Discernment

Pray for us to have discernment as seek to work with other believers in appropriate ways.  It is a bigger job than it might first appear.  However, I am convinced that part of our job here is to partner with other mission groups and especially with local believers.  None, except my team, are Southern Baptists.  Not that I know of anyway.  Nor have I ever expected that they would be.  It is so easy to be gullible and believe what we want to be true instead of what is.

In the past month, Todd Bentley has separated from his wife (Fresh Fire Board asks for prayer and makes announcement of their separation) and Michael Guglielmucci has been revealed as a fraud.  While many called for investigation of the Lakeland Revivals, led by Bentley, those questioning the events taking place were told they were of the devil.  Michael Guglielmucci, author of the popular song Healer and part of the Hillsong ministry, has been faking cancer for two years.  He has raised money to help him fight the disease he did not have and used to sing the famous song on stage with oxygen tubes in his nose.

You can read more about these tragic episodes by following the links above; however, where was discernment?  Why are we always so quick to discount someone who questions what is going on?  Are we just gullible or is it worse than that?  Is it possible that instead of worshiping the true God that a feeling and a desire of our own is being worshiped?  Does that make it an idol?

Lots of questions, I know.  Good news, fewer answers.  It is easy to pick on charismatics on this but us more conservative brethren would do well to abstain.  How many of our leaders have fallen in some way or another?  And how vigorously would we have defended them before the truth was out?