" thing to do (and if anyone knows me, I'm not one to do things "just because"). Nevertheless, we are celebrating Easter earlier than we ever will again in our lifetime. And as I look out my window, I see that it has started to snow here in Plymouth, Michigan. There's a thin covering on the neighbor's yard, and everything is getting whiter as I write. We're expecting several inches tonight.

From this physical reality, the Lord began to speak to me out of Isaiah 1:18:

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Good Friday is borne out of this theme. The blood of Christ is the truest scarlet there ever was in the eyes of God--so true, in fact, that the redness of our own shame and sin pales to the purest white in comparison. And as we see in the above verse, Jesus didn't wash our sins away without reason--He did it so that we could have a relationship with our Father in heaven! "Come now, let us reason together," He says!

The death of Christ is an invitation to intimacy. With Jesus died everything in us that separates us from God--but only if we have truly given our old lives over to Him.

So today, I want to encourage you not simply to remember the death of our Lord this Good Friday, but to give Him the reward of His suffering. Spend some time with Him. Reason together. Have a conversation. He's dying to talk to you...wait, scratch that...He already died; and now He lives, so start talking.

This last Wednesday, my friend Tony (who leads our men's Bible Study) pointed out that the devil tends to attack those areas of our lives that God wants to use most. Then Sunday came along and I believe the Holy Spirit revealed something to me allong those lines during a time of prayer.

The thought occurred to me (I believe it was from God, but judge for yourself) that the enemy has been around for a while and understands how to read the human genetic code. He looks for things God meant for good, and he perverts them so that we never become who we were created to be.

For instance, suppose God created one person to be a fiery, passionate, bold Christian who is not afraid to speak the truth in the face of opposition. Then the enemy comes along, sees the God-given potential that has been written into that person's DNA, and attacks it. Later in life, the circumstances the enemy has brought against that person have wounded their soul and spirit to such an extent that instead of being a bold proclaimer of the Truth, they become a person with an anger and rage problem.

And here's the hard part--Does God hold that person accountable for their actions? You bet. Why? Because that's not who they were created to be. Yes, they have some DNA that makes it very easy for them to have anger and rage problems, but the fact remains that this was not God's reason for writing that DNA!

Yesterday I met someone (who will remain anonymous) who God is calling out of a homosexual relationship and into His Kingdom. This person's response was to respond to the Holy Spirit and leave the house where they were living. We got to pray together for salvation and new life, and this person stated that they genuinely felt different than before. Sure, there will be a process of spiritual and emotional transformation involved--I've experienced this first hand in my own battle with lust and sensuality. But I think one of the most important things that came up was this matter of DNA and how modern scientists claim to have found "the gay gene" (I apologize if that term is offensive to any of you).

You see, God created this person to have a tender, caring heart through which the Holy Spirit can reveal His power and love in awesome ways. The enemy came along and attacked that DNA early in their life through circumstances and lies spoken into their thoughts. And now, years later, this person has finally accepted that Jesus Christ has something better in store!

The supernatural love of God knows no limits! The Bible says, "God is love," and, "Love covers a multitude of sins!" God is not shocked when the devil attacks us in the areas God meant for good--He is grieved. Why? Because it hurts to watch someone you love getting dragged away from you. Not only that, but the things we often get "dragged away by" are the things God meant to be used for good--like the firey boldness of the one who was dragged into rage or the sensitivity, creativity, and personality of the one who was dragged into homosexuality.

We need to stop explaining away our sin by saying, "Well, that's just the way I was made; so God must want me to be like this." The truth is, he made you just the way He wanted to so He could reveal something about Himself through you that no one else could. He created you with a purpose and a destiny. He has a reason for every gene in your genetic code. But He did not create you to live a life of sin.

Christianity is not about "denying who we are"--it's about becoming who we are! God created us each with His plan and purpose in mind, and the Christian life is one of glorifying our Father in Heaven. That means we do His will. That means we become who He created us to be! And this can only be done by the power of the Holy Spirit!

In our own strength and will-power, we are helpless when it comes to getting out of the mess the enemy has dragged us into. We've been attacked right down to our DNA, and so it seems that this is just "who we are." Do not be fooled. When we allow the transformational power of the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with God's love and show us who we are meant to be, He begins to change us from the inside-out. Our DNA doesn't change, but the way we apply it does! We become who we were created to be! And God, our Father, gets all the glory for our freedom from sin!

My prayer for each and every reader today is that you would not be swayed by the enemy to believe that your sinful nature is "just the way you were made." I pray in the name of Jesus that you would instead realize the purity and purpose that were intended by God before you were even conceived in your mother's womb. I pray that you may come to grasp how long and high and deep and wide is the love of God and how great is His kindness toward us expressed in Christ Jesus. Today is the day for you to leave your old ways of life at the cross (considering the "old you" as being dead) so that the blood of Jesus Christ can purify you and the Holy Spirit can give you a brand new life of intimacy with our Father in Heaven.

I invite and welcome you to join our family!

Non-Deadly Sin

1 John 5:16-17 tells us that there is such a thing as a sin that does not result in death. The Bible doesn't really say any more on the matter, but I believe there are some clues in the story of the first sin that did result in death (If you don't know the story of Adam and Eve, read it in Genesis 3).

Ever notice how Adam and Eve didn’t have any children until after they were banned from the garden? God told them to "be fruitful and multiply" as soon as woman was created. In fact, the name “Eve” means "mother of all the living;" but Adam didn’t give her that prophetic name until after they had sinned. Until then he just called her “woman” because she had been taken "out of man." He wasn’t speaking destiny over his wife when he should have been.

They weren’t trying to be disobedient--they didn’t even really know what sin was. But I think we sometimes find ourselves in a similar condition--sinning in ignorance. The Apostle John said that there is a form of sin which does not lead to death and there is another form that does. Here, I believe, is proof. Adam and Eve’s first sin was not the blatant disobedience we often cite about them eating the forbidden fruit. It was other things that they did without realizing they were wrong. Things that didn’t lead to death. Things that God corrected in relationship with them. I know this steps on some theological toes, but hear me out. Yes, the world was technically perfect before Adam and Eve ate the fruit; but it was not without sin. Uh-oh...now I’m in deeper...

But think about it. Does it make sense to think that Adam and Eve had "free will" in reference to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but no "free will" in reference to anything else? Do you think they were robots that weren’t capable of making a wrong decision except when it came to eating? No way! Mistakes happen all the time; that’s part of having free will. But these were mistakes, or "sins," that did NOT lead to death. God was being a loving Father. He taught, corrected, and trained. He raised Adam and Eve as His children. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Most of us have probably heard that all sin is equal in God’s eyes. That’s not entirely true. It’s not in the Bible; it’s just our way of convincing people that whether you lied or murdered is irrelevant--both lead to death. The truth is that all willful sin is equal in its result. A person’s choice to separate himself from the life of God will undoubtedly lead to spiritual death. That’s why the sacrifice of Jesus is so crucial. Relying on Him means He takes the penalty of death in your place. But when it comes to the incidental sins that come with the territory of free will, John shows a very different solution:

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is a sin that does not lead to death (1 John 5:16-17, NIV).

Sin equals separation. If I sin against you, I’ve separated myself from you. If I sin against God, I’ve separated myself from Him. Sin is separation, and separation is sin. Some separation leads to death--like willful disobedience. Other separation does not.

Perhaps the easiest way to think of such "non-deadly" sin is as "distraction." Distraction is a form of separation. Adam and Eve were possibly so caught up with the wonder of God’s creation that they never got around to fulfilling His purpose. He wanted them to multiply, but that never happened while they were in the garden. Sometimes we too get distracted from God’s vision--even by good things. This won’t send us on a one-way ticket to hell, but it will bring correction from the Lord. Sin number one is distraction from God’s vision.

Sin number two is distraction from God’s order. God established man as a spiritual covering for woman. When was Eve led astray by the serpent? When was she tempted? In broad daylight while Adam stood by silently (notice how it says she gave some fruit to the man who was with her). We often unwittingly throw God’s order out the window by simply getting distracted. It happens in marriages, but also in the Church. Christ is the Head of the Church, but often we put all our faith in people like pastors or other leaders. Sometimes God still moves in that environment as He tries to bring us back to proper order, but it is spiritually limiting at best.

Sin number three was distraction from God’s thoughts. All they had known up to that point was what God had already told them. It wasn’t the temptation itself that was the sin; it was the fact that they entertained the thought of it. They separated themselves from what they knew to be trustworthy and true in order to believe a lie. Often times we’re tempted to do something, and we immediately shift our focus back to God. We defeat that temptation. Other times, though, we think about it for a while. We ponder how we could get away with it. For instance, we might ruminate on a possible lie until we think it’s air-tight enough to tell. Even if we don’t go through with it, it’s separation from God’s thoughts; and it will more often than not lead to greater willful sin.

Do you have any areas of your life in which non-deadly sin has started creeping in? Are you focused on God's vision for your life? Are you submitted to God's divine order? Are you "putting on the mind of Christ?" Falling short in these areas won't ruin your salvation, but it will hold you back from fulfilling your God-given purpose. If you see any shortcomings, I encourage you to repent and get your life on track with the One who can keep you from falling!