Bam, Bam, Bam, and It Ain't EMERIL!

Leviticus 10:1-7 ~ "1-And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2-And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.3-Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. 4-And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. 5-So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. 6-And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. 7-And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses."

He kicked them in the face and they came....

He kicked them in the stomach, and they still came...

He slammed supposed broken legs on the altar and yet they still came...

He told them that the Lord was telling him to kick some Holy Ghost sense into their spirits and they still came...

Who is this man of spiritual influence? Who was this man with tats, piercings, studs, rings and a punk-rock preaching persona? Who was this man who reportedly called the dead back to life through Internet pod casts? He had control and domination over as many as 10,000 individuals at a time, some even traveling from all over the country just to be a part of the services. Some came from various parts of the world, to be seduced, kicked, mesmerized and ultimately lied to and mishandled in the name of Christ?

He was the Evangelist of supposedly, one of the greatest revivals of modern times. In the lines and vein of Toronto, and Brownsville. Reportedly, there were reminisces of Azusa and a feeling of Holy Ghost empowerment when "Bam!" was said and people hit the floor "slain" under the power.

Well, here we are again. It was Todd "The Boy Wonder" Bentley. The healer, evangelist, pastor, vessel of "God" working wonders on the people of God. Thank God that not only do the righteous recognize that God judges false prophets & false teachers as my good friend and brother Elder D.L.Foster at GCM Watch points out, but the righteous also recognize that God allows individuals to become overwhelmed and victimized by the same false impressions and misdirections by which they victimize others.

In the days of gold dust, gold fillings in decaying teeth, and angel hair and feathers, it becomes burdensome and disturbing to see people so readily duped at the sight of what they think could be a move of God. This displays at least two things:

1- The desperation of the people to remove themselves from their current condition of sin and burden and

2- The eagerness of false prophets, preachers and teachers to separate those people from God and bring them unto themselves along with as much money as is possible.

Some may be wondering how we got here. FYI, here's a little accounting of recent events:

Fresh Fire Ministries Aug. 12th 2008 public release ~ " It is with considerable sadness then, that we must temper the jubilation we know you all feel with the sobering news that Todd and Shonnah Bentley are presently experiencing significant friction in their relationship and are currently separated. We want to affirm that there has been no sexual immorality on the part of either Todd or Shonnah, nor has there ever been. Undoubtedly the pressures and the burden of the Outpouring, which approaches 144 days on August 23rd, have helped to create an atmosphere of fatigue and stress that has exacerbated existing issues in their relationship."

When liars lie to cover their lie they usually lie again even worse. Now, according to Fresh Fire, the Bentleys are not to blame for their condition and failed marriage. Unlike Bynum and Weeks, Paula and Randy, and Jamaal and Gazelle, whose marital failures were caused, more or less, by physical and mental abuse, tough decisions made during bible study and marital infidelity, in the case of the Bentleys it's primarily due to the "burden of the Outpouring" and "stress". In essence, God's work, (supposedly) has caused the "friction", and "exacerbation of existing issues" and ultimately the separation of the Bentley relationship...According to this we can simply blame God for what we are witnessing. Ooh, but we're not through yet...Look at this one:

Fresh Fire Ministries Aug. 17th 2008 public release ~ "We wish to acknowledge, however, that since our last statement from the Fresh Fire Board of Directors, [5 days ago] we have discovered new information revealing that Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff. In light of this new information and in consultation with his leaders and advisors, Todd Bentley has agreed to step down from his position on the Board of Directors and to refrain from all public ministry for a season to receive counsel in his personal life."

It took 5 days for additional information to come to light and now we see that there was an"unhealthy relationship on an emotional level" that has caused Todd to take advice and step down "for a season to receive counsel in his personal life." What is especially interesting about this is that "significant friction" which had led to separation was seemingly OK and no "counsel" was apparently necessary as long as it was only a divorce that loomed on the horizon. I suppose that now it is plausible to blame the Lord for our marital failures within ministry and that now ministers can just blame God, get by, collect the next offering and pass GO.

For those critical of Pentecostalism I would like to affirm that Pentecostalism is certainly not to blame for this fiasco. The Pentecostal message witnessing that the Spirit of the Lord is both active and moving in God's church and the world today, has nothing to do with the sins that we have witnessed under the guise of Pentecostalism. I am unequivocally a Pentecostal believer and minister for over 27 years, who has given my life to the study and objective exegesis of the word of God and readily find the tenets of Pentecostalism objectively rooted within the biblical narrative and most certainly biblically defensible. I have both witnessed and experienced the miracle working power of the Holy Ghost within my personal life, family and the lives of other that I serve. Pentecostalism or Christianity for that matter is not the issue.

The real issue and cause of what we are witnessing is sin bound in the hearts of individuals causing them to fake, pretend, and take advantage of weak minds. In the modern church, evangelism is no longer hand to hand and heart to heart. Currently evangelism is mass and target marketed through Television, book sales, CD sales, DVD sales, ticket sales, fashion shows and a whole host of other modern techniques. Currently the desire for material wealth such as luxurious houses, cars, and material wealth are at all time premiums and morality is an expendable commodity as long as associations and relationships can be maximized and leveraged for the best possible personal advantages.

In other words, the church is not about what one can do for HIM, it's about what HE can do for ME. The Todd Bentleys of the world have tapped into that vein to keep nonsensical ministries and false doctrines proliferating among churches and ministries that desire to be known by men rather than to be known of God. This has led the Bentleys of the world to say the most absurd things and still be able to draw insurmountably large crowds. The Bentleys of the world are able to drive and live as multimillionaires while the average income of their membership and followers are below $20,000 per year. This has led the Bentleys of the world to the conclusion that personal responsibility and dedication to the God of the bible, neatly placed on podiums (if at all), is secondary to the personality, charisma, and "sweetness" of the person bringing the message.

Nadab and Abihu placed their censer on the altar. Some have said that the sin of Nadab and Abihu was that they were drunk and intoxicated while trying to serve. Certainly they were carried away and intoxicated by their sins. I hold to a more literal view of this scripture. Nadab and Abihu placed a type of "fire" that was familiar to them on the altar of God against the command of God. What they placed before God was man made and filled with the elements of flesh. What they rendered at the altar I'm sure they thought of as being "Fresh", but it was old news to God and unacceptable in his sight.

Without additional warning God sent a REAL Fire from heaven and consumed the flesh of sin, while leaving the clothing in tact as an ash tray to carry out the remains of those who thought they could offer God what they wanted to offer HIM. Are we surprised to find that God is not entertained or enthused by our shows and displays that we want to render to him in his name? God is an awesome God and one worthy of respect to the highest.

To all those that hold out that Todd Bentley is just under attack from the enemy, you should know that Todd Bentley is under attack form himself and sin which he has not been delivered from. One thing is for sure, God doesn't kick his people into submission or punch them in the stomach or slap them in the face when they come for healing and bleeding on the inside. You can offer that "Strange Fire" if you wish, but I'll be like Apostle John when he found that he was in the same bath house with Gnostic Ceninthus..."I'm outta here, lest lightening strike and I am destroyed all together with this charlatan" ~ Revised Burnett version of an actual event-2008

As for me and my house...We shall serve the Lord!

Blessed!