‘Faith Healer’ Todd Bentley Called Out
as False Prophet
by Justin Peters Who Has Cerebral Palsy;
Strong Armed by Security;
Police Called
EXCERPT:
Justin Peters, who runs Justin Peters Ministries http://justinpeters.org/ in Oklahoma, attended the event to rebuke Bentley over what he believes are deceptive healing practices. Not knowing that he was about to be excoriated, Bentley handed the microphone over to Peters.
EXCERPT:
Justin Peters is a pastor without a church as far as I know, but he is also another of these faithful men of God being used in a mighty way. Pr. Peters has two seminary degrees and is ordained. He preaches on call, he fills pulpits, he leads teaching conferences, and he does apologetics. His niche is a discernment ministry focused on Word-Faith lies.
Pastor Peters is kind, compassionate, humble, gentle, sensitive to the grace of God, wise, and kind. I know I said kind twice. I want to highlight it.
Being in a discernment ministry for so many years, leading seminars on how to detect lies in false doctrine, means Pr Peters must be involved in negativity for long stretches. He studies the word, of course, intensively, but then he must go out and attend a revival, or a charismatic conference, or a prophetic outpouring, and be among false teachers and listen to lies, in order to be able to refute. It is a muddy, dirty, potentially defeating business.
Even if one maintains one's nose above the muck, many discernment ministers tend to become snarky, or caustic and sarcastic, or just plain arrogant. When men fall into those discernment sins it's not because they aren't earnest and they are usually right, but the attitude infiltrating a discernment minister's mind and heart can often become less than graceful. Sarcasm, snark, caustic comments, derision, contempt, and scorn often accompany discernment. I combat that myself all the time. It is born of a righteous anger, but it degenerates into something that sometimes can come out as less than righteous.
It is only by clinging severely to the grace of God that one can swim in such dark waters for so many years, and yet remain humble and filled with compassion, and still declare the beauty of the Gospel with clarity and simplicity, like Pr. Peters has.
His ministry not only teaches us in apologetics how and why the Word-Faith or other doctrines are false, and in so doing, teaches how to be discerning in general, but his very example is a testament to the ample ability the Holy Spirit has to enrich a ministry while protecting a soul.
What happened yesterday is an example of how these diligent men of God, especially the ones not in front of a congregation that are seen by many, go about their work declaring the word of the Lord. They protect the sheep. They confront sin and sinners in love and with hope and prayer they will repent.
Todd Bentley is a charismatic "preacher" known for being rough, looking rough, and speaking rough.
Being in a discernment ministry for so many years, leading seminars on how to detect lies in false doctrine, means Pr Peters must be involved in negativity for long stretches. He studies the word, of course, intensively, but then he must go out and attend a revival, or a charismatic conference, or a prophetic outpouring, and be among false teachers and listen to lies, in order to be able to refute. It is a muddy, dirty, potentially defeating business.
Even if one maintains one's nose above the muck, many discernment ministers tend to become snarky, or caustic and sarcastic, or just plain arrogant. When men fall into those discernment sins it's not because they aren't earnest and they are usually right, but the attitude infiltrating a discernment minister's mind and heart can often become less than graceful. Sarcasm, snark, caustic comments, derision, contempt, and scorn often accompany discernment. I combat that myself all the time. It is born of a righteous anger, but it degenerates into something that sometimes can come out as less than righteous.
It is only by clinging severely to the grace of God that one can swim in such dark waters for so many years, and yet remain humble and filled with compassion, and still declare the beauty of the Gospel with clarity and simplicity, like Pr. Peters has.
His ministry not only teaches us in apologetics how and why the Word-Faith or other doctrines are false, and in so doing, teaches how to be discerning in general, but his very example is a testament to the ample ability the Holy Spirit has to enrich a ministry while protecting a soul.
What happened yesterday is an example of how these diligent men of God, especially the ones not in front of a congregation that are seen by many, go about their work declaring the word of the Lord. They protect the sheep. They confront sin and sinners in love and with hope and prayer they will repent.
Todd Bentley is a charismatic "preacher" known for being rough, looking rough, and speaking rough.
His "healing" services have included kicking a 4th stage cancer patient in the stomach, and kneeing an elderly woman. He is covered in tattoos, many of them obtained after his "conversion." He preaches healing if you have enough faith- AND if you sow a seed into his ministry. He is a false preacher of God, employed firmly in satan's camp. Yet he is big in the US and bigger overseas. Bentley is deceiving many. He brings shame and reproach onto Jesus' name. Bentley made the mistake of preaching near where Justin Peters lives.
Peters, who has cerebral palsy and walks with a large crutch, or moves in a wheelchair, went with his friend Michael Miller to hear Bentley 'preach' in Tulsa. Peters is well familiar with charismatic events, attending many himself in search of healing when he was a youth, and attending as a mature Christian in order to observe and learn. He and Miller had asked for prayer prior to attending Bentley's service. This was the prayer request on Peters' Facebook ministry page, from Mike Miller:
Brothers and sisters in Christ, I would ask for your earnest prayers for Justin and I tomorrow. We need boldness to present the truth in love with precision, Divine encounters, wisdom and to put it frankly, we are in great need of every sort of grace. No details yet but the Lord knows where we are going, and He knows how much I appreciate your prayers! We definitely need them! More info later. Grace and peace, Mike
The response of the faithful to this precious pastor and his friend was huge, and thus bathed in prayer, the pair drove from Oklahoma City to Bentley's Tulsa "Healing and Debt Cancellation Service." I am not kidding about the title. The service was live streamed internationally, which turned out to be a blessing for Peters. Miller was also video recording Peters' interaction. Peters is in the camouflage cap.
Peters, who has cerebral palsy and walks with a large crutch, or moves in a wheelchair, went with his friend Michael Miller to hear Bentley 'preach' in Tulsa. Peters is well familiar with charismatic events, attending many himself in search of healing when he was a youth, and attending as a mature Christian in order to observe and learn. He and Miller had asked for prayer prior to attending Bentley's service. This was the prayer request on Peters' Facebook ministry page, from Mike Miller:
Brothers and sisters in Christ, I would ask for your earnest prayers for Justin and I tomorrow. We need boldness to present the truth in love with precision, Divine encounters, wisdom and to put it frankly, we are in great need of every sort of grace. No details yet but the Lord knows where we are going, and He knows how much I appreciate your prayers! We definitely need them! More info later. Grace and peace, Mike
The response of the faithful to this precious pastor and his friend was huge, and thus bathed in prayer, the pair drove from Oklahoma City to Bentley's Tulsa "Healing and Debt Cancellation Service." I am not kidding about the title. The service was live streamed internationally, which turned out to be a blessing for Peters. Miller was also video recording Peters' interaction. Peters is in the camouflage cap.
There Miller and Peters sat for two and a half hours, listening, praying, seeking an opportunity to speak to Bentley and also on behalf of the unwittingly deluded congregation. There was music playing constantly, and Bentley was constantly talking. It was difficult to know when to speak. Yet Peters' conscience would not let him remain silent. Pastor Peters recounted his experience on the JD Hall Show and it is archived at sermon audio- the link is below. I encourage you to listen. Hall for the most part simply lets Peters explain what happened before, during, and after the event.
Suddenly for some reason the music stopped. Peters knew this was the moment. He got up and said out loud, "I have a word." Peters said that at Charismatic services when someone says they have a word they always stop what they are doing and eagerly listen to man's word. However as proof is shown in a moment, they are not always so eager to listen to God's word. Peters then recited Matthew 7:21-23.
"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Bentley looked confused for a moment, Peters said later, and asked Peters, "Who...who is the worker of iniquity?" Peters looked Bentley in the eye and said,
"You are."
There was a split second of shock that went through Bentley and the audience. As one biblically wise person on Peters Facebook page said, it was a moment like when Nathan the Prophet rebuked David the King in 2 Samuel 12:1-15. In verse 7, "Nathan said to David, “You are the man!"
In the next second, Bentley whirled, took the microphone from Peters, muscle men leaped in to physically remove Peters, and Bentley cued the music again. The muscle men attempted to remove Peters, who was not resisting, by arm, but he has crutches attached at his elbows and if you move his arm, he'll fall. At one point Bentley moved in to take hold of Peters, but Peters said he did not want Bentley to touch him. Peters instinctively raised his hand a bit to stop the touch. It was then that Bentley said loudly "Don't you hit me with your crutch!"
This is ironic given that Bentley is a large, burly man and Peters is weak and unsteady.
Suddenly for some reason the music stopped. Peters knew this was the moment. He got up and said out loud, "I have a word." Peters said that at Charismatic services when someone says they have a word they always stop what they are doing and eagerly listen to man's word. However as proof is shown in a moment, they are not always so eager to listen to God's word. Peters then recited Matthew 7:21-23.
"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Bentley looked confused for a moment, Peters said later, and asked Peters, "Who...who is the worker of iniquity?" Peters looked Bentley in the eye and said,
"You are."
There was a split second of shock that went through Bentley and the audience. As one biblically wise person on Peters Facebook page said, it was a moment like when Nathan the Prophet rebuked David the King in 2 Samuel 12:1-15. In verse 7, "Nathan said to David, “You are the man!"
In the next second, Bentley whirled, took the microphone from Peters, muscle men leaped in to physically remove Peters, and Bentley cued the music again. The muscle men attempted to remove Peters, who was not resisting, by arm, but he has crutches attached at his elbows and if you move his arm, he'll fall. At one point Bentley moved in to take hold of Peters, but Peters said he did not want Bentley to touch him. Peters instinctively raised his hand a bit to stop the touch. It was then that Bentley said loudly "Don't you hit me with your crutch!"
This is ironic given that Bentley is a large, burly man and Peters is weak and unsteady.
Peters continued to preach as he was hustled up the aisle and out the door, reminding the assembled that Bentley is a divorced man, having abandoned his handicapped wife and children. Peters advised them they were being deceived by a wolf. Though Peters and Miller left immediately when told, the Bentley team still called the police on them. The blessing was that the event was live streamed as I mentioned. This means that Peters' preaching of the Matthew verse and the ensuing activity was broadcast live around the world.
Here is Miller's thank you for the prayers.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, thank you for your prayers. The Lord graciously gave brother Justin an opportunity to publicly and personally call a false teacher out on a live streaming broadcast in front of a congregation, and Justin gave the false prophet a true "word" from God reading Matthew 7:21-23.
Justin asked me to be discreet about this lest he receive any acclaim which should only go to the Lord. God is the one that made this public rebuke possible, and who protected us. Soli Deo Gloria. So I am not going to post the video or give details, but I did want to thank you for your prayers because this situation would not have occurred without the gracious provision of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of God's people. Here is Miller's thank you for the prayers.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, thank you for your prayers. The Lord graciously gave brother Justin an opportunity to publicly and personally call a false teacher out on a live streaming broadcast in front of a congregation, and Justin gave the false prophet a true "word" from God reading Matthew 7:21-23.
Yes, they did remove Justin from the premises under force, and they did call the cops on us, but no harm was done. We did get to testify to quite a few people about this false prophet and warn them, and we got to sow the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in this heretical church. Please pray that God will have mercy on these people and save them from a very dark deception. The ones we talked to were willingly ignorant and unwilling to listen to any truth for more than a few seconds. Grace and peace to you all. Sincerely in Christ, Mike
Changing gears just a bit, Peters said on JD Hall's interview show that in Peters' long career as a discernment minister, there are a few false teachers who he feels are directly possessed by satan. All false teachers are under satan's influence, being lost, but a few are directly invaded in body. Yes, possession still happens, friends. Peters said that he feels Kenneth Copeland is so dark, that he is possessed by a demon, and also Bentley is so dark that he also has a demon. This was the main reason he did not want Bentley to touch him. Now think about this:
In Peters' work, he must attend services in places which proclaim a false gospel, tell lies, grab for greed, and in a few cases, directly confront a demon-possessed person. These spiritual soldiers are the D-Day soldiers of Omaha Beach, in the mud, in the trenches, first off the boat. The face enemy fire first and directly. They often become casualties, but if one remains in Christ, in prayer, and submits their very ego, soul, strength, and mind to Christ, they are spared the bullets and make it to the woods.
Like our precious soldiers who went to Omaha Beach on D-Day, these spiritual soldiers do it for freedom. They do it because foremost the name of Jesus must be proclaimed and protected. But they do it for the hostages. The people filling the services like Bentley's are in bondage to a false gospel, they have no hope. Wading in to such places, Peters and men like him (Miano, Friel, Comfort, Kirk) bring the light and hope of freedom.
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Revival Part 1of2:
Todd Friel & Justin Peters On Todd Bentley's
Lakeland Revival Part 2of2:
