Source of article is unknown, but very good.

The story of Evan Roberts and the Welsh Revival of 1904-5 is the most thrilling, but also the most sad and sobering in all revival history. On the one hand we see one hundred thousand souls in Wales coming to Christ in just nine months, from November 1904 to August 1905. This was the beginning of a world-wide revival that ushered hundreds of thousands more into the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, we see Evan Roberts, the principle revivalist of this move of God, becoming deceived, deluded and finally suffering a nervous breakdown which took him out of the public limelight to live the life of a recluse. Furthermore, the fruits of the revival in Wales (but not world-wide) were soon lost through criticism and fears of deception. Within a generation there were no signs that a revival had ever occurred. Surely there are some important lessons for 21st Century Christians to learn here?

Evan Roberts was born and raised in a Welsh Calvinist Methodist family in Loughor, on the Glamorgan and Carmarthenshire border. As a boy he was unusually serious and very diligent in his Christian life. He memorised verses of the Bible and was a daily attender of Moriah Chapel, a church about a mile from his home. Even at 13 years of age he began to develop a heart for a visitation from God. He later wrote “I said to myself: I will have the Spirit. And through all weathers and in spite of all difficulties I went to the meetings… for ten or eleven years I have prayed for revival. I could sit up all night to read or talk about revivals. It was the Spirit who moved me to think about revival.”

After working in the coal mines and then as a smithy, he entered a preparatory college at Newcastle Emlyn, as a candidate for the ministry. It was 1903 and he was 25 years old.

It was at this time that he sought the Lord for more of His Spirit. He believed that he would be baptised in the Holy Spirit and sometimes his bed shook as his prayers were answered. The Lord began to wake him at 1.00 am for divine fellowship, when he would pray for four hours, returning to bed at 5.00 am for another four hours sleep.

He visited a meeting where Seth Joshua was preaching and heard the evangelist pray “Lord, bend us”. The Holy Spirit said to Evan, “That’s what you need”. At the following meeting Evan experienced a powerful filling with the Holy Spirit. “I felt a living power pervading my bosom. It took my breath away and my legs trembled exceedingly. This living power became stronger and stronger as each one prayed, until I felt it would tear me apart. My whole bosom was a turmoil and if I had not prayed it would have burst…. I fell on my knees with my arms over the seat in front of me. My face was bathed in perspiration, and the tears flowed in streams. I cried out “Bend me, bend me!!” It was God’s commending love which bent me… what a wave of peace flooded my bosom…. I was filled with compassion for those who must bend at the judgement, and I wept. Following that, the salvation of the human soul was solemnly impressed on me. I felt ablaze with the desire to go through the length and breadth of Wales to tell of the saviour”.

Needless to say, his studies began to take second place! He began praying for a hundred thousand souls and had two visions which encouraged him to believe it would happen. He saw a lighted candle and behind it the rising sun. He felt the interpretation was that the present blessings were only as a lighted candle compared with the blazing glory of the sun. Later all Wales would be flooded with revival glory.

The other vision occurred when Evan saw his close friend Sydney Evans staring at the moon. Evan asked what he was looking at and, to his great surprise, he saw it too! It was an arm that seemed to be outstretched from the moon down to Wales. He was in no doubt that revival was on its way.

He then felt led to return to his home town and conduct meetings with the young people of Loughor. With permission from the minister, he began the meetings, encouraging prayer for the outpouring of the Spirit on Moriah. The meetings slowly increased in numbers and powerful waves of intercession swept over those gathered.

During those meetings the Holy Spirit gave Evan four requirements that were later to be used throughout the coming revival:

1. Confession of all known sin
2. Repentance and restitution
3. Obedience and surrender to the Holy Spirit
4. Public confession of Christ

The Spirit began to be outpoured. There was weeping, shouting, crying out, joy and brokeness. Some would shout out, “No more, Lord Jesus, or I’ll die”. This was the beginning of the Welsh Revival.

The meetings then moved to wherever Evan felt led to go. Those travelling with him were predominately female and the young girls would often begin meetings with intense intercession, urging surrender to God and by giving testimony. Evan would often be seen on his knees pleading for God’s mercy, with tears. The crowds would come and be moved upon by wave after wave of the Spirit’s presence. Spontaneous prayer, confession, testimony and song erupted in all the meetings. Evan, or his helpers , would approach those in spiritual distress and urge them to surrender to Christ. No musical instruments were played and, often, there would be no preaching. Yet the crowds continued to come and thousands professed conversion.

The meetings often went on until the early hours of the morning. Evan and his team would go home, sleep for 2–3 hours and be back at the pit-head by 5 am, urging the miners coming off night duty to come to chapel meetings.

The revival spread like wildfire all over Wales. Other leaders also experienced the presence of God. Hundreds of overseas visitors flocked to Wales to witness the revival and many took revival fire back to their own land. But the intense presence began to take its toll on Evan. He became nervous and would sometimes be abrupt or rude to people in public meetings. He openly rebuked leaders and congregations alike.

Though he was clearly exercising spiritual gifts and was sensitive to the Holy Spirit , he became unsure of the “voices” he was hearing. The he broke down and withdrew from public meetings. Accusation and criticism followed and further physical and emotional breakdown ensued.

Understandably, converts were confused. Was this God? Was Evan Roberts God’s man or was he satanically motivated? He fell into a deep depression and in the spring of 1906 he was invited to convalesce at Jessie Penn-Lewis’ home at Woodlands in Leicester.

It is claimed that Mrs Penn Lewis used Evan’s name to propagate her own ministry and message. She supposedly convinced him he was deceived by evil spirits and, over the next few years co-authorised with Evan “War on the Saints”, which was published in 1913. This book clearly delineates the confusion she had drawn Evan into. It left its readers totally wary of any spiritual phenomena of any kind or degree. Rather than giving clear guidelines regarding discerning satanic powers, it brought into question anything that may be considered, or that might be described, as Holy Spirit activity. Within a year of its publication, Evan Roberts denounced it, telling friends that it had been a failed weapon which had confused and divided the Lord’s people.

Evan stayed at the Penn-Lewis’ home for eight years, giving himself to intercession and private group counselling. Around 1920 Evan moved to Brighton and lived alone until he returned to his beloved Wales, when his father fell ill in 1926. He began to visit Wales again and eventually moved there in 1928 when his father died.

Nothing much is known of the years that followed. Evan finally died at the age of 72 and was buried behind Moriah Chapel on Jan 29th 1951.

May his life be both an example and a warning to all those who participate in revival to maintain humility; keep submissive to the Spirit; be accountable to godly men and women; remain true to their calling; use the gifts God has given, but be wise in the stewardship of their body.

Bibliography An Instrument of Revival, Brynmor Pierce-Jones 1995, published by Bridge Publishing (ISBN 0-88270-667-5)

The Jerking Exercise a Judgment of God upon both sinners and saints.  From the Autobiography of Peter Cartwright, an eyewitness of the Second Great Awakening, an 1856 edition:

In this revival originated our camp meetings, and in both these denominations they were held every year, and indeed, have been  ever since, more or less.  They would erect their camps with logs or frame them, and cover them with clapboards or shingles.  They would also erect a shed, sufficiently large to protect five thousand people from wind and rain, and cover it with boards or shingles; build a large stand, seat the shed, and here they would collect together from forty to fifty miles around, sometimes further than that.  Ten twenty, and sometimes thirty ministers, of different denominations, would come together and preach night and day, four or five days together; and, indeed, I have known these camp meetings to last three or four weeks, and great good resulted from them.  I have seen more than a hundred sinners fall like dead men under one powerful sermon, and I have seen and heard more than five hundred Christians all shouting aloud the high praises of God at once; and I will venture to assert that many happy thousands were awakened and converted to God at these camp meetings.  Some sinners mocked, some of the old dry professors opposed, some of the old starched Presbyterian preachers preached against these exercises, but still the work went on and spread almost in every direction, gathering additional force, till our country seemed all come home to God. In this great revival The Methodists kept moderately balanced; far we have excellent preachers to steer the sip or guide the flock.  But some of our members ran wild, and indulged in some extravagances that were hard to control. The Presbyterian preachers and members, not being accustomed to much noise or shouting, when they yielded to it went into great extremes and downright wildness, to the great injury of the cause of God.  Their old preachers licensed a great many young men to preach, contrary to their Confession of Faith.  That Confession of Faith required their ministers to believe in unconditional and final perseverance of the saints.  But in this revival they, almost to a man, gave up these points of High Calvinism, and preached a free salvation to all mankind….. Infidelity quailed before the mighty power of God, which was displayed among the people.  Universalism was almost driven from the land.  The predestinatians of almost all sorts put forth a mighty effort to stop the work of God. Just in the midst of our controversies on the subject of the powerful exercises among the people under preaching, a new exercise broke out among us, called the jerks, which was overwhelming in its effects upon the bodies and minds of the people.  No matter whether they were saints or sinners, they would be taken under a warm song or sermon, and seized with a convulsive jerking all over, which they could not by any possibility avoid, and the more they resisted the more they jerked.  If they would not drive against it and pray in good earnest, the Jerking would usually abate.  I have seen more than five hundred persons jerking at one time in my large congregations.  Most usually persons taken with the jerks, to obtain relief, as they said, would rise up and dance.  Some would run, but could not get away.  Some would resist; on such the jerks were generally very severe. To see those proud young gentlemen and young ladies, dressed in their silks, jewelry, and prunella, form top to toe, take the jerks, would often excite my risibilities.  The first jerk or so, you would see their fine bonnets, caps, and combs fly; and so sudden would be the jerking of the head that their long loose hair would crack almost as loud as a Wagoner’s whip. At one of my appointments in 1804 there was a very large congregation turned out to hear the Kentucky body, as they called me.  Among the rest there were two very finely dressed, fashionable young ladies, attended by two brothers with loaded horsewhips.  Although the house was large, it was crowded.  The two young ladies, coming in late, took their seats near where I stood, and their two brothers stood in the door.  I was a little unwell, and I had a phial of peppermint in my pocket.  Before I commenced preaching I took out my phial and swallowed a little of the peppermint.  While I was preaching the congregation was melted into tears.  The two young gentlemen moved off to the yard fence, and both the young ladies took the Jerks, and they were greatly mortified about it.  There was a great stir in the congregation.  Some wept, some shouted, and before our meeting closed several were converted. As I dismissed the assembly a man stepped up to me, and warned me to be on my guard, for he had heard the two brothers sear they would horsewhip me when meeting was out, for giving their sisters the jerks.  “Well,” said I,” I’ll see to that.”  I went out and said to the young men that I understood they intended to horsewhip me for giving their sisters the jerks.  One replied that he did.  I understood to expostulate with him on the absurdity of the charge against me, but he sore I need not deny it; for he had seen me take out a phial, in which I carried some truck that gave his sisters the jerks.  As quick as thought it came into my mind how I would get clear of my whipping, and jerking out the peppermint phial, said, I, “Yes; if I gave your sisters the jerks I’ll give them to you.”  In a moment I saw he was cared.  I moved toward him, he backed, I advanced, and he wheeled and ran, warning me not to come near him, or he would kill me.  It raised the laugh on him, and I escaped my whipping.  I had the pleasure, before the year was out, of seeing all four soundly converted to God, and I took them into the church.  While I am on this subject I will relate a very serous circumstance which I knew to take place with a man who had the jerks at a camp meeting, on what was called the Ridge, in William Megee’s congregation.  There was a great work of religion in the encampment.  The jerks were very prevalent.  There was a company of drunken rowdies who came to interrupt the meeting.  These rowdies were headed by a very large drinking man.  They came with their bottles of whisky in their pockets.  This large man cursed the jerks, and all religion.  Shortly afterward he took the jerks, and he started to run, but he jerked so powerfully he could not get away.  He halted among some saplings, and although he was violently agitated, he took out his bottle of whisky, and swore he would drink the damned jerks to death; but he jerked at such a rate he could not get the bottle to his mouth, though he tried hard.  At length he fetched a sudden jerk, and the bottle struck a sapling and was broken to pieces, and spilled his whisky on the ground.  There was a great crowd gathered round him, and when he lose his whisky he became very much engaged, and cursed swore very profanely, his jerks still increasing.  At length he fetched a very violent jerk, snapped his neck, fell, and soon expired, with his mouth full of cursing and bitterness. I always looked upon the jerks as a judgment send form God, first, to bring sinners to repentance; and, secondly, to show professors that God could work with or without means, and that he could work over and above means, and do whatsoever seemeth him good, to the glory of his grace and the salvation of the world. There is no doubt in mind that, with weak-minded, ignorant, and superstitious persons, there was a great deal of sympathetic feeling with many that claimed to be under the influence of this jerking exercise; and yet, with many, it was perfectly involuntary.  It was, on all occasions, my practice to recommend fervent prayer as a remedy, and it almost universally proved an effectual antidote.  There were many other strange and wild exercises into which the subjects of this revival fell; such, for instance, as what was called the running, jumping, and the barking exercise.  The Methodist preachers generally preached against this extravagant wildness.  I did it uniformly in my little ministrations, and sometimes gave great offense; but I feared no consequences when I felt my awful responsibilities to God.  From these wild exercises another great evil arose from the heated and wild imaginations of some.  They professed to fall into traces and see visions; they would fall at meetings and sometimes at home and lay apparently powerless and motionless for days, sometimes for a week at a time, without food, or drink; and when they came to , they professed to have seen heaven and hell, to have seen God, angels, the devil and the damned; they would prophesy, and under the pretense of Divine inspiration, predict the time of the end of the work, and the ushering in of the great millennium.  This was the most troublesome delusion of all, it made such an appeal to the ignorance, superstition, and credulity of the people, even saint as well as sinner.  I watched this matter with a vigilant eye.  If I opposed it, I would have to meet the clamor of the multitude; and if any one opposed it, these very visionists would single him out, and denounce the dreadful judgments of God against him.  They would even set the very day that God was to burn the world…They would proclaim that they could heal all manner of diseases, and raise the dead….They professed to have converse with spirits of the dead in heaven and hell, like the modern spirit-rappers.  Such a state of things I never saw before, and I hope in God I shall never see again.    

Comment from SitePastor 

The ancient revivalists spoke of excesses within the revivals.  The excesses generally were considered to be spiritual and physical manifestations that go beyond Scripture.  Some were of Satan or of the flesh.  Some manifestations were of God in the Second Great Awakening, and these must not be placed in the same classification as the excesses.    Cartwright speaks of the Jerking exercise as coming from God as judgment; he speaks of several manifestations that are of flesh or Satan, and follow the spirit of fanaticism.

A POPULAR criticism of the Welsh Revival was that four Churches
gained 80,000 in the Revival and lost 20,000 afterwards. Why did
converts leave these “mainline” Churches? They were frozen out.

Said Dr. Eifion Evans: “The ecstasy of the new wine was all too
soon curbed by the frigidity of the old bottles.” Some ministers
even objected to the converts’ assurance of salvation!

Like the Methodists over a hundred years before, against their
leaders’ wishes Revival converts reluctantly formed new churches.
The Pentecostal-Apostolic Churches began.

In the Revival itself, great criticism was made against its apparent
leader, Evan Roberts. He was called “the young lunatic.” A
respected minister published a letter against “the Evan Roberts
Revival” calling it “a sham Revival, a mockery, a blasphemous
travesty of the real thing,” an “exhibition,” “froth,” “false fire” and
“utterly sacrilegious.”

The effect on the young lay-preacher Roberts was dramatic. Though
he seemed not to notice the criticisms, within days his doctor
diagnosed a nervous disorder. Five months later, he went into
seclusion, almost never to minister in public again for the rest of
his long life.

The effect on the Revival was terrible. Before the published criticism,
conversions were 35,000 a month. In the month of the criticism
and the two months following, conversions dropped to 5000 a
month, recovering a little once the controversy had died down.

But the mud stuck. “For many years the 1904 Revival was looked
upon as ‘much a do about nothing’ because of its emotionalism.”
Many more years were to pass before an historical perspective
could restore its name as a wonderful and lasting work of God.

How slow we are to learn our lessons! Because less than fifty
years before, exactly the same thing had happened in Wales! Of
the 1859 Welsh Revival a leading Christian wrote: “It is a man-made
Revival; the chief instruments in it are not persons of any weight or
character … it is mere excitement and enthusiasm, and although
many persons of disreputable conduct seem to be for the present
changed, yet, when the excitement ceases, they will return to their
former habits, and their end will be worse than their beginning …
the noise – the confusion – the loud and long prayers – and singing,
with various excesses of feeling, and extravagance of language -
these are most offensive … The ‘converts’ will ere long be ‘perverts.’
They will go back, betray religion and bring disgrace upon the
whole movement.”

And what was the true situation? “About 110,000 were converted
and added to the churches … one estimate, cited in 1897, is that
19 out of every 20 (95 per cent) maintained their profession and
were fruitful in godly duties.”

104,500 still going strong for God 38 years later! Oh, for more
“man-made Revivals!” [so-called!!]

We have seen that Christians can ruin or stop a Revival. Can
Christians also cause a Revival to happen?

After a major scandal and dwindling crowds, the Lakeland Outpouring concluded Sunday.

[10.13.08]The Lakeland Outpouring’s final meeting was held at Ignited Church on Sunday—six months after Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley launched daily meetings in the small Lakeland, Fla., community and left without warning Aug. 11 in a cloud of scandal.“None of us knew how long this would last,” said Ignited Church senior pastor Stephen Strader, who announced on a blog Oct. 2 that, with the outpouring ending, he intends to set up a global apostolic base in Lakeland. “Ignited Church has had a vision [for] an International Apostolic Center. The Lakeland Outpouring has catapulted our vision forward.”

Strader said with the support of “dozens of major leaders” for his apostolic center, he envisions a place for hosting conferences, special events and training workshops. He also announced the creation of Ignited Network of Ministries (INM), an initiative to connect Ignited Church with Lakeland-spawned revivals worldwide.

Days after Bentley told his Fresh Fire Ministries (FFM) staff in August that he and his wife were separating, the 10,000-seat air dome used for the revival meetings was taken down. Bentley resigned his position at Fresh Fire, stepped down from public ministry and faded from the public eye.

It was his FFM board in Abbotsford, British Columbia, that later announced that Bentley had confessed to an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member. At the time, a senior board member told Charisma that Bentley’s alcohol consumption also had “crossed the line.”

Rick Joyner, founder of MorningStar Ministries in Fort Mill, S.C., has since taken the lead in helping Bentley find healing and restoration. Joyner appeared on the platform in Lakeland in June when Bentley publicly submitted himself to the oversight of apostolic leaders Bill Johnson, John Arnott and Ché Ahn.

Joyner told Charisma that Johnson and Texas pastor Jack Deere would assist him in Bentley’s restoration. He admitted that the process would not be easy. “Todd does have some serious issues he must deal with, and he knows it more than anyone,” Joyner said.

Observers say that worldwide, via GOD TV and the Internet, Bentley’s involvement in the Lakeland Outpouring sparked genuine renewal among Christians despite criticism of his theology and character stirring among some charismatic leaders.

Bentley’s faith and exuberance impressed seasoned, prominent revivalists while his wild tactics often tempered the enthusiasm of other leaders. When praying for healing, the tattooed evangelist was known to hit the sick in the stomach with his knee in a move more common among wrestlers than preachers. Bentley even recounted kicking a woman in the face in an act of “obedience to the Lord.”

Yet, with the exception of a few ministers, many charismatic leaders chose to overlook Bentley’s peculiar methods for the sake of what they saw as “fruit.” They claimed the revival stirred many Christians worldwide to pursue God with a renewed hunger.

“Personally, I believe that the Lakeland Outpouring was another wave of revival like Toronto and Brownsville,” said Los Angeles-area pastor Ahn, referring to the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola Revival, both of which occurred during the 1990s. “Each wave has its own life span.”

Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, Calif., told Charisma that many people were deeply saddened over the revelations of Bentley’s moral failings, “but people have also come to grips with the fact that it was never about Todd, it is really about God.”

“The impact of the Lakeland Outpouring is quite significant on a global level,” Johnson said. “There are fires of revival all over Europe that are the direct result of what God was doing in Lakeland.”

The reason so much of Europe was impacted by what occurred in Lakeland was largely because daily meetings were broadcast on GOD TV, a satellite-based TV network with millions of viewers in 200 nations.

More than a month after Bentley’s problems became public, GOD TV co-founders Rory and Wendy Alec issued a statement defending the outpouring and Bentley’s work in Lakeland. “[Todd] was consistently and unrelentingly criticized, maligned [and] persecuted,” they stated. “The attacks grew increasingly violent, and the heartbreaking thing was that so much of it came from the church.”
The couple said they would never regret airing the Lakeland Outpouring because tons of e-mails from people claiming to be healed, transformed or revived inspired a “fear of the Lord” that motivated them to continue the broadcasts. “It was not a mistake,” the Alecs said. “It was not by mistake. We believe it was a clear instruction from the Lord” to air the meetings.

The network plans to broadcast other offshoots of Lakeland, including current revival meetings in Dudley, England.

As repercussions of the Lakeland Outpouring continue spreading across the globe, leaders who are ministering to Bentley said they are not overly concerned with seeing him quickly return to public ministry. “The focus is not of Todd the evangelist; it is on Todd the person,” Johnson said. “We want him healed up, not because of what he can do, but because God loves him and treasures him as a son.” —Paul Steven Ghiringhelli

Evan Roberts was asked several things about revival and what would bring forth revival.  He laid down four things as necessary to bring forth the revival blessings:

1.  If there is past sin or sins hitherto unconfessed, we cannot receive the Spirit.  Therefore, we must search and ask the Spirit to search.

2.  If there is anything doubtful in our lives, it must be removed–anything we were uncertain about its rightness or wrongness.  That thing must be removed.

3.  An entire giving up of ourselves to the Spirit.  We must speak and do all He requires  of us.

4.  Public confession of Christ.

1. THE WELSH REVIVAL OF 1904-05 – Oliver W. Price
2. TRUE REVIVAL (Wales) – P. Fredrick Fogle
3. THE POWER OF EVANGELISM IN THE WELSH REVIVAL – Dr. Alvin L. Reid

1. THE WELSH REVIVAL OF 1904-05 – Oliver W. Price

During the spring of 1904 a young Welshman named Evan Roberts was repeatedly awakened at 1:00 a.m. He met with God until 5:00 a.m. The Welsh revival followed. Churches were packed for prayer meetings. In a prayer meeting for young people, Pastor Joseph Jenkins asked for testimonies. A young girl named Florrie Evans, who had only been a believer a few days, rose and with a trembling voice said simply, “I love Jesus with all my heart.” The other young people’s hearts were melted. A powerful spiritual awakening that brought 100,000 people to Christ was under way.

On November 7th, 1904 Moraih Chapel was filled to capacity for a prayer meeting that lasted until 3:00 a.m. Soul winning spread through the coalmines. Profane swearing stopped. Even the miners’ horses were puzzled when their masters stopped cursing. Orders to the Bible Society “for Scriptures from Wales during November and December, were over three times the amount for the corresponding months of 1903…” The Times said this resulted from the Welsh revival, adding that this demand showed no sign of falling off.

“The mighty and unseen breath of the Spirit was doing in a month more than centuries of legislation could accomplish” the pastor of Saint John’s-Wood Presbyterian Church declared on Sunday, January 1st, 1905 according to the London Times.The Welsh revival “had a great effect” in healing spiritual carelessness among Christians and “the growing bitterness which has accentuated our unhappy divisions”, the Bishop of Bangor declared on January 2nd, 1905. He called “congregations to meet together often for united prayer.”

The Times added that “the religious revival in Wales continues…with unabated zeal.” Huge crowds were attending the meetings. Bible verses covered the doors down in the coalmines. “At Swansea the Poor Law guardians…dealt with revival cases in which people…have taken their parents from the workhouse. The Welsh revival movement has shown no sign of flagging…”, The Times pointed out on January 10th. Entire congregations were on their knees in fervent prayer and “for the first time there was not a single case of drunkenness at the Swansea Petty Sessions.”

On January 11th The Times noted that David Lloyd-George, who later became the British Prime Minister, said the Welsh revival gave hope “that at the next election Wales would declare with no uncertain sound against the corruption in high places which handed over the destiny of the people to the horrible brewing interest…” Lloyd-George even saw one of his political rallies taken over by the Welsh revival. He was impressed as a young girl prayed in the presence of 2,000 people. He said in one town the tavern sold only 9 cents worth of liquor drinks on Saturday night!

The Times observed that “The whole population had been suddenly stirred by a common impulse. Religion had become the absorbing interest of their lives. They had gathered at crowded services for six and eight hours at a time. Political meetings and even football matches were postponed…quarrels between trade-union workmen and non-unionists had been made up… At Glyn-Neath a feud had existed for the past 10 or 12 years between the two Independent chapels, but during the past week united services have been held in both chapels, and the ministers have shaken hands before the congregations.”

The Salvation Army set apart January 19th, 1905 for a day of confession, humiliation, and prayer throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. All day prayer meetings were held in many of the principal cities of the British Isles, according to the London Times. The meeting was marked by “fervent prayer and any one who felt called upon to pray.” Fires of spiritual revival and moral recovery were spreading.

Coal miners crowed into prayer meetings that lasted till 3:00 a.m. and then washed, ate breakfast and returned to work. Many drunkards confessed their sins and received Christ. According to the London Times of February 2nd, 1905 due to the Welsh revival many men abandoned dens of iniquity. Employers noticed a great improvement in the work produced by their employees. A judge named Sir Marchant Williams said that his work was much lighter especially regarding drunkenness and related offenses.

The revival fires burning in Wales in 1904-05 spread through England, Ireland and Scotland. Prayer meetings multiplied. As many as 2,000 attended a prayer meeting in the city of Bradford. In the City of Leeds, Samuel Chadwick reported that his church was never empty all day. An amazing work of grace transformed life in a factory.

In 1905 a week of united prayer meetings in an English town called Nuneaton led to a “glorious revival”. The Prince’s Theatre was packed each Sunday night after church with 1500 praying believers and many unsaved seekers. In Bulwell, many of the most degraded drunkards were converted. In the Bedfordshire villages, whole nights devoted to prayer prepared for powerful evangelism.

Joseph Kemp, pastor of Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, visited God’s mighty work of revival in Wales in 1904. Back in his home church on New Year’s Eve, 1905, an unusually fervent prayer meeting led to conviction of sin. A powerful revival that continued for over two years was under way. A strong work of evangelism began. 1,000 inquirers received counseling.

The Irish Presbyterians issued a Call to Prayer. Noonday and evening prayer meetings multiplied. The Irish Methodists and other denominations experienced an unusual spirit of grace and supplications. In Lurgan, revival meetings packed both the First Presbyterian and the Methodist churches. The taverns were emptied while people who had not attended church before come in record numbers and received Christ.

Revival fires spread through Bangor University resulting in “only a third or fourth of the students attending some of the classes… Beginning with a spontaneous outburst of praise and prayer among the men students, the movement spread…at a united prayer meeting…some…broke down sobbing.”

In 1905 when Fred C. Gibson became pastor of 1st Presbyterian Church in Tobormore, County Londonderry, Ireland the little town was morally and spiritually dead. So he signed a covenant with God to seek revival by his preaching and his prayers. In spite of strong resistance, God moved in special meetings that changed the Christians and resulted in remarkable conversions of hardened sinners.

God can do it again. Join with others all over the world in praying for spiritual awakening. Gather a group to pray on the first Monday of each month.

2. TRUE REVIVAL (Wales) – P. Fredrick Fogle

When a true revival, initiated by God occurs in the hearts of Christians, the Holy Spirit will help them to understand that it is real. For many people, the word “true” is hard to define. What is true, and what is not true is thought of as debatable. The proper understanding of what REVIVAL really is has become illusive for many. One of the best ways to define TRUE REVIVAL is to cite a positive and powerful example. The example chosen for our purposes is a brief account the story of the revival in Wales in 1904-05: 

EVAN ROBERTS: SPARK OF GOD 

Wales has periodically been a land of revivals. It experienced spiritual renewal in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Welsh revival of 1904-05 was a divine intervention that drastically changed life in churches, homes, mines, factories, schools and even places of leisure and entertainment. 

God used young Evan Roberts to spark the new fires of revival. He was not the human leader of the revival, however. In fact, no one human leader directed it. Evan was extremely conscious of divine leadership during the momentous events of the Welsh revival. He said, “This movement is not of me, it is of God. I would not dare direct it…It is the Spirit alone which is leading us” (Ellis, Living Echoes, Delyn Press). 

Some have said that God chose Roberts because he lacked all the usual characteristics often found in human leaders. God secured the victory through Evan’s simplicity and spiritual power. After the early phases of the revival, six men became major overseers along with less- active people, including men and women. Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis, a noted Christian author, strongly supported the endeavor, along with her husband. 

Evan Roberts was one of fourteen children born to Henry and Hannah Roberts. He spent his childhood in an atmosphere in which the chapel and home were one. Intellectual and spiritual development in children were carried on simultaneously in many homes in Wales during the early 20th century. Roberts responded well to the spiritual atmosphere of his home background. As he matured, he grew in spirituality and gained a broad knowledge of literature and music. He enjoyed the interaction of intelligent conversation. One of his motives as he grew to manhood was to bring each of his endeavors in life into subservience to Christ. In Evan, “prayer and poetry became a beautiful blend, communion with God and music became practically synonymous” (Ellis) 

As a young minister, Roberts brought to his pulpit a disciplined knowledge of the Scriptures as well as an unusual level of spiritual dedication. These attributes, coupled with literature, enabled him to deliver powerful and polished sermons that greatly amazed his hearers. 

The year 1904 proved to be crucial. Prayer meetings for world revival were being held in many places throughout Great Britain. Young Roberts already had prayed for thirteen years for the Holy Spirit to control him. He determined to read and speak often about revival. His personal prayer effort culminated early that year when he felt the need to spend seven hours with God in prayer and Bible study each day. By October 1904 the Lord’s Spirit had communicated to Roberts that he was the preacher of revival. Seth Joshua, a leading Bible teacher, had prayed for four years, asking God to select some able person to present revival truths. The Lord answered by calling Evan Roberts. After the Word of God had accomplished its work in his own life, Roberts intensified his praying in travail of soul for a great spiritual awakening in his beloved Wales. His spiritual thirst to see people saved was evident. He was not interested in mere intellectual renaissance. 

Roberts went to his hometown of Loughor with the desire to share his burden with his Christian friends. A service was announced, and many young people attended. With great liberty, Roberts spoke of the deep things of God. Because of the clear manifestation of the conviction of sin and the need for cleansing by the Saviour, that first meeting was continued until midnight. The next day many comments were made in the village about the event. The people were agog. With the special work of God clearly visible, it was decided to keep the chapel open day and night so that worshipers could go there to pray and to praise God. 

“Everything sprang into new life. Former blasphemers were the most eloquent, both in prayer and praise…Drunkards forgot the way to saloons…they were busy worshiping… It was the young people who responded with the greatest alacrity to the challenge of absolute surrender and consecrated to the service of the Lord…With ever increasing momentum, the movement advanced, creating unprecedented excitement among the churches and the secular institutions outside” (Matthews, I Saw the Welsh Revival, Moody). 

What happened in South Wales was heard around the world. From many nations went people of all ranks of life to the country to personally witness the phenomenon. Some criticized and others scoffed, but such voices were answered by the throngs of people who filled the church sanctuaries to capacity for months on end. 

The Welsh revival was not an orgy of emotion but a “mighty outpouring of religious fervor, bringing a whole nation to its knees at the foot of the cross in adoration and praise” (Matthews).  In the midst of the events at Loughor, Roberts was asked to share his message with neighboring churches in South Wales and eventually in North Wales as well. Marvelous results were very apparent wherever he taught the Word of God. 

During Robert’s work in North Wales, he suffered a serious physical collapse. Though very strong of body, having been a miner, the spiritual burden and intensity of the work had a telling effect. Evan Roberts spent much of the rest of his life in seclusion under the care of the Penn-Lewises. He went to his eternal reward in 1951. After Roberts withdrew from revival work, other people of God carried on with great success. Many joined local churches; industrial production spiraled, and criminal court activity was reduced to a minimum. 

What God did in Wales through Evan Roberts should be an object lesson to the world. We desperately need revival today in order to see God glorified and to stem the tide of godlessness. A heaven-sent burden is needed concerning the sins of our world and of our churches. Sustained prayer must be the norm if we are to experience the birth pangs of a new spiritual era. 

by P. Fredrick Fogle, Ph.D. Published by Union Gospel Press 
Gospel Herald and Sunday School Times  Spring Quarter 1996 Vol 14 Number 2 

3. THE POWER OF EVANGELISM IN THE WELSH REVIVAL, by Dr. Alvin L. Reid

I believe the world is upon the threshold of a great religious revival, and I pray that I may be allowed to help bring this about. I beseech all those who confess Christ to ask Him today, upon their knees, if He has not some work for them to do now. He will lead them all as He has led us. He will make them pillars of smoke by day and pillars of fire by night to guide all men to Him.” -Evan Roberts(1)

One of the first revival movements I ever heard of was the Welsh Revival of 1904-05. Wales has duly been called the “Land of Revival” and the “Land of Song.” Griffith Jones, Howell Harris, Daniel Rowlands, William Williams, and Christmas Evans led earlier awakenings. The 1859 awakening was reported around the world. The land was set ablaze by the Moody-Sankey meetings in the late 19th Century.

In 1904 God again visited this small but significant locale. One of the earliest signs of a growing awakening came in the ministry of pastor Joseph Jenkins at New Quay, Cardiganshire. In November, 1903, he began a Young People’s Meeting to battle their growing worldliness. Jenkins was visited by a shy young girl following an evening service in January, 1904. The following week, the first Sunday in February, Jenkins asked for testimonies during the Young People’s Meeting following the morning service. Then, he asked for responses to the question, “What does Jesus mean to you?”

Her sincere, earnest confession had the effect of a lightning strike of the Spirit in the congregation. Person after person arose and made full surrender to Christ. An early eyewitness of the revival said: “It was the beginning of the visible manifestation of the Spirit breaking out in life-streams which afterwards would touch thousands of souls.”(2) The news of the service spread throughout the area as young people testified in other churches.

Evan Roberts (1878-1951) was the person most recognized in the Welsh Revival. He came from a humble, religious family. As a child, the devout lad took a Bible with him everywhere. Early in his life, he dreamed of revival. While a young coal miner, a page of the Bible was scorched, the page at II Chronicles 6 where Solomon prayed for revival. Perhaps Evan saw this as prophetic, for when he became world-known, the Bible was displayed in photographs around the world.

Roberts heard an evangelist named Seth Joshua speak at Blaednnannerch. The Thursday morning service closed with Joshua praying, “Lord…Bend us.” Roberts went to the front, knelt, and with great anguish cried, “Lord, bend me.” Reflecting on that prayer, he later said that the impact of his commitment had this effect: “I felt ablaze with a desire to go through the length and breadth of Wales to tell of my Savior; and had that been possible, I was willing to pay God for doing so.”(3)

Roberts began to go to various towns to speak of his changed life. “Oh, Syd,” he said to his best friend, Sydney Evans, in late 1904, “We are going to see the mightiest revival that Wales has ever known – the Holy Spirit is coming just now.” In great anticipation, he added, “We must get ready. We must get a little band and go all over the country preaching.” Suddenly Roberts stopped, looked at Sydney, and said, “Do you believe that God can give us 100,000 now?”(4)

Within six months, 100,000 souls were converted in Wales.

Social impact was similarly reported. Judges were presented with white gloves signifying no cases to be tried. Alcoholism was halved. At times hundreds of people would stand to declare their surrender to Christ as Lord. Restitution was made, gamblers and others normally untouched by the ministry of the church came to Christ. In fact, esteemed G. Campbell Morgan recalled a conversation with a mine manager about profanity. The manager told him, “The haulers are some of the very lowest. They have driven their horses by obscenity and kicks. Now they can hardly persuade their horses to start working, because they have no obscenity and kicks.”(5)

Do you long to see God move like that in our day? What if, one hundred years later, God so moved in our nation that hundreds of thousands of people, even millions, flooded the churches? If so, remember there is never great, widespread revival without personal revival. Do you seek a personal, deep, Spirit-led movement of God in your life? Then consider these aspects of personal revival taught by Evan Roberts, known as the Four Points:

· You must put away any unconfessed sin. 

· You must put away any doubtful habit. 

· You must obey the Holy Spirit promptly. 

· You must confess Christ publicly. 

· May God raise up a generation of people with this passion.

Copyrights reserved: Source: International Revival Network: www.openheaven.com
May be freely copied provided sources and copyrights are included unchanged with the text.
Dr. Alvin L. Reid. Professor of Evangelism Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. Adapted from Chapter 13 of Firefall, by Malcolm McDow and Alvin L. Reid. Broadman and Holman, 1997 To order: http://ezekiel.sebts.edu/~areid/books.html
1. Evan Roberts, in W. T. Stead, ed., The Story of the Welsh Revival (London: Fleming H. Revell, 1905), 2. Jessie Penn-Lewis, The Awakening in Wales and Some of the Hidden Springs (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1905), 37. 3. J. Edwin Orr, The Flaming Tongue (Chicago: Moody, 1973), 5. 4. James A. Stewart, Invasion of Wales by the Spirit through Evan Roberts (Ft. Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1970), 28-29. 5. Cited by Arthur Goodrich and others, eds. The Story of the Welsh Revival (New York: Fleming H. Revell

 A great tragedy has come to light this past week. Todd Bentley, the revivalist who has been leading the Lakeland Outpouring meetings, has had a major meltdown and has filed for divorce. This comes at the worst possible time both for the revival and for those who have stood with him.

Back in June, Che Ahn , John Arnott, and I went to Lakeland, Florida, to do a commissioning service for Todd. We felt the need to stand with him. Opposition against him was great, and we could be a great strength to Todd in that time. John and Che especially could be a great asset as they had endured incredible opposition during the Toronto outpouring. Peter Wagner helped to oversee and lead that part of the meeting. Although he had not personally endorsed the revival, he felt it important enough to risk personal criticism from his peers to bring Todd into an apostolic alignment for his own safety.

I did not go to Lakeland and stand on the platform with Todd Bentley because he was perfect in character or because we agreed on everything he was doing in Lakeland. I went to Lakeland because of his enemies. The relentless criticism and opposition, coupled with the grueling and sometimes unwise schedule, were bound to take their toll on this young man—emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. It happened two years ago, and it could happen again. It was my intention to bring a deflection into the mix so that he wouldn’t take all the heat by himself. Little did I realize it was too late. He was at the place of burnout again, abandoning his marriage and pulling out of all public ministry. While I will never blame Todd’s opponents for Todd’s bad choices (Todd alone is responsible for them) their opposition had a greater effect than any of his critics will likely own up to in this lifetime.

Now what? Pray for Todd and Shonnah for complete healing in their marriage and personal lives. Pray for those giving counsel to them that they would use great wisdom.

Please know that while we may not give details of our efforts, we are doing everything possible to help bring healing and order to this tragedy.Blessings!Bill Johnson

This quote is from a letter written by Mr. Jones to a young minister, pg. 9 of The Welsh Revival: Its orgin and development.

“Two things are necessary to be a successful preacher: first, to pray much in secret–to be there many times in the day, wrestling with God–to wrestle each time as if it were the last, and not to rise from your knees until you have a proof that te Lord has heard you. Ask the Lord in faith, and with great fervency, what to say to the people. Go straight from your closet to the pulpit each time, then will the anointing follow your preaching, and every word you say will be recieved as from an angel of God. another thing is, to preach pointedly and rousingly–aiming at the conscience each time–telling people their sins to their faces–caring nothing for the good or bad opinion of men, but to keep ‘a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men;’ and beware of displaying yourself in any of your sermons. I try to aim at two things in studying and preaching: one is, not to say anything to show off myself; another is, not to say anything to amuse the people. I would wish to preach each time as if I had to die in the pulpit when I had done preaching–as if I had to go direct from the pulpit to judgment. If we are not in this frame, we shall do very little good.”

Quote: 

Last Sunday I was meeting with the Compass Point praise band in one of the locker rooms of the YMCA. We always get together before the service to discuss the order of worship and to allow the Elders to pray over us. As I was giving a “pep talk” I looked over on the wall right behind the band members and saw a HUGE spider. I started toward it with a large Williams Wallace-style sword I had in my hand (using it for an illustration in the “pep talk”) to kill it. The band members saw what I was doing, noticed the spider and began to flee as fast they could from the area. It was amazing that it only took a few milliseconds for people in the room to see the spider, mentally deduce that it was dangerous and immediately run in the other direction. I began to think, why don’t we do that in our spiritual lives? Where is the healthy fear of God that prevents us from falling into the trap of sin?

As a pastor and church leader I live in fear of the truth found in Hebrews 13:17…that I MUST give an account for the flock…Compass Point…that I was entrusted with by God. I must give an account of the way I lived, the example I set, how I shepherded my family and whether or not my life was a living testimony to Kingdom of God. It is the healthy fear of the Father that makes me want to flee from all appearances of evil so that I might not do something stupid to cause God to take His hand off of me…and Compass Point. It is not a paralyzing fear…but a pleasing fear…wanting to do the right thing so that God may look down on me with favor and not wrath.

This week I’ve been reminded of what is written in Galations 6:7-8…sin will always find you out. You can’t hide the sin in your life…even secret sin…once you’ve decided not to flee from it. As I read about the deception of the young man that penned the worship song “Healer” to the revelations of the secret sin from a leader in our own city…the sin was not avoided…was left unchecked…and lives have been destroyed because of it. They had no fear of God…of His wrath…of the consequences of their selfish desires. The saw sin and did not flee from it’s dangers…and now their lives…and lives of thousands of others…will never be the same.Where’s the fear these days of God’s wrath and judgment on our lives?

Where’s the fear these days of the truth that is found in the Word Of God? Where’s the fear these days of doing something stupid that can cause God to take His hand off of us? Where’s the fear that we will lead people to Hell with our selfish actions? Where’s the fear of sin? We must be like the band members and the spider…seeing the danger…immediately realizing it’s destructive powers…and running as quickly as we can…the other way!!!

The more I attend True Light Ministries, the more I appreciate it. Some would say that we don’t have much, I say that we have almost everything. The presence of God, freedom for the Holy Spirit to move, and obedience to the Lord. We may not have many “members” but the few we have are not just any christians. These are people that understand the word dedication and faithfulness. They understand that they must stand and fight, even sacrifice and wait much for the Lord to move. No matter what comes there way, every week they don’t show any negativity or walk in self-pity. I say this not to bring glory to them but to what the Lord has done in TLM. When people come to TLM, they mean business with God. That cannot be said about many churches. The church was built on the very Word of God and His promises. It was built on faith and hope. I know I will get fed, and I won’t have to worry about compromising or pleasing man. The first time I ever attended, I was overwhelmed with the fear of the Lord. People often ask me why I attend such a small church over previous churches I used to attend, I simply answer “The Lord brought me here”. He did, I know it was for many, many reasons. I know I can find the Lord there, and I hope, no matter how big TLM gets, that will never change. I write this not to glorify the ministry, but to glorify the one who dwells within it. The Lord asked Peter THREE times did he love him, and THREE times the Lord said “feed my sheep”. Don’t you think the Lord meant it?

When Pastors don’t warn their church, they do not protect their flock. It frustrates me how some pastors will not say certain things in fear of losing members or offending others. Don’t they really care about the flock? Its better to warn and to lose, than to not warn and let your church run into deception! The thing that saddens me most about the church today is the lack of christians to stand. To stand for what they know is right, and to boldly and openly proclaim it.

As you hear unprecedented revival reports from other churches, it is natural to wonder why God is moving in such a spectacular way elsewhere but not to the same degree in your church. It is natural to wonder, “What is wrong with our church?” “Haven’t we prayed and asked God for revival?” “Are we for some reason being bypassed in what God is doing today?” More dangerous is the response, “We have been experiencing God’s presence and don’t want or need anything more.” You are called to be faithful where you are, keeping your eyes on Jesus, not on the public attention others are experiencing. Keep the following advice in mind and heart as you seek in unity with your congregation to be the church God wants you to be.

1.      God may be accomplishing the spiritual growth He desires for your church at this time. He loves every individual for whom He sent His Son to die and the Father desires that every member of your congregation draw closer to His Son.

2.      Out of envy or feelings of less worth, don’t criticize churches experiencing visible revival activity. Be patient and faithful to your call. God is able to move in His way, at His time, and where He chooses. Be open and preparing for His supernatural move.

3.      Be faithful in preaching the Word and encouraging membership to expect God’s presence and power in a greater way. Every believer should desire and seek a closer walk with our Lord.

4.      Don’t allow those who have visited other scenes of God’s seemingly spectacular move to persuade you or your people to merely copy the activity observed elsewhere. Seek God for His special move according to the needs of your church. A carbon-copy “revival” is likely to be man-made.

5.      Use caution in publicizing supernatural healings or other miracles that cannot be authenticated. Pentecostals know for certain that God can and does heal. We know that faith is encouraged and strengthened by testimonies of supernatural healing. But when a claim of healing is made and critics prove later that no significant and lasting change followed, the cause of Christ suffers. Charges of fraud, lying, and deliberately misleading in order to enhance one’s ministry only hurt the Christian witness. If a person sincerely testifies of personal healing and then suffers a setback, the premature testimony cannot be charged to the pastor or evangelist, which would reflect negatively on the testimony of the church in the community.

6.      Do not invite speakers to fill your pulpit out of a desire just to see “manifestations.” There has been enough manipulation that casts doubt on the genuine work of the Spirit. Choose your pulpit guests wisely. Going outside the list of recognized Assemblies of God credentials holders can bring undesired teachings and example.

7.      Do not point accusing fingers at those who may not heed these admonitions.

8.      When you do observe and confirm the presence of wrong doctrine and/or practice, you have a responsibility to speak out in the right way. Concern should first be expressed to those involved in the error. If the concern is rejected or not answered, district leadership should be made aware of the situation. “In a multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 24:6, NKJV).

Some of the teachings and human responses described in this paper as concerns of the Church will in a few years, if the Lord delays His return, be forgotten or remembered only as passing fads. Some will reappear under new names. And there will likely be new teachings like these that begin with a kernel of truth but then move to extra-biblical excess. Discernment is needed, not so much on the labels and names, as on the actual teachings and human responses. The Lord is faithful to guide and protect His people as they seek only to build His kingdom and to give all the glory to Him, refusing to take any for themselves.

Reports of souls saved and lives changed should never justify wrong theology and practices. Yet Paul said about the false prophets who were causing him and his ministry frustration, “Christ is proclaimed in every way whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice” (Philippians 1:15-18). But Paul obviously wanted Christ to be proclaimed from right motives and with biblical integrity. So do we.

In the Old Testament times, the Glory of God left Jerusalem (Ezekiel 9-10).  There was so much sin committed and so many abominations that God became offended.  How long will we play the game of religion?  How long will God be offended?  How long will God allow the church as it is?  What would happen if Christ came tonight?  Would any be saved or taken up?

 

I personally believe that there are two things occurring at the same time within the church.  People are leaving churches in order to follow after the counterfeit anointing.  But at the same time, people are leaving churches in order to follow after the genuine anointing within holy and genuine churches. 

 

Revival is the life of Jesus poured into human hands.

The closer we come to God, the more we realize our distance.

Revival means removal.

Every generation needs a regeneration.

A recipe for revival: Draw a circle and get inside, then pray God will send revival within the circle.

We don’t need the sand that Jesus walked on; we need the Jesus who walked on the sand.

 It is the duty of the pastor not only to comfort the distressed but to distress the comfortable.

Some churches are so dead they don’t need revival—they need resurrection.

When Christians are on fire, believers are warmed and sinners are attracted to the light.

Recently, much has been mentioned about “fire.”  I have heard people calling down fire upon people and never mention the name Jesus.  I want the Holy Spirit fire, but not strange fire.  I want the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but not His judgments.  Fire may mean wrath, judgment, anointing, and other such things.  We need to be very careful allowing people to pray the fire upon us.  Indeed, we must agree that we want the anointing, the holy fire, of the Holy Spirit, but nothing else.  

I believe that there is coming a heavy price that will have to be paid by the ministers who have opened their churches to the pouring out of strange fire upon their people.   In one instance, I remember watching a video where a minister was crying aloud, “fire,” and a fire did  come, but it was not of God.  Several people became demon possessed and they acted like snakes and even took upon themselves a sexual behavior as they were acting like snakes.  

2 Chronicles 7:14 reads, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

First step: Humility.

• Pride must be dismissed and rejected.
• We must humble ourselves before God.
• Humility is the reverse of pride.
• Satan’s main sin was pride.
• Our way, our will, our plan, our concept of God, and our concept of righteousness must give way to the image of God.

Second Step: Prayer.

• In the Books of Acts, we read that prayer was made “stretch outedly” by the church for Peter.
• These people did not pray aimlessly, nor were they distracted by the stock market or the latest new bulletins. They did not follow the latest fad invented by church leaders.
• Their beloved friend and apostle was to be executed so they prayed with every fiber of their being for Peter’s release.
• Prayer here meant is that which keeps on pounding and shouting until in order to shut the one praying, God moves.

Third Step: Seeking always God’s face.

• We must know God and stand in His presence. This is not asking God to do something. Rather, it is asking God for His very presence and relationship.
• We are seeking a new relationship with Him, not as a little child, but as a mature son or daughter who knows the Father is in tune with the Father’s will, begins to think and act like the Father, and can take responsibility in the Father’s Kingdom.
• God wants us to move beyond the petition stage (asking always), to a time when the ultimate purpose and good is being in communion with God.
• John 1:1b: With God, Face to face.

Fourth Step: Turn from our Wicked ways.

• Cease having a lack of Bible reading and prayer.
• Do not allow your attendance at worship to begin to slip.
• Do not accept the sinful practices and principles of Satan and his world.
• Do not accept the approval of the World, but the approval of God.
• Do not desire the approval of the World, but desire the approval of God.
• Do not fill our minds with worldly pictures, sounds and concepts.
• Do not allow our language to get coarser.
• Do not associate more and more with those who are rebels against God.
• Do not allow our hearts to be hardened.
• Forget not to love God, to pray, to forgive, and to follow the Spirit and the Word.

Fifth Step: United in vision of purpose.

• This is accomplished by prayer, hearing God’s words, and following the presence and will of God.
• It is better to have a small group united in purpose than to have great groups full of division.
• Most Revivals are begun by small groups of people united in the same vision and same purpose.
• Spending time alone with God is key. God starts with one person and then unites others to the same vision.

Sixth Step: Perseverance.

• After Jesus had risen from the dead, He instructed His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power form on high.
• We see from this example that they persevered. They waited until the Holy Spirit came. The first day nothing happened. The same is true as pertaining to the second day and so on until the Holy Spirit moved. They waited 50 days.
• It is those who keep pressing through that will finally receive from God and gain the utmost from God.

Source:  Charisma Forum. 

Some on this forum it seems, have tasted some of the Lakeland Kool-Aid and that is okay, So have many of my friends and family in Christ. Roy Fields is probably the most anointed person of the Lakeland troop. The source is a good one and has heard from Roy on more than one occasion. If Roy contacts me directly, I reveal the source to him. I just want people to know that many even still there in Lakeland have had severe problems with Bentley. They will have to answer to God for their involvement and obedience or lack thereof in it. IF I was able to divulge all that I know, you would understand why I have taken a stance.

To divulge more would not help anyone and I already should not have listed Rodney’s name and am learning how media can spread. I am thankful this has been helpful, but I did not expect this and would not have mentioned Rodney’s name if I did. He has grown incredibly from the days when he was a target so many years ago. I am proud of him, even though we may not have the same worldview on all things. He is seeing the same as we are on the Lakeland issues and probably more so because he is there everyday in that region helping those who have been hurt by it, or at least confused about it.

I understand why he does not go public. It would be a distraction fro him, and it would not hinder or slow down Bentley. And the media would go crazy calling Rodney jealous. I guarantee that Bentley and the extreme junk out there is not provoking Rodney to envy. He feels like weeping at what he is witnessing and in fact has wept. He could be on the platform but would never set foot on there at any price, unless he was invited to gracefully shut it down as a senior leader of the region. Hope that helps. in all of this, we must remain loving and not getting cynical. Francis Frangipane who is a good friend reminded me recently that God never get nearly as upset as we do, and he is right. Lakeland did not catch Him by surprise, and He will accomplish what He wills through it all. Sassy Granny you are correct.. God will use this as this is way beyond Lakeland and this stuff has been brewing for years only to explode in the form of Bentley whom is a brother in Christ filled with deception and hurt. So pray for him and others.

The Holy Spirit is precious.  He is awesome and He is God.  Equating the moving and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit to animal behavior, smoking marijuana, taking heroin and sexual behavior is blasphemy, or it is down right hysteria and fanaticism.  I cannot see how equating the Holy Spirit with the things mentioned cannot be blasphemy also.  The questions that must be asked are, “Are we tempting God?”  and “Are we not only blaspheming, but also are we committing the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?”  

In many revivals, such manifestations have appeared.  Their purpose has always been to destroy real revival and to take our focus off Jesus.  Real revival is birthed into by the fear of God and by prayer, reaps genuine repentance that is confirmed by signs and wonders, is tempered by persecution, and is witnessed also by many genuine conversions.  We are choosing the counterfeit manifestations, and these counterfeits are degrading and lowering the Holy Spirit to a level that will bring judgment upon the church. 

From:  Gordon Williams

Sent:  August 7, 2008 

To:  kstrader@cfaith.com  

Thank you for your letter.  However, I have viewed some of the meetings.  And, quite frankly, I have not been impressed.  I have been involved in ministry for many years.  And, I have observed that if a pastor or Christian cannot tell the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and the works of the devil, then that person has been completely deceived.  While being a pastor and member of the 100 Huntley Street Television Ministry located in Canada, I was asked to do a “Scriptural Check-up” of all of our guests who shared their teachings and the testimonies.  I would make an on-air Scriptural evaluation of what they said.  It was then, that I discovered that many teachings and doctrines that well-meaning pastors and Christians shared sounded alright but when examined by the Scriptures, they were unscriptural and wrong.  I discovered that people whom I respected could not tell the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the enemy.  Demons give people a religious experience that causes them to throw aside everything Biblical.  They possess people who are not Baptized with the Holy Spirit and they will torment those who have been Baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

 The Toronto Airport Ministry has been doing the same things, for the most part, as what has been happening in Lakeland.  The leadership there cannot tell the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and demons.  For over more than 10 years, we have had to cast demons out of people who received them by transference of spirits in those meetings.  The numbers have been too large to count. The victimized people have the symptoms of possession which people like yourself seem to be unable to recognize.  They have no control over their physical bodies and since demons will imitate the symptoms of various physical, mental and emotion disorders.  Most of them look like they are suffering from epilepsy with uncontrollable shaking and twitching, constantly doubling over .  They do not speak in tongues but make strange noises which mimic the gift of tongues just as I have observed in the meetings in Lakeland:  barking like dogs and making other animalistic sounds.  The so-called prophecy is unscriptural and false when examined by Scripture.  The violence of belly bumping is not ministry.  The kicking people as a method of healing is not done by the encouragement of the Holy Spirit but rather from the one of whom Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life , and have it abundantly” (Jn. 10: 10).  What is being portrayed on the platform by Bentley and those who encourage him is NOT ABUNDANT LIFE.  The so-called people who were raised from the dead have been investigated and found to be a lie.  I have the reports.  The reports of healings have, for the most part, also been lies.  And, for you to even discount the truth that Bentley talks to a so-called angel, which is obviously an evil spirit, named Emma shows me that you, regardless of your “ministry history”,  you have turned a blind eye to the source of this imitation ministry.  The heart of the problems coming out of Lakeland, is that you and others have been deceived.  He has also said that his deceased mother comes to him in the spirit to talk with him.  This is spiritualism.  Paul wrote, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Tim. 4: 1).  The very fact that Bentley has talked about getting advice from these spirits should have caused you to condemn everything that he was doing and like Joseph when Potiphar’s wife tried to entrap him, you should have run for your life.  When a pastor, like yourself, can overlook such important details, you are in the process, if it has not happened yet, as Jesus warned, that He will “blot his name out of the book of life” (Rev. 3: 5).  This is what Judson Cornwall wrote about in his book, “Let Us Praise” , which he called “the worship of demons”  (1 Cor. 10: 20; Rev. 9: 20).  This is what is called a “familiar spirit” or plainly a demon.  I have cast these kinds of demons into the abyss who have come to people’s home pretending to be the spirits of the dead relatives.   The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 14: 26f. tells us what a service or meeting guided by the Holy Spirit is supposed to be like and there is nothing in those meetings that shows or demonstrates that what is occurring is being done “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14: 40).  Everything that happens in those 127 days has been “indecent and out of order”.  Sir, you had better read what Paul writes in 2 Thess. 4: 11: “Therefore Gods sends them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  You people who have been deluded are not the people, like myself who have already been casting demons out of people who received them in those meetings.  We have prayed with people who were told that they had been healed but, in fact, were not.  You may be “a strong believer in the Kingdom of God” but you are also “a strongly deceived believer in the Kingdom of God”. It has always puzzled me how people who have supposedly had a long ministry cannot tell the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of demons.  I mentioned Kathryn Kuhlman in my report.  If you can obtain a video of her ministry, look at it carefully and compare her ministry to that of what is going on in Lakeland and other places and maybe your eyes will be opened to see that there is a reason why she said, “The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He will never do anything to embarrass of hurt you.”   What is going on in those meetings is not from Jesus Christ.  And, these meetings are showing us clearly who is not “the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time” (Matt. 24: 45).  What we are seeing here a devilish entertainment counterfeit of the work of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Your testimony tells me that you are one of those whom Paul talked to when he wrote, “O FOOLISH Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” (Gal. 3: 1).  “Bewitched” is the word.  I have a ministry in which we minister salvation, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, equip Christians with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1: 11), healing and deliverance.  I listen to men like David Wilkerson, of whom you might have heard, who know the Scriptures and the power of God and who says and writes the same things about this abomination that has accepted everything that is a denial of the New Testament and ends up in the “love of money” with ATM machines available so well-meaning seekers can be milked of their money. 

Karl, I would suggest that you had better repent for your involvement because your acceptance of this counterfeit of the work of the Holy Spirit and distance yourself as far as you can or it will land you in hell (Matt. 21 – 23).  This is not a revival from Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  When I started in ministry, I would never have believed that so many people who are desperate for a legitimate revival could be so easily deceived and over-look the work of the devil who provides them with a “form of religion” which when closely examined, “lacking the power thereof”.  “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.  Their end will correspond to their deeds”  (2 Cor. 11: 15). 

I have always taught that when you know the Holy Spirit and His works and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and learn to use them skillfully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the counterfeits are easily recognized.  When, the same things that are happening in Lakeland started happening in Toronto, I asked my wife to come and see what was going on there.  She walked in looked around and said, “This is not the work of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s leave right away.”  And, we did.  I have written three reports about the Toronto Airport and these manifestations that are not from the Holy Spirit and not Scriptural. You apparently have lost that ability because you do not have the gift of “discerning of spirits” (1 Cor. 12: 10) or you would have seen through the deception of Bentley and those who are using him in works that produce people possessed with demons.  Open your Bible and see if there is anything the New Testament like what you are trying to defend.  I also know, that because of people like yourself, perpetuating a work from the devil which is victimizing people who are seeking Salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Biblical ministry, Christians like myself will have to cast the demons out of them because you, are like the Sadducees, to whom Jesus said, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22: 29). It is because of people like yourself and those that support fraudulent spiritual ministry that Paul wrote, “I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.  For who sees anything different in you? What have you that you did not receive?  If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? (1 Cor. 4: 6 – 7). What you have told me in your testimony is that after all of those years of being a pastor, you have failed in the end because you are more interested in numbers and not in the quality and Scriptural correctness ministry that is done in the Name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit according to our Heavenly Father’s will.  Your letter has confirmed what the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures have proven to me that what is going on in Lakeland is not from Jesus Christ.  I have taken the time to write you because, you still have time to repent and have your  eyes opened to what Lakeland and Toronto Airport  is really about.  And so, my final word to you is what Jesus said to each of the Seven Churches in Revelation, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2: 7, 11, 17, 29; 3: 6, 13, 22). 

From: Karl Strader [mailto:kstrader@cfaith.com]
Sent: August 7, 2008 11:36 AM
To: gordwea@rogers.com
Subject: report 

It’s most unfortunate that you have not been able to be here in Lakeland, or at least checked with your brethren here in Lakeland, before you made your analysis of the Lakeland “Outpouring”.  One of my parishioners handed me a copy of your August “Report”. 

Could I give you my testimony?

First of all, I am an Assembly of God minister, 79 years old.  Even though I’m in my retirement years, I have my own Web Site, KarlStrader.com.  (Last month, we received more than 50,000 hits from all over the world.)  I also am on TV, all over South America, and North America, as well as the Russian Satellite which means I am still preaching to well over 100,000 people each Sunday morning, counting the recordings I’m sending out.  I’ve written a number of books, and have been in the ministry since 1951.  I gave my heart to God as a Methodist when I was eight years old.  I went to school at an Ultra-Fundamentalist University with mostly Bible Presbyterians as my teachers and my fellow students mostly Bible-believing Baptists, earning a B.A. degree in Radio Speech, and my B.D. degree in their seminary.  In 1954 I received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  Since then I have pastored in Indiana as well as here in Lakeland for a 40 year stretch with the Carpenter’s Home Church, which is affliated with the Assemblies of God.  A couple of years ago, I retired as Senior Pastor, sold our 10,000 seat building and made two churches out of it, one in Auburndale, pastored by my son-in-law who has been with me for over 20 years, and one here in Lakeland pastored by my son who worked for me for over 30 years here in Lakeland.  His is the church that sponsored Todd Bentley.  Most significant, is the fact that I made Jesus the Lord of my life at sixteen, and am a strong believer in the Kingdom of God.  

MY TESTIMONY

I have been in the Lakeland Revival almost every service for the past 127 days, sometimes at the venue, most of the time watching on my computer or on TV.  What I have seen is all positive!  I’ve heard scores of sermons from Todd and his many associates and interns.  THEY HAVE LIFTED UP JESUS AS LORD AND GOD IN EVERY SERVICE.  (There as been little mention about angels…about the same percentage as is in the Bible.)  I have watched as literally thousands of people off the street, including drug addicts, and many back-slidden believers come to the Lord.  (He baptised in water a couple thousand converts in one night).  I have watched each night the testimonies of  literally thousands of people who have said they were healed, more than any other healing evangelist in my life-time.  About 35 people had their loved ones testify that they were raised from the dead. There have been unusual, notable, remarkable miracles that were evident to anyone who is a true believer.  I’ve watched as Todd cast out devils on the platform.  One of the most amazing things is the young people that have been attracted to these meetings.  Some nights the audience of literally thousands of people would worship non-stop for hours on end.  There has been the most intense worship of God I’ve ever witnessed!  All of the musicians and speakers have expressed their hatred of Satan and all of his demons. To further let you know of my credentials, I have been a member of Dr. Cho’s Church Growth Board, an Oral Roberts Regent, a member of the Charismatic Concerns Committee, a Trustee of International Charismatic Bible Ministries, and I have served as an official with the A/G fellowship for over 20 years…the other boards mentioned above for 25 years.  (The only reason I have given you my background is because I’m not trying to impress you, but I have to assume you probably have never heard of me.)  I, actually, if the truth were known, feel quite inferior to the rest of my brethren, including you!   It’s obvious from your report that you have great respect for God’s Word.  Please read Matt. 18:15-17; Mk. 3:28-30; Mk. 9:38-40; Rom. 8:33,34; 1 Tim. 5:19-22, and Gal. 6:1.  Please compare these scriptures to what you have written in your report. 

Frankly, I believe you are a good man and want what God wants!  I’m not attempting to correct anyone at this point.  However, I would like to reach out to you in love.  I challenge you to reconsider what you have written in the light of my testimony and the Word of God.

There are many things that I have seen that are not holy in the recent revivals and movements.  Animal behavior in human beings attributed to the Holy Spirit is blasphemy to say the least, or it is down right fanaticism and hysteria controlled by evil spirits.   First of all, there is no passage in Scripture where there is a positive picture of a human acting like an animal.  There was one man whom God caused to behave like an animal: Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:33) But that was God’s judgment, not His blessing!  The other example would be the time when Christ cast out a Legion of demons from a man (Luke 8).  The evil spirits had turned him into something like an animal.  The people of Africa understand quite well that such behavior is not the Holy Spirit, but evil spirits. 

The Holy Spirit will never degrade a church, a ministry, or a saint with such manifestations.  These manifestations do not uplift the greatness, majesty, and holiness of God.   The Holy Spirit does not degrade a human being like this.  Nebuchadnezzar reaped what he sowed.  Turning over Nebuchadnezzar to this was a just act.  Nebuchadnezzar was smitten with a mental illness because of his rebellious nature.  This mental illness was Zoanthropy (verse 32).

John Lambert’s lasting words: None But Christ.  John Lambert, an English reformer, Servant, and Martyr of God.

In 1538, Upon the day that was appointed for this holy martyr of God to suffer, he was brought out of the prison at eight o’clock in the morning unto the house of the Lord Cromwell, and so carried into his inward chamber, where as it is reported of many that Cromwell desired him of forgiveness for that he had done.

There, at the last, Lambert, being admonished that the hour of his death was at hand, he was greatly comforted and cheered; and, being brought out of the chamber into the hall, he saluted the men, and sat down to breakfast with them, showing no manner of sadness or fear.  When as the breakfast was ended, he was carried straightway to the place of execution, where as he should offer himself unto the Lord, a sacrifice of sweet savour, who is blessed in his saints, for ever and ever.  Amen.

As touching the terrible manner and fashion of the burning of this blessed martyr, here is to be noted, that of all other who have been burned and offered up at Smithfield, there was yet none so cruelly and piteously handled as he.

For, after that his legs were consumed and burned up to the stumps, and that the wretched tormentors and enemies of God had withdrawn the fire from him, so that but a small fire and colas were left under him, then two that stood on each side of him with their halberts [a combing of spear and ax] pitched him upon their pikes, as far as the chain would reach.  Then, he, lifting up such hands as he had, and his fingers’ end flaming with fire, cried unto the people in these words, “None But Christ, none But Christ;” and so, being let down again from their halberts, fell into the fire, and there gave up his life for the sake of Christ.

Source:  Comes from Charisma and Grady.   

Julio Ruibal, who was martyred for his faith in 1995, left us a legacy of revival. His widow, Ruth, shares in this interview how the gospel transformed Bolivia in the 1970s.  

Most American Christians today are unfamiliar with Julio Ruibal, the humble Bolivian preacher who was known in South America as “the apostle of the Andes.” He was martyred in 1995 in Cali, Colombia, where he and his wife, Ruth, planted a church and were mobilizing unity among churches in order to stop the violent drug cartels that controlled that city. Years before criminals shot Julio in the streets of Cali, he was used by God to ignite a spiritual awakening that shook his native Bolivia to its foundations. In the early 1970s, after his conversion in Los Angeles, Julio returned to the city of La Paz, Bolivia and began to share Christ. After a core group of young people came to the Lord, conversions began to multiply exponentially until there were more than 5,000 new Christians. After word of this spiritual outbreak spread in the predominantly Catholic country, Ruibal found himself in a meeting with Bolivia’s president, Hugo Bánzer Suárez. The president and his wife prayed with Julio and then gave him an open door to evangelize the entire country—giving him the use of stadiums and asking mayors to declare a holiday when the young evangelist arrived in their cities to preach. 

“Churches sprang up everywhere and poverty was diminished, especially among Christian families when they learned to tithe.”

 During the next several years, hundreds of thousands of people were converted to Christ. Those who study the history of missions there draw a clear line between the days “before Ruibal” and “after Ruibal.” Today the evangelical population of Bolivia has grown to more than 11 percent. Ruth Ruibal carries her husband’s torch today. Besides leading their ministry in Colombia, she speaks all over the world about the need for genuine revival and its transforming power. In this two-part interview, she shares with Charisma about what she believes we should expect when we pray for revival to sweep our own country. 

Charisma: Repentance seems to be a hallmark of true revival. What level of repentance did you see in the Bolivian revival? Ruibal: Julio’s conversion was dramatic and his repentance was deep. He would lie on the living room floor saying, “Jesus I have found You; I have found everything.” Up until then, Julio was supporting himself by running a yoga academy. He told all his students about his conversion—and half the students were saved while half left. He closed down the academy and from that day, for the rest of his life, he lived by faith.    Most people would have tried to save the academy or wait until they had something else to do. But Julio was drastic in obeying. I saw the fruit of repentance in Bolivia. People were getting right with others, making restoration for prior wrongs and dramatically stepping out from sin. Since repentance was part of Julio’s life, the people saved under his ministry saw that as well. Repentance was his lifestyle. 

Charisma: How did the Bolivian revival affect the nation and the culture? Ruibal: This was a sovereign move of God over a nation, not just one church being revived. Up until that time, Bolivia had had more presidents than years of independence. There had been so many coups. At one point there were four presidents in one day.  However, when President Bánzer opened the country to the gospel, he stayed in power for eight years. That was a first for Bolivia. Bolivia experienced its first economic boom. Churches sprang up everywhere and poverty was diminished, especially among Christian families when they learned to tithe.  

Charisma: Many believe that supernatural signs and wonders must accompany a true revival. What kind of miracles took place in the Bolivian revival? Ruibal: The miracles were so remarkable and abundant that it is hard to adequately describe. One of the outstanding miracles involved a woman who was dying of bone cancer. She was bedridden and her upper leg could not be moved for lack of bone. Her sons asked Julio to pray for her.  He led her to the Lord and then prayed for healing. Then Julio felt the Lord telling him to lift the lady to her feet. He helped pull her up and she stood. God had replaced the bone eaten away by cancer! Another type of miracle took place in Santa Cruz, a city with a warm climate. On this particular day the multitudes were waiting for the meeting to begin, but it was a very hot day and some began to faint and ambulances would carry them away. Seeing this, Julio was moved with compassion for the people and prayed that the Lord would change the weather.  The Lord sent clouds from the north to confirm that it was the Lord bringing relief. (Normally that area would get cool winds from Antarctica in the south, but not from the north.) Also the Lord sent a light mist that proved to be a type of air conditioning. This was so outstanding that the secular newspapers showed pictures of the clouds and reported the miracle. We saw clubbed feet made straight. The lame walked, a hunchbacked man’s back was straightened, people who were brought in blankets or sheets got up and walked out healthy, the blind were given sight, the deaf were able to hear, diseases were healed with medical certification, the mute spoke, legs grew out and people were delivered from demons. At one point people were healed even when Julio’s shadow passed over them. There were other types of miracles, too. Food was multiplied supernaturally. At a dinner, fish appeared on a plate in front of several elders. Once, money multiplied so that we could feed some leaders who had come to minister.  

Charisma: There is much emphasis among charismatics today on seeing angels and communicating with them. Was this a factor in the Bolivian revival? Ruibal: I believe we all experience angelic ministry more than we are aware of. How many times have we been saved from an almost certain car accident—and then we realize it was a miracle. Probably angels were sent to help us. Julio told me of someone who offered him some free wood for a building project that he was working on. When he and his friends went to the establishment to pick up the wood, they found it at the very bottom of a pile that reached almost to the ceiling of the shop. Julio and the young men discussed what they should do and prayed. It seemed impossible to get to the wood without days of moving all the wood on top of the pieces they needed.  When they went back to re-evaluate the situation, they found their wood was now on top of all the other wood! They could only assume an angel had moved it there. However, they never saw angels, never talked to them and never acknowledged their presence—other than to comment, as in this case, that it would have had to be an angel that moved the wood. All the praise and thanks went to Jesus. He was the One they loved and acknowledged. 

Charisma: There is also an emphasis today on exotic manifestations such as gold dust, feathers, oil appearing on Bibles, or gem stones appearing on church floors. Did this happen in Bolivia? Ruibal: There were all sorts of miracles from the beginning and that continued throughout Julio’s ministry to the very end. They were mainly signs, wonders and different kinds of healings. Sometimes people fell when we prayed for them, but this was not something we looked for or particularly wanted. We did not have gold dust, feathers, gems, orbs, oil oozing from hands or any other such thing, nor did we seek it. We sought Jesus and His will. Last week I shared the first part of an interview with Ruth Ruibal, the widow of Bolivian evangelist Julio Ruibal—who was known as the “apostle of the Andes.” Ruth described for us how the gospel transformed Bolivia in the 1970s. In this second segment she tells about the sweeping conversions that happened during that revival and how this sparked church growth. She also offers some words of warning to the American church. 

Charisma: You lived through an amazing season of revival in Bolivia. What led up to it? Was there a lot of prayer and fasting? Ruth Ruibal: Before the revival the largest evangelical church in La Paz, Bolivia had about 90 members. Missionaries from many denominations had labored for decades with little results. I know that the Lord honored those decades of labor, perseverance and prayer.

“We desperately need a revival today in the United States. However, historical revivals start with repentance.”

Julio’s conversion experience in California was one of deep repentance, deliverance and inner healing. When he returned to Bolivia the year after his conversion he found some missionaries, but they thought he was false because he shared a promise he got from the Lord that “even the stadiums would be too big to hold the crowds.” After all, the missionaries had been there for decades and the results were few. Julio was a man of prayer, fasting and obedience even at the age of 19 when the revival started. When we started the church in 1974 we would teach the young people and then in the evenings they would go to home groups to teach what they had learned. We would then reunite after the meetings and pray for the people in the meetings. This meant we prayed from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. or 3 a.m. every night. There was a lot of prayer. 

Charisma: Obviously when revival broke out there were many conversions. Tell us about the numbers that came to the Lord. Ruibal: It started in the stadium in La Paz, with thousands attending. After the meetings, the police would take Julio out of the stadium in an ambulance for his safety and he would go home to listen to the radio for three or more hours. He would hear about all the miracles still taking place in the stadium! Behind the scenes he would spend days in fasting and prayer. One day the meeting was to start at 10 a.m., but the police called Julio to ask for his advice. The crowds had come around 5 a.m. to get seats in the stadium, but when they arrived they found the stadium was already filled. People had spent the night there, and the overflow crowd was now at 40,000. The police feared a riot. That day Julio preached to the crowd within the stadium and then from the wall of the stadium to the overflow. Miracles took place as people repented and came to Jesus. From then on the stadiums were too small to hold the crowds. The meetings were held on mountainsides and in plazas. There was no PA system at that time large enough to reach the tens of thousands of people, so the people were encouraged to bring their transistor radios and turn them up as loud as possible.  Since the meetings were being broadcast, everyone could hear the preaching. The Assemblies of God sold 33,000 Bibles and New Testaments in only two weeks. In fact, the Bible Society of Argentina and other outlets had to send them their stock of Bibles as well. 

Charisma: What would you say was the most astounding miracle that occurred during those years?  Ruibal: Julio used to come home and say [to me and my daughters], “Girls, you won’t believe what Jesus did today!” And he would tell us how the Lord had touched some need in someone’s life. However, the greatest, most outstanding miracle for Julio was always how the Lord can come into our lives and transform us.  Conversion is really the greatest miracle. And isn’t that what Jesus said? He told us: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20, NASB). That was truly Julio’s greatest joy—the miracle of a changed life, not only the physical miracles. 

Charisma: Church planting is also a byproduct of revival. Do you have any idea how many new churches were started as a result of what happened in Bolivia? Ruibal: Ekklesía, the church we started in La Paz, has more than 23,000 members today. Ekklesía now has daughter churches in every state in the country of Bolivia. There are also churches in the United States, Colombia and I think Argentina that spread from that church. They may not be organizationally connected to the church in La Paz, but they came out of that church. There were about 15 churches started in the city of La Paz alone as a result of that revival.

 Charisma: You and your husband moved to Colombia, and then he was martyred in 1995. Persecution and martyrdom is also a byproduct of revival that we don’t talk about much. How did your husband’s death spark revival in Colombia? Ruibal: After Julio was killed, the church in the city of Cali, Colombia, united in prayer, first in the coliseum with 20,000 people in March 1995 and then in the stadium with 40,000 in August and 45,000 in November. After we started praying together, several things took place:

·                 The churches started to grow and the gospel reached to another strata of society—businessmen, lawyers, teachers, politicians, news anchors, and others came to know the Lord. The general atmosphere of the city changed and there was a new hunger for the Lord in the general population.

·                 In those first nine months (March to November) six of the seven major drug lords in Cali fell and the last one turned himself in nine months later. The crime rate began to drop and we had a different city.

·                 One of the most historic events took place at Julio’s funeral. The president of the ministerial association asked that since Julio was so strong about unity, we should make a covenant of unity right then. All the pastors came forward, we embraced one another and made a simple covenant that is written profoundly in our hearts even today: “We are one and we will let nothing divide us.”  ·            Cali in general has experienced a new day. We have seen crime reduced, we have seen people come to the Lord in large numbers and we have a fine Christian councilman in office. However, we know the Lord has much more for us. 

Charisma: What would you say to the American church today as we seek to pursue genuine revival? Ruibal: We desperately need a revival today in the United States. I think most of us are in agreement with that. However, historical revivals start with repentance. We need to move beyond the generic needs of the church and become more personally involved in seeking His face. Once we see His holiness, we can truly repent. We live in a day where much of the world has filtered into the church. Paul tells us that the last days are dangerous days, but it is not the same kind of danger as terrorism. The danger of the last days is man’s own heart, which is selfish, self-loving, self-gratifying, independent and disobedient. Man’s heart loves the Lord yet loves pleasure more. The last day people are a religious people (you can find them in church and Christian meetings!), but they deny the power to live the true Christian life.  The Word tells us that holiness is not an option. I am not referring to a list of dos and don’ts, but of the heart. When we come into His presence and see more of His holiness, we realize how unworthy and sinful we are and yet how great His love is. When we experience deep repentance, we can know His healing power—first to the inner man, then to the outer man. We need to learn to seek Him for Himself and not what He can give us. Once we have our priorities right, once we really come to our knees in repentance, I do believe a revival will come and with signs and wonders that will follow. And the revival will affect all of society and heal our land as well.   True revival would change the direction of our nation. If we don’t have such a revival, I am afraid we are on our way to destruction. May God bless America and have mercy on her.

An Offical Transcription of the Service

A warm welcome to those of you who are present in this tent and to you who are watching through GOD TV. You are about to witness an event which could well have historic implications not only for the Lakeland Outpouring but also for our nation and for many other nations of the world. Prophets have been telling us for years that God is about to launch an extraordinary spiritual awakening with signs and wonders, and for over two months Todd Bentley has been leading one of the more obvious fulfillments of those prophecies. This is an exciting place to be right now!

My name is Peter Wagner and I am President of Global Harvest Ministries based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have served the body of Christ in apostolic ministry for many years, and currently I preside over the International Coalition of Apostles which brings together over 500 recognized apostles.

I have the honor of being assigned to preside over this momentous occasion, and I am humbled as I approach the task with an enormous sense of awe.

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Holy Spirit, I invite Your presence, Your power, and Your direction
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This is a ceremony celebrating the formal apostolic alignment of Todd Bentley. My first desire is to lay a biblical foundation for what we are about to do.

I will begin with a scripture that has been a central text for those of us who are in the stream of the contemporary apostolic/prophetic movement, Ephesians 4:11-12:

And He Himself [Jesus at His ascension] gave some To be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists And some pastors and teachers, For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.

The word “equipping” is a translation of the Greek katartizo which literally means “aligning,” as in setting a broken bone or a chiropractic adjustment. It means putting things in order so that the body functions as it was designed to function. This is one of the responsibilities of apostles such as those whom you see on the platform, and that is the reason we are present tonight. For example, Paul wrote to Titus, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking” (Titus 1:5).

Speaking of Paul and Titus, their relationship is a biblical prototype of apostolic alignment. The same would apply to Paul and Timothy. The apostolic alignment of Timothy and Titus with Paul was a principal factor in allowing God to develop and fulfill His complete destiny in both of their lives.

But Paul himself was also apostolically aligned. Soon after he was called to join Barnabas and his colleagues in Antioch for the then controversial ministry of planting churches among Gentiles, he traveled to Jerusalem to bring a gift for famine relief and also to align with some of the apostles. I want to use the experience that Paul had on that occasion as the text for the protocol for tonight’s alignment and commissioning of Todd Bentley. It is found in Galatians 2:9 which tells the story of one of Paul’s visits to Jerusalem:

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, Perceived the grace that had been given to me, They gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, That we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Todd is following Paul’s example by inviting to the platform three apostolic pillars of today’s church: Ché Ahn of Pasadena, California, Bill Johnson of Redding, California, and John Arnott of Toronto, Canada, Todd’s native land. They represent an apostolic network called Revival Alliance.

Notice that the apostles in Jerusalem “perceived the grace that God had given to Paul.” “The word “grace” is charis, the root of charisma, meaning “spiritual gift or gifts.” In Paul’s case it was the gift mix necessary to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. In Todd’s case it is the gift mix necessary to lead the Lakeland Outpouring.

I have a question for the three apostles: Do you perceive the grace of God given to Todd Bentley as an evangelist to lead the Lakeland Outpouring? [Answer: “I do.”]

I have a question for Todd Bentley: Do you recognize the apostolic authority of these three men in your life and ministry, and do you desire to establish an apostolic alignment with them and with Revival Alliance? [Answer: “I do.”]

With this affirmation we will move to a formal commissioning, equivalent to “offering the right hand of fellowship” as the three apostles did to Paul in Jerusalem.

This commissioning represents a powerful spiritual transaction taking place in the invisible world. With this in mind, I take the apostolic authority that God has given me and I decree to Todd Bentley:
• Your power will increase.
• Your authority will increase.
• Your favor will increase.
• Your influence will increase.
• Your revelation will increase.

I also decree that:
• A new supernatural strength will flow through this ministry.
• A new life force will penetrate this move of God.
• A government will be established to set things in their proper order.
• God will pour out a higher level of discernment to distinguish truth from error.
• New relationships will surface to open gates for the future.

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Che Ahn: It’s a miracle that all of these distinguished apostles would all be able to make it all together… with our international commitments, that’s a miracle in itself.

Bob Jones prophesied that this Outpouring (and you Todd) would go to a whole different level on June 22 and this is the 23d.

Isaiah 22:22: God is giving the keys of David. He is opening doors that no man can close.

I also think it is significant we have 3 generations coming together. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You know, Todd, we’re old enough to be your dad and Peter Wagner is old enough to be your grandfather!

Recognizing that God has chosen you and appointed you to bear much and lasting fruit in this Lakeland revival, and revival around the world; recognizing that He has called you as an Ephesians 4 evangelist and a revivalist, moving in signs and wonders; knowing that you have walked in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing Jesus in every way; bearing fruit in every good work; and growing in the intimacy and knowledge of God, we as your brothers and your friends who have a deep love for you, Shonnah, your whole family, just esteem you.

We are here to support you. We are here to commission you in the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit — with special oil from Chuck Pierce. It’s called “revival oil.” Chuck could not make it but he sent this Fed Ex for you (he’s in Africa).

So, we anoint you, and commission you in Jesus Name. (Todd falls under the power of God… the three apostles lay hands on him on the floor)

John Arnott: We bless you today, Todd Bentley. You’re a friend. You’re a man of God. You’re a man of prayer. You’re a man of the Spirit. You love the anointing. I would say that it’s not just the Lakeland Revival, but the whole world goes into revival. And your leading an amazing charge. Multitudes are getting in behind you and saying, “Come on. I’m going to go with you.” And so we bless all of that.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for raising up this young man to lead such a mighty charge around the world, and to partner with God TV and all that has happened here in the last several months now. We bless it in the Name of Jesus. We stand with you and we encourage you, and we honor you.

Bill Johnson: When David wanted Uriah killed, he sent him into battle and then withdrew from him. As a company of people, we refuse to do that. Many revivals throughout history have been cut short of their intention of God’s destiny and attention over individuals because of jealousies and fears that get stirred up in the people of God, and we refuse to do that. We shape the course of history by partnering with you, giving honor where it’s due.

You welcome the glory as well as anybody I have ever seen in my life. I long to learn from you in that and I bless you. I pray with the rest of these that the measure of the glory would increase. That Moses would no longer be considered the high water mark when the glory shone from his face, but instead, the revelation of the goodness of God would change the face of the church, and that He would use your voice, He would use your grace, your anointing to alter the face of the church before this world. That the goodness of the Lord would be seen once again. I pray this over you in Jesus’ Name.

Transcribed by Rhonda Boyer
Edited by Pastor Stephen Strader

Now i don’t know if anyone else has been thinking about it or not but kayce is always asking me when our father is coming back, now i can’t say for certain but from someone with a military background, i hope everyone has been paying attention to what is going on in the world, believe it or not we are in biblical times, and things in my eyes are in place for his return any time now, we all need to get our self’s ready for god’s movement and return, long live the true lord, king of all kings, lord of all lords.