If you have not heard, there is quite the move of God happening in Lakeland, FL under the ministry of Todd Bentley. From what I have heard and seen, it is a remarkable outpouring of miracles and healing, like, people getting out of wheelchairs, being healed of autism, etc. No small potatoes.

Along with these remarkable healings, there is a fair share of gold teeth, gold dust, and talk of angels. Why is it that God cannot just demonstrate His power and revive His people in a more “normal” fashion? I say this half-sarcastically because it always seems that recent revivals have always had things that keep non-charismatics from embracing these “revivals.”

In light of this, this morning I ran across a blog post by a Dan Edelen on his concerns with the Lakeland revival. He seems like a good and well-meaning chap and would say that his concerns are valid, but would like to address them. Not for his sake, but more for my own thinking. Isn’t that what blogging is all about?

He wrote:

1. All true revival is marked by one overarching, indisputable reality: People are driven to repentance. And not “Me too, me too!” repentance, but the kind that soaks the carpeting in tears of holy remorse for sin…And those fruits remain. They don’t vanish six months after roadies pack up the revival tent; they last a lifetime.

While I agree with this statement, I don’t plan on waiting for 6 months to see the fruit before I jump in and embrace it. This kind of skepticism bugs me because it automatically assumes that nothing is of God until I am able to prove that it is. A commenter to his post said that we are to be skeptical like the Bereans (Acts 17:11). This is a bad understanding of what those Bereans were actually doing because it actually says that they received the word with eagerness and then examined it. So they weren’t looking to prove it wrong, but to prove it right.

As for evidence of repentance, I can’t give you an eyewitness account, but from what I have seen, there is evidence of repentance. I sometimes think we limit repentance to remorse over sin instead of also seeing it as a change in perspective and a renewed sense of the love of God.

I will say that God emphasizes things in different ways and at different times. In Toronto in 1994, the emphasis was on the Father’s love, while at the same time in Brownsville, FL the emphasis was on repentance. We don’t know how this thing will grow. I guess we’ll have to wait 6 months before deciding.

2. There’s no fool like a charismatic fool…Too many charismatics drink from poisoned wells only to clutch their guts in pain later, asking what went wrong.

I would agree that this does happen, but not because charismatics did not test the “spirit.” I think it has more to do with the fact that we slightly misunderstand the purpose of these outpourings. They are not the end in themselves but the means by which we get to the goal of transformation of cities and nations. Prayer, boldness, and godly character should be what we are pursuing. If this does not happen in the lives of everyone who attends these meetings does not mean that it is not of God.

3. Whenever the emphasis gets off Jesus, a revival’s focus is off target. The Holy Spirit always pulls people to Jesus. He doesn’t pull them toward angels, canny preachers, or displays of spiritual gifts. He doesn’t need gold teeth, gold dust, and angel feathers to point people to Jesus. (Those are illusionist and occultist tricks.) He just needs himself because He is sufficient to do the pointing.

This is why I would like God to do things in a more “normal” fashion. Just don’t give us any of these crazy tricks and weird manifestations. Don’t let the Todd Bentley’s of the world be anointed and things would be a lot easier.

Seriously, while I would enjoy that, God does like to offend our ideas so that we really do search Him out. While the weird stuff is happening, many more amazing things are happening. Does the fact that gold dust is appearing negate the fact that Jesus revealed Himself as a healer to heal a girl I know of a life-crippling disease that no doctor could diagnose? No! So why are we worried about this stuff?

5. Real revival doesn’t just draw one kind of Christian. It draws everyone. It draws Episcopalians, Lutherans, Reformed, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Brethren, Mennonite, Methodist, Baptist—everyone.

This is where I ask what sort of Scriptural evidence he has for this. If we want to talk about revival in Scripture, then we have to start with the fact that it’s not there. So that’s a problem. My point is that we shouldn’t be looking for certain signs that we think should be there when there is no Scriptural precedence for it. Who is to say that God will not cause what is happening in Lakeland to spread to many different denominations? Or that people from many different denominations are not attending Lakeland?

In considering all that is happening in Lakeland, I have to say that this is just the beginning of something that will not stop but will spread. Bob Jones, a prophet with a considerable track record, has said that this is the beginning of the revival that will not stop until Jesus returns. That is a massive statement with implications that are staggering.

What this means for the Church is both glorious and terrifying. The years and decades ahead will be incredible as God’s Spirit moves to transform lives. It will also be terrifying as End-Time judgments begin to break in on the earth and the beginning of birth pangs begin to happen, as Jesus prophesied.

In all of this, we can be confident that Jesus is a perfect leader. Sometimes I wish He would have everything happen in a more orderly way, but He chooses to work through weak and broken people who will not always get it right. What will happen will offend many people, but we must be careful to not judge God’s work when thinking that we are just using “discernment.” Sometimes this is just a way of saying that we don’t like what is going on so we will appeal to our discernment.

So let’s put on our seatbelts because I think we are in for the ride of our lives. It will be the best of times and the worst of times. God is in the business of purifying His bride and preparing the earth for His coming. He wants a people who will say “yes” to Him. I for one plan on doing that.

I’ve been looking at Matthew recently and was pondering the story of the Roman centurion who was praised because of his great faith (Matthew 8:5-13). You know, his servant is sick and so he comes to Jesus and only asks that Jesus say a word and the servant would be healed. This faith surprises Jesus who says He has never seen such faith.

The story would make more sense if Jesus was too busy to actually come to the man’s house. If the man asked Him to come, but Jesus said He couldn’t. Out of a desperate effort, he suggested that Jesus just say a word and he would be healed. But that’s not the story. The story is that Jesus offered to come, but the man refused Him.

As I was picturing this in a modern day setting, I understood on a different level why this man might refuse Jesus to come to his house.

Imagine Jesus as He is walking down the road stopping at supermarkets and businesses as men come running to Him for healing. This is where you come joining the crowd of those who are sick and have brought sick ones. You are desperate; you state your request without really knowing what Jesus will say.

When He says, “I will come and heal him,” it takes you aback. You didn’t expect this. You had heard of the man’s kindness, but this is different. You look at the crowds around Him and a wave of guilt comes over you. Would He really leave these crowds to come to my house to heal one servant? What about the multitudes around Him? I am not worthy to take Him away from so many; to have Him come under my roof.

No, I cannot let Him come to my house. I cannot take this man away from the so many who have gathered. There must be another way. Yes, why can’t He just say a word? He is a man of authority like myself; He must be able to heal without actually coming to my house.

I don’t know if this is actually what happened, but at least this is how I would feel. I’m not sure that Jesus is praising the centurion because of his belief that Jesus could heal over time and space, or if the centurion understood the golden rule of loving your neighbor and doing unto others as they would do unto you.

In any case, it blows my mind that Jesus would interrupt His day for one seemingly insignificant servant.

Warning: This post may contain heresy.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at 2 Peter 3; the whole chapter about God cleansing the earth with fire and Him being patient towards unbelievers. I started looking into it because it’s one passage that seems to indicate that the present earth is going to be destroyed and a completely new earth will be made at the end of the present age.

In studying that, I kind of got sidetracked when I realized that Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward YOU, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (3:9). I’ve always read that verse as God being patient towards unbelievers, but the subject is believers! This is confirmed in verse 8 where he makes it clear that he is speaking to believers.

This was a bit of surprise and it got me thinking and exploring. I’m not sure why he is speaking to believers here when he is expressing God’s desire for all to come to repentance. Aren’t believers saved and not in need of repenting?

But what if God is waiting to bring the final judgment of fire on the earth so that believers will shine brighter on the day of judgment? Or that we might not suffer regret?

By the way, the idea of “destroyed” in 3:10-13 seems to be more about making pure or setting free than about a physical destruction. So the fire of God will cleanse the earth and set it free from the effects of sin and loose it from its groaning.

I’ve been pondering texts like Rom. 2:14-16, 1 Cor. 3:15 and 2 Cor. 5:10, and wondering, where is the place of works in the believers salvation? Or even, is there such thing as purgatory? Not in the old Roman Catholic view of indulgences and such, but a time of cleansing after death where a believer is cleansed by fire in a process similar to sanctification. Crazy? Perhaps.

So back to 2 Peter… He talks about the day of the Lord (3:10-13) as a day of fire and judgment on unrighteous works and men. So is their a continuity in our works from this age into the next age? (Paul hints at this in 1 Cor. 15:58.) Why does Peter in 3:15 tell us to “regard the patience of the Lord as salvation”? Not salvation for others, but for ourselves. Aren’t we already saved? Why do we need more time to pursue blamelessness?

Just something to ponder. Don’t stone me yet. I do believe that we are saved by faith, but I am wondering what place the final judgment based on works has in the believer’s salvation and life. And if there is any sort of “santification” after death. Oh, and don’t get me started on the Gospels.

Hope and faith for the power of God is arising again in my heart. Expectation is being awakened after what seems like a long winter.

I have always believed with my mind that God is going to do something powerful and beautiful to change the Church and the world as we know it. I have believed that God can and will do miracles and healings in my city.

But something new is happening. I’m beginning to hunger again and actually believe that it could happen today, not just in the future.

This isn’t some new faith that I have conjured up. I’m believing reality. God is moving in this nation. You hear about what is happening in Lakeland. You hear that it is spreading to other cities as well. It is provoking something in me.

And then, yesterday, it happened in Kansas City. Nothing major or earth-shattering. But the 2 Sunday morning services were spent in worship and praying for the sick. Knees were healed; eyes were healed; ears were healed.

No one knows what will happen in the days ahead. We do know that He is blessing us with the activity of His Spirit because He wants us to hunger for Him. For me, my heart is being awakened and I’m starting to expect Him to move. I’m beginning to have faith and hope again.

The Lord answered our prayers in a major way a couple of months ago. We were given a new car!

We have been sharing my little Toyota Paseo since we were married, which was working fairly well. Since we both were working at IHOP, we didn’t really need a car. That is, until January when Jocelyn got a job as a nanny and had to take the car for the day. That left me stranded and asking for rides a lot.

We looked at getting a used car, but the monthly payments were going to be too much. So we prayed for someone to give us a car. I didn’t really believe that it would happen to be honest. But it did! We were given a ‘95 Nissan Altima. It’s a 4-door automatic, which is perfect for Jocelyn.

I feel bad for posting this so late, but the reason is because I kept forgetting to take a picture!

We are so thankful to the Lord for this wonderful gift, and to the couple who graciously gave it to us. This is a huge testimony to our hearts of the Lord’s faithfulness and ability to provide right when we need Him to! It gives us confidence to know that we are in the will of the Lord.

The Jackson County Advocate published a front page article on IHOP in their weekly newspaper. It’s not exactly the Kansas City Star, but it is a very well done article from an outsider’s perspective.

The main reason for the article is to highlight the economic impact that IHOP’s future campus will make on the little city of Grandview. If you don’t know, IHOP was given 120 acres of prime real estate in Grandview. This land is untouched which means we will be able to build a very large campus that will house multiple prayer rooms, meeting spaces, our schools, and many other things.

We encourage you to read this article to not only hear the story of the plans for this campus, but also to gain a flavor for what IHOP is.

We have a new family member. Meet Mr. Darcy.

Yes, we got a kitten for Jocelyn’s birthday, which was April 2nd. We got him from Wayside Waif’s down the road and he is amazing. He’s 9 weeks old and he’s loving it at our little apartment. He’s litter trained and clean. He’s really affectionate and really playful. Sometimes he’s like a little squirrel as he jumps around on the couch and just about anywhere he can jump.

We kind of feel like new parents. Perhaps mistakenly, we let him sleep in our room the first two nights. He doesn’t want to sleep down at our feet, but up by our heads. Not only that, but he wakes up around 3 ready to play. This creates big problems when we are not ready to play.

Last night we tried to lock him out, but after 5 minutes of heart-aching meows, we relented to his pleas. But when he woke me up at 3, I had no problem putting him outside of our room and shutting the door. He didn’t meow very long, or maybe I just feel asleep too quickly to hear.

Anyway, he’s fun and cute. And most importantly, he’s our family until we can start our real family.

We have been praying against abortion, and for life, here at IHOP for the past 3 or so years. So I was excited when I read this article this morning. A bill has been passed by the Missouri House that would call for abortion doctors “to give women seeking an abortion pertinent information 24 hours before the procedure.”

The article goes on:

The bill also would require doctors to offer a woman the opportunity to view an ultrasound of the fetus and feel the fetus’ heartbeat without cost to her. In addition, it would make it a crime to coerce a woman into having an abortion and would steepen criminal penalties for any criminal conduct associated with the coercion of an abortion.

This legislation would mandate that the doctor performing the abortion provide information to the woman, including the risks associated with abortions and the characteristics of the fetus she’s carrying.

Interestingly, and crazily, one of the opposers of the bill said, “the bill does very little to protect women and is another example of the mostly male legislature telling a woman what she can do with her body.”

Okay. Men repressing women. Sorry, but I can’t see that being the issue here.

Anyway, if it passes, and we pray that it does, then it will be a victory for babies. It’s funny how technology can be screen us from reality, and show us reality. An ultrasound of a little beating heart will show any sane person that a little baby is a person.

This week, I was made aware of a video on Oprah Winfrey’s “church.” The essence of it is that she has a 2 million member “church” that, I believe, meets online, and has their own teaching curriculum. It basically believes that salvation comes from yourself, that sin is an illusion, and that you are, in some way, “god.”

Frankly, the religion itself is fairly absurd and it is laughable that people would find power and worth in it. I’m convinced that the only reason that it is thriving is because of Oprah’s celebrity. And this is what scares me. If people will listen to her because of her celebrity, what about a person who does signs and wonders?

This type of false prophet is the one that Christ warned against in Matthew 24:24. It’s scary to think that men and women will arise who deny Christ, or claim that they are Christ, and back up their rhetoric with signs and wonders.

While it is encouraging to know that these miracles will be a demonic response to a Church who are doing signs and wonders (see the Exodus), it’s scary to think that such a weak and absurd church could attract people. Not just unbelievers who have no discernment, but Christians who are dabbling in this thing and mixing it with Christ.

Another thing I ran across this week emphasized the need for discernment in this hour, or any hour for that matter. I received an email of a prophetic word from a notable “prophet” who does have some track record, that endorsed Barack Obama as God’s man for the hour.

I’m not going to comment on the word or whether I think it’s right or wrong. What I do want to comment on is the disparity within the Christian prophetic community. Most prophetic voices I have heard have not given a favorable view of a Presidential candidate who is pro-choice. So it concerns me when someone comes along saying the opposite and promising prosperity for America.

Now if this prophet said that a sign would happen to confirm the word, and it happened, I would pay attention.

And that goes back to the need for discernment. We are entering, and indeed are already in, a time where the true prophetic is arising along with the false prophetic. Both groups will be doing signs and wonders and both will be claiming that they speak for God.

Where does that leave us? An intense need to know the word and ask for discernment. That’s all.

She’s now 23.

We went to Chipotle for dinner and then went to Sam’s Club to get a little birthday cake for her. We went to pay and it dawned on me that we went to Sam’s Club, the place where you get big stuff, in order to buy a little cake. I felt like we should be getting a cake to feed 20, but we were getting one to feed 2. Ironic.

We’re going out on Friday for a bigger celebration with a gift certificate to a super sweet expensive restaurant down on the Plaza. Belated wedding gift - long story. We’re pretty stoked because super sweet expensive restaurants are not places we frequent very often.

I want to give space to brag on Jocelyn. She’s my wife, so of course I think she’s beautiful, funny, caring, fun, smart, cute, creative, spiritual (in the earth connected kind of way), loving, and just all around cool.

But what I like about her today is her hunger for justice and righteousness. She has a hatred of things that are evil, which is rare on the earth.

She is not loud about it, nor is she about to go and join Greenpeace. Yet in her quiet and subtle way, she loves righteousness and hates sin. It’s like it hurts her. I suppose that’s because it actually does.

So my beautiful wife, thanks for keeping that standard in your heart and provoking my dull heart to strive for truth and righteousness. And thank You Lord for giving me a woman such as her.