The Importance Of Judging Through God's Eyes

The Right Spirit For Judgment

From Pilgrims Journal

We may find ourselves in a position (as a parent, supervisor, pastor, etc.) to punish or discipline, but with what spirit do we correct? If we want to work with God and God to work with us, we must operate in the same Spirit. Judges chapters 20-21 illustrates how Israel came into the same Spirit so that God could use them for punishment and restoration. There are invaluable lessons in these passages for us who are called to rule and reign with Christ.

A horrible offence had taken place in Gibeah, within the tribe of Benjamin, and the wicked needed to be punished. The punishment for raping a married or betrothed woman was death (Deut 22:25). When the whole tribe of Benjamin defended the wicked men of Gibeah, they put themselves in line to receive the same punishment (Compare with Deut 13:12-15).

“Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What wickedness is this that is done among you? Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel.’ But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel: but the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel” (Judg 20:1, 11-14).

The men of Israel quickly rose to the occasion to “stand for righteousness.”

“And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, ‘Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin?’ And the Lord said, ‘Judah shall go up first’” (Judg 20:18).

When the men of Israel sought God about this grave matter, the only question was, “Who shall go up first?” It seems that everyone was ready to be first (if told) to smite the Benjamites. So maybe, God was called upon to be an arbitrator only. Nevertheless, it was God’s will to punish Benjamin, therefore He answered their question.

The number of men taking part in this battle is important. There were 26,700 men of Benjamin and 400,000 men of Israel.

“And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men” (Judg 20:21).

What a surprise! The Benjamites were outnumbered 15 to 1, yet they killed 22,000 Israelites! Weren’t the Benjamites the bad guys and the Israelites the good guys? Didn’t God tell the Israelites to fight? Yes, but God was working something into the Israelites.

“And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up against him’” (Judg 20:23).

Now we can see what God was doing. This time the Israelites wept when they sought the Lord. There were no tears the first time. Also, this time they were asking if they should go up to battle against Benjamin. When you ask, you know the answer could be “yes” or “no.” Now, the Israelites were not eager to punish; their selfish motives were removed by their loss on the battlefield.

The first time their attitude was, “Who should go up first against these no-good Benjamites, children of the devil?” This time, they asked, “Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” Now there is some sympathy in their hearts for the Benjamites. The men of Israel had tasted some of the punishment God told them to afflict upon Benjamin. Now, in empathy, they refer to Benjamin as “my brother.” Again, God says, “Go up against him.”

“And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword” (Judg 20:24-25).

Another setback! Not as bad as the first day, but still a great disaster! Yet we can see that God is still working.

“Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand’” (Judg 20:26-28).

In two days of fighting, the Israelites lost 40,000 men. That’s more men than the entire tribe of Benjamin! This God-ordained punishment was hurting the Israelites more than the Benjamites! This is an illustration of the love of God. If God has to punish His people, it hurts Him too.

After the second day of loss, the Israelites again sought the Lord with weeping, but this time humbling themselves with fasting too. They also offered burnt offerings and peace offerings after the second day. This time they asked if they should again go out against their brother Benjamin, or if they should cease. This question (“should I cease?”) shows that they did not want to punish their brother. They only wanted to do what God wanted, no more and no less. This is what the whole burnt offering represented: doing only what the Lord desires for our lives. Now, they were no longer motivated by pride, anger, hatred, despising, etc. They were at peace with God and their brother. This is what the peace offering represented—peace with God and man. Now they are in the Spirit of Christ and God can use them for punishment; they won’t inflict any more than what God ordains.

In the Book of Revelation, only Jesus Christ the Lamb of God was found worthy to open the book, loose the seals thereof and send great tribulation upon the earth. He has suffered to take away the sins of the world, proving His love for all mankind. He alone could be trusted by the Father to inflict no more punishment than required.

“And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times” (Judg 20:30).

“So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to” (Judg 20:46-48).

“And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; and said, ‘O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?’ And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings… and the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, ‘There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?’” (Judg 21:2-7).

“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up” (Hos 6:1). God had used the Israelites to smite Benjamin, but now they want to be used to heal them. The Israelites are now weeping, but it’s not for themselves; they are weeping for their brother Benjamin, the “enemy.” Their entire focus is to lawfully restore the remnant that escaped.

“But them that are without, God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (1Cor 5:13). We don’t see any repentance at all by Benjamin anywhere in these chapters. Even if we have to reject a backslider who is actively sinning, and cast him out of the church, God doesn’t want to see anything in us except love for that soul.

If Israel had not been humbled, they may have laid siege to the remnant at the rock Rimmon and killed all of Benjamin. Thank God they didn’t. The Apostle Paul came from Benjamin.

“And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel” (Judg 21:15).

Even though Benjamin didn’t repent, God worked a change, (a repentance) in Israel.

“And they said, ‘There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel’” (Judg 21:17).

How beautiful: “There must be an inheritance for them that escaped.” This is the hope and faith that Israel had for Benjamin. “Faith which worketh by love” (Gal 5:6).

Chapter 21:6-7 states that the men of Israel “repented” and asked, ”How shall we do for wives for them that remain?” Then the men of Israel discovered a way to get wives for 400 of the 600 Benjamites that escaped. In verses 15-16, the Israelites again “repented,” and asked, “How shall we do for wives for them that remain?” Then they discovered a way to get wives for the remaining 200 men. Thus, the tribe of Benjamin was torn, but also healed by the men of Israel.

In our lives, let us learn to judge as God judges, with love and compassion, knowing that his purposes for our lives are redemptive in nature, to bring us closer to Him.

No chastening, correction, or rebuke is easy to take, but if we realize that it is coming from a heart of love, from our heavenly Father, we can take it in the right spirit and bring forth the “peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb 12:11). Let us also remember, as we are in positions of responsibility over others (be it parents, teachers, pastors, or in the work place) we must learn to see everything through the eyes of the Lord who has good thoughts towards us to bring us to an expected end (Jer 29:11). “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:1-2 NIV). ❏

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Leadership Lessons

EIGHT LESSONS LEADERS CAN LEARN FROM TIGER WOOD’S LIFE

By JOSEPH MATTERA

www.josephmattera.org

The epic saga of Tiger Wood’s fall from being touted as a model citizen and athletic superstar to a reckless, self-centered, out-of-control sex addict serves as a leadership lesson for all of us. The following are important principles we need to take seriously for ourselves and those we are leading:

I. Leaders need to build their lives upon the solid foundation of good character and morals, not on gifts and abilities. You can master the art of making money but miss it in the arena of developing moral standards. This will eventually drag you down. Character serves as the wind beneath our wings carrying us into a successful future! Abilities will give us immediate recognition and possibly fame but will only last a brief period of time!

II. Leaders must understand that having great career success does not cause us to experience or feel internal significance and satisfaction. Numerous are the celebrities who overdose on drugs or commit suicide. If we are not internally healthy human “beings” then we will not experience health as a human “doer”.

III. Leaders need to develop good coping skills so they can courageously confront reality instead of escaping from it. All leaders experience incredible relational, financial and strategic stress. While we are trying to serve other people we enter into various crises and often neglect ourselves and our families in the process. When crisis or stress comes we need to learn to cope by getting alone with God and receiving His grace in the midst of the battle. If we are too weak to do this, then we need a leadership community that will hold us accountable so we learn how to cope correctly in each situation instead of reacting with our emotions or running away to “fantasy land” to alleviate our stress.

IV. Leaders must not feed an ego-driven lifestyle. Often, powerful people have huge egos and need to constantly feel powerful. When they are not in the spotlight they need to capture the attention of someone new who will cater to their need for adoration, sometimes because they continually do not get this from their spouse and family. This will drive a person away from their spouse and into the arms of a paramour who will give them pseudo-love that is not weighed down by the usual marital responsibilities and stress. Ego-driven leaders often desire a fantasy-filled relationship in which everything is light, superficial and based on sex, fun and entertainment. Having affairs makes them feel constantly adored and significant.

V. Leaders need to understand that love doesn’t come easy. It takes continual time, focus and energy to make a marriage and family healthy. When you are married you have to deal with the daily tensions of raising children, finances, schedules, intimacy and other issues too numerous to cite here. If a leader is inundated with work and vocational responsibilities often they will not have the emotional energy needed to keep their marriage and family afloat. To be successful in life leaders need to make sure they don’t continually deplete their emotional reserves with their work, thus leaving nothing but the crumbs that fall off the table for their spouse and children.

Also, we need to spend at least the same amount of money we invested into our wedding day for counseling, vacations, private dinners and resources to secure a healthy marriage for the rest of our lives!

VI. Leaders must understand that money, material possessions and a beautiful spouse cannot fill the vast empty space of an unhealthy emotional soul. Marriage, money and material things don’t complete or change a needy individual: they just accentuate and magnify the undealt with issues of the soul. The more money I have, the more I will spend it to feed my dysfunction. The more material things I have, the more I will use them to placate myself and my family instead of using my time to deepen my relationship with them so it is authentic and not role-playing.

When lonely and insecure people get married their marriages don’t do away with these issues but actually make them worse because an essentially lonely person will feel more alienated when the emotional connection between them and their spouse isn’t always present.

Also, instead of investing all our energy in the accumulation of money and material things, we need to invest time getting to know ourselves and our God so that we can be conformed to His image and be a blessing to our family and those we serve.

VII. Leaders need to understand the underlining motivation behind what drives them. In Tiger’s Wood’s case it may have been the enormous pressure placed upon him by his father, who prioritized his performance on the golf course since he was only 3 years-old. This can instill in a child the concept of being accepted by others based on performance instead of developing loving, trusting relationships based on friendship and unconditional love and sacrifice. These “father issues” need to be dealt with in order to have a healthy, balanced emotional life.

VIII. Leaders often equate performance with acceptance. Biblically speaking, Jesus was accepted by the Father before He entered into the ministry and performed one miracle (read Luke 3:21-22). This prepared Jesus emotionally for the rigors of ministry and the 40 days of satanic temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-2). When a person isn’t happy with themselves within themselves, then they will attempt to feel good about their life by performing to feel the affirmation and approval of others. Because this is a black hole that sucks a person deeper and deeper into an abyss, the craving for that short fix of attention becomes an addiction in the same way a person becomes a substance abuser. Soon, that attention-craving person will compromise their life, family and standards in order to satisfy the deep yearning of their soul to feel loved and approved. We need to make sure we are getting our primary emotional and spiritual affirmation from God as our Father before we venture out into the world to transform it. If these areas are undealt with, then the world will transform us into its image and likeness before we see transformation in the world!

Read more here: www.nydailynews.com

Legitimate Leadership

Paul Keith Davis:

"Our Nation and the Church are Desperate for Legitimate Leadership"

Greetings friends,

We trust this newsletter finds you pressing into God for the fullness of your personal destiny. These are indeed critical times and as indicated throughout history, various individuals are inevitably born and equipped to meet the needs of the generation to which they are devoted. This is especially true during times of adversity and crisis. We as God's people must arise with His anointing to provide answers and direction.

We are very excited about the responses we have been receiving from many concerning our upcoming conferences in Frederick, Maryland and Tucson, Arizona (see itinerary below). Both seem to have a sense of destiny and prophetic promise for the restoration of spiritual mantles of revelation and power.

In Tucson, we will have individuals attending who were closely associated with the life and ministry of William Branham to share firsthand testimony of his meetings as well as representatives of the A. A. Allen family. We are asking God for a spiritual release and deposit into our generation of those incredible wells of healing and deliverance.

Based upon the meetings thus far in 2009, there's something genuinely different about this year. If we will co-operate with God, much ground can be taken in the Spirit in a progressive unfolding of His divine plan.

Richest blessings of favor and grace,

Paul Keith & Wanda and the WhiteDove Team

Our Need for Legitimate Leadership

There is a present call being heralded through the Church for intense revelatory prayer that births God's purposes and the anointed Word that unveils the Lord's Kingdom realm. The Church must enter a higher level of intercession that is mingled with clear prophetic insight to launch this next seven-year season in God and provide much needed leadership.

Moses and Aaron stood in the gap and interceded on behalf of Israel in key times of crisis and indecision; so must God's anointed stand in the gap through intercessory prayer to facilitate the harvest and steer our nation through these turbulent times. Our nation and the Church are desperate for legitimate leadership.

The spirit of humanism is struggling to form a stronger foundation throughout our nation that would only hinder our promised harvest. New Age philosophy and teachings will now be offered on a greater plain and with broader exposure than ever before. Nevertheless, if we pray, many who turn to soothsayers and diviners for direction and guidance will only discover that true answers are found in Jesus.

Many will have the opportunity to experience the utter fallacy and weakness of humanism to respond to the deep longing of their soul. Only the Lord Jesus can fill that void within the human spirit through His anointed Word. The words of Jesus are especially relevant to this season when He said:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

The Anointed Word

In John 6:63 the Lord stated that His words were both SPIRIT and LIFE. Through the anointing, words have a spiritual life of their own that highlights the Cross and transports one from the natural realm into the Spirit realm. Words, when anointed, become spiritual "vehicles" that translate us from one realm to another. The natural word becomes spiritual through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Himself was actually representative of the "anointed Word." He was the Word of God incarnate in flesh and He is the Messiah—the Anointed One.

2 Corinthians 3:6 declares, "...who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

For the ministered word to become spiritual food, it must proceed from the Lord's presence through an anointed ministry in an atmosphere of the anointing. As His anointed word is quickened within us and we receive from it an impartation of Spirit and life, we are then growing into "the fullness of His stature." Our intercession is only productive when proceeding from a culture of the anointing; then our words possess Spirit and life that cannot return void without accomplishing their intended purposes.

Restoring Lost Mantles

A substantial portion of our revelatory prayer should be devoted to at least two things: restoring some-things old and birthing some-things new. The "something old" is that which will be recovered from the prior generation. The new thing will be spoken into being by the Spirit of prophecy according to Isaiah 48:6-7:

"You have heard (these things foretold), now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things (kept in reserve) which you have not known. They are created now (called into being by the prophetic word), and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them!'" (Amplified Bible)

There were Spiritual purposes initiated in the 1940s-50s that were supported by the Holy Spirit and vindicated as a true move of God. However, this movement faltered because of unbelief and fanaticism. The Lord's desire now is to reinstitute the Heavenly purposes that were begun in the 50s and pick up where they left off, mingled with fresh and new expressions of His grace. That is our purpose in hosting our Conference in Tucson, Arizona, at the end of this February. Our heart is to honor the great things God did in the prior generation in order to create a culture and atmosphere for the impartation of those revelatory and healing mantles.

In a prophetic experience several years ago, our friend Bob Jones saw the Lord restoring these lost ministries. In the revelation the Lord exhibited an exuberant attitude in revealing this truth and great joy and excitement exuded from Him as He revealed His desire to reestablish the move of His Holy Spirit that was begun in the prior generation. It was not His intent for this movement to break down as it did. Yet, we must learn from the mistakes of our forefathers so that we can overcome the obstacles that caused the derailment of end-time purposes.

That movement released in embryonic form, Kingdom principles essential for the harvest and the fulfillment of God's Word for the end-of-the-age generation. God's healing power that was exhibited during that season as well as the humble quality of His servants as they initially began that era of Church history is fundamental to our success. It was also a season of great revelation of the Word with the restoration of Biblical truth that provides a sanctifying light to God's people that makes us a suitable habitation for the Holy Spirit in fullness. The Lord prayed in John 17:15-17:

"I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

The good things of the 50s that were pure and Godly will now be restored to us and joined with these new things that we will be experiencing in this new beginning. An emphasis in the "new thing" will be a new unity that before now has not been known in the Church and must first be displayed in our corporate intercession.

Becoming Disciples of Christ

How do we become more revelatory and offer prayers of greater precision? At least one way is by becoming disciples of Christ according to Isaiah 50:4, saying:

"The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple."

A disciple is defined as one who is being awakened and instructed morning by morning by the Holy Spirit. The words then proceeding from disciples of Christ are saturated with life and Spirit that transforms the spiritual environment.

The Lord is revealing Himself as the Teacher (see Isaiah 30:20) and He is going to anoint those individuals He has been grooming over the past several years in order to impart the Spirit of Truth and the power of God with the weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left. Second Corinthians 6:6-7 tells us how to identify this company coming in:

"...purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left..."

Cleansing of Flesh and Spirit

The apostle Paul speaking of these lofty admonitions says,

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

There has presently been an emphasis on the cleansing of our spirits in preparation for the Light that is coming. The Lord is sprinkling clean water (revelatory truth) upon us that we may be made clean from our association with the spirit of this world. We then receive a new heart and a new spirit will be placed within us so that our heart of stone is extracted and a heart of compatibility with Heaven is imparted (see Ezekiel 36:24-27).

When this is complete we are then capable of receiving more fully the Holy Spirit within us, who causes us to walk according to His statutes and ordinances. This is the process that makes us "bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh." From this position our desolate heritages are restored and the favor of Heaven becomes evident.

The Lord is preparing to make "known" the previously unknown. When our soulish ambitions and agendas are revealed and extracted, it makes way for the revelation of the Lord's redemptive attributes that we have heretofore been incapable of experientially apprehending. There is a purifying that takes place in the spirits of God's people to eradicate mixture and extract corruption. The Holy Spirit in us will then reveal God's nature that is foreign and unknown to this world.

There is a divine stirring within the spirits of men to link Heaven with earth. The Bible calls it, "deep calling unto the deep." The Holy Spirit resident in us is calling out for the deep and lofty things of God contained in His mysteries and divine strategies.

I Have a Dream

These directives may seem high and lofty to some, and perhaps they are. Even so, this is our "promised land" of inheritance. No matter how great the giants may seem that occupy the land, God is big enough to pull it off, if we will yield to Him and co-operate with Heaven.

In another of his prophetic encounters, Bob Jones was told that the enemy vigorously works to steal these impassioned dreams of God's people. Primarily, dreams consisting of hopes and aspirations birthed in their spirits that motivate them in prayer and set them on their prophetic journey.

In the experience, the Lord expressed that it was acceptable for His people to contemplate great and lofty things that He is capable of doing through them. That is the admonition in Ephesians 3:20-21:

"Now to Him who is able to do far more (exceedingly) abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

If our dreams become exaggerated beyond the parameters of His promise, then He will make adjustments in us that keep it from becoming vain imaginations. With the vision that is being imparted to saints, there is a corresponding faith that is birthed to see it become reality. Our adversary is attempting to bring opposition to those dreams and visions with the anticipated result of birthing hopelessness and depression in its place.

Psalm 126 was given as an outline for this admonition. Those who dream in the greatness and hopeful expectation of God's restoration are filled with joy. Correspondingly, without vision, people perish in discouragement and confusion and are led astray into captivity.

We cannot give up the dream and aspiration of being used mightily by the Holy Spirit in the blueprint of Heaven presently being unfolded. We must also continue to dream for our children to be handed a rich spiritual inheritance.

Paul Keith and Wanda Davis
WhiteDove Ministries

Email: inquiries@whitedoveministries.org

Website: www.whitedoveministries.org

20/20 Hindsight

20/20 Hindsight: What I Hope We Learned From the Lakeland Revival

Looking back at what happened in Lakeland, I wonder if we can agree on what went wrong.

It has been four months since Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley fled the scene of Florida’s Lakeland Revival amid rumors of a moral failure. When Bentley vanished in August, the crowds thinned, God TV stopped broadcasting services, the meetings eventually shut down and Bentley’s worship leader took the popular music of the revival on the road.

Meanwhile, many people were left scratching their heads. Some were angry with Bentley for leaving his wife. Some were confused because their faith had been energized during the six-monthlong experience. Many charismatic ministry leaders defended the revival, saying that it was never supposed to focus on a man. Others blamed Bentley’s critics for the revival’s demise. "Ministers of the gospel need both godly character and powerful anointing. Why did we ever settle for the idea that we should have one without the other." Late last week the board of directors of Fresh Fire Ministries—which Bentley resigned from in August—released a lengthy statement to update its supporters on Bentley’s condition. The letter confirmed that (1)

Bentley is “resolute in his intentions” to divorce his wife, Shonnah—and that “he admits to being 100% responsible for the divorce”; (2) his relationship with his former intern is ongoing; (3) the evangelist drank inappropriately during the revival; and (4) he has yet to enter into a clear system of accountability with Christian leaders who have offered to help him.

The six-page statement, which defended the impact of the Lakeland Revival, did not excuse Bentley’s behavior. “We believe there are currently no biblical grounds for Todd to leave his wife and children,” the board members said. They added: “The nature of the present relationship between Todd and his former staff member is that of adultery.”

Lakeland was a painful chapter in the history of our movement, not just because such a highly visible preacher made such embarrassing moral choices but also because Christian leaders never agreed on what went wrong or how it could have been avoided. Now that the accident scene is in our rearview mirror, I wonder if we can agree on at least some points. Here are some lessons I hope we have learned by now:

Lesson #1: Accountability. Accountability. Accountability. I wish just saying the word over and over could impress the concept in our minds. Leaders must live according to biblical standards. Period. Bentley’s board admitted in their statement that after the Lakeland meetings went into full swing, Bentley developed troubling behavior patterns. That would have been the right time for someone with apostolic courage to demand that Bentley step down for a season until he got his spiritual life in order. If we really want New Testament miracles and New Testament impact, maybe we should embrace New Testament discipline.

Lesson #2: The one-man show is over. New Testament ministry is about teams, not hotshots. Paul shared the workload with Barnabas, Phoebe, Clement, Priscilla, Aquilla and many others. And he protested when people tried to make him out to be a god. When will we learn that the superstar syndrome actually thwarts genuine revival because it causes audiences to focus on man instead of Jesus?

I know there are those who insist that Bentley didn’t want people to notice him. But if that’s true, why did he cover himself with tattoos a few years ago, when he was in the ministry? I’m not a stickler about tattoos, but in Bentley’s case they definitely should have been a red flag. Anyone who craves that much attention needs counseling before they get on a stage.

Lesson #3: Chill out. The Fresh Fire board, in last week’s statement, admitted that one of their biggest mistakes was allowing Bentley’s meetings to go on week after week without a break. Bentley tried to preach continually without rest, and as a result he burned out. Most likely his staff burned out too. No Sabbath, no time for family, no time to unwind. No human being can keep such a schedule without imploding.

Isn’t this also true for the American church scene? Our rule has become, “The show must go on.” We are driven to keep the seats full and the money coming in. The more we work, the more we grow—so we have to work harder to maintain the growth and pay the bills. The pace becomes more and more frantic until the engines fail and the wheels fall off. Building God’s way requires patience, pacing, regular maintenance and plenty of downtime to receive His ongoing guidance and grace.

Lesson #4: Character is more important than anointing. Some revival groupies disagree with me on this. They’re so desperate for a display of miracles that they’ll take a zap from someone who has questionable morals or shoddy values. They don’t mind who lays hands on them as long as they are thrown to the floor while the crowd cheers.

I love revival too, and I’ve spent time on the floor soaking in God’s presence. I love the anointing. But please: Can you show me in the Word of God that character is not required of leaders? The Bible says imposters who work miracles will spend eternity in hell. Working miracles does not win anyone brownie points with God. Ministers of the gospel need both godly character and powerful anointing. Why did we ever settle for the idea that we should have one without the other?

Lesson #5: Lay hands on no man quickly. Many of us are still grieving over the fact that a large number of charismatic leaders stood on a stage in Lakeland in June and publicly commissioned Bentley. Some praised him for his integrity and humility while others prophesied about the nations he will evangelize and the increased spiritual influence he will wield. Today those proclamations (readily available on You Tube) seem hollow and embarrassing.

Some who stood on that stage insist that God told them to do a public commissioning service. One recently hinted to me that it was a mistake. I’ll let them sort that out. Personally, it saddens me that our movement has been tarnished by what appears to be a serious lack of discernment. In the crazy world of independent ministries—which already lack proper accountability—leaders should take the time to investigate a preacher before commending him on international television.

Lesson #6: You can’t have revival without repentance. The word “revival” is thrown around loosely these days. If a few people fall on the floor, get goose bumps or see gold dust, we are ready to christen it a revival and put it on television as soon as possible. After all, if large crowds gather, it must be God!

I’m tired of imitations. History shows that genuine revival is more than a bunch of blessed bodies in a pile. We need more than angel feathers, emotional euphoria and limp pep talks about getting high on Jesus. We need the strong Word of God that convicts hearts, demands repentance, slays sin and has the power to produce converts who will withstand temptation.

With Lakeland behind us, let’s celebrate the testimonies that came out of it, enjoy the songs we sang during it and pray for the restoration of the man God used to start it. Then, let’s learn from our mistakes and press on to better things.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

www.charismamag.com