Is God moving in Lakeland?

A Comment on the Florida Revival by Peter Cavanna

You may have heard about a new move of the Holy Spirit breaking out in Lakeland, Florida through the ministry of Canadian Todd Bentley. GODTV have cleared their schedules to show much of it live around the world and the attendances in the special services are now soaring into the thousands. Many testify to having received quite outstanding physical and mental healing while others come forward to accept Christ as Saviour. There is no doubt that, amidst the loud music, dancing and excitement, something is truly happening that can only be called miraculous! I was quite staggered as I watched the telecast tonight. Only a mighty God could have performed the miracles being viewed.

Historically, whenever there are claims of God on the move, the critics begin to get very nervous and some sharpen their knives. The Body of Christ, even those of a charismatic persuasion, are often divided as to whether the 'revival' is genuine or not. This happened with the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola revival back in the nineties (both of which I was privileged to have visited) and it is unsurprising that debate is raging once again. So why, if God is moving, are people getting upset? 

First of all, let me make a small confession! I have never especially been a 'fan' of Todd Bentley's ministry. By this I am not speaking about the man or his character, or personal passion for Jesus which is not in dispute, but some of his ministry content and style. He has a very heavy emphasis on the supernatural world and has spoken and written about a number of heavenly and angelic visions, the details of which have sometimes concerned me - it could be argued that the content of the visions go beyond the boundaries of the Word of God. The various head shaking "booms" and "bams" plus the loud, 'hyped up' approach to ministry, as we might call it in Britain, can begin to grate on the nerves fairly quickly and the majority of his disciples follow his lead. As a result, he can be easily criticised by those who are suspicious or jealous of him.

But I believe that at least some of the 'offence' that some might feel, especially those in England, is to do with the clash of culture. Todd is a fun loving young man with an exuberant charismatic American approach to ministry, and he is adorned with tatoos and facial piercings, neither of which lend themselves well to the religious British audience. Whatever we make of his angelic experiences and visions (and I frankly am quite unsure about some of them), Todd is certainly not a heretic and believes in the Lordship and saving power of Jesus Christ. And while I am not too keen on his teaching, I came into possession of one of his CDs on which he gave a talk about how to minister in large healing crusades (which I was about to do in South America at the time). Without doubt, it was the best material I have ever heard on the subject.

Another problem about Lakeland for some could be the use of the word 'revival'. To many, the true interpretation of a revival is a region-changing move of the Spirit, bringing thousands to holiness and to Christ, and ultimately affecting national change. However, many of our charismatic American cousins use the same word to describe a lively meeting. So let's not get too upset over the word. When thousands of people come alive to God, seeking after Him and sharing the good news with the lost, they are certainly being revived, even if its not quite on a John Wesley or Evan Roberts scale as yet!

Others will be disturbed by the prevalence of 'Toronto' style manifestations, with shaking and falling much in evidence. This is not everyone's thing and may be at odds with your own view as to what God might or might not do to people. But let's not fall out over falling out. Those who say "Is everything happening in Todd's meetings from God?" should also ask if everything going on in their church, or heart, is always from the Lord. Like John Arnott and John Kilpatrick in the nineties, Bentley cannot always be held responsible for who populates the services and how people respond. That said, I, for one, would rather have the noise of a maternity unit than the silence of the mausoleum in church. When thirteen people have been raised from the dead, as has been claimed at the time of writing, I couldn't care less if a few people shake too! The lame man in Acts followed after his new found faith "walking and leaping and praising God" (Acts 3:8).

As with all revivals, some claim it is the work of Satan to deceive. Let's be very careful - to be a little unsure about everything is a long way from the claim made by some that the revival is fraudulent or demonic. The devil does not cure the sick at the Name of Jesus, but the Spirit of God does. Jesus said, "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me" (Mark 9:39). There cannot be a "grey area" in the realm of the miraculous. While there is always the tendency for the behaviour of the human flesh, a  theology that says a truly wicked men can preach the Gospel holds no ground. Critics should beware lest they blaspheme the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees opposed Jesus Christ seemingly because of his doctrine and practise, but their real issue was jealousy (Matthew 27:18). How many tired, hard working preachers of the Gospel and Bible teachers will look upon this young man and his team moving so easily with such power and, out of nothing more than envy, fall into the temptation of despising him in their hearts? 

So for those offended by Todd Bentley and his ministry, perhaps there are some things to learn about the grace and power of God. Clearly, the Holy Spirit is not offended by some of the things that offend us, and He has chosen to use this rough and rugged young man to see some wonderful healing miracles. The Lord was explicit with Samuel when he told him: "Man looks upon the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). The testimonies night after night point to an exciting release of the Spirit's power in Lakeland, and if we as conservative sceptical Brits aren't too keen on the style, or some dubious preaching content from Todd, that's not necessarily a sin on our part - afterall, everything must be judged. But we are also commanded in that same scripture to "hold on to the good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21) as well. To quote Ken Gott, "We must look at what God is doing rather than what we think He is not doing" (JOY Magazine, June 2008). And clearly He is showing Himself strong in Lakeland and around the world!

The truth is that Todd Bentley will have many opponents, and his rise to greater international attention will have them trawling through his internet ramblings and easily demonising him for those extra-biblical beliefs. But God chooses the foolish to confound the wise. There is a rich treasure in Lakeland right now, even though we may have to buy the whole field to obtain it. The miracles point to Jesus, not Todd. I suspect that he knows that better than anyone. Some of the things I have seen are beyond any possible explanation of man. Jesus is visiting His people!

So may the Lord continue to move in Florida and may it be exported around the world, as it is claimed, touching real lost people in local communities. He's still not my favourite preacher and I'm not sure about all these heavenly revelations. But he has something happening for him that I don't have happening for me. Am I jealous? Probably. Do I want him to do well? With all my heart.  And with miracle centres breaking out all over England too, I think it's time to take a risk and get excited. And on this matter, I don't think I am on my todd.