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    Lakeland Revival Leader to Separate from Wife and Daily Revival Meetings

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    Bentley’s flamboyant style seemed borrowed at times from professional wrestling, which Bentley has said he watches. He often exclaims “Bam” as he touches or shoves people to “impart” healing, and in a video circulating on the Internet, he is seen driving his knee into the abdomen of a man who said he had colon cancer, causing the man to fall to his knees.

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    If you ask Todd Bently, the leader of the Lakeland Revival, he'll tell you that God can do some pretty amazing miracles. One Todd hasn't been able to get God to touch and heal, though, is his marriage. According to The Ledger, "Evangelist Todd Bentley, who led a Pentecostal revival in Lakeland from a modest beginning to near-historic proportions, has filed for separation from his wife and will not return to the ongoing revival. Bentley announced to his staff Monday afternoon that he and his wife, Shonnah, had separated. The Bentleys have two daughters and a son.

    Bentley and the Florida Outpouring have been controversial, even among other Pentecostals. Bentley has been criticized for making extravagant claims of miraculous healing and even claimed dozens of people in various locations have been raised from the dead as a result of prayers offered at the Lakeland revival.

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    1. Heath Hiatt on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Come on…  Why does this have to happen every time. 


      I didn’t agree with this revival anyway, but I am just so tired of all the embarrassment.

    2. Peter Hamm on Thu, August 14, 2008

      I’m kinda hoping that maybe Todd just goes away for a while now. But seriously, I’d love for him to find some healing in his marriage, but among folks like this, let’s face it, this isn’t that unusual now, is it…

    3. Helen Betz on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Christians are notorious for shooting their wounded.


      I’m not a huge fan of Todd Bentley’s style. But I like his passion. Anyone who so brazenly goes out proclaiming Jesus Christ as Bentley is will no doubt be pressed into by the enemy and will come under fire from all sides.


      If you visit his website


      http://www.freshfire.ca/


      They openly address this marital issue and ask for prayer support.


      I know very discerning folks who have journied to Florida to see what it is all about and have been blessed in one way or another.


      No human is perfect and no human will do things right 100% of the time whether it’s in their ministry or in their personal life.


      Instead of judging him because of his marital strife and speaking “he’ll probably just be another one of THOSE people” over him,  perhaps we should ask God to lead us in how we can pray for him?


      Just a thought….

    4. bishopdave on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Maybe his wife and kids need to be away from him. His antics of kicking and punching in order to “heal” might lead one to be concerned with his treatment of them.


      We are commanded in the Word of God to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). Just because a man calls himself a Christian and a prophet (apostle?) doesn’t make him one. We’re not shooting our wounded.  It could well be the Lord shut this thing down.  Truth is what he is judged by, and he comes up way short.  Even his supporters are realizing the errors involved with this “ministry.”.


      http://fireinmybones.com/index.php?col=081308~Life+After+Lakeland:+Sorting+Out+the+Confusion


      I saw Bentley proclaim himself, not Christ.  Christ followers are told to beware of wolves in sheeps clothing. I hope God is using the present circumstances to bring this man to repentance and truth.

    5. Matthew M on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Thank you for sharing that article, bishopDave.  It was an excellent read.

    6. Helen Betz on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Thank you for the link…The claims it makes I will have to look into just as I have with the revival itself.


      Fresh Fire Ministries themselves has never asked people to not be discerning. And have discussed concerns people have had as the revival has gone on. Maybe look at their archives. I also do not recall GodTV saying that any criticism of Bentley is demonic. I’d be interested in seeing where/when that was stated. I’m also not going to shut someone out because they have tattoos or are overzealous in style. One of my pastors has tattoos all over his arms. Does this disqualify him from being a valid minister as the article suggests??


      There is always risk involved when someone steps out into something like this…Many ministries have learned through their mistakes…In my pressing into God on this whenever I had questions I was reassured that He was in it and had a purpose for it…That could have been me - but I am usually quite skeptical and have, as you said, tested the spirits.


      I may have been watching on the wrong nights but I never heard TB give himself the glory for anything, He has consistently pointed to Jesus Christ.


      I agree with you, that if any repentance is needed that God brings him around…But I also believe that the only response we should have is to pray for him and ask God HOW to pray for him and the entire ministry. I’m not sure that insinuating that he is abusive in his marriage is quite fair??

    7. bishopdave on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Helen:“I’m not sure that insinuating that he is abusive in his marriage is quite fair??”


      Bentley was proud of his kicking, punching, whatever. It’s well documented and filmed. He’s proud of it.  It’s very fair to be concerned that a man who has injured people whom he does not know would also injure those close to him. All in the name of Jesus. Please don’t try and defend that. That wasn’t healing going on Helen. The resurrections turned out to be iies—Bentley promised proof that never came. I saw a showboat—that kicking wasn’t the Spirit, that was a man making a name for himself. There is no comparison to Bentley’s “healings” and things Jesus, Peter, et al did.

    8. Helen Betz on Thu, August 14, 2008

      The point remains that you, nor I, have any idea what is going on in his marriage regardless of ministry style (which I have stated before I’m not a fan of). He didn’t take unwilling people and throw them onto the stage to brow beat them…People were lining up.


      My biggest concern in my comments here is that while Todd may have some issues we are called not to judge one another but to pray for one another. There is a procedure in the Bible for taking a brother to task that does not involve making assumptions about them or gossiping about them as if we ourselves are above needing repentance in our everyday lives.


      If the man has been a charlatan then those in position over him are called to bring him to a meeting and present their case against him and offer him a chance to make restitution to the body of Christ. See Matthew 18.


      Contrary to what we might think, the means through which God deals with people is sometimes not what we would consider gentle. Biblically, Paul was thrown to ground and blinded, Zechariah was rendered deaf and mute, An angel placed a burning coal to the lips of Isaiah to purify him.


      In John Wimber’s book “Power Healing” he recounts that during one session of prayer in which he was praying for healing of a man with a dental issue, he felt prompted to hit the man in the face. He resisted this prompting but it persisted. He gave the man’s shoulder a chuck and nothing happened…Finally he gave him a sharp pop on the forehead and the man was healed.


      Go figure.

    9. Peter Hamm on Thu, August 14, 2008

      “If the man has been a charlatan then those in position over him are called to bring him to a meeting and present their case against him and offer him a chance to make restitution to the body of Christ. See Matthew 18.” What if there is no one in authority over the person?

    10. bishopdave on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Helen, I’m can’t agree that what the angel did with Isaiah and the other cases you cite are valid precedents. What happened to Paul on the Damascus road is a far cry from kicking someone with a running start.  When HEALINGS took place, didn’t they have a different tone.


      Here’s a link if anyone is interested in John Piper’s comments:


      http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1348_Test_Revival_with_Doctrine/

    11. Helen Betz on Thu, August 14, 2008

      There will always be someone who can take this initiative within the ministry or within the family of God if the person in question is the lead pastor, etc. No one is too high up to be brought into question. In a worst case scenario, God might need to pull a damascus road kind of thing on someone if need be. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif


      In Todd’s case I’d imagine it would be one of his co-leaders of fresh fire ministries, those people are listed here:


      http://www.freshfire.ca/index.php?Id=1001&pid=8


      There are also older, wiser prophetic people in his midst such as Bob Jones, Randy Clark, Bill Johnson etc. who would likely step into this role if it came to that.

    12. Matthew M on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Helen,


      One doesn’t need to follow the Matthew 18 procedure when their sin/crime is public.  Matthew 18 has to do with private sins.


      TB’s assaults were public.  And just as the Apostle Paul publicly reprimanded Peter in Galatians 2, without following Matthew 18 I might add, so should we with TB’s assaults.


      To refer to TB’s actions as anything but assualt, is truly bizzarre.

    13. Helen Betz on Thu, August 14, 2008

      Yes, true, probably a different tone for sure. But certainly not pretty.


      Historically there’s been stuff to sort out in any revival. And a learning curve…It takes guts to step out and risk everything to do what one believe’s God is calling them to. I didn’t see kicking and such when I was watching. I tuned in pretty regularly for a few weeks early on because I wanted to see for myself and press into it. The most I saw was head smacking and some shoving..Not my cup of tea…But didn’t exceed what I’d seen other more, uh, “lively” ministers do.


      Defending his ministry style, again, is not my issue. It’s the judgmental tone that seems to be issuing now from these articles and such. And that contain statements that throw anyone who isn’t “normal” looking or acting under the bus.


      God isn’t tame. That is for sure. Is it possible we’re being tested to see how we respond? I dunno…I just know what God seemed to tell me when I asked…And that was that He was in it and that it has more to do with getting the attention of the Church to encourage a seeking of HIM then it is anything else.

    14. Helen Betz on Thu, August 14, 2008

      So - these assaults which undoubtedly took place in more recent days, have the folks involved pressed charges? I haven’t heard/read anything regarding this. The hoo ha seems to be about a troubled marriage.


      As far as Peter and Paul, they were still personally connected. What I am seeing is an outpouring of people not directly involved in the ministry making assumptions and basically throwing the entire ministry under the bus in nasty tones. What SHOULD our response be? That is my question…Does it behoove anyone to make guesses as to what is going on between TB and his wife? Does it edify the Church?


      What can be learned from all of this? What about it was good? I know a number of people who were blessed by it, are their experiences invalid because TB is seperated from his wife…That he has problems in his personal life just like the rest of us?

    15. bishopdave on Thu, August 14, 2008

      What did I learn from this?


      Bentley’s wife and children need much prayer. The Holy Spirit is telling me Todd has hurt them immensely.


      Like Charisma magazine editor Grady put in his column linked above,  I learned that…


      “Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It’s way past time for us to grow up.”

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