CFFC | Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 18:04:41 -0400 From: bshepard@md.metrocast.net The False Revival of Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Church By Pastor Brian Shepard BFC MAryland There’s a lot going on in the Christian world that is encouraging—thousands of new converts in China every day, real evangelism happening in the USA and more—but there are some very dangerous false doctrines which are springing up all around us. Most of the time they don’t reach the masses because they are contained within the local church but from time to time they explode into influential movements. The latest “revival” has made inroads through God TV and YouTube. In these so-called “revivals” the enthusiasts are claiming God is doing a “new thing.” Some of these “new things” are old filings in their teeth turning to gold, gold dust falling during services, uncontrolled laughter, getting “drunk in the Spirit,” and more. None of these experiences are found in God’s word but that doesn’t matter. God’s doing a “new thing” and Scripture is an “old thing”. It’s interesting to me how old these “new things” are. For decades “revivalist” have gone from town to town finding potential victims who are looking for “new things” because the churches in their area are dead. The “revival” meetings, they begin, all had the strange miracles, as mentioned above, and many of the deceived would give the little money they had as “seed offerings” which would make them eligible for the miracle in their life. When the money would run out, or the fake would be found out, or the people would get tired of not really being healed, or the miracles would get old and the folks would start looking for a “new thing again,” the “revivalist” would fade away and either resurface after people had forgotten his past or a new “revivalist” would take his place. The only new thing God promised in his Scripture is and will be, Jesus’ birth, life, teaching, death, resurrection, intersession, Priesthood, Church, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, His return and His Kingdom. Isa 42:8-9 states: 8 I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them." NKJV These “revivalist” all claim “the glory” is on them or a new “anointing” is on them. God said above, “I will not give my glory to another.” He also said he would tell us what new things he would do. And he did just that in his Scriptures. One other hallmark of the false revival is the special impartation of knowledge the revivalist receives from “angels” or Christ Himself. These special revelations are suppose to explain why the Scripture is wrong and the “revivalist is right. Take time to read these two versions of the same scripture and judge for yourself how it describes the bases for Todd Bentley or the Lakeland revival. Col 2:18-19 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. NKJV Col 2:18-19 18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. NAS Do you remember the fable about the “Emperor’s New Clothes?” Everyone pretended they could see his invisible clothes because it was reported only the intelligent people could see it. Finally, a little boy cried out “he’s naked!” Then everyone including the king had to admit he was indeed naked. Well, what do you see in these revivals? I actually heard on enthusiast say, “don’t look for it in scripture. Get your head out of the way and just receive it”. The Devil couldn’t have said it better. I believe all the gifts of the Spirit listed in God’s Word, such as those in 1 Cor 12, are still active and beneficial to God’s kingdom today and will continue to be until that which is perfect comes—Jesus in His second coming. I don’t need a new thing. I want a Scriptural thing. The Gifts of the Spirit are powerful and effectual in edifying the church and winning the lost. It is a shame that many are trading in the incredible power of the Holy Spirit for a charlatan’s elusion. The greatest tragedy in this revival is that many who are evaluating the possibility of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit will either be dragged into this false revival or reject the gifts of the Spirit as foolishness. Because these “revivalist” teach their enthusiast to shun all who would dare point out their false teaching, I know I will be attacked by many for this blog. This is how you will find out who their real father is. The God of love or the god who seeks to kill, steal and destroy. So, let’s “Talk About” it. Respond to bshepard@lccog.com and after you comments are screened for acceptability on a Christian website, I’ll post them on the blog. |
| From: DesertTats@aol.com Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 01:56:53 -0400 Subject: Prison Minisrty update Family and friends A team of us were in the prisons all last week up in central California. I personally spent time in Fresno County Detention center sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all that would hear. It was so awesome! Out of over 15000 inmates 2602 of them gave their lives to the Lord this weekend. Praise the Lord! An awesome thing happened to me years ago in this ministry and I would love to share it with you. In 1996 I was doing a short time in San Bernardino County for burglary. For some reason they stuck me in the GTA-Drug offender-first time offender tank. It was packed with a bunch of kids. This one day I got irritated by this one dude so I took it to him and beat him up. I ended up in the hole for 20 days. I was going crazy in there so I started to work out to pass the time. I ended up doing jumping jacks for several hours at a time with the hopes I could wear myself out and sleep. One day this brother that was passing out the food tossed me a book under the door. It was called “God’s Prison Gang” by Chaplain Ray. I do not know how I ever graduated High School because I never read a book from cover to cover once while I was in school. But I read this book. It was about high profile criminals that made the news with some big crime like Tex Watson guilty of murder and sentenced to life for the Manson killings. Susan Adkins Guilty of murder for the same crimes. And then this one dude from Florida named Jack “Murf the Surf” Murphy. He broke into the New York Museum of Natural History and stole the “Heart of India”. This was a 563.35 carat sapphire. The heist made headlines around the world. Murf was caught and did some time for then got out. A couple of years later and Murf got charged with murder and he was sentenced to life in prison. All these people got saved and they tell their stories of how they changed in this book. I read this book over and over. I thought if these guys could change then so could I. I never forgot this book. My second time in the Bill Glass prison ministry I saw and then met Jack Murphy. I'm not sure how, but he got out of prison. All I knew was he was there and we ministered together side by side. Life is a trip and God is awesome! I finally got the opportunity to share this with Murf and he was blessed. I also got him to sign a copy of the book. This was really awesome for me. Thank you for all of your support. Big Mike |
| Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:04:04 From: canadiancountybfc@yahoo.com Subject: Praise Request Pastor Z, I called you back in December and asked that you pray for our youngest daughter Shannon that was diagnosed with cervical cancer, after God came on the scene, medical treatment and further tests we recieved the test results today, negative, no cancer. We praise the Lord for his healing touch, God has sure been good to this family and our extended family, thank you for your prayers. Love & Appreciation, Allan (tiny) Oklahoma State Elder |
| From: DesertTats@aol.com Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:09:02 -0400 Subject: BFC HD wants to thank you for your prayers We had five of our Bikers for Christ members and one brother from Oasis Church, the Lord used us at two different juvenile halls and one adult institution. West Valley juvenile, Central Detention Center juvenile and West Valley Detention Center. God used us to bring over 22 teenagers to the Lord and several adults (the number of decisions are not in yet). We trust that the Lord spoke to even those in ear shot of us as we shared with others. The beauty of it all was that our gang was not the only people there sharing the word. There was over 400 teammates there this weekend. I am sure the number of decisions made to follow Christ were in the hundreds. We say that if we only get one we did our job, but I would hope and pray that they all fall directly in the arms of Jesus, every last one. Again I want to thank you for your prayers and support of our ministry. God is so good! BM |
| From: shadybfc@cox.net To: fredzman777@hotmail.com Subject: Thought you might like these Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:45:48 -0800 We were stopped by construction way out on the middle of Ortega Hwy and this Marine came back to see if we had an extra smoke. I told him I quit a couple of weeks ago but we would be happy to pray with him instead.. He was all for it.. When we were done, he said that was way better then a smoke.. I got to pray for his salvation and his time in the Marine corp too.. God gets all the glory for this one.. He will bring them to us, we just got to put our foot forward.. Love ya "Z" God Bless You. "Shady"   |
| From: iride4jesus@mindspring.com Subject: Merry Christmas Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:48:29 -0500 Brothers and Sisters, As we join our brothers and sisters around the globe in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray that God will bless you and your families in a special way, now and throughout the coming year. Ours is a special ministry - to bring the message of salvation to the hopeless, life to those who are dying, joy to the grieving, rest to the weary, and love to the unloved and the unlovable - to reach out to the lost, the last, and the least with the glorious news that God loves them right where they are.In the coming year, let us resolve to keep God first, others second, and ourselves last as we minister to a world in need. Remember the words of Jeremiah: This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of the their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let those who boast boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, TNIV) Folks, it's not about us or what we're doing or what we think we have to offer God. It's all about what God is doing and how we can be a part of it. Everything we are and have comes from God, so let's use that - our wisdom, strength, and riches - to bring righteousness, kindness, and justice to all that we do. I look forward to serving our Lord with you in 2008. Grace and peace, Paul Wilms, North Carolina State Elder Bikers for Christ PO Box 4584 Cary, NC 27519 919-467-4498 www.northcarolinabikersforchrist.org |
| Subject: Open Arms Community Church and Shelter Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:35:27 -0500 Hey guys, I wanted to give everyone an update on the shelter. Our Bikers for Christ chapter (with help from Mana Riders, CMA, Forgiven Child of God motorcycle ministry, and private donations) was been able to replace all the equipment that needed replacing, and they are back cooking full force! I spent some time there yesterday, and the happiness in the faces of the homeless being served made it all worthwhile! The fire inspector and the building inspector have signed off on everything and have given them a clean bill of health, they are free to keep their doors open and serve food, praise God!! It is because of everyone who donated to this great cause that they are still operating today. God used each one of us as a vessel to do His work, He knows the great works that this shelter is doing in that community, and all in God's name! We replaced the complete fire suppression system in the kitchen, which was the primary concern and that primary cost, and the reason the doors were closed in the first place. We also replaced all the fire extinguishers throughout the facility with updated equipment, and installed the proper type in the kitchen area. We capped off some unused gas lines and covered some electrical outlets that were a fire hazard. We removed some equipment that was outdated on faith that it would somehow be replaced, and guess what .... an organization from Washington DC called the shelter this past weekend, had heard about the need, and is replacing that exact equipment! It was the exact equipment that the organization had left over from a restaurant remodel. Ain't God great? So great!!! So yesterday while my son and I were helping at the shelter, I talked with Jesse and the kitchen volunteers about what else was needed. I took several of the ladies who cook at the shelter to a restaurant supply store in town and let them purchase everything else they needed using the rest of the money we raised. We bought industrial equipment that will last them as long as they are open. We got pots, pans, cookware, utensils, can openers, aprons, storage containers, deep fryers, and more! We stocked that place, brothers and sisters!! God is so good! And the restaurant supply store is run by Christians, and when they heard where the equipment was going to be used, they gave us 10% off everything and did not charge any taxes. That allowed us to purchase more equipment! God is everywhere! They still need volunteers, so please (please, please) if you are local, spend some time there helping, talk to your church and ask for volunteers, get involved! There is such a need, and we are capable of filling this void. We all attend different churches here in Fayetteville, and if each church can dedicate some time volunteering, we can make such a difference! Every person makes a difference. The youth group from my church spent yesterday there volunteering, and gave the ladies a break, allowing them to work with the clothing closet putting together care packages. Any age can help, it is a safe, loving environment and all are welcome. Please get involved. Shane "Buzz" Sapp Bikers for Christ - Fayetteville Chapter Elder Riding for the Son - God bless!! (910) 850-6799 www.NorthCarolinaBikersForChrist.org |
| August 2007 Hi Brothers and Sisters, We first off wanted to thank all of our MS-777 Supporters - for your faithful and generous support. Because of your faithfulness - I've been able to continue in the ministry fulltime - and God has opened so many incredible doors - we can hardly keep up with it all !!!If you are interested in becoming an MS-777 Supporters - please read through the info on the last page. And now the news:The last month has been a whirlwind of events !!! We left for Sturgis on Friday Aug.3rd. in our "Urban Assault Vehicle" - the van with new trailer - filled with my bikes, thousands of gospel tracts and bibles, and followed by Rick and Stella (from BFC HQ) on their bikes. Later that day we stopped in Las Vegas to see the Vegas Crew - and then on to Utah - where we visited one of our BFC chapter elders. and spent the nite.The next day we headed for Denver, Colorado - where we met with Carl and Jeanette, Larry and the rest of the Colorado BFC members. We had a great time of fellowship. and picked up some Colorado members for the journey to Sturgis.We arrived in Sturgis on Sunday nite - and of course immediately went into town. checking it all out - and passing out some gospel tracts.On Monday morning - we met up with BFC members from California, Texas, and Colorado - and took a ride to the Crazy Horse monument (incredible), through the Leeds Highway (lots of 15 mph turns), and on to Mount Rushmore (which was breathtaking) - and - we of course passing out gospel tracts all the way !!! Then Monday nite - it was back downtown to tract 'em all, and let God sort 'em out !!!On Tuesday morning - we rode to the Devil's Tower in Wyoming (awesome) and then on to Deadwood. more people, more tracts.. Then we hit some major torrential rain (and some hail). - and headed back to Sturgis.Every nite we were on the streets of Sturgis - and through the week - we passed out over 7,000 gospel tracts, and 2,000 invitations to the Freedom Rally - an outreach to Sturgis..On Weds. - we had a personal invitation from the International President of a large 1% motorcycle club - to visit their private compound (about 15 miles up a gravel road). He told me to come and visit and bring a few of my friends. We accepted the offer and visited their compound. with 30 BFC members !!! It was awesome. We were treated with respect and dignity - and God allowed me to share my testimony and our vision for BFC with them for over 2 hours !!! God is awesome. Many seeds were planted that day, and the friendships continue.Weds. Nite - we had the first nite of the Freedom Biker Rally featuring music by Dennis Agajanian (also a BFC member), and preaching by your truly. the Lord moved that evening and 4 or 5 people accepted Christ or re-dedicated their lives.On Thursday we rode with our Nebraska members to Rapid City for another rally - more gospel tracts and we visited a Christian Retret Center (where we will be hosting our "1st Annual National BFC Rally") next year.On Friday morning - Esther and I headed out for a 700 mile drive to Salt Lake City, Utah - where I was invited to share at Calvary Chapel's tv show. We shot some segments for the tv program - then went on a beautiful ride through some mountains outside of the city - where we ended up at Robert Redford's Sundance Film property. where I was kicked out for passing out more gospel tracts. ! Oh well. I've been kicked out of better places than that! We had great fellowship with Pastor Terry and his gang.On Sunday morning we headed up to Utah (250 miles) to see Esther's son and daughter in law. and saw the most beautiful waterfalls we'd ever seen - Shoshone Falls, Idaho. then we pulled out and drove to Las Vegas (so we did a total of about 800 miles that day) !!!We spent the nite - and Esther got her first tattoo !!! Permanent eyeliner. ! LOL Besides she says I've got enough tats for both of us.We got home on Monday at 2 pm. at 4 pm, I jumped on a plane to Montana - to do a funeral for one of our members Chuck Geisler - who had died on his way to Sturgis. I flew home on Weds. then on Thursday afternoon we drove to Northern California- where I did a wedding ceremony for my daughter Melody. What a blessing. Then we drove home to do church at Rushing Wind on Sunday morning..So in about 2 ½ weeks - we drove over 5,000 miles and I flew over 3,000 miles. Like I've always said - it's hard to hit a moving target !!! It's all about reaching out with the gospel everywhere you go. Love and Respect, Pastor Fred & Esther Z. |