Got Discernment?

The Pentecostal/Charismatic wing of Christianity, of which I am part both by experience and doctrinal persuasion, is plagued by a major lack of discernment on the part of many who claim to be 'Spirit-filled.' The hunger for the 'supernatural' causes otherwise intelligent people to ignore major warnings, to run all the caution lights, as they chase after the revelations and revivals of one false prophet after another. With tiresome regularity, these men are revealed to be traversing the road of heresy, or perversion, or greed. Jude, who saw the same kind of men in the church in the first century, described them as "shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever." (Jude 12-13, NIV)

The latest discernment failures were in Orlando, Florida where Todd Bentley held forth night after night telling myriad unbelievable stories of 'supernatural' occurences to crowds who drank up his words without filters or questions. In one incident, a homeless man was alleged to have put his shoes into the offering plate, whereupon "God" was purported to have rained currency from the ceiling! The person who told me that story nearly wept with joy while I just wanted to cry at such gullibility! Then, two weeks ago the world learned that while Bentley was supposedly communing with angels in his hotel room, he was consorting with a female other than his wife. Here is the confirmed story.

• Evangelist Bentley Stepping Down- Allie Martin
  
  Todd Bentley will step down as head of Fresh Fire Ministries, after the ministry revealed he had an "unhealthy relationship" with a female staffer. That announcement comes one week after Bentley's ministry announced he and his wife were separating. The announcement from the board of directors acknowledged that Bentley had an "unhealthy relationship" on an emotional level with the female staff member. Bentley is best known for leading a series of public meetings in Florida since April that have attracted around 300,000 people to churches and a baseball stadium. The Canadian evangelist will also cease all public meetings, including a 38-city stadium tour of U.S. cities.
  
  In a recent article in Charisma magazine on the meetings, editor Lee Grady said many of those who defended Bentley displayed a "lack of discernment," in part because of a "raw zeal for God." Grady also pointed out that Bentley had serious credibility issues from the beginning of the meetings, claiming to have talked to an angel in his hotel room, and bragging about tackling a man and knocking his tooth out during prayer. "Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs, and wonders than have a quiet Bible study," the Christian journalist wrote. "Our adolescent craving for he wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to grow up." (Source: OneNewsNow.com http://www.faithnews.cc/articles.cfm?sid=9217
  

Disciple, don't fall so in love with emotions and/or 'signs and wonders' that you forget that
real discipleship is about daily choices, made in the context of life with family, friends, and neighbors. No amount of emotionalism, laying claim to fiery experiences of the 'Spirit,' singing of praise songs until a 'spiritual trance' is induced, or other excesses will make you a better disciple or give you greater power in the Kingdom.

Real power in God's work is found in holy obedience, steady endurance, and the quietly transformed life that results from a daily walk with Jesus. It's not about having a spiritual party (what many church gathering are coming to resemble) or 'getting blessed!' The life that honors Christ and really makes a difference for the Kingdom is one in which we realize the importance of being faithful, of honoring commitments, of going to work, of good stewardship of money and possessions, of governing our passions, of getting on our knees whether you feel like it or not.

There are no short-cuts to spiritual depth and authority and victory. Maturity, which brings intimacy with God, humility, and steadiness; cannot be found in a single revival experience, in a book, or in a story that makes you weep. It comes in God's school of character where we choose, daily, our way or His.

Here's a word from the Word. Let it soak into your mind and heart, then pray for the Spirit to take you past emotionalism, past the craving of your sinful nature, and into the deep holiness of God which is beautiful, fulfilling, and defeats the Enemy's schemes.

"No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

And so I insist-and God backs me up on this-that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything-and I do mean everything-connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life-a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you." -

Ephesians 4:14-24, The Message