you wrote in response to when I asked you about various revivals and moves of God:
I have no idea if they were or not, praise god if they were, but I really don't entirely know, because I obviously wasn't there, and neither were you, so everything that is being said about that is pure SPECULATION
No, it's not "speculation", it's called testimony, it's called "witness"...a "witness" recounts what he or she felt and saw, in their hearts and in
their spirit, and if you would make a careful study of past revival's or moves of God, there are two common denominators, one is a spontenaeous (spelling!) awareness of the fear of God in a community and the response of this community to that sudden Divine Awareness, which is repentance and a turning BACK to God. The other common denominator is the that there are many detractors who declare this move of God, counterfeit.
When God moves, and fills a community, people will wig, when God sent fire down to consume the offerings, and the dust and water that Elijah had poured out, what did the people do?
They fell on their faces, crying.
When Peter spoke the first great evangelistic sermon of the Church, what did people do, they were cut to the quick and cried out, "what must we do to be saved"?...and believe me, that first altar call wasn't a calm and sedate affair, can't you see it? 3,000 people getting saved under enormous guilt and shame and conviction. Don't tell me they weren't getting emotional.
But their were those there, that were probably deriding this first New Covenant revival. I know it, coz they look what they did to Stephen.
So I would suggest a careful study of revival, and this would reveal the Heavenly Architecure of revival.
I said that to say this, when you say, "be careful" of man, the implication is that he is not carefully and Scripturally discharging his duties as a minister of the New Covenant, and thats slander, and thats where I take umbrage with you, coz I'm telling you, personally that many times I have listened to a message that Michael Brown gave at Brownsville entitled "Holy Desperation", that lifted me out of a morass, coz he, in this message describes how Jacob, Israel wrestled with God, desperate and at the end of his rope, How Moses desired MORE of God when he cried, "Now show me Your glory", because he was hungry and desperate of more of God.
Desperate for God and that is the key to community/corporate/national revival.
It was a message delivered from the Throne and of the annointing of the Holy Spirit, and the assembly was so moved to cry out as thus....and this is a man to be careful of?
Brother, it's who one is DRAWN to, we are drawn to Jesus...yes!!!...and we are drawn to those ministers that have the indwelling of Jesus WITHIN them.
I praise God, because he has given me, I'm searching for the right word, he has given me the Knowledge to ascertain in the Spirit to those men, with His annointing who I am drawn to, and to those who I am NOT drawn to.
Early in my walk, one dear older brother, told me I had to watch a video of a great man, and I would be blessed, because he was holding a "revival meeting" next week. So out of respect and love I watched this video, it was Benny Hinn, and I watched about ten, fifteen minutes, all I could bear, because I was not drawn to Benny Hinn. I returned the video, and I said thank you for showing me this....thats all I said.
Now you might be thinking, why didnt you tell him he was decieved, because as a young believer that would be innappropriate, and because I believe firmly in my heart the Holy Ghost reveals all. There would be no heavenly profit in denouncing Benny Hinn to this older man who at that point was so cemented in his heart that Hinn was the real deal.
to put a button to this whole story, a few weeks later, we went to offering and this man was one of those collecting offerings. Now Pastor would allow a word in tongues provided that it was decent and in order, meaning an accompanying translation that lined up with the Word of God.
This older brother all of a sudden went off on tongues, and provided a translation that the whole assembly was aware that this extended utterance was NOT of God, and he was out of order, pastor quickly sidled up alongside, gently took his arm, and whispered in his ear, "thats enough", at the point the older man "seemed" to be "slain in the spirit", but three other brothers would not allow him to sink to the floor, they sat him down on the platform, however his wife in sympathy fell to the floor, and laid so thruout the rest of the service.
Later, pastor and several of the elders had a private meeting with the man, and explained why they believed he was out of order, and they did it gentle and in love, but the man, in religious pride, took his "toys" and huffed out leaving the assembly.
Two months later, in prayer the Spirit had told me to call him, and ask him in love to come back, and I was faithful. He was suprised to hear from me, and I told him I missed him, and loved him, and begged him in the name of Christ to forget what was behind and come back because we loved him, and he was part of the Body of Christ at our church. He rebuffed me and began a litany of complaints on how wrong the pastor was. I said while I respect your opinion, we are of the ministry of reconciliation, but his heart was hardened and he "made up" his [i][b]mind[/b][/i]
So I said, I love you, and let it go.
Its who you're drawn to: I am not drawn to Benny Hinn, Joyce Meier, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, D.James Kennedy, James Dobson, Mike Bickle, the Toronto Christian fellowship, or Rodney Howard Brown...NOR am I drawn to "discerment minstries", ocz , TO ME, it's just a lot of finger pointing, and constant reiteration of whats wrong with this ministry, or that minister, and to me, it reminds me of the pharisees, so I'm not drawn to that.
I'm drawn to the ministry of Michael Brown, who I might add took the Brownsville school of revival out of Brownsville and made it into the FIRE school. He got out of there.
I'm also drawn to the minstries of Evan Roberts, John Sung, David Brainerd, William Seymour, Duncan Campbell, as well as Chip Ingram. I've been reading the autobiography of Rev Josiah Henson, I'm drawn to him, he was the man Harriet Beecher Stowe based the character of Uncle Tom on, his life testimony is incredible. At 50, while a preacher, he couldn't read, having been prevented by his past slave masters to learn to read. Overcoming his pride, he admitted to his ten year old boy, who could read, to allow the lad to teach him to read....what a story.
Now brother, if you took offense with what I wrote in the regard of religious pride, I apologize, but when you get cemented in what you believe by reading third hand internet discernment ministries, and then disgorge this opinion on a forum, where its refuted, and then fail to backtrack, and say maybe I should I investigate deeper, and I didnt mean to slander or cast doubt on the ministry of another man.
You've never said that, and you've never said that you listened to any message from Michael Brown, yet you continue to provide links from men who have no qualms about slandering this man.
what is that?
Offending you is the last thing I wish to do, but I will call ya when I think your wrong.
I read deception in the church website many times, and I've gleaned very little fruit from it, quite the opposite.
so, there it is.
I prefer to conduct such dialogue in the light of the forum, not on PM, unless of course the discussion is sensitive, and needs discretion.
I say again, in all due respect, you should be circumspect about the implication of slandering a Godly minister, and should have the grace to apologize..
so there it is, I spoke my heart.
bartle