Toronto Blessing, Pensacola Outpouring - What these movements teach

''Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.'' Mt 7:15-16

''By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.'' Jn 13:34

''I think God's given up on a lot of that old rotten Sanhedrin religious crowd, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. I think they're damned and on their way to hell and I don't think there's any redemption for them...the heresy hunters that want to find a little mote of illegal doctrine in some Christian's eye and pluck that little mote out of their eye when they've got the whole forest in their own lives and in their own eyes. I say to hell with you! Oh hallelujah. Get out of God's way, quit blocking God's bridges or God's gonna shoot you if I don't! I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there. Don't even call me. If you want to argue doctrine... I don't want to see your ugly face!''

''Right now across America, groups of pastors and church denominational leaders are openly mocking the move of God across the nation! If you haven't noticed, God mockers tend to hang out with other God mockers. They not only hang out with their own kind, but they will even feed on one another like spiritual carnivores. Once they find a likely body for prey, they will happily gather in circles like buzzards to eat it. These God mockers are writing 'position papers' about external physical manifestations while totally ignoring the deeper work of God that is saving hundreds of thousands of souls and permanently changing lives. They pompously declare, 'Well, that isn't God,' and sign declarations of mockery for 'distribution to the brethren' for their 'education'... while many of their church congregations continue to dwindle year after year.''

''There is today a group of people who promote themselves as biblical purist, the faithful remnant who alone preach the Word and who evidently posses the power to judge and criticize anyone who is not like them. This is nothing new, as any student of scripture can attest. It was in fact this very kind of people who crucified Jesus Christ. They are scribes and Pharisees, religious and angry, attacking and persecuting anyone who dares to differ from their exclusive views.''

When their doctrines are questioned, instead of a thoughtful response giving biblical support for their position, the leaders in this movement tend to respond with personal attacks, ridicule, name calling, and even threats.

They actually accuse those who disagree with them of being possessed by evil spirits - with names like ''Jezebel'' or ''Saul.''

The movement's prophets and leaders believe God has given them the authority to purge the church of ''rebellion against God.''

The troubling thing is, they see those who reject their teachings as rebelling against God. What they are doing is ''what God is doing.'' Anyone who speaks up and says, ''this does not agree with the Bible,'' is cast as Satan 'persecuting' them.

They ignore the biblical basis for questions and characterize them instead as ''attacks,'' ''mocking,'' ''contempt,'' and the like, rejecting the Berean spirit, which God calls ''noble'' (Acts 17:11). The issues involved here are very serious and deserve to be heard and honestly answered.

Some, like pastor Kilpatrick of Pensacola, have even pronounced prophecies of death on people who expose their teachings as unbiblical:

And Mr. Hanegraaff, I want to say to you, before you get back on national television and start spouting off at the mouth again about something of which you know nothing of, you'd better be careful... If you want to keep any kind of a semblance of a ministry, you better back off from this revival and what God is doing. You better back off, because I'm going to prophesy to you that if you don't, and you continue to put your tongue in your mouth on this move of God, within 90 days the Holy Ghost will bring you down. I said, within 90 days the Holy Ghost will bring you down.

Mr. Kilpatrick did eventually make somewhat of an apology (as the 90 days was drawing to a close), but the point is, this does not look like the fruits of the Spirit one would expect from someone so heavily involved in this movement that claims to have so much more of the Holy Spirit. And this kind of behavior is horribly irresponsible! How long will it be before one of their passionate followers decides to help ''God'' by carrying the death threat out?

Rev. Robert Liichow was formerly a charismatic minister quite involved with the revival who changed his mind -

Those drinking out of this River (a common term for this revival movement) talk a good talk of love, but their walk of love leaves much to be desired. While at the most recent Toronto Airport Church holy drunkards convention [yes, it was really called that], my wife and I heard time after time scathing denouncements of anyone who did not subscribe to the so-called revival. People whose only crime is to uphold the plain teaching of the Bible are routinely called: (1) pharisees, (2) religious, (3) having a religious spirit, (4) being judgmental, (5) abominations before God for causing discord among the brethren, (6) legalists and (7) stiff necked. We heard these terms used throughout our visit by almost everyone who held the platform microphone... The people involved in apologetics and polemics are simply applying God's Word to the current experiences. We are using the same standard that has always been used on any group claiming some new revelation or move of the Spirit of God. If what is being practiced or taught does not meet the test of being found contextually in the Scripture, then it is rejected; and the Body of Christ is warned.

Some former members of the Brownsville church were interviewed by the Pensacola News Journal about the negative aspects of the ''revival'' there, and they were too frightened to give their names- they were ''fearful of retaliation from the revival's supporters.'' There should never be a reason for fear like this to exist in Christ's church!

This is all evidence the movement is not of God:

...if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. Jms 3:14-18

The Way of Cain - Page 30