Learning....

With all the hoopla against the Lakeland revival, I've been really trying to learn. I have read quite a bit of information - and needless stabbing - on the 'net and have also been delving into The Word for some REAL guidance. Let me list some of the issues some sects of Christianity have against this movement. And I will also list the answer that God has given me to those issues.

Todd Bentley is the man who has dedicated his life for the past month and a half to revival for God. He is from Canada, is married and has 3 kids, I think. He runs Fresh Fire Ministries ( www.freshfire.ca ) up in Canada and has been a world wide evangelist for about 10 years now. The plan in Lakeland was for a 5 day revival, it's now been , I believe, 49 days. For more information on this revival and for testimonies, please check out the Fresh Fire website ( listed above ) and/or www.god.tv . This revival has been like none other. Hundreds, if not thousands of people have given thier lives to God and at least the same number have experianced miracles and healings.

I'm attempting to write this without stepping on any toes, but I am also going to put things plain and simple, so if you are offended, please know that is not my intention.

Many denominations of the Christian religion are more conservative. These appear to be the ones who have a problem with this movement. They list things such as ....

1. Todd Bentley has tattoos - yes, he got them AFTER his conversion - Time and time again, I have seen Leviticus 19:28 quoted as to why there is a problem with his tattoos.... " Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." ( NIV ) ( KJV: " Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. I am the Lord." )

I would say that this is a good point..... but there are a couple problems with this logic. First of all, this is part of the law in which Jesus came to set us free of.
Romans 8:1-4 " Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." ( NIV )
Galations 2:16 " know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Jesus Christ that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
Galations 3:12-14 " The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ' The man who does these things will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed in everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
Galations 3:19 ; 23-25 " What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whome the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator." " Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law."

If , for some unknown reason, a person would rather live under the slavery of the law instead of simply receiving God's gift of His Son and His mercy, then let's take a look at the other laws in Leviticus 19. There are many laws here, and some of them we know from the Ten Commandments, and some are simply one's that we are taught such as " Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. " ( Lev 19: 11 ) So let's look at the other, less obvious ones.
" When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the Lord; that person must be cut off from his people. " (verses 5-8 )
So according to this , we should still be making physical, edible sacrifices. I wonder how many people actually do this....
" Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight." ( verse 13b ) Oh boy, we're ALL in trouble!
"Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material." ( Verse 19b ) Does this need comment?
" Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." ( verse 26a) How do you like your steak cooked?
" Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." ( verse 27 ) And I can assume that everyone throwing verse 28 up is Orthodox Jews and follow this one, right?
" When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. " ( verse 33 -34a ) I wonder if this works for the states too, not to mention others who come from other countries.
And finally, " Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord." ..... I'll take the heavenly grace please!!

Next, we can discuss whats said about the tattoos he has and move on to the next point that has been made against this movement and Todd Bentley.