Pilgrimages
Pilgrimages may be defined as journeys made to some place with the purpose of venerating it, or in order to ask there for supernatural aid, or to discharge some religious obligation.
- New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
I was talking to a friend the other day about the “revival” in Lakeland, Florida. We talked about the similarities between charismatics flocking to these revival sites (Lakeland, Pensacola, Toronto, Brownsville, etc.) and Roman Catholics visiting various apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Just a thought…
Is the question whether Bentley follows Christ?
Is the question whether people fake miracles?
Is the question whether people follow fakes?
Is the question whether healings happen today?
I struggle a lot with these types of “revivals” and healing meetings because I am skeptical. I worry that people are faking it; I worry that people will put their trust into someone who isn’t following Jesus or some thing and thereby be led astray. I do have all of those thoughts and more…. but then God says fix your eyes on Me, not on others, not on miracles, not on anything less than Me. Don’t worry; let me be God. And He also reminds me that He is the same God today as He was yesterday and that He still works and moves among us today. I believe God still heals today. I know that people are still people and some things may not be “real,” but that doesn’t change Who God Is or give me a right to judge when I can’t know the heart or the reality of what’s happening at a meeting like the one in Lakeland.
I hadn’t heard about this until seeing it here. I lived in Lakeland for two years as a child.
What’s difference between…
Toronto
Kansas City
Brownsville
Lakeland
and other places of manifestations
all the same to me…..
Yes.
Sure.
No, for they certainly do.
No, but a good question might be: Do healings necessarily validate a ministry?
I can (and am obligated) to judge Bentley’s teaching. I’ve been following Bentley and his antics on-and-off since 2004/5. He is certainly a heretic (Word/Faith, Dominionism, Manifest Sons of God, etc.).
Have you visited his church? Have you spoken with him? Have you gone to him privately and confronted him lovingly with the Truth?
the point of my questions was that none of those should be our questions even though all of the questions might have as their answer, yes. Our questions should be directed to God in prayer, asking Him where we should go, minister, and what we should do. If God tells you to disciple Bentley, then go do it. But I’m not sure what you are doing here really applies biblical principles.
I know people who tend to believe in Dominionism who are Christians. Once you spend time with them, opening the Scriptuers together, it is easy to see they’ve never been taught anything differently. It’s like talking to a baptist about alcohol. They’ve been told what to believe and never really gotten Truth and aren’t encouraged to ask questions (because as his been shown here, questions often get one accused of being some label). When one begins to dig into what authority in Jesus really means from the scripture, it gives them insight into Who God Is and how the Kingdom operates. But attacking them generally doesn’t result to an opportunity to really discuss the bible. We are too fleshy and always want to react to attacks in the same spirit.
Here is another interesting blog post w/ some video feeds as well. To me, Bentley is at best a heretic. I say this because like the article below points out, when you start to give glory to angels instead of Jesus Christ, you are moving in a completely wrong direction. We don’t pray to angels or ask them to intercede on our behalf. We pray to the Father through the Son.
Also, let us not forget to mention that 1/3 of all angels fell from heaven with the devil.
Although we can not judge the heart and salvation of a person, we are called to judge their teaching according to the scriptures. Acts 17:10-11. If it doesn’t line up, then it should defiantly be brought up on charges of heresy.
Click here to read the blog post
Jason,
Thanks for the link. I agree with the assessment of Bentley and this “move of God”.