who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. -- Titus 2:14 (ESV)
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. -- 1Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)
But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. -- Acts 19:15-16 (ESV)
Amidst the chaos of the 1990's false revival at Brownsville, Pastor David Yonggi Cho announced from pulpit that the revival "would last until Jesus comes." How did that prophecy turn out? Within ten years the revival's architect pastor had left, claiming to remain in an "apostolic role" only to open a new church just 50 miles away. His replacement soon left for Texas and attendance plummeted to under 400. Many had simply walked away from church and the faith while many others opted for the less corrupt Baptist Church. The replacement pastor who walked away was on record as saying hundreds of people were leaving over the past few years and that he did not know anyone who was not hurt.
For the uninitiated, the 1990's was a decade of self-indulgence and decadent false signs and lying wonders within Charismania. The Toronto Blessing saw the believers laughing like lunatics, rolling around on the ground and barking like dogs during service, claiming it was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The Pensacola Outpouring was also known as the Brownsville Revival and it occurred at the Brownsville Assemblies of God in Pensacola Florida. Falsely prophesied by Cho, who added that the revival would spread across all of America. Instead within five years it dissipated and remains only as a stain on the history of Christianity in this country. Brownsville was marked by an obvious demonic manifestation as affected churchgoers were captured on film jerking spasmodically and marked by uncontrolled body machinations. This was accompanied with incoherent babbling about the power of the Spirit but without any actual characteristics of the Holy Spirit. People like Dr. Michael Brown defend this heresy until this day and insist that Brownsville was legitimate but all one has to do is look at the fruit. The manifestations were clearly unbiblical and demonic. The alleged revival revived nothing for it all went away after five years. If this was a move of God why does the remaining pastor insist everyone was hurt by Brownsville? Why did so many walk away from the church altogether or realize that the extremes of Charismania could not possibly be of God? I understand why Dr. Brown, who was a frequent speaker at Brownsville during this time, would have no choice but to defend it but for the rest of us who discern it should be obvious that there was no outpouring and nothing was revived.
The legacy of Brownsville and Toronto was to develop a base of believers who would literally fall for anything. The reason why so many cannot discern the lunacy of Bethel Church's glory clouds and angel feathers is because of Toronto and Brownsville. The reason why so few can discern IHOP's gold dust, gemstones and contemplative prayer is because of Toronto and Brownsville. Why does Dr. Michael Brown not seem to doubt even the most ludicrous claims in Charismania, such as the Jennifer Leclaire sneaky squid spirit? Because the Brownsville nonsense would have those congregants eating sneaky squids for a lunch break. Why does some one like Leclaire not even blink before publishing that she can release the angels of abundant harvest? Brownsville. It is the unrepented sin from the Assemblies of God that has laid the ground work for their continued falling away from solid orthodoxy. Why is the Assemblies of God giving banquets to honor false prophet and teacher Reinhard Bonnke? Brownsville. Why are they in bed with places like Bethel and IHOP? Brownsville.
The key verses today walk us through the design of God regarding what role the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the believer. Titus teaches us that we are to be purified, redeemed from lawlessness. Corinthians reminds us that we are sanctified and justified through the name of Jesus and by the spirit of God. What happens however when you pursue the gift instead of the giver? What happens when you pursue the power without the source? We can ask the Seven Sons of Sceva from the third set of key verses. These were sons of priests who traveled around casting out demons by the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches. Why did they phrase it that way? Because they didn't actually know Jesus. After doing this for a while, eventually the demons answered -- Jesus and Paul I know -- but who exactly are you? Who do you think YOU are? Now I do not know how bad the beating was they received but it apparently knocked their clothes off! This is the danger of playing spiritual games without knowing the Master. This is the sin of all false revivals, including Pensacola and including the Assemblies of God. This is the ongoing sin within Charismania. They are like the seven sons of Sceva before them, casting out demons and making a big show of everything Jesus without actually knowing Him. Sometimes the demons answer beloved. They answered in Toronto and told them to roll around on the floor and bark like a dog -- so they did it without questioning. They just blamed it on a "move of the Spirit and if you did not accept this garbage you were deemed a legalist or someone who needed a deeper revelation of the spirit -- the same nonsense we hear today from people like Todd White and Bill Johnson. The demons also answered on Father's Day 1995 in Pensacola Florida. They answered and told them to go into full body spasms while sputtering fragments of spirituality. They again blamed the Holy Spirit. They actually sent a demon named Todd Bentley down to Lakeland Florida for yet another faux revival. He was packing 15,000 people a night into tent meetings. The demons answered again and told Bentley to kick and punch people and claim it was to impart healing from the Holy Spirit. So, the people obeyed and the corrupted Charismaniacal leadership actually travelled to Lakeland to anoint Bentley a prophet and have the likes of Bill Johnson pray over him. The next day Bentley would fall from grace due to cheating on his wife with his secretary. Johnson would personally oversee his "restoration" which included divorcing his wife and marrying his secretary. Soon Bentley would be declared restored by Johnson; after all, can't lose a good moneymaker.
So what is the point of this dark trip down memory lane? It appears the Assemblies has no intention of ever repenting of this original sin and instead is doubling down on it. That's right, in 2019 it is time to light the fire once again! Online advertising swears that God is moving again in Pensacola as a new Charismaniacal conference is scheduled for early September. Not content with the Kundalini demonic spirit from the first Brownsville revival, they are calling for outpouring of judgment upon this Assemblies of God church and those who refuse to learn from history. The planned lineup would even make the seven sons of Sceva blush and scream heretic! Let us start with John Kilpatrick and John Arnott. Kilpatrick was the pastor of Brownsville that coordinated the false revival back in 1995. John Arnott was the pastor in Toronto who was behind the infamously heretical Toronto blessing. The irreparable damage caused by these two charlatans cannot even be measured. You have the immediate wave of damage and that is to the local churches in question. As previously mentioned, the replacement pastor at Brownsville claimed that not one person escaped Brownsville unharmed. Many never came back to church. Others left bleeding yet still believing in the Charismaniacal nonsense they were taught -- further damaging future generations. The second wave of damage is to larger institutions of Christianity such as the Assemblies of God who embraced such demonic activity and has since used it to excuse so much worse doctrine. Just visit Charisma News today and see what is passed off as Christianity today. Mind you, it was J Lee Grady for Charisma News who published the story of the damage done by Brownsville, so many years ago. How ironic that Brownsville has lowered the bar for what is accepted into mainstream Christianity and now Charisma News is the leading cesspool of aberrant theology as a result. The final wave of damage is to the cause of Jesus Christ. You simply cannot make animal noises and claim it is from God without the world thinking you are crazy. You cannot spasmodically testify to being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit without the world think you are mentally unstable. You cannot kick people in face and punch stage three pancreatic cancer sufferers in the stomach without the world seeing you for what you are -- crazy and dangerous. Why in the world after all these things would anyone want to hear about Jesus from you?
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