Posted on 09/01/2008 9:48:04 AM PDT by IreneE
QUITE HIDEOUS, indeed.
All over these threads there are people continually dissing evangelists, etc. I don’t mind genuine criticism but way too many just judge, some without even knowing the person they judge. I can understand the Todd Bentley stuff because he was way off the bubble, but there are others (and I’m not particularly talking about you here) who continually put down almost any evangelist and often unfairly. Yes, we need to be discerning and if there are genuine concerns, I don’t mind hearing thm.
I agree. And to let you know, I learned more from jack Hayford about the Word than any other person. I know he is a man of God, there are many who are just upset that he did not do more about protecting the sheep from Lakeland and this NAR/Elijah List dangerous nonsense.
IMHO, of course, but I think people were reticent in a way because they weren’t sure whether this was a move of God or it wasn’t. Apparently it wasn’t. It came to an end. I think we have all learned a lesson. Dutch Sheets wrote an excellent article about that and his feelings about Christians putting people like Todd on stage. Todd needed more discipleship before going public. He did some dynamic things, but then seemed to go the other way. I’m sad for him.
I’ll ping you the article on someone’s response to Dutch Sheets’ response.
Thanks. Did YOU read Dutch’s response?
At length. I like Sheets but believe he was an intercessor who has been compromised in those ‘tolerated associations” that the Lord does not approve of with these NAR people.
This letter is in the comments section and other places on the web.
This letter was posted at jp miller’s site. It was written by neophyte in response to Dutch Sheet’s letter in response to Lakeland. I hope Steve Strang and ALL the NAR/Elijah List leaders read it as I think it expresses eloquently and profoundly what many of us think and feel. - M. Franklin
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Love and respect you, Brother Dutch, and agree with much of what you had to say about the situation in Lakeland and the body of Christ in general.
But, you know, when all’s said and done I have to admit I feel like a young girl who’s been molested most of her life, and there comes a time when she says, “Enough!”
Yes, enough. Leave us alone. Please leave His church, His people, His bride, alone. All you “leaders”. All you pharisees, sadducees, and teachers of the law. Please take your hands off us and let us be.
You’ve been telling us all these years that you’re meeting our needs. That we need you. That we can’t do “it” without you. But we’ve been seeing for awhile now what’s really been going on. How we’ve been meeting YOUR needs all this time. Our time, our money, our talents, our families, our homes, our hearts and minds, our LIVES… you’ve stuck your hands where they don’t belong for far too long, and it’s time to say, “ENOUGH!”
We’re not going back to business as usual. We’re not going to waste another 10, 20, 30 years listening to your sermons and your teachings and your prophecies and your plans. The product isn’t what’s been advertised and we’re done chasing the carrot. We see it for what it is and we forgive you, but we’re done playing the game.
We’re done gazing up at you from our lowly perches. We’re done saying “How high?” to your “Jump.” We’re done placating your enormous egos and craven need for adulation at our and our families’ expense... for the little scraps we get that fall to the ground from your table.
Because, you see, we don’t really need you. At least not the “you” most of us have had all these years. The closest to God, smartest about God, most anointed of God and blessed of God, infallible prophet, priest and king “you”.
So, thank you very much, but we’re done pretending the emperor has clothes.
God must come to our hearts and our homes, brothers and sisters. That’s the simple bottom line. All the failings we see in the body of Christ are a direct result of God not taking His place in hearts and homes.
It’s not complicated at all. It’s really very simple. Much simpler than most would have us believe. If God isn’t God of our hearts and homes, what is He God of? And if God isn’t God of our leaders’ hearts and homes, what do they really have to give us? Theory?
They would have us believe “higher levels mean higher devils”.
They would have us feel guilty when they fall as if it’s somehow our fault.
(When they’re actually caught red-handed, that is. The rest of the time we do as we’re told and look the other way, pretending not to notice because what good would it do anyway?)
If only we prayed more or supported them more. If only we gave more. Yes, somehow it’s all our fault. Just like the molested little girl. (But all of this is neither here nor there. Because it’s a brand new day.)
Love God, love others as you love yourself. At least that’s what Jesus said it boiled down to. You know, CHRIST Jesus?
How complicated is that? You need a PhD for that? Even a little child can understand it. How many commandments did God give the people through Moses? This isn’t rocket science, folks. Faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection remits our sins and creates in us a clean, new heart. So that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit of God who IS love. So that we CAN love. Ta-daa. Pretty basic stuff, I think we’d all agree.
So, please, exalted rulers, please back down and leave us and our families alone. Please know your place. Please TAKE your place. Because you do realize, don’t you, that it’s high time, and then some.
I’m sure you realize, way deep down inside even, that there’s an awful lot of us out here whose shelves are filled to overflowing with your never-ending, not freely given, verbiage — you who have the audacity to think we might actually be able to do this thing called love… without you. (Oh my God, how could we, it’s all so horribly complicated!!)
Please, know your place, take your place. With all due respect.
Shalom,
One though many of His children
Actually, I rather like your doc.
I certainly like your pluck.
I didn’t even find a line to quibble with.
Sometimes, I shock even myself.
I do think God is moving away from leaders who are so bone-marrow convinced that they have a corner on God and God’s move in our era.
There will still be dramatic leaders whom God WILL use. And some, if not all of them, will still be birds of rare plumage more often than not.
However, the purity before God and man will be kicked up quite a number of levels, imho.
Have you ever checked out Curry Blake? Rather atypical, it seems to me—i.e. much more Biblical and about doing God’s work for God’s reasons in God’s ways and doesn’t care a flip about what others think.
I think it’s also wise to realize that we are all works in progress and all of us fail in greater or lesser ways almost on a daily basis.
However, for leaders to fail so spectacularly for so long with such arrogance and such an outrageous ‘entitlement’ mentality is so far over the line as to be outside this galactic cluster.
Yet, Pride is a seductive and devilish horror for every mortal alive. All best take heed lest we fall.
Thanks much for your comments, your insight is helpful.
Thanks Quix,
That was sweet and I appreciate it because I respect your opinion.
Have not checked that guy out, but there are a lot of bewildered sheep around my parts that really don’t know where to go to church anymore!
Bless you bro.
Until a month or two ago, I was out of church for 8-12 months.
Last Pastor would not communicate about some of his duplicity.
I returned to a church my parents helped found when I was in Jr High. Previous pastor of that church called me into his office to tell me that he
“didn’t have the ability to be my pastor.” Whatever I said, that was his mantra.
I’d written him a letter about the music volume being painful in the back of the auditorium even with industrial strength ear plugs.
Turns out, he was into hanky panky outside of his marriage and said he’d given it up but hadn’t.
Anyway—current pastor is quite anointed and God’s Presence is routinely present. Have missed that a long time.
Thanks for your kind words.
Blessings,
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