Sifting

I don't know who I am to judge theological viewpoints, personal ministry styles, worship music selection, or anything else. I just want Jesus. If Jesus isn't in it, then I'm not interested, but if there is fruit growing, then The Lord is moving regardless of whether or not I personally approve of it. The Lord's presence & movement transcends my personal style & preference.


It makes me a little bit nervous for people who discredit someone completely (namely discrediting Christian leaders) because of one thing, or a few small things here & there. I believe people are worth much more than a minor viewpoint or a skewed magazine interview. Jesus didn't die for His people to be great songwriters or effective preachers. He died for His people to love Him. If The Father sees His children worth more than a job description, then shouldn't I?


I think about what happened with Todd Bentley & the Lakeland Revival that occurred a few years ago. The Lord moved mightily, & many miracles took place. Todd Bentley was totally used by God. Even though he fell into sin, his work shouldn't have been discredited. The fruit was real. Things could have been done differently sure, but he's a fallible human being, not a righteous & holy God. Many prophetic voices believe that the Lakeland Revival was the 1st of 3 waves of revival to sweep across the nation. It's sad to me hearing of & seeing Christian bookstores removing Bentley's books from their shelves & questioning the validity of the Lakeland Revival because of a struggle. I never want to belittle sin, but at the same time, I don't think it should always be a focal point or determining factor to judge a move of God. It's often said that to know where you're going, you have to know where you've been, & sin is inevitably traced throughout all of human & church history.


I then think of John Alexander Dowie, the founder of Zion City in Illinois. He had an incredible healing ministry among many other things. Yet in the early 1900's during his final years, he declined physically & spiritually. He believed he was the Elijah to come, causing much discourse & abandonment among his followers. He was accused of many things, and died in his own city. I don't know how much or how little of Dowie's work was discredited, but it seems to be a common occurrence throughout church history that often the leaders of a move of God would fall to the temptations of sin, fame, lies, media, money, performance, & all sorts of things. This leads me to think, 1. This was probably no easy job. And 2. Were they aware of the past moves of God? How they ended & began?


I also think about people active in ministry today, like John Crowder & Ben Dunn. They offend large amounts of people in the church today, yet there is fruit from their ministry. Their evangelism tactics are ones I probably wouldn't choose. Their use of drug language doesn't really illustrate points well to me personally, & much of their personalities are a bit overwhelming for me to want to interact with. I don't however, want these things to shut me off to them because


1. If people are being touched by the Lord & there is fruit from their ministry, then praise God.


2. It's not about me.


It's their hearts & their type of work that remind me that people outside of the church walls & a Christian home need to be encounter God. Although I don't think I agree with all of Crowder's beliefs or approaches, I enjoy his writings & am impressed with the boldness he possesses. He & Dunn have very large hearts that they are determined to express at the expense of the church's religious approval. Their freedom from the opinions of man is empowering.


Lastly, I think about Rob Bell as I Youtube his name in search of some of his NOOMA videos & sermons. Personally, I think he's awesome, yet there seems to be a good deal of controversy over his beliefs. I think it's vital to test every word for yourself, & not believe (or disbelieve) what you do just because of the source. 1st Thessalonians says to test all things & hold fast to what is good (5:21). It's important to test & question so that we can have a reason & a defense for our faith, rather than just believing blindly & ignorantly. Being innocent & being ignorant are not the same. I find passionate lovers of God intriguing because that's who the Lord has created us to be, & I love seeing people walk in that. Bell is one of those people to me.


Sifting through the moves of God from the past, as well as current ones, & prophecies of ones yet to come, makes me hunger for the presence of the Lord in an even greater amount. It makes my heart cry for the Holy Spirit to fall upon me in an increased measure, that so much more would be revealed & my senses would be heightened to experience my Father working & moving in my midst. I don't want anything less than Jesus.