Do I trust the Word of God, the Bible? Absolutely! Do I trust every person teaching from it? Absolutely not! The Word of God must be delivered in proper context and with proper motives on the part of the teacher in order for the point of the message being delivered to be trusted. Even the Apostle's and the Prophet's in the Bible did not expect their listeners and readers to blindly accept their messages without confirming them through the proper study and confirmation through the Word.
But now let's talk about sensational situations in the Church. The kind of things that make ears tingle. I have been in ministry long enough to have much experience seeing, hearing about and even being on the receiving end of whatever you want to call it... speculation, banter, gossip, rumor, etc. My Father has not been a Pastor since the 60's but he has been involved in Christian education for decades. The rumors and lies that have been told about him would make you wince. My Father in Law has probably been "rumored" and lied about more than almost anyone else I know and what he has been through makes what I have been through seem small. The things that have been said about me are awful! I have even had people admit to me at later times that they had been paid to give false accusation against me. That is how it is in this day and age. Even in the Church. So very sad.
And so what is the result? Usually, you find out in any given escalated situation that a small group of people will not "listen" to the gossip or believe the falsified reports. There will be another small group who will flat out come against you either by promoting those things or by believing them (usually because of friendship). Then there will be the rest of the people. The remaining majority. These are the ones the Do Not Know WHAT to Believe and will "wait and see." And really, what choice do the majority of people have when faced with a dilemma of an argument of "he says, she says" or when the "evidence" has obviously been embelished or falsified. Like I said, I personally find myself in this group the majority of the time.
From one of the ones who has been bashed and bruised in the ministry spot-light from time to time, and by the way, I'm sure more is coming in the future because this is one of satan's modern day fields of expertise, let me offer some personal words. It isn't the slanderers, the ones operating with a demonic spirit of destruction who ultimately hurt me. It is the ones who believe them who hurt me. You know, the ones that remove you as a friend from Facebook, who don't ever again reply to an E-mail or a Text or a Voice Mail, they stop greeting you on your Birthday... You get the point. And all you can figure is that they believed a well placed lie or a partial lie. They never even bothered to talk to you personally before making a quiet judgment.
The Bible explains that we are to "touch not God's anointed" and "do His prophet's no harm." (1 Chronicles 16 and Psalm 105) I have stood back, sat back and kicked back and watched the people who have touched and harmed me, my Dad, my Father-in-Law and all the other ministers of God who I know. I have watched them become ineffective in ministry, sail the Churches they lead into luke-warm waters, meet tragedies, struggle with strokes, sickness and disease. Some have disappeared and others have died prematurely. Many years ago, there was a Pastor who mocked me publicly after some Bible School services became too Pentecostal/Charismatic for his taste. He even falsely accused me of some foolishness. I went to his death bed a year later at his request. He was dying for no explainable medical reason. I saw him, a sack of bones, barely able to breath. He said, "forgive me and release me. I'm sorry." I did, and a month later he was back to health with a miraculous recovery. It is fascinating how God's Word is always accurate and true!
One more point before making a recommendation. Even when I have received a prophetic word for a man or woman of God which somehow corrects or rebukes them and then they end up in some kind of public hot water. I am still very aware that even though I may have been privy to a weakness in their life, I still do not understand their situation and I am in no position to judge. I remain in the ranks of those who either continue to actively support that person or just decide that I don't know what to believe and will simply pray for them from a neutral position.
Now for my recommendation. Let me put the touching not God's anointed and doing God's prophets no harm in a modern term. I simply will not EVER talk about a man or a woman of God in a negative way. I recommend that you don't either. Because God is listening and He makes sure His Word is true.
As for all of those bloggers and watch dogs who maintain critic ministries in order to publicly chastise the "big name" ministers which you can find on the internet these days, don't get caught up in that hell. Let God judge. You yourself watch what you are being taught and from whom you are being taught, don't receive anything that does not bear witness with God's Word and His Spirit, but don't judge.
The good news is this. Even though you will seldom if ever know What to believe, you will always know Who to believe and to believe in. His name is Jesus Christ. He is God! He never fails, He never lies and He never stops believing in people and giving them chances. He is perfect. Never put your complete trust in any man but put your trust in the One who uses imperfect men!
On a final note, I absolutely love what I have seen Rick Joyner do with the restoration of Todd Bentley. Rick Joyner is a Man of God! Check it out at
Now did I say I agree with everything Joyner or Bentley teach and do? I didn't say that. But I do know that they are among God's prophetic anointed servants. Be careful what you say.
