IF (and a very big IF) I were going to reply to this person's letter, it would look like this. I am not as brazen or sarcastic in real life as I am in this letter....
The original letter is in black, my reply is in purple.
********Names have been removed for security reasons and mostly because I don't want to be sued for slander.
Bringing Biblical Light (THIS IS DEBATABLE)to Your Questions
about the Lakeland Outpouring & *******
June 8, 2008
Dear Friends,
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for hearing my heart on some of the issues that seems to be causing division and some confusion in the Body of Christ. THERE IS NO DIVISION OR CONFUSION, I AM CALLING A SPADE A SPADE. WHAT YOU ARE DOING CONTRADICTS SCRIPTURE AND IS HERETICAL! Throughout the Old and New Testaments and in every age following, as far as I can determine, the Lord has given His people dreams and visions, signs and wonders, heavenly encounters and divine supernatural experiences YES HE HAS AND THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN LAKELAND FLORIDA THAT CAUSE CONCERN that, for the most part, we cannot understand with our intellect. YOU ARE PUTTING TWO DIFFERENT CONCEPTS TOGETHER HERE, ACTUALLY 3. YES GOD HAS SPOKEN TO HIS PEOPLE IN DREAMS, VISIONS AND THROUGH VISITS FROM ANGELS, BEFORE JESUS CAME, SINCE JESUS CAME AND SINCE JESUS LEFT. NEVER DID ANY OF THE TIMES MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE CONTRADICT WHAT WAS IN SCRIPTURE. FOR EXAMPLE JOHN IN REVELATION SAW WHAT DANIEL SAW. WHEN YOU SAY THAT WE DON’T UNDERSTAND WITH OUR INTELLECT, YOU ARE UNDERMINING THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS AND GOD GIVEN CLARITY OF MIND. WE ARE NOT STUPID. MY 7 YEAR OLD SON ASKED, “WHY IS THIS MAN SHOUTING AND LYING? THE BIBLE DOESN’T SAY WHAT HE SAYS IT IS SAYING!” THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE IS NOT THE ‘SPIRIT’ THAT YOU ARE OPERATING UNDER. In the spiritual realm, God isn't limited by our thinking! GOD IS NOT LIMITED TO REALM HERE. TRUE! HE IS NOT LIMITED BY OUR THINKING, HE HAS NO LIMITS BUT HE NEVER GOES AGAINST HIS CHARACTER WHICH IS VERY EVIDENT IN THE WRITTEN WORD – HIS WORDS! WHAT IS IN HIS HEART COMES OUT IN HIS WORDS.
God's ways of communicating with us hasn't changed from the beginning of time, THIS IS NOT TRUE – IT CHANGED A LOT AFTER THE FALL, AND THEN AGAIN AFTER JESUS’ ASCENSION. REMEMBER SIN? WE CAN NOT HAVE DIRECT COMMUNION WITH GOD ALMIGHTY ANYMORE LIKE BEFORE THE FALL. NOW WE HAVE THE BLOOD OF THE SACRIFICE LAMB HALLELUJAH!!! DOES THIS MEAN WE CAN ACT LIKE HOOLIGANS, SHAMANS, CLAIRVOYANTS ETC AND CALL IT THE HOLY SPIRIT? I DON’T THINK SO!!! although the Bible is the mainstay of His communication to us in today's Church. THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES WERE ALL THAT THERE WAS UNTIL THE FIRST AND SECOND CENTURIES WHEN THE NEW TESTAMENT WAS BEING PUT TOGETHER. THEY REMAIN AND HAVE NOT CHANGED. NOTHING IN THE GREEK SCRIPTURES CONTRADICTS THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES. HE IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER! Sometimes pictures say a lot, though, I HEAR MUSIC….. IF A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS…. LA LA LA LA and the Lord does speak to us through visions and dreams, YES HE DOES, AND THEY DO NOT CONTRADICT THE WRITTEN WORD OF GODOR GOD’S CHARACTER just as He spoke that way to the people (VERY FEW) of ancient days and just as He has promised us that He would in the Last Days. God says, "I am the LORD, I change not" (Malachi 3:6). HOW ABOUT WE LOOK AT SCRIPTURE IN CONTEXT?? GOD IS SAYING THAT HIS JUDGEMENT AGAINST EVIL DOERS HAS NOT AND WILL NOT CHANGE.
Whenever God pours out His Spirit, THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS A DEFINITE CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY - VERY SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTES OUTLINED BY THE WORD OF GOD – THEY DO NOT INCLUDE THE THINGS THAT YOU SAY THEY INCLUDE. dreams and visions become integral to the (SO CALLED) move of God and are especially a Last Days phenomena according to Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17. IT IS IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A WHOLE LOT MORE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT THAN WHAT IS WRITTEN IN JOEL 2 AND THEN REPEATED IN ACTS. IT MUST ALSO BE SAID THAT THIS IS THE SAME SCRIPTURE WORD FOR WORD, JUST REPEATED. IT DOES NOT GIVE YOUR ARGUMENT EXTRA WEIGHT BECAUSE IT IS MENTIONED TWICE. LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT LOOKS LIKE IN OTHER PORTIONS OF SCRIPTURE.
John 14:26 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16:12-14 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Acts 1:6-9 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
2 Pet 1:19-21 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Galatians 5: 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
2 Peter 1:5-7 [5] For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS THE SAME CHARACTER AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.
a) Indivisibile
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).
b) United but distinct
(Matthew 12:31-32).
31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
c) Eternal
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14).
d) Omnipresent
Psalm 139:7-10 "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." WHY GO TO LAKELAND FLORIDA????
e) Omniscient
"Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?" (Isaiah 40:13-14). "The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
f) Omnipotent - "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8).
God-given dreams and visions are often because of the gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit. WELL ACTUALLY THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT ARE GIVEN FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF THE BODY…They fall into the category of the miraculous when supernatural revelations are imparted. Ezekiel, the prophet operated in a continuous miracle ministry in the revelatory realm. WHAT IS IT WITH ALL THESE WORDS? “SUPERNATURAL REVELATIONS”, “MIRACLE MINISTRY”, “REVELATORY REALM”??? THESE ARE WORDS CONJURED UP FOR “THOSE THAT OPERATE IN THE PROPHETIC.” I CALL IT CHARISMANIA….Some people desire Scripture for every manifestation of God - for every detail of every God-given, Holy Spirit inspired vision, dream, encounter, or demonstration of the supernatural realm of God manifested on the earth. UH HUH! I ABSOLUTELY DO. THAT IS CALLED SOLA SCRIPTURA. I HAVE NO PROBLEM ADMITTING THAT HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES AND ONLY GOD DOES NOT LIE….While I firmly believe that we're to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I don't believe we're to defend divine manifestations of God, because they are proof within themselves of the Gospel, wherever the Word of God is sent forth. HUH? SORRY, THAT SENTENCE DID NOT MAKE SENSE. HOW IS KICKING A WOMAN IN THE FACE AFTER BEING TOLD TO BY ‘GOD’ PROOF OF THE GOSPEL? GOD DOES NOT NEED DEFENDING, NEITHER DOES THE GOSPEL. KICKING A WOMAN IN THE FACE NOW THAT IS A DIFFERENT STORY…. Discern yes, but defend, no. AH, YOU ARE SAYING THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO PROVE FROM THE WORD OF GOD THAT THE STUFF YOU HAVE BEEN DOING IS CLEARLY NOT FROM GOD, I GET IT. Consider that many of the "greater" things that Christ said we would do hadn't even been done yet and weren't recorded in the Bible. WELL BY ‘GREATER‘ DID HE MEAN BEING VIOLENT AND AGGRESSIVE AND KNOCKING PEOPLE’S TEETH OUT ALL IN HIS NAME ALL THE WHILE SHOUTING “BAM”??
On Visions
While it's good and right and biblical to test the spirits to see if they are of God, YES, IT IS COMMANDED it's vital to realize that just because a type of vision or a sign is not listed in Scripture, that it's unscriptural, to be discounted, or false. WHY? IF WE DON’T HAVE A STANDARD TO MEASURE BY WE GET PEOPLE LIKE YOU JUST DOING WHATEVER THEY WANT AND CALLING IT GOD. For instance: If you dream of Jesus visiting you, and in your dream, Jesus, the Man, was the most handsome man you'd ever seen, would the fact that the Bible described Him as having no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him (Is. 53:2b), discount your dream as being scriptural or genuine, relative, and of God? IT WOULD BE A CLEAR INDICATION TO ME THAT IT WAS NOT THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE. GOD DOES NOT CONTRADICT HIS WORD! I KNOW THAT SATAN COMES DISGUISED AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT THOUGH AND AS THE FATHER OF LIES HE IS ABLE TO DECEIVE PEOPLE. SATAN WANTS US TO MEET HIM AND THINK WE HAVE MET GOD.
Just as no two people are alike, no two experiences are alike. SO THAT MAKES YOUR EXPERIENCES FROM GOD?? Guaranteed, the Bible doesn't list the details of each dream, each encounter, or everything that God has, does, and will eventually reveal to His people. THE ONES THAT ARE IMPORTANT AND HE WANTED TO HAVE RECORDED ARE THERE IN FULL DETAIL. It doesn't record every detail of every dream, or everything someone has seen in the spirit realm, or on earth for that matter. IT DOES OF THE ONES THAT HE WANTED US TO KNOW ABOUT. Nor does it record every possible miracle, TRUE – THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SPACE… but it does say that nothing is impossible with God (see Luke 1:37; Matt. 17:20). WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD, WHY WOULD HE DO THINGS THAT ARE NOT IN HIS CHARACTER??? WE HAVE ESTABLISHED AND AGREED THAT GOD DOES NOT CHANGE AND HE IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER, SO IT MAKES ME VERY SECURE KNOWING HE WOULD NOT CHANGE, BECOME A LIAR AND GO AGAINST HIS WORD. We have no account of miracles like amputated limbs growing back, but the absence of this is Scripture doesn't mean that such a miracle unbiblical. YOU HAVE A TYPO THERE AND ALSO AN UNTRUE STATEMENT. JESUS MADE AN EAR GROW BACK. PRETTY MIRACULOUS I SAY, AND NOBODY DISPUTES THAT IT HAPPENED AND WAS FROM GOD.
If a person is of the mind-set that everything spiritual that happens or manifests in our lives has to be found in Scripture to be divine and of God, then that standard or belief would have to be applied to every area of one's life. UH HUH, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT? God responds to each one of us in different ways BUT HE IS THE SAME so the specific way He speaks to any of His children should not become a doctrine of correctness. HE DOES NOT CHANGE PERSONALITIES ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUALS…. IT IS US WHO HAVE TO BE TRANSFORMED TO HIS WAY OF THINKING AND COMMUNICATING, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!!
Someone once said that limiting revelation is like trying to fit an ocean into a cup. WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT LIMITING REVELATION? WHO UNDERSTANDS ALL HIS WORD YET? ALL HIS REVELATIONS IN HIS WORD? God is continually restoring truth and light to His Church. WE – HIS BODY ARE TO PREPARE FOR HIS RETURN. WE ARE TO STAY AWAY FROM UNSOUND DOCTRINE AND FLEE FROM SIGNS AND WONDERS OF THE SORT THAT ARE GOING ON IN YOUR NAME. Therefore, we should place no limit on further revelation. ON THE CONTRARY, WE SHOULD STICK FIRMLY TO HIS WORD, SPENDING TIME ASKING HIS SPIRIT TO INDEED REVEAL HIS TRUTHS IN HIS WORD TO US. To have a view that everything that happens in someone's life because of God's loving response to us as His children should be listed in the Bible or else it's wrong or evil, is like saying that Jesus, who is the Word represents a list of do's and don'ts. IT ISN’T TRUE THOUGH. THAT IS NOT WHY THINGS HAPPEN TO PEOPLE. Jesus is a Person HE IS GOD – NOT A PERSON who, through intimacy and relationship, we perceive and understand by the Holy Spirit what is good and what is evil. THAT IS NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS – BUT IF YOU DISCOUNT THE BIBLE THEN OF COURSE YOU CAN MAKE IT MEAN WHAT YOU WANT IT TO MEAN….If Jesus listed for us everything that we needed to know, then knowing Him would have become an option. IT IS ALL LISTED IN HIS WORD AND IT IS AN OPTION!!! It's in knowing Him, who is The Word that we enter into what He has prepared for us. AND DON’T FORGET THAT YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY KNOW HIS WORD…..
To apply doctrine to the response of God in our lives is wrong. OH? HOW SO? For someone to assume that something that happens to us isn't of God because it's not in his or her doctrine or knowledge of Jesus is, in my opinion, to grieve the precious Holy Spirit. NO, I AM SAYING THAT IF IT CONTRADICTS THE CHARACTER OF GOD WHICH IS CLEARLY LAID OUT IN HIS WORD IT IS NOT FROM GOD. WHAT YOU CLAIM TO BE FROM GOD, I SAY GRIEVES THE SPIRIT OF GOD. I believe each experience is unique and tailored to the individual's background, IT SOUNDS LIKE A SHOW COMING UP… experiences, A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH HIS SON IS A LIFE LONG COMMITMENT NOT A BUNCH OF HEIGHTENED, EMOTIONAL, MYSTICAL, ETHEREAL EXPERIENCES circumstances, YOU MEAN THE ROLLER COASTER OF LIFE?? capacity to receive, SO THERE IS A GRADING SYSTEM GOING ON HERE and personal relationship with Jesus. SO WHEN ALL THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT, A PERSON SHOUTING AND USING THE WORD ‘BAM’ AND CALLING DOWN ANGELS OF FIRE HAS THE FREEDOM TO DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS AND CALL IT GOD? The experience is usually one that a person can relate to. SORRY, DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT? The Lord meets us where we're at and often shows us things in a way that gets our attention, in a way that we, as individuals, uniquely understand and relate to. IS THIS BECAUSE HIS WORD ISN’T CLEAR ENOUGH??
Some are questioning the soundness of my visitation from Jesus while I was in Redding, California. UH JESUS WAS IN CALIFORNIA? I stated in an interview that it was as though He came into this realm and I saw Him as I would imagine Jesus would be with the disciples on the Earth, as the Son of man, a humble servant as He walked the earth, not in His resurrection glory. OK?? The purpose of this experience was for God to impart to me His supernatural peace in my life. I’M SORRY YOU NEED ALL SORTS OF SIGNS AND WONDERS TO HAVE HIS PEACE. I HAVE PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING FROM THE PRINCE OF PEACE – I FOUND HIS WORD TO BE TRUE…. God chooses, in His infinite wisdom, to reveal Himself in different ways, NEVER CONTRARY TO HIS WORD AND CHARACTER THOUGH and in various aspects VARIOUS ASPECTS OF WHAT?? so that people can understand, relate, and even receive Him. HE IS ALREADY SO CLEAR IN HIS WORD. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED? Why do some think it so bad if God wills to come in His grace and reveal Himself to us in whatever manner He chooses? IF WE WERE SURE IT WAS GOD, WE WOULDN’T HAVE A PROBLEM.
Focus on the Revelation
This can be drastically different from one person to another. OF COURSE, IF IT IS NOT THE GOD OF THE BIBLE, IT CAN BE WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE…What's important, however, are not the details of, for instance, a vision, but how it points to Jesus, the revelation gleaned, what we learn from the experience, how we apply it to our life, and/or speak it into the life of another, and how it draws us closer to Him, for His name's sake. I DISAGREE. DETAILS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. THERE ARE MANY DEMONS OUT THERE THAT CALL THEMSELVES ‘JESUS’. IF WE KNOW (BY READING THE WORD) THAT SATAN COMES DISGUISED AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT AND WE TOLD TO TEST ALL SPIRITS, THEN IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. Because one person may not be able to relate to a dream, vision, or experience of another, he or she may attribute this to the devil or to the flesh, or hallucinations, for example. I DISAGREE AGAIN EVEN THOUGH ALL EXPERIENCES COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS 1) FROM GOD, 2) FROM THE ENEMY OR 3) FROM THE FLESH. WHAT I USE TO DISCERN IF SOMETHING IS FROM GOD OR NOT IS BY LINING IT UP WITH HIS WORD. I AM BEGINNING TO SOUND REDUNDANT….I'm sure many have seen strange things happen in our meetings NO? WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE TALKING ABOUT?? OH YOU MEAN THE SCREAMING AND SHOUTING AND HYSTERIA AND CLAIMS OF SIGNS AND WONDERS?? - things that puzzle, things that aren't normal to them, but understand - God doesn't seek approval for how He manifests through His people or in signs and wonders. NO, HE DOESN’T BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOU DO.
The Bible is full of visions, encounters, signs, wonders, miracles, and manifestations that people have experienced, some of which may be downright hard for many to wrap their minds around, let alone believe it could happen today. YES THIS IS TRUE AND I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF THOSE THINGS HAPPENING IN YOUR MEETINGS OR HEARD IT REPORTED… Again, it's all relative to each individual, their experiences, and backgrounds, and with what they have learned through intimacy with Christ Jesus, and what they have received as a love response from God. SO A ‘LOVE RESPONSE’ FROM GOD WOULD BE A KICK IN THE FACE FROM YOU? I’M STILL NOT GETTING IT SORRY….I spend hours and hours at the feet of Jesus and perhaps the next person doesn't. WHICH JESUS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HERE? MAYBE YOU SHOULD SPEND A FEW MORE HOURS GETTING TO KNOW HIM IN HIS WORD??
THERE IS A PROGRESSION COMING UP……IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE BRAGGING HERE.
As I can recall, Smith Wigglesworth once had a vision of Satan. He'd been sleeping in bed during a thunderstorm that had rattled the windows and made the lights flicker. Suddenly he saw a vision of Satan standing at the foot of his bed. However, he wasn't in the least bit disturbed because he had first-hand knowledge and experience of God's protective nature and understood the power of the name of Jesus. "Oh, it's just you," he said to the devil, and turned over and went back to sleep. YES, HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? YOU ARE LEADING PEOPLE ASTRAY ALL IN THE NAME OF ‘GOD’! AND NO OFFENSE TO PEOPLE (ALIVE OR DECEASED) BUT WHY USE A MERE MAN AS A ROLE MODEL?
If this were a new, breaking story today, how would people receive or respond to the account of what he saw? It would all be relative to what you know or have experienced relating to demons, or the knowledge that you have about the authority that you have as a blood-bought child of God, even to the church climate. ARE YOU EQUATING YOURSELF WITH SMITH WIGGLESWORTH? (THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE) If you've never cast out a demon from your life and seen him run at the mere mention of the blood of Christ Jesus, you wouldn't understand. MUST WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO YOU? (THAT WAS THE 2ND ONE) I BELIEVE THAT WE MUST USE THE WORD OF GOD AS OUR STANDARD FOR MEASURING EVERYTHING, EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES.
Angels
Likewise, if I say that I had a vision of an angel, or encountered one or even spoke with one, but you haven't doctrinally or experientially, come to terms with the reality of angels being in our midst, then you may not attribute it as valid. AGAIN, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE USING YOURSELF AS THE PLUMBLINE (THE THIRD ONE) You may even tag me as someone who worships angels, seeks them for counsel, ministers under the power of, or misrepresents them in some way. YES, THIS IS BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU HAVE SAID REGARDING ANGELS….In the case of the angel called "Emma," who I described as having mother-like nurturing qualities, some have automatically assumed that my doctrine is that I believe in female angels. WHERE DID YOU GET THIS NAME OF THIS ALLEGED ANGEL? DID IT EVER OCCUR TO YOU THAT IT WAS A DEMONIC VISITATION?? IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN ‘FEMALE ANGELS’ THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING TALKING TO A FEMININE ANGEL?? (I FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT THE NAME EMMA COMES FROM OLD GERMAN AND MEANS “UNIVERSAL/ALL ACCEPTING/ALL EMBRACING”) This has never been the case! For whatever reason God chose to show me this angel in a female persona, He did. WHY DO YOU JUST ACCEPT THAT IT WAS FROM GOD? OH THAT’S RIGHT, YOU HAVE DECIDED TO ONLY USE SCRIPTURE WHERE IT SUITS YOUR PURPOSES… This isn't to say that the angel was female. SO WAS THIS ANGEL FEMALE OR NOT? EMMA IS A FEMALE NAME WHERE I AM FROM….Angels are spirit and appear in many forms. ANGELS ARE CREATED BEINGS THAT HAVE A SPECIFIC FUNCTION AND PURPOSE. Perhaps that's the form God chose this angel to take for the purpose of the revelation He gave me. OR PERHAPS NOT? PERHAPS IT WAS THE FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION OR MORE LIKELY A DEMONIC VISITATION? They are spirit beings of light, REALLY? created out of God's glory, REALLY? without gender, REALLY? and appear in whatever form God chooses to send them to us. WHEN HE SENT THEM IN THE BIBLE THEY WERE ALWAYS IN ANGELIC FORM AND SOMETIMES IN HUMAN FORM….
Let me throw this out there for you to think about. If someone encounters an angel on earth that has come in the form of a female human being, and even refers to the angel as a "she," it doesn't raise eyebrows. MAYBE NOT IN YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS BUT CERTAINLY IN MINE…We know they must sometimes appear to us in human form because the Bible tells us not to forget to entertain strangers, "for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2). YES, THIS IS TRUE, WOW, A VERSE USED IN CONTEXT… There is biblical precedent for angels appearing in human form in the example of the two angels who came to Sodom to warn Lot before the destruction of the city in Genesis 19. They visited, had a meal, and even spent the night. Their human "form" even fooled those who tried to accost them and the angels struck them blind.
Even though they appeared as men, they are still genderless. THEY ARE NOT GENDERLESS, THEY ARE MASCULINE. Emma appeared to me in angelic form appearing feminine, which is not to say Emma was female or had a gender. CAN YOU NOT ADMIT YOU ARE LYING?? MAYBE YOU ARE MERELY CONFUSED? WOULD YOU REFER TO HER AS ‘HE’ OR ‘SHE’? THAT SHOULD CLEAR THINGS UP. EVEN EUNACHS RETAIN THEIR GENDER, BUT LET’S NOT GO THERE…. This was the first angel I'd ever seen in feminine-like form, in this motherly nurturing type of persona that opened up a well of healings and breakthrough. YOU ARE RIGHT, WE CAN NOT DENY THAT YOU EXPERIENCED THIS. WE ARE SAYING THAT ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THIS VISIT YOU HAD WAS AN ANGEL OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Mary, Paul, Peter, Jesus, the shepherds, and several disciples, and many Old Testament folk like Abraham, Hagar, Daniel, and others had angelic encounters and some interacted with them in conversation. THIS IS TRUE. THEIR ENCOUNTERS ARE WELL DOCUMENTED AND THE ANGELS ARE MASCULINE AND HAVE NAMES THAT ARE MASCULINE. That doesn't suppose they worshiped these angelic beings or sought them out for revelation apart from God. SO WHY DO YOU DO IT? I never summon angels directly. SO INDIRECTLY IS OK?? I do ask God to send angels to encamp around me, and others. YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK, HE DOES THAT WITHOUT OUR REQUESTING. AND WHEN THEY ARE THERE WHY TALK TO THEM? Let it be said, that I seek only God for revelation and should He send an angel to me to impart revelation, get my attention, or open wells of revival and healing, so be it. AND IF HE SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING AGAINST HIS WORD??? I'll echo Mary's words when the angel Gabriel visited and conversed with her "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38). OK, SO MARY BEING TOLD BY GABRIEL (AN AUTHENTIC ANGEL FROM GOD WITH A MASCULINE NAME) THAT SHE WOULD BE THE ONE TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE MESSIAH WITHOUT EVER BEING WITH A MAN, IS THE SAME AS YOU GETTING A VISIT FROM AN ANGEL CALLED EMMA?
Christ paid the price for our spiritual blessings HE PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SINS and access to heavenly things MAKING A WAY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH GOD- angels included. WHATEVER… Where I would be concerned about angelic revelation as being deceptive or as angels actually being demonic spirits, is where not-yet Christians claim angelic revelation while rejecting the cross of Christ. WHAT ABOUT SO CALLED PREACHERS OF THE WORD SAYING THEY HAVE MET A NON FEMALE FEMININE ANGEL THAT GIVES NON-BIBLICAL ADVICE??
Angels have a purpose in God's plan. YES, THEY ARE TO GLORIFY THEIR CREATOR. It shouldn't come as a surprise to the Body of Christ that an angel, called the "Winds of Change" should usher in a new move of God. NO, IT IS NOT SURPRISING AT ALL THAT SOMETHING THAT IS HERESY IS WIDELY ACCEPTED BY UNDISCERNING FOLK WHO ARE LED ASTRAY BY PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF.
Of the angels we learn, "He makes His angels winds and His servants flames of fire" (Heb. 1:7, NAS; see also Psalm 104:3, 4). If God has chosen to send them to us, it behooves us to welcome their presence as we usher in the presence and move of the Lord. ABSOLUTELY BUT NOT WITHOUT TESTING THAT THIS WIND/SPIRIT (SAME WORD IN HEBREW) IS OF HIM!!! ALSO, HE NEVER PROMISED US HYPE AND FRENZY AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT LEAVE PEOPLE FEELING THAT UNLESS THEY HAVE THAT ALL THE TIME AND CONTINUOUSLY THEY ARE NOT EXPERIENCING HIM!
We see a manifestation of God's presence and power by means of "wind and fire" in the New Testament on the day of Pentecost "when suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of (THIS IS A SIMILE) a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, (ANOTHER SIMILE) and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). OK? WHAT ELSE? SHOUTING? HYSTERIA? THROWING PEOPLE AROUND? CHOKING? KICKING??
Angels are messengers from God in heaven to His church on earth, OH? and they seem to appear at the most critical points in the history of salvation. EXPLAIN THIS ‘HISTORY OF SALVATION’ PLEASE? We get the sense also that they observe what's happening here on earth at least in the life of the Church. WHO IS WE? HOW CAN WE TRUST WHAT YOU ARE ‘SENSING’?? Christ ended two of His parables saying "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:7,10, NKJV). WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING? They are also reapers in the great harvest, "...the reapers are the angels" (Matt. 13:39). YES? HOW DOES THIS FIT IN WITH WHAT YOU SAY ANGELS ARE AND WHAT THEY DO?? Described as "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14, italics mine). THE THINGS YOU ARE CALLING DOWN ARE CERTAINLY NOT MINISTERING ANGELS. I HEARD YOU SHOUTING “LET THE ANGELS COME DOWN WITH FIRE!” AND “ANGELS! ANGELS! ANGELS!” COUNTLESS TIMES WITH ALL THE AGGRESSION YOU COULD MUSTER. IT IS HARDLY ‘MINISTERING’ TO ME.
Encounters/Visitations
Some people have even ventured to say that my visions and visitations are false. YES? That's like telling someone who's just told you about a dream they had in their sleep that they didn't really dream it. NO, I AM NOT DENYING YOUR EXPERIENCE, I AM SAYING THAT IT IS NOT TRUTH! IN OTHER WORDS IT IS NOT FROM GOD!
In the case of my encounter with Paul the apostle YOU ENCOUNTERED HIM TOO?? WOW, YOU SURE MEET A LOT OF INTERESTING FOLK….., just as Paul didn't know if he was in his body or out of his body when he was taken into the third heaven, I don't know whether my encounter was in a vision or an actual encounter. EITHER WAY? WHERE DOES THE BIBLE SAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO ENCOUNTER DEAD PEOPLE?? AND THEN NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE OF AN ACTUAL ENCOUNTER OR A VISION?? I do know that it was not of the adversary. HOW?? God had reason for this experience and for the revelation that transpired from it. OF COURSE, SO THAT YOU COULD SHARE ALL YOUR PERSONAL REVELATIONS WITH ALL OF US, CONVINCING US THAT WHAT YOU SAY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE WORD OF GOD…. These things I cannot refute. YOU ARE RIGHT, THE MINUTE SOMEBODY SAYS, “GOD TOLD ME” ONE CAN NOT ARGUE WITH IT.
It's not that far out there when you consider that the apostle Peter beheld Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration and was actually commissioned while in a visionary trance, to preach to the Gentiles (see Matt. 17:9, Acts 10:19). WAIT, NOW YOU HAVE LOST ME AGAIN. THE TRANSFIGURATION HAPPENED BEFORE THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS COMMISSIONED. JESUS WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE. PETER’S VISION IN JAFFA AT THE HOUSE OF SIMON THE TANNER WAS VERY CLEARLY ABOUT THE GOSPEL NEEDING TO GO FORTH TO THE GENTILES. EVERYTHING THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID IS IN THE WORD OF GOD. WHY ADD TO IT?? I HEARD YOUR ‘EXPERIENCE’ OF BEING CALLED INTO HEAVEN TO BE SURGICALLY OPERATED ON BY ‘ANGELS’. PLEASE TELL ME HOW THIS CORRESPONDS WITH THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S WORD?? THE BIBLE I READ ASSURES ME THAT THERE WILL BE NO NEED FOR SURGERIES IN HEAVEN…..
Some may not find my experience doctrinally sound, I WONDER WHY?? and liken it to speaking to the dead, and unbiblical, citing the apostle Paul's warnings in Galatians 1:8, and 2 Corinthians 11:14, of which I'm very aware. UH HUH! WHAT AMAZES ME IS THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF IT AND YOU CONTINUE IN IT!? My accountability team and I, through careful examination, determined that this vision was not outside of God's realm. HOW? WHAT STANDARDS DO YOU USE TO DECIDE WHAT IS IN GOD’S REALM OR NOT?? God had a purpose and a plan for the revelation He gave me and it all pointed to Christ. HOW??
In visions and encounters that I share, I emphasize that it boils down to Jesus Christ who is the essence of everything THE ESSENCE OF EVERYTHING HUH? THAT SOUNDS LIKE NEW AGE TO ME.. and is the All in All YOU USE VERY INTERESTING TERMINOLOGY. MUST BE ALL THAT KUNDALINI YOGA YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN… YOU, ARE OPERATING IN THE SOUL REALM AND IN FLESH AND YOU ARE DECEIVED BY ALL MANNER OF EVIL THINGS THAT DISGUISE THEMSELVES IN THE FORM OF SOMETHING GOOD. It's all about Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. IF YOU USED THE BIBLE MORE CONSISTENTLY, I MIGHT TAKE THESE WORDS AS GENUINE. THE SAD THING IS THAT EVEN THE DEMONS KNOW THE SCRIPTURES, IT DOESN’T MAKE THEM OBEDIENT TO THEM. An encounter with heaven is an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. IF IT IS NOT AN ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL MASQUERADING AS GOOD?!?!?
Many people don't see what's happening in the spirit realm, viewing things only from the physical realm. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE IN A LEAGUE OF YOUR OWN. I AM NOT WORTHY….. This is one reason why there's so much division right now. NO, THAT IS NOT THE REASON.I have found that many are judging things by what they see or hear in the natural, by their natural senses, to feelings, or without having relevant supernatural experiences themselves. I AM NOT. I AM USING YOUR WORDS AND YOUR ACTIONS AND COMPARING THEM TO THE WORD OF GOD AND THEY DO NOT MEASURE UP.
No Prototype for Revival
One of my colleagues told me of a pastor and his wife visiting Lakeland from Las Vegas last week. They pastor a church of over 5,000 people. They shared that they had to repent for believing in their hearts some of the concerns that they'd heard or read about, without first seeking the Lord about it or attending the outpouring, OUTPOURING - THIS IS A WORD THAT IS THROWN AROUND IN THE ‘PROPHETIC’ MOVEMENT A LOT and experiencing first hand what God was doing here. They were amazed by the power and the glory of God there, and have headed back to Nevada with good reports!
This seems to be what I hear from many attending, and from what I read on blogs from people who've experienced the fire of God at our meetings. Every night we see hundreds of pastors and leaders all hungry for the fire of God to touch their churches, to disarm the religious paradigms that keep God in a box, quenching the work of the Spirit. I HAVE HEARD THIS TOO. IT IS NOT DIFFICULT TO CONVINCE PEOPLE OF HERESY. IT IS GETTING THEM SET FREE FROM IT THAT IS THE TRICK…
People may see me or others sprawled out on the floor, or in heavenly laughter, or shaking because of the glory and presence of God, DON’T FORGET TO MENTION THAT YOU NEVER LET GO OF THE MICROPHONE DURING THIS TIME…but try to look beyond and understand that something's happening in the spirit, trusting that there's that other realm that you may not see. OH BELIEVE ME, THE SUPERNATURAL IS MORE REAL THAN THE NATURAL. THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE HERE. THE ISSUE IS THAT YOU ARE DECEIVED AND LEADING OTHERS THERE WITH YOU…
Revival is often messy GOD IS NOT MESSY..because there's a lot happening and sometimes it's hard for people to take in everything they see in the natural. Many come and some do manifest fleshly things, but for the most part, everyone is sincere and of good intention at a revival. WELL I’M GLAD WE HAVE YOUR TRIED AND TESTED WORD IN THIS…. Trust it's better to be full of life with a little untidiness than to be dead. WHAT KIND OF NEW AGE NONSENSE IS THIS?? Also, trust that God is big. He can handle it and can separate the tares from the wheat. RIGHT AND HE WILL DO THAT AT THE JUDGEMENT…..
Revival shakes paradigms. It doesn't fit the mainstream Church's way of thinking. OR THE BIBLE’S. REVIVAL IS NEVER PROMISED. FALLING AWAY – NOW THAT IS ANOTHER MATTER COMPLETELY. EVEN THE ELECT WILL BE DECEIVED I BELIEVE IT IS WRITTEN…….Revival is an upstream move of God that breaks away from the stagnant pools of religion and tradition. Those bound by tradition and inside a paradigm of do's and don'ts who give way to an upward stream, find transformation, and a new supernatural, empowering paradigm for their lives. THIS IS A BUNCH OF GOBBLEDEGOOK, NEW AGE NONSENSE. FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, HEDONISM ALL IN THE NAME OF GOD.
Moves of God like this are never normal. Do you think what happened in Acts looked normal to the disciples, or even to the onlookers? NO, BUT WHAT GOES ON IN YOUR MEETINGS IS NOT ABNORMAL IN TRIBAL RITUALS AND FRENZIES, AND ANCESTOR WORSHIP SEANCES….. Pentecost was way, way out there, pretty far out, and must have caused much talk. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Revival is about new things happening, so it's important not to be quick to judge. There's no prototype for revival. ACTUALLY THIS IS NOT TRUE. ALL REVIVALS ARE THE SAME. THEY START THE SAME, ACT THE SAME AND END THE SAME… IN MY 30+ YEARS OF BEING IN THE BODY I HAVE SEEN IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN….. It's not a cookie cutter thing. RIGHT, IT GETS PROGRESSIVELY WORSE…We're only in our baby stages - and there's a lot to learn, but what we need now is the support of the Church because unity is crucial. IF THIS IS FROM GOD, HE DOES NOT NEED OUR SUPPORT AT ALL.
If you cannot understand the supernatural things of God, QUESTIONING MY UNDERSTANDING AGAIN? FOR THE LORD GIVES WISDOM AND FROM HIS MOUTH COMES KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING PROVERBS 2:6 or even if you disagree or choose to discount or discredit me in any way, then I urge you to look at the fruit. I AM INDEED LOOKING. WHEN I SEE LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, GENTLENESS, MEEKNESS AND SELF CONTROL, THEN I WILL BELIEVE THAT THIS IS INDEED A WORK OF THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT. Every day we're seeing salvations. Every day people are being healed, not only physically, but emotionally too! Every day, people who thought they knew Christ are discovering Him in a fresh and powerful new way. Every day, we're teaching people how to use their gifts to evangelize. We're equipping and sending hundreds into the streets and marketplaces to talk about Jesus.
It's not even limited to this region. We're seeing this move of God as exponential growth because people carry the anointing and glory of God home to their churches and regions, empowered to "do the same stuff" and ignite more fires. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU SAY THINGS THAT ARE NOT OF GOD AND CLAIM THAT THEY ARE; THINGS THAT CONTRADICT HIS WORD. I SOUND LIKE A STUCK RECORD….
Before You Pick Apart the Worker...
Please examine the fruit before you pick apart the worker. People are being saved! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??? NUMBERS? HEARTS? OR SENSATIONAL ‘HEALINGS’ AND DRAMATIC EXPERIENCES THAT FADE OVER TIME? Certainly this is common ground with every believer - our hearts should always be for the lost. DISCIPLING THEM, NOT USING THEIR LIVES AS STATISTICS TO PROVE HOW WHAT WE ARE DOING MUST COME FROM GOD!?!?!?! Can we not come together and make this our mission, understanding that our theologies may be different but that we agree on this very important and vital commission. We serve the same God. THAT IS DEBATABLE. I CAN NOT BE UNEQUALLY YOKED. I AM NOT CONVINCED THAT YOU ARE OPERATING UNDER THE HOLY SPIRIT. God is the Father of all of us. We are His children. We are all in the same family. We are all running the same race but at different paces. NO, THAT IS NOT WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. THERE ARE SOME WHO CAN NOT SETTLE FOR THE WORD OF GOD BEING THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY AND THEY ADD THEIR OWN ‘REVELATION’ AND FALSE DOCTRINES AND LEAD OTHERS ASTRAY. The Word planted on good soil bears good fruit! I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE WORD PREACHED AND SEE LESS SHOWMANSHIP AND HEAR LESS ‘PROPHETIC SPEAK’ LIKE ‘IMPARTATION’ AND ‘ANOINTING’.
Salvation of the Lost
If you're watching out a window from a distance and see a child running around a busy street and in obvious danger of being hit, but see someone close-by who could help, what would you do? Would you first judge the person to determine if he or she is "fit" enough or qualified to lend assistance, in your eyes? Would you check to see that the person is wearing an "S" for "Superman" on his shirt? Would you wait for the right person to come along that fits your mold, or would you throw open the window and yell, "That child - save that child!" SEE, I SEE YOU AS THE DANGER THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE PROTECTED FROM. THE PERSON DOING THE RESCUING WOULD DO IT QUIETLY AND EFFICIENTLY. NO NEED TO BE JUDGED. 1 THESSALONIANS 4 COMES TO MIND….
Please. Our mission is to save the lost. Period. SO WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS INTO A HUGE SHOW AND PERFORMACE AND ABOUT ANGELS AND VISIONS AND DREAMS?? Everything that is happening at Lakeland is to that end. God is good. People are being saved. That should be the priority of every believer. You may not understand some of the things that you see. YOU KEEP INSINUATING THAT WE ARE NOT AS GOOD AS YOU…..OR YOU ARE ON A HIGHER PLANE THAN OTHERS…. BE VERY CAREFUL…. It may be out of your paradigm or traditional way of thinking, but trust that if God didn't want this to happen that He is more than capable of shutting it down single-handedly without the help of man. YES, THIS IS TRUE AND ULTIMATELY I DO BELIEVE THAT GOD USES THESE THINGS FOR HIS PURPOSES. OTHERWISE IT WOULD NOT BE WRITTEN THAT THERE WILL BE DECEIVERS AND THOSE THAT PREACH TO TICKLE THE EARS ETC
Jumping into rivers of condemnation, disapproval, even censure before experiencing things for yourself could make you responsible for the loss of the one who may have come to the Lord but for quick judgments or criticisms. God is doing new things! OK SO YOU ARE SAYING 1) –THAT I HAVE TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING THAT I KNOW IS NOT FROM GOD AND 2) – I AM PREVENTING A SOUL FROM COMING TO SALVATION???? HUH?? I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE. GOD DRAWS SOULS TO HIM, HE SAVES THEM DESPITE ME AND WHAT I THINK. Church history should never be used as a blueprint for experiences or beliefs, that's what the Word of God is for. SORRY? I DIDN’T GET THAT, NOW YOU WANT TO USE THE WORD OF GOD AS A BLUEPRINT??
New Wineskins and New Garments
This move of God may not fit your perception of revival, BECAUSE ‘REVIVIAL’ IS NOT EVEN IN THE BIBLE… especially if you are basing it on previous revivals, or even on the traditions of the Church. LIKE I SAID, I HAVE SEEN MANY ‘REVIVALS’ THEY ARE ALL THE SAME…So too, I likely don't fit the mold of the traditional evangelist. I THOUGHT YOU CALLED YOURSELF A PROPHET? I HAVE NEVER HEARD YOU SHARE THE GOSPEL? YOU JUST TALK ABOUT YOUR VISIONS AND DREAMS AND MANIFESTATIONS…..Jesus used the Pharisees' disapproval as an opportunity to teach why it was important that He didn't fit into their mold. NOT REALLY. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT A HEART ISSUE AND HOW THEY USED THEIR OWN INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD AND WERE HYPOCRITES…. First, He used the metaphor of the patched garments and said "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old" (Luke 5:36). To try to attach a new, unshrunk garment to the old will not only tear and destroy the new but also the old won't look right and will eventually tear again. Jesus contrasted the old and new again with a parable about new wine and old, saying that if a person pours new wine into old wineskins the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out, and the wineskins would ruin (Luke 5:37, 38). YES |
