Kingdom Come!

My Facebook friend Lee Grady of Chraisma magazine talks about what we should learn from the Todd Bentley/Lakeland revival here.
Basically I’d like to take a few moments to comment on what Lee says.  He says we should have learned:

1. Accountability!  So, who can argue there? But accountability like accounting needs to be done right.  We’ve witnessed how Enron and Citibank’s accounting can be bogus.  And so can accountability.  Accountability needs to be nased on several things:
2. • mutual trust - trust must exist before the hard times and hard questions come…
   • grace - there needs to be a sense of latitude and empowerment in our accountability…
   • true relationship - relationships are not based on anointing and/or flow-charts… it’s not about the big names in your up-link.  Relationship is more about friendship and transparency than status…
   • community - accountability is not just a pyramid with down-flow, but is a 360 community of like-minded, loving, encouraging and discerning people…  it’s about more than one person serving as watching eyes.  It’s about the King’s Community caring for each other.
3. The One man show is over!  This grieves me to even hear this statement!  I was blasted - literally blasted into the Charismatic renewal in 1971 (granted, as a mere child… not really… or maybe) and this was our quest.  This was our passion: every Believer is a minister!  We wanted to see a real NT Church where every joint supplied and teams were gathered according to gifts not glitter.  1971!  And here we are in 2009, for pity’s sake, saying the same thing!  This is a theological question that needs to be answered and buried deep in our hearts: Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection ushered in Pentecost which decentralized religion and set forth a legion of gifted and anointed “little Jesus-es” into the world!  We’ve got to lose the Great-Man-goes-up-the-Mountain Theology and get to the equipping the saints mentality!  Lee says he hopes we’ve learned this!  I hope so, but I have my doubts…  We still believe the pulpit/tv is the only place for real ministry.
4. Chill Out!  And this is fundamental!  Can we stop running to places and chasing people and phenomena long enough to actually do what Jesus said?  Can we actually believe that God is active in the earth - not just in Lakeland or Toronto?  Can we see the benefit of leadership without the idolatry?  Can we give our lives for the world?
5. Character is more important that anointing.  Duh!
6. Lay hands on no man quickly. I now this in reference to the fateful June night of Apostolic ambition, but really!  Can’t we just get back to the whole idea of relationships?  Apostolic succession in the First Century was about fathering others, not about endorsements and public displays of manhood!  Those guys should know better and should be very sorry for even getting involved.  Nonetheless, relationships of trust and honor should be established, not on how many books you’ve written or how many people you “pastor” (there’s a real question that could be raised, but we won’t) or how many churches you oversee.
7. You can’t have revival without repentance.  And I want to know, “Repentance from what?”  How about repentance from our whole church mindset - leadership status, place of church services, worship, music, revival… all these things!  Repentance in a Bible-way means rethink everything!  Everything!

So, here we are ready for a new year.  And we as a church struggle with self-absorbtion and are continually looking for a savior.  Todd Bentley failed us; he didn’t bring revival.  Signs and wonders didn’t bring Lakeland to it’s knees. 

And did we learn anything?  Only time will tell.