We are entering a tremendously important time in the kingdom and the Lord is hovering in new ways and there is an expectation of those that are standing in places of authority in the body to speak that which is true and strong for the body of believers.
It has been revealed recently that Evangelist Benny Hinn’s wife has decided to end her marriage to Hinn. She has filed for divorce. Whilst many believers will be shocked, perhaps we should learn some things from relatively recent church history.
Some years back (The late 80’s) the body of Christ went through a significant shaking that was precipitated by the defrocking and public humiliation of Marvin Gorman, Jim Bakker and ultimately Jimmy Swaggart.
Both Swaggart and Bakker were the face of the American church in their hour and the entire world would listen as they spoke, yet both were caught in a place of want. The lesser known Marvin Gorman had also been a respected television evangelist, but had also been exposed as having been involved in several affairs.
Jim Bakker led the now infamous Heritage USA – a Christian themed amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina – at one time the time the third most visited site in the US aside from Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Swaggart, a gifted preacher, the cousin of singer, Jerry Lee Lewis, was renown as a the darling of the church as he preached forthright messages seeing thousands brought into the kingdom.
The melee that precipitated their fall from grace was in part initiated by Swaggart who in his preaching started to take the high moral ground about the problems in the church in the US.
He based a lot of his messages at that time on a book called ‘The seduction of Christianity – A book that ostensibly exposed the enemy’s strategy against the church, but ultimately it criticised many of the things that were happening in the church in that season. Ironically it was written by an anti Pentecostal whose theology was the foundation for his penmanship. It was one of the first of a unfortunate sub-culture that has now risen in the church that empowers people to criticise what they don’t either understand or agree with.
There is now a plethora of books and web sites that see it as their mission to criticise and expose what is happening in the church – a very dangerous and ultimately a very arrogant practise. Many of these are written by hurt and unhealed Christians who are easily deceived. Thinking they are exposing error, their actions rather demonstrate a far more serious sin of judgement.
In the midst of Swaggart’s tirade against others in ministry in the nation, Swaggart started to name names and finally came out and exposed Marvin Gorman as having failed morally. Initially his influence in his denomination gave him a strong voice and they acted on his accusation.
Sometime later he also declared that Bakker was ‘a cancer on the body of Christ’ and should be removed. His history with Bakker was in some manner based on jealousy as Bakker had a powerful voice in the American Television Church at that time – a place Swaggart sought for himself. He had discovered that Bakker had entered into a payment to a young lady, with whom he had fallen morally, to cover his tracks. Swaggart used his considerable influence to disclose his adversary’s sins.
Ironically all three were members of the same denomination – the Assemblies of God.
Later, encouraged by an ever-present voice that finds criticism a positive thing, he continued his tirade until he himself was uncovered as having visited with prostitutes.
Ironically Marvin Gorman staked out Swaggart and photographed him going into a brothel, in retaliation for his own exposure!
Swaggart’s confession, with him weeping , quickly spread across the world as he was exposed in his own moral dilemma. Quoting from David’s Psalm of repentance – Ps 51 – the world watched as he prayed ‘Take not thy Holy Spirit from me’. He also prayed "I have sinned against you, my Lord, and I would ask that your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgiveness.”
Swaggart had been renowned as a voice for reason in the church and wrote much on the disciplining of ministers and the place of discipline in the church. However in his own situation he was unwilling to comply with the requests of his movement – the Assemblies of God, to step aside for a season for restoration and rehabilitation. He was thus defrocked and stubbornly continued in his ministry as an independent.
His fate however was sealed and he quickly disappeared from the public view and much of his influence and power dissolved and his huge television audience quickly deserted him.
Ironically Swaggart continued and in fact continues today to run his church, however in a far less influential way.
Marvin Gorman’s ministry quickly faded and with some irony he later successfully sued Swaggart for destroying his ministry!
Bakker however was incarcerated for money issues relating to his ministry and spent some years as a guest of the US government as a prisoner. Finally released in 1994 after serving 8 years of a 45 year sentence, he wrote several books admitting his failure, the most prominent being – ‘I was wrong’, – a blow by blow life story of his journey and ultimate failure. Bakker however remarried after Tammy Faye, his equally famous wife ran off with one of his former supporters. He today runs a small television ministry with his new wife in Branson, Missouri.
Swaggart fell upon a powerful principal that is imbedded in our foundation as Christians.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew, 7,1-2)
The very manner that he entered into judgement over Gorman & Bakker was measured to him – as the scripture declares!
Whilst it is evident that Gorman & Bakker were in the wrong and ultimately paid for their own mistakes but the reality is that Swaggart blindly thought that he could judge others whilst he was dealing with his own internal struggles?
The Bible declares that the Lord covers our sins (Rom 4:27) – we are forgiven and cleansed as we confess our sin to him (1 Jn 1:9) – we have an amazing God who chooses to use us in our weakness and foolishness.
Many have fallen at this hurdle in their Christian walk – we are saved by His grace and it is by His grace that each of us stand. When we come to a place of thinking somehow that we have earned a place or obtained a higher status we enter into deception.
Whilst it is a sad fact that Benny Hinn’s wife has now filed for a divorce, there are most likely many issues they both now face. It is a sad reality that this will now effect his ministry and his ability to continue to be a voice for the church.
Recently Benny Hinn took it upon himself to speak a series of messages about deception in the church and in the midst he declared a fellow preacher as deceived and wrong.
Whilst not actually naming Todd Bentley, his tirade, against not only his style and theology at the now quite infamous Lakeland outpouring, made his position very clear.
Whilst Bentley has had many critics and his style is at best, very unique. The fact that his marriage fell apart during the Lakeland outpouring was a point that was not lost on Benny Hinn.
Bentley was uniquely used of God during that season of visitation and many people received healings and miracles that surpassed the ministry of Benny Hinn, a fact that I am sure grated in Hinn's heart.
Whilst Bentley’s demeanour and tattooed body and at times outrageous claims makes him a perfect target for critics, it is dangerous place to go to enter into judgement.
Benny Hinn will now go through a challenging season and perhaps will survive and still in some way be voice in the church; however I suspect that his future is determined by his own decisions regarding these issues.
Benny Hinn has been the subject of much criticism himself and has undergone attacks from many from within the church. He has weathered much of this criticism and perhaps learnt many things, ironically as has Todd Bentley.
However as Luke says in his gospel in 12:38 From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
1 Corinthians 10:12 - So that let him that thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
A lesson here needs to be learnt – perhaps the next generation of leaders will not fall at this very prominent hurdle.
With the invention of the internet and the ease of publishing ones views on any subject it is a sad reality that many with a spirit of religion use to attack and deride people with whom they disagree. However the credential of those who criticise is very rarely brought into focus.
I suspect the Lord will use this new medium as a filter that ultimately will disqualify many who dare to point fingers at and malign his children.
The amount of vitriol and venom that is often pointed at others is perhaps a sign of the times as we enter into the final days.
Whilst we are called to discern and be watchful, the Lord is continually looking at our hearts. The hearts of those that dare to speak with such venom against his sons and daughters bring many of them into judgement – a place I would never want to be.
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