Here is the second part of Rick Joyner’s 3/30/09 update on Todd Bentley’s Restoration.

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Understanding vs. Justifying

Please understand that when I spend a lot of time trying to express what or why something happened, it is not in any way to justify it, but for the purpose of possibly helping others avoid the same traps.

The burnout Todd experienced resulted in him fighting deep depression for more than a year. When I was with him during that time, he related that he had not felt anything for so long, not even for the Lord. He was just void of feeling. Extreme is fashionable with the youth today, and probably one reason why so many of the youth are attracted to Todd is because he is the poster boy for extreme. He does not do anything part way, and during this time Todd fell into some extreme and fleshly behavior. He became addicted to tattoos, and just about covered himself in them. He started watching unseemly horror movies and on several occasions got drunk.

Many people emailed me with stories or experiences with Todd during these periods, but Todd had already told me everything. He was not trying to hide anything but was trying to help me help him. Transparency is not a problem that Todd has. I also think Todd tries to fully own his transgressions as soon as he sees them, and tries to repent the best that he can. I don’t want to make excuses for them either, because God does not forgive excuses, but He forgives sin when it is confessed and repented of, which means to turn away from it. However, though I have never experienced depression for more than a few hours, it is terrible. You can be in the most wonderful place, with the most wonderful people, and want to die. Todd was in a deep depression that he could not climb out of during that time. He was desperately trying to feel something, and then anything. We have all probably seen children who will do something wrong just to get their parent’s attention, even though it hurts. This is common among gifted people who almost all battle serious depression.

Again, this is not to justify any of Todd’s behavior, which he is not trying to do either, but overseeing those with Todd’s nature and gifts needs to be understood, and I think very few do. Immediately after one of Elijah’s biggest victories in which he called fire down from heaven on Mt. Carmel and was able to rid Israel of hundreds of false prophets and false priests, he fell into such a depression that he asked the Lord to take his life. Possibly everyone who has ever walked in extraordinary anointing has experienced this, but few seem to understand it or are able to get free of it. If you’ve experienced it, you know it is very hard to endure for just a few hours. To think of enduring it for days or months is almost incomprehensible.

I can’t imagine what it was like for Todd’s wife or staff as he endured eighteen months of this, but they’re all saints in my book. As I said, Todd feels that he should take full responsibility for his marriage failure and other failures, and I don’t think I’ve heard him saying anything negative about his wife or anyone but himself. Todd has not tried to blame the depression, or what he calls “the dark night of the soul” on anyone, but he has expressed a few times that he cried for help but no one knew how to help him. That’s understandable as almost no one seems to understand this, even if they’ve been through it. I think it is another one of those answers we must find.

Right now about all I can do for someone in this situation is tell them what Winston Churchill said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” As we are told in Psalm 126:6, “He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” When this comes on you, one of the best things to do is just keep going and you will come out of it, and usually within a few hours or at most days. Some of the greatest prophets and preachers of all time have experienced extended periods of this.

However, coming out of such depression is wonderful. It feels so good when you emerge from depression that it is amazing how you start to appreciate even the little joys in life so much that the big joys are almost overwhelming. When Todd started coming out, it was understandable that he wanted to just minister to people all the time, but even God took one day off after working six. When we violate God’s law of rest, we are in for a fall. That is literally why the Lord had Israel carried into bondage into Babylon, so that the land could have its Sabbaths. They stayed in bondage for seventy years to make up for the seventy Sabbaths the land had missed. If you violate this law, you will eventually fall into bondage just like Israel did. When the outpouring broke out in Lakeland, Todd went more than 120 days without a break. When he started taking a break from the meetings in Lakeland, it was usually to go preach somewhere else. When Todd went home at night, he did not have much peace, but was fighting the after-meeting depression and with his wife as their relationship continued to break down. That is a sure recipe for disaster, and it came quickly.

I’m not implying this is the whole reason for Todd’s marriage failure, or the reason for any other transgressions, but it was a big factor. Working like this is pride. To think we can go that long without rest when even God rested after six days is pride. It’s a pride that implies we are the ones holding the universe up—in the work of God that is a definite recipe for disaster. It’s happened to him twice now, and the consequences this time are worse than the first.

That is one reason why I have not put any timeframe for Todd’s restoration. Neither have I given Todd a twelve-step plan for restoration. These can have their place, but a fundamental issue has been a failure to rest in the Lord, which results in us taking yokes we cannot bear and is a root cause for most burnout in ministry.

After Lakeland and the breakup of his marriage, Todd spiraled down even further into a deep hopelessness. Many had told him he would be out of ministry for years, and some implied his ministry was over. That was really all Todd had at that time. I’m not saying this was right, but it was a fact. He had nothing else that he thought was valuable for others, and it was basically his reason for existence. When I talked to him and told him he could be restored, he started coming out of the hopelessness immediately.

When I told Todd that I did not put a timeframe on how long or short this would be, no doubt he felt this meant that he could be restored much quicker than others had been telling him. I only said I did not know how long it would take, but when it was done it was done. This no doubt increased his hope, and I wanted it to. The hopelessness he had fallen into was deadly. However, now the opposite is working on him. Because I have not put a time limit on it, he’s starting to worry that it could actually take longer. That is a possibility too. When the job is done, it will be done. This is now forcing Todd to trust and rest in the Lord even more and to find his hope and his identity in the Lord.

I know the reasons why some put time limits for people to be out of ministry if they have had a moral failure. They can have good reasons for this, but I do not see that anywhere in Scripture. I felt that the Lord showed me that this is an affront to Him. As we are exhorted in II Peter 3:8-9, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” The Lord can do in one day what we think should take a thousand years, and the reverse is also true—He can take a thousand years to do what we want done today!

I make no apology for the fact that we are seeking to restore Todd to ministry. I would like to see it done as quickly as possible, but only if it is done right. I understand that many think it is the wrong signal to send to put someone back in the pulpit right after divorcing their wife or husband. However, it is also the wrong message to send out that people are disqualified if they’ve had such a failure in their lives. That is an affront to the cross too and belittles its power to redeem. I also don’t think the Lord likes to be put in some of the time boxes we come up with for Him.

One common theme we also face a lot with Todd’s situation is the desire on the part of many for him to be punished for what he did. They would never call it that, but it is in fact what they want. Granted, he deserves it, as we all do, but that too is an affront to the cross and to the justice of God. The justice of God is that Jesus was already punished for everything Todd has done, or we have done, and for us to be punished for it too would not be just. Discipline in the Lord is never for punishment, but it is for our salvation and deliverance.

The biggest trial in Todd’s life right now is to just rest in God and love Him. There is a reason why we’re told in Hebrews to “labor therefore to enter into that rest” (see Hebrews 4:11 KJV). It’s hard work to learn to rest! But if you’re disappointed and demanding to know the twelve-point process we will be using to help restore Todd, you’ll just have to wait like he is.

Because I have not done this, many have jumped to all kinds of conclusions, most of which are far from the truth. One of the first things the Lord said to me about Todd’s situation was that He was going to use it to expose a lot of foolishness because “fools rush to judgment.” Impatience is not a fruit of the Spirit.

However, the encouragement to me is how many are expressing such incredible grace, mercy, and patience. As we are told, we will reap what we sow, so if we want to receive mercy, we need to sow it every chance we get. If we want to receive grace, we need to sow grace every chance we get. Even so, our grace and mercy must not go to the other extreme of unsanctified mercy, which is giving mercy to the things which God has under judgment. That is why I try to listen to all sides, but by this, I also sometimes end up offending people on all sides. I can’t worry too much about that, but just try to please the One who gave me this job.

I hope this is helpful, as your responses to us have been. We have many other great questions about this that are valid and important, but I cannot deal with them all at once. Later, I hope to address most of the questions.

Special Note

Also, many assumed after the last Special Bulletin that the request for contributions to support Todd indicated that he was already back in ministry. Not so. Many had expressed the desire to support him through this process, so we were just giving a way for this to be done. I have asked Todd to spend some time working on the infrastructure of his new ministry so that when he is restored to ministry it is on the best possible foundation.

Thanks to all who are wanting to stand by him in this way. The wise invest in people, and the wise way to invest is to “buy low and sell high.” You get a much better return when you invest in people when they’re down. The ones who invested in King David when he was living in a cave, looking like he had no hope for a future, became the royalty and mighty men of Israel. I have no doubt that Todd will be back in a greater way than ever, on a more solid foundation, much more aware of where the traps are, but more than anything, leaning on the Lord.

Rick Joyner, 3/30/2009

People attempt to post a lot of hate filled invective on this site, and I don’t allow it. Todd is my brother and it doesn’t matter what he’s done, it matters Who he knows. Any of you who have a younger sibling who is a prodigal understands. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done, they’re your sibling and you love them and you’d do anything to help them find their way into the kingdom. I am committed to seeing Todd walk in all God has for him because Jesus is committed to him.

Todd is making clear in his restoration videos that the problems in his marriage were of long standing. He and Shonnah made every effort to work things out, and he accepts full blame for the things that he did that alienated his wife. He has more than once referred to the ministry as his mistress, and that is a mistress many in the Body have. Whether it is ministry or work or family or kids, whatever holds your affection above your mate, other than Jesus, is your mistress.

People want to focus on Todd’s relationship with Jessa, and Jessa was never the issue. Todd’s drive and passion for the work of the ministry was one of the main issues. At one point, he was holding 300 meetings a year. How many marriages are going to survive that kind of schedule?

But what about you? Are you alienating your mate by the things you are giving your affections to?

What about your and your church’s relationship to your pastor? Are you creating this same situation in his marriage by endless demands? Do you expect your pastor to put the needs of his church above the needs of his family? Do you expect him to do EVERYTHING? Visit the sick? Visit the homebound? Be at every function? Be available 24/7 to solve the crises you create in your lives?

Before we sit around and condemn Todd, let’s make sure we are not involved in the same adulterous affair in our own lives.

By the way, I want to thank whoever it was that submitted Rahab’s Place to Alpha Inventions.  Those guys are great!  That submission has greatly increased the traffic to this blog, and I can’t say enough good things about them.

Rick Joyner has released another bulletin on Todd’s restoration process.  I so appreciate the openness and honesty that Todd, Rick and the restoration team have been trying to walk in.  I appreciate the fact that Todd is willing to open up his life to this extent.

Divorce is a plague in the church.  I think the first place to look to cure this, O Pastor, is who are you marrying and why?  I have seen pastors perform marriages that anyone with two functioning brain cells could see had no hope of working.  Things like oh, this guy’s been saved all of 2 months and he has a track record of beating every woman he’s been in a relationship with.  Maybe he needs a bit more of a foundation in Jesus before he takes on the pressure of a marriage, whacha think?

Or the classic of two kids barely out of their teens, neither of which has a job and “God told us.”  The fact that they fight continuously and don’t have two thoughts in common is not sending up a big enough flare for pastors to say, “No, I’m not officiating at this fiasco.”

I remember a pastor I served under actually using some sense.  Two newly converted people came to him after dating two months, maybe, and said, “We’re in love.  We want to get married.”  And his response was priceless, “No, you’re not.  You’re in lust.  Come talk to me in six months.”  They broke up a month later.  He decided he wanted nothing to do with Jesus a few months later.  She later married a committed Christian, and they have been blissfully married for many years.

I know of a nationally known pastor who once pastored in Australia before he be became a megachurch darling.  That church has an over 80% divorce rate because of his lack of judgment in performing marriages and the policies he had in his church.

But that is not going to fix the trainwrecks that are in the church.  We have to find a way to bring biblical restoration and healing to the 50% of Christians who are divorced.  The church is such a loving place that 50% of Christians won’t go there.  Those two statistics alone should break the hearts of the people of God.

This is why I am watching the restoration process Todd Bentley with such interest.  I think it is giving a lot of people who have been kicked to the curb by the church that Jesus holds a different view of them, and that maybe, just maybe, he meant what he said when he said, “I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.”

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Todd Bentley Restoration Part II

By Rick Joyner

The response to our announcement that Todd had begun a restoration process was even greater than expected. It seems that not only is Todd’s restoration of great interest, but restoration in general is too. That is encouraging. This Special Bulletin is about much more than Todd, and it touches on some issues that may be the most important for Christians to examine in these times.

Before continuing, I would like to share briefly on some of what we’re facing. For months, there was a large and increasing demand for Todd to make some kind of statement about what happened. When he did, there was an outcry for him to stop, though the overwhelming response was to please continue. Others were demanding an apology from Todd. His apology on the video bulletin we posted was not scripted and was appreciated by most, but there was also a vitriolic response from some. We know some are not going to like anything we do, and we can’t address every question, but we do want to tackle the big and important ones with as much depth and candor as possible. We do not mind the controversy because we think it is making many address and consider important issues. Thanks for the concern that many of you have expressed, but we are okay with this and are not offended by it.

Also, doctrinally, I have received many brilliant, insightful and biblically- based communications about what we’re doing or should be doing. For every one of these that takes a certain position, I almost certainly receive those that take the exact opposite view just as brilliantly, with biblical references to back up their position. Often I think they’re both right! We do see in part and know in part, but I don’t think anyone has the whole picture, which includes me and our whole team. That’s why I appreciate all of these and try to learn from them. However, it’s a process in which we’re learning deep things about almost daily. Therefore, I cannot answer even a fraction of the emails and communications I’m getting, but they are appreciated, and as much as possible, considered.

There is also a whole lot of misinformation circulating about this issue, and many assumptions made about what is happening now that simply are not true. Those who are patient will have many of their concerns and questions answered, but we just cannot deal with all of them at once. However, we have no illusions about convincing everyone or causing everyone to change their positions, but it is forcing many to examine some basic issues and doctrines, which do need to be examined. That’s one reason why I think Todd has the gift of being so controversial.

Again, we are not going through this process thinking that we have all the answers, but we do have some, and we believe we must have the rest. We must have a victory in the body of Christ over some of these ultimate issues.

The Big Picture

Restoration is actually the most basic theme the Bible, and is the theme of all but four chapters in the Bible—the first two and the last two. In the third chapter of Genesis, there is the Fall, and after that the entire Bible is devoted to the redemption, reconciliation, and restoration of man and the earth from the Fall. In the last two chapters of Revelation, this restoration has been completed.

In this age as well as the next, restoration is the most basic purpose of God. The church is called to be the vehicle through which it is ushered in and will rule with Christ through this process in the next age. Yet it seems very few churches have a plan or are even willing to attempt restoring fallen members, much less leaders. It seems that most do not even understand what the process of restoration is, which is truly remarkable.

Of course, some have sought the grace and empowering of God for this and have reaped greatly by this pursuit. It does touch the basic issues on the heart of God, which is what the cross was all about. This is certainly an important and timely issue for us to confront, and it is not likely that we will really believe our gospel of redemption until we get it right.

From the responses we received from our first Bulletin and the videos, we see just how wide the chasm in the body of Christ is over this issue. This exposure of such division is an opportunity to address it and possibly heal some deep divisions in the church. I am not concerned about this causing division because it is obvious the division is already there.

We are told in the Scriptures that the foundation of the Lord’s throne is righteousness and justice, and this issue touches some very basic issues of righteousness and justice. It also touches on one of the worst plagues and crises in the church today—divorce, which the Lord Himself said that He hates. If He feels that strongly about something, we need to know why. For this reason, we are taking our time and trying to walk through this with great care. In some ways, it seems like we are trying to find our way through a minefield. While most seem to be cheering us on, some are throwing grenades at us. We knew this would come with touching something this important, and it has only increased our resolve, but if at times we seem to be ducking some things—we are!

Where We Are

We must face the issue of divorce and not cover it up or pretend that it does not exist. It is one of the worst and most damaging problems in the church today, as well as the world. It is at the root of many of our most devastating social ills, including the immorality, perversion, and violence. Neither the church nor civilization can last long if the present level of this crisis continues, but it is not continuing—it’s getting worse.

The toll in suffering and backsliding, or falling away from the Lord, caused by divorce is not only a great tragedy, the with the times we’re in, will exacerbate it significantly if we do not address this now. Regardless of perception, immorality is not the number one cause of divorce, but financial problems are. With the increasing financial crisis, the pressure on couples is increasing fast.

However, the church does have the ultimate answers to human problems. It is now time to be proactive in facing the crisis, with a resolve to see a complete victory over this terrible enemy.

It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of all Christian marriages will end in divorce, and nearly 50 percent of all Christians in the church have been divorced. It is also estimated that more than 50 percent of all Christians are no longer in a local church. One of the major reasons for this is the shame and/or shunning that they have suffered because of divorce. This is likely the single biggest and most crippling wound in the body of Christ today.

There may not be anyone in the church whose lives have not been negatively impacted by a divorce in their family. It is easy to see why the Lord hates divorce. My primary questions now are:

• What is causing this plague of divorce in the church?
• What must we do to stop this plague?
• How can we see those who have been wounded by divorce get healed?

This plague and every other one can be stopped. We can prevail against every gate of hell that has been opened in the church. Our goal is not just to see a standard raised against this flood, but to reverse it and see all who have been wounded by it healed so that they become healers.

If you have been deeply wounded by divorce, you can be healed and become a healer of others. It is by the Lord’s stripes that we are healed. The same principle is true for us, and we can receive authority for healing others in the same place where we were wounded. All who have suffered from divorce can actually become an army of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration, which will bring healing and deliverance to the church and our land.

For this we not only welcome, but would love to have anyone who has been through a divorce in our churches. We view you as a potential soldier in one of the important battles of our time, and we believe you can be mightily used by the Lord. We want to be sure you have been healed of your wounds, and if you caused the divorce through your own failures, of course we want to know that you have repented and been restored to the righteousness and justice that is the foundation of the Lord’s government. We will work with you to help you get there if needed. We consider this an honor to do.

The Causes

Tolstoy began one of his classic novels Anna Karenina with a profound insight into this problem when he wrote, “Happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” What makes happy families is very simple, but the causes of unhappy relationships can be varied and complicated. One reason I am thankful to be working with Todd is because of the complexity of his situation. Few things have driven me to seek a deeper understanding of some basic human problems, as well as God’s solution to them. We knew it was a minefield and that the risk was great, but I for one am excited to try to find a way through it because it will make a way for many others who are desperate for that way.

Now back to Tolstoy. The recipe for a happy family is the same—to love God and love one another. That is the ultimate answer. When you apply this, we begin to understand what Paul meant in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” “Eating and drinking,” speaks of worldly pleasures, but they will never lead to true peace or true joy. Righteousness, or doing what is right in the sight of the Lord, is the only foundation for true peace and true joy. The righteousness of God is founded upon loving Him above all else and then loving one another.

Jesus summed up the whole law in these two commandments because if we keep them, we will keep the whole law of God. If you love God above all else, we will never worship anything else. If we love others, we will never hurt them, steal from them, envy them, and so on. This is the core value of all righteousness, but we also need to address His justice, which is the second key pillar of what His throne, or authority, is based on.

Recent studies on happiness revealed that our possessions actually have zero impact on our happiness. This study also found that the happiest people on the earth tended to be the poor who lived the most simple lives. Those who lived simple lives also had the strongest relationships, which of course, are built on love for one another. Many “successful” people have stated that they would give up all of their success to have their families back. This includes many who have become “successful” in ministry. A diversion from the core values of righteousness into complex and intricate ambitions is a cause of many breakdowns in relationships.

Doing what is right in the sight of the Lord should be a primary drive in our lives because we love Him above all things. We may all know this is the first commandment. We may also know and love the great discourse on love in I Corinthians 13, which makes it clear that all of our religious devotion and performance is worthless without love. However, it seems that very few actually pursue loving God above all things, which alone can enable us to love one another as we should.

If loving God is the first and most important commandment, then the true definition of a successful human life would be one that loves God above anything else. If this is true of us, then serving Him, pleasing Him, and knowing Him better would be the chief pursuits of our lives. Failure to love God above all else and to pursue growing in our love for Him, is the root cause of every human problem, including divorce.

We can have the best teaching, even memorize all of the Scriptures on marriage, divorce, truth, righteousness, and unrighteousness, but if you do not love God, we will probably fall, or if we don’t fall to the sin, we will fall to something worse—self-righteousness.

I have been warning Christians for thirty years about how the idealistic and legalistic teachings on marriage were going to destroy Christian marriages. I sounded this warning because I was given it by the Lord, who also told me to watch those who wrote the books or gave these teachings. Almost all of them have now been through at least one divorce. When I started giving this warning, evangelical Christian marriages that failed were a tiny percentage. Now half of all Christian marriages are ending in divorce. This cannot be allowed to continue.

Both those who are idealistic or legalistic often have sincere desires for protecting God’s people and for seeing a holy bride kept for the King. If Satan cannot stop someone, he often gets behind them and pushes them too far, and that is the case with many of these. Others are reacting out of wounds that their own loved ones have suffered. Even so, there is a ditch on either side of the path of life. One is lawlessness and the other is legalism. Lawlessness is not the answer to legalism, and legalism is not the answer to lawlessness, but we must find the path of life that is between these two ditches.

Personally, and as a ministry, we have resolved that if we are going to lean in the direction of either of these that it would be in the direction of freedom and grace. At times, I do think we have leaned too far and maybe too close now. That’s why I have some close friends who I know lean pretty far in the other direction, and I greatly appreciate them!

I was also persuaded more than thirty years ago that being in the ministry can be one of the most difficult places to get closer to God. It should not be this way, but it is because of the modern form that ministry has taken. This is a generalization and is certainly not true of all, but it can be the most deadly trap of all.

I have asked Todd several times what he thinks caused his divorce, and he has given the same reply each time, referring back to how he got married when he was nineteen, entered full-time ministry, and became married more to the ministry than to his wife. This can happen in ministry, or with any profession, job, hobby, or anything else that becomes an affection that eclipses our love for Go, and one another. Ministry can actually be an idol that we start to worship in place of God. We need to understand how and why this happens if we are going to avoid it.

One issue that seems to be a focal point in our seeking to restore Todd is how wroth some leaders are to this very idea that Todd could actually be restored to ministry after what he has done. Not surprisingly, most of these seem to be the same ones who were critics of the Lakeland Revival or to Todd’s ministry before that. I don’t want to marginalize their concerns regardless of their previous or present positions, and I consider that most of these are sincerely concerned for the sake of righteousness and/or not causing many more to stumble by thinking too casually about divorce. These concerns I share. However, we need to also consider how much of this concern is also rooted in a flawed perception of what ministry is supposed to be. To many, it is a profession rather than a calling and viewed as a means of self-promotion or self-fulfillment rather than the sacrifice it is supposed to be.

I do consider that God’s redemption, reconciliation, and restoration are meant to be total. I went into this process of Todd’s restoration to see him fully restored to ministry in the truest sense of the word—a life of sacrifice, of taking up the cross daily to do the will of the Lord—not just  building a big or famous presence in the church or the world. However, I also recognize that Todd has that characteristic, which is also an anointing, to attract multitudes. This is also part of what makes people either love or hate him, with very few being indifferent. That is not going to go away, but it will likely increase.

One advantage of the extraordinary attention Todd draws is the huge number of people, especially those who have suffered a divorce, who have been given hope that if Todd can be restored and be useful to the Lord, so can they. Some of these really made terrible mistakes, for which they are now sorry, but they have not found forgiveness or restoration from the church. Todd’s very public failures have broadcast to many that there is hope.

However, restoration is hard. The one-thousand year reign of Christ over the earth is for the purpose of restoring it to its original purpose—to be the paradise it was created to be. However, it will take one thousand years to accomplish this under the best Leadership there could ever be. Restoration is hard, but it is worth it.

Now, let’s look a bit more deeply into how ministry can be a distraction that can keep us from God, and be perverted into a means of self-promotion, rather than the life of the cross that it is supposed to be.

After the Fall, the curse on man was on his job—that by the sweat of his brow he would bring forth fruit from the earth. The curse on the woman was connected to relationship and family—that it would be through much pain that she would bear children. The reason for this is that man’s identity tends to be in his job, and a woman’s identity tends to be in her relationships. A man will feel like a failure if he is failing at his job more than he might if he is failing at a relationship, including his relationship to God. A woman will tend to feel a failure if the relationships are not doing well more than if her work is not going well.

These are generalizations, and therefore are not always true. Todd still cannot understand why his former wife did not seem to appreciate his success in ministry. She married Todd, not the ministry, and the ministry was causing increasing problems in the relationship, which was more important to her and would be to most women. At the same time, Todd obviously felt unappreciated for all that he was accomplishing, and this can be a dangerous open door to inappropriate affection from others who might seem to appreciate that kind of success more.

Women have it right—relationships are more important than what we accomplish. Who we are is more important than what we do. This is true with God and with our families. However, it can actually help a relationship for the wife and family to show appreciation for the accomplishments of their men. If the identity of the man is so wrapped up in what he accomplishes, feeling his wife does not appreciate what he does, he will feel rejected. This often drives men to try to accomplish even more, or they will start staying longer and longer at work because they feel more appreciated there. This is a trap, and it is one that Todd fell into. If it had not been the ministry, it likely would have been something else he was trying to accomplish.

The way a man and woman become one in marriage is not by the man becoming a woman, or the woman becoming a man, but by the fitting together of their diverse gifts and personalities. Most men need to work hard to make their relationships more valuable than what they accomplish in their professions or their callings. Again, as Paul expressed so articulately in I Corinthians 13, it does not matter what we accomplish if we do not have love, and that love is for our relationships—to God first and then to one another.

Most marriages do not fail overnight, but the failure is actually years in the making. There is a constant eroding of affection, and divisions grow wider. When this happens, a man will often become a workaholic, devoting himself more and more to his job where he feels appreciated. When a woman is not appreciated, she will often close her heart toward her husband to protect herself from further rejection or hurt.

When I went to speak at a Fresh Fire Conference several years ago, I could not believe all that Todd was doing. They were putting together more than a dozen crusades in Africa a year, and about as many conferences in the U.S. and Canada. They also had a school, church, were publishing, and were even producing music CDs. When I heard a couple of years afterward that he had experienced a meltdown and burnout, I was amazed it had taken so long at the pace he was trying to keep.

I know that all of the activity above sounds like MorningStar, as we too have all of these aspects to ministry and a few more. However, we are not putting on crusades in Africa, but rather are sending speakers to crusades or conferences that others are hosting. There is a huge difference. When we previously hosted conferences in hotels, even ones in Charlotte where our headquarters were, one conference would take most of the wind out of our staff for up to three months. It is different now that we’re having conferences in our own facility. As stated, Fresh Fire was moving from city to city in the U.S. and Canada and on top of that putting together large crusades in Africa. I still marvel at the stamina of Todd and his team for what they did over those few years, but God made our bodies and minds to need rest.

The rest of God is the special place where we draw near to Him and get to know Him. It is very easy to get so busy working for God that we don’t spend much time with Him. That is the recipe for spiritual disaster, which will lead to every kind of disaster.

I really appreciated the zeal around Fresh Fire, especially during times of such lukewarmness in the church in general. However, there was an increasing cost in relationships with the added workload. After Todd hit the wall with burnout, he then fell to an emotional attachment to a staff member. There was no physical relationship, and the girl did not return even the emotional attraction. When Todd went to his leadership team about what he was feeling, they immediately sent the girl away. Todd, trying to be open, then went to his wife to confess this attraction. Todd was trying to be transparent, but he is convinced that this was what killed what was left of his relationship to his wife.

Todd often called this attraction “an affair,” but it was not one. There was no physical adultery or even physical contact with the girl. However, Todd said that he knows he would have entered into such a relationship if she had been willing, and therefore, he felt that he needed to repent of it as if it had been an affair. I can appreciate Todd feeling this way. Because of the way rumors spread and grow, many still think that Todd had an actual affair several years ago, when in fact he did not.

There is much other misinformation circulating about Todd. Some is coming from what appears to be reliable sources, and just about all of it Todd has been willing to accept. He wants to take full responsibility for his marriage failure, and just about anything else he is being blamed for. Even though that might make my job easier, that is not justice, and it can hurt those who hold to false accusations as much as it can hurt Todd in the future. If we are going to deal in truth, we need to address what is true, not what may be a perception.
To Be Continued…

Rick Joyner has responded to J. Lee Grady’s attack in Charisma against Todd Bentley and the restoration process Todd has only just begun. Rick responded as follows:

(Rev. Rick Joyner of Morningstar Ministries sent this response on March 12, 2009)

Lee, I think what you call “the Lakeland disaster” would be disputed by multitudes of people who got healed or touched there. If you are such judge of this what gives you the credentials? What moves of God have you led? What have you built? Paul the apostle claimed to have authority for building and for tearing down, but what gives you authority to tear down the work of others is having built something yourself.

I, Todd, Bill and Jack all know this is a very serious matter, and are treating it as such. I am deeply offended that you would call our work “a travesty.” The Lord had far more grace for sinners than for the self-righteous, who He had no grace for at all. I am personally far more concerned for you than for Todd.

Lee, I love some of the things you write, but I also feel that some are straight from the mouth of the accuser. I do think you have done at least as much damage to the church as Todd’s fall has by your unrighteous and unfair judgments. I don’t think you have earned the credentials for it, and you’re putting yourself in far more jeopardy by trying to be such a self-appointed judge.

I’m quite sure you will misunderstand what I’m saying, and I’m definitely not implying that we want to cover anything up, or promote cheap grace. We have just started the process and its being judged negatively. Give us some time, and some grace. Grace is, by the way, something we are supposed to be giving to each other.

If you care to follow this, Todd and I will be doing Video Special Bulleting each week that will be posted on our website, U-Tube, and carried by many others. These will be short, like the first, only about 10 minutes, but we want to cover the mistakes Todd has made, and as much as we can in the time we have, how he fell into some of the traps he did, strictly for helping others to not have to go through what Todd has. He will no doubt be doing a lot of public apologizing during this time because the public deserves these apologies.

I think you owe Todd, myself, Bill, and Jack apologies for your presumptuous judgments. I think they should be as public as this letter was. If not, I feel that I will have to address this publicly, and I don’t think that is in your best interest.

I also think you need to come down and spend some time with Todd and me. If you have problems with someone we have Matt.18 as a guide to how we should deal with them. Read the first part of that chapter. This was given to help protect people from becoming stumbling blocks, which the Lord made quite clear was something we do not want to be. If you think being a journalist exempts you from complying with Scripture, I would like to know what philosophy you have bought into that trumps Scripture.

Sorry if this comes across as harsh. I don’t mean for it too but I am quite busy and just don’t have the time that I would like to maybe be a bit more tactful.

THANK YOU, RICK!

I personally know people who were saved and healed through Lakeland. More importantly, I know people who were encouraged to go for it, to believe that God could use ordinary, imperfect people in extraordinary ways.

The Florida Outpouring was never about Todd Bentley. It was about the body of Christ connecting with the desire that God has of partnering with His people, His CHILDREN, in the work of ministry. Todd Bentley was not out in the parking lot of Wal-Mart praying for people. It was the Body of Christ out doing the works of the Kingdom.

People came from all around the world to get some and take it home. They got hope and fire. They got training in evangelism. Jeff Lewis was AMAZING in what they were doing down there, and what his CityTakers.com is still doing. Roy Fields is in Australia leading revivals there. He’s had nearly 2,000 souls saved in his We Are the Generation tour. Jeff Gavin is tearing Iceland up right now in meetings there. Lakeland didn’t end with the departure of Todd Bentley. The fire just spread out.

I for one am grateful for what I received from the Lakeland experience in general, and from Todd Bentley in particular. It has been the cry of my heart that he would not be a casualty of the war as Evan Roberts was.

Todd has been at Morningstar only a couple of weeks. Mr. Grady has no idea what is going on there, and to write this off before it even begins as greasy grace is astounding to me. I have posted a study on divorce and remarriage, and it is plain that Grady has never taken the time to study the scriptures out and look at the Greek and Hebrew behind them.

It also appears that Charisma took an communication that was intended to be private and made it public. This was addressed personally to Mr. Grady. Rather than keeping this between brothers, Charisma has chosen to make this a public disagreement. Way to go guys! Scriptural guidelines evidently don’t apply to you.

I’ve done a study on the subject of divorce and remarriage in scripture, but I hold no “credentials.” I found a study on the Greek and Hebrew behind the scriptures on divorce that draws the same conclusions that I came to with my primitive language skills.

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Divorce, the Law, and Jesus

by Walter L. Callison

Divorce and remarriage are topics of much debate. The purpose of the following article is to invite the reader to reassess the church’s attitude toward remarriage.

We welcome your comments and opinions on the content of this article.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Grace. Did grace come by Jesus Christ to those suffering marital tragedy, even as much grace as was provided by Old Testament law? Surely, we affirm, grace and truth did come by Jesus Christ. Then how does grace abound to those who have suffered the tragedy of a marriage failure and divorce?

Christ did more than teach with words. He also taught with his life. Christ brought new ideas to his followers, rejecting their ancient “eye for an eye” and “tooth for a tooth” doctrines, encouraging love for those not their own, lifting up women from the status of “things” to recognition as people. Yet he also taught respect for the old Jewish law.

When we study what he said about divorce, we must also study the life he lived among those of broken marriages, as well as what he taught about Jewish law, especially their divorce law.

But what about his words? If a divorced person is remarried, what about the words, “Whosoever putteth away his wife and marrieth another, committeth adultery” (Luke 16:18)? We could emulate the compassionate and forgiving nature of Christ, as he sent the woman at the well into Samaria to be his witness. But do his words deny his actions? Are people who are divorced and married to another living in adultery? Are they forbidden service to Christ?

We also must hear the words of the Apostle Paul, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2). Does he speak of a person who has been divorced and remarried?

Luke records only one comment, and a very concise one, on this subject:

“And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one title of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery”(Luke 16:17-18).

Concise. But Jesus did make it clear that the Old Testament had something significant to say.

There is a law! When asked by the Pharisees, in the Gospel of Mark, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?” (Mark 10:2), Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you?” (Mark 10:3). “They said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement” (Mark 10:4). There is a law.

The law is found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, and at the time Christ lived, Flavius Josephus, who also lived then, paraphrased it and referred to it as the “law of the Jews”:

“He that desires to be divorced from his wife for any cause whatsoever, (and many such causes happen among men), let him in writing give assurance that he will never use her as his wife any more; for by this means she may be at liberty to marry another husband, although before this bill of divorce be given, she is not to be permitted so to do…”

(Antiquities of the Jews – The Life and Work of Flavius Josephus, Book IV, Ch. VIII, Sec. 23, p. 134; tr. Wm. Whiston; Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, NY).

Here is the law from Deuteronomy:

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife” (Deut. 24:1-2).

The law was still around in the time of Christ. We must, therefore, deal with the “tittles” of the law.

The Bible only records one divorce. God said he did it. In Jeremiah 3, God reminded Judah that she was heading for trouble. Israel had already been taken captive. God told Jeremiah to warn Judah that she had witnessed her sister Israel’s infidelity and had seen God give her a bill of divorce and send her away; and yet she did not fear (Jer. 3:6-8).

There were other things men did with their wives. Many men of old married more than one wife, and without bothering about divorce. Some of these were God’s servants: Solomon, David, Abraham, and Esau, for example. Heroes of God’s revelation, but also products of their culture.

If he did not divorce her, what did a man of those days do with a wife when he took another? He put her away. There is a word for that in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word shalach. It is different than the Hebrew word for divorce, which is keriythuwth. Keriythuwth (Jer. 3:8 above) literally means excision, a cutting of the marital bonds; legal divorce was written, as commanded in Deuteronomy 24, and permitted subsequent marriage. Shalach is usually translated “to put away.” Women were “put away” when their men married others, put away to be available if needed or wanted again, put away to become mere property, as slaves, or put away in total dismissal; it was a cruel day for women. They were “put away” in favor of another, but not given a divorce and the right to marry again. This word described a cruel tradition, common, but contrary to Jewish law.

Some of the hardships and terror experienced by women who were “put away” can be seen as this Hebrew word shalach is described in the Langenscheid Pocket Hebrew Dictionary (McGraw-Hill, 1969)-“to let loose, roaming at large, to be scared, abandoned, forsaken.”

J. B. Phillips, in his book of meditations For This Day (Word, 1975) wrote:

“The Christian faith took root and flourished in an atmosphere almost entirely pagan, where cruelty and sexual immorality were taken for granted, where slavery and the inferiority of women were almost universal, while superstition and rival religions with all kinds of bogus claims, existed on every hand.”

God hated this “putting away.” Malachi, the prophet, broken-heartedly pleaded with God’s people to stop the practice. Hear Malachi plead with them. The word translated “putting away” in Mal. 2:16 is not the Hebrew word for divorce but it is shalach, put away. Hear Malachi respond to leaders, who asked how they had dealt treacherously, and committed abomination in Israel, and profaned the holiness of the Lord.

“Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of the covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth “putting away” (Mal. 2:14-16).

And Jesus came. And his words do not deny his actions! He spoke of this when he said, “Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery” (Luke 16:18). Whosoever does this commits adultery! This practice was cruel and was adulterous, but it was not divorce.

This New Testament word, translated “put away” in the King James Version, is a form of the Greek word apoluo. It is the word in Greek, the language of the New Testament, which parallels the Hebrew word shalach (put away).

There is an Old Testament Hebrew word for divorce, keriythuwth, and a New Testament Greek word, apostasion. The Arndt-Gingrich Lexicon of the New Testament cites usage of the word apostasion as the technical term for a bill or writing of divorce as far back as 258 B.C.

Apoluo, the Greek word for putting away, was not technically divorce, though often used synonomously. In that age of total male domination, men often took additional wives, and did not provide written release when they forsook wives and married others. The Jewish law demanding written divorce (Deut. 24:1-2) was largely ignored. If a man married another woman, so what? If a man “put away” (apoluo) his wife without bothering with a written divorce, who was going to object? The woman?

Jesus had some objections. Jesus even loved mistreated women! He told them that this earth would go up in smoke before the law requiring a written bill of divorce should fail (Lk. 16:17). And he said, when you put away a wife (without written divorce), and marry another (while still married), you are guilty of adultery (Lk. 16:17). Moreover, she who is put away is in real trouble. She has no divorce paper. She is abandoned, but still married. She would commit adultery if she married again (Lk. 16:18).

The distinction between “put away” and “divorce,” between the Greek apoluo and apostasion is critical. Apoluo indicated that women were enslaved, put away, with no rights, no recourse; deprived of the basic right to monogamous marriage. Apostasion ended marriage and permitted a legal subsequent marriage. The paper makes a difference. “Let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife” (Deut. 24:2). That was the law.

There are passages, other than Luke 16:17-18 (above) where Jesus spoke on this matter. They include Matt. 19:9, Mark 10:10-12 (where Mark records that Jesus laid down the same law for women as for men), and Matt. 5:32. Jesus used a form of the word apoluo eleven times in these passages. In every passage he forbade apoluo, putting away. He never forbade giving apostasion, written divorce, required by Jewish law.

Should the Greek word apoluo be translated divorce? Kenneth S. Wuest in The New Testament, an Expanded Translation always translated it “dismissed” or “put away,” never “divorced.” The old, and very literal American Standard Version always translated it “put away.” The King James Version translated it “put away” ten out of the eleven times Jesus used it. That eleventh instance seems to be the source of the problem. In 1611, in ONE place the King James translators wrote “divorced” instead of “put away.” In Matt. 5:32, they wrote, “and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” The word is not the Greek word apostasion (divorce), but is a form of that same Greek word apoluo which did not include a writing of divorce for the woman. She, technically, would still be married.

Matt. 19:3-10 records the Pharisees taunting Jesus about this matter, asking him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” He responded that marriage is a permanent relationship, and said, “Whatsoever God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:6).

They then asked, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement (apostasion), and to put her away?” (Matt. 19:7). Jesus answered, “because of the hardness of your hearts!” (Matt. 19:8). The first basic human right God gave us was the right to be married. No other companionship was adequate. Hard-hearted men unilaterally put away women and married others, considering themselves divorced, but leaving the women without recourse and deprived of that first basic human right. Human rights were for men only in those days. Jesus changed that! He demanded obedience to the law; he demanded equal marriage rights for women. Grace does abound in Jesus Christ!

Jesus told those men that to put away a wife and to marry another was adultery! Adultery! The law (Deut. 22:22) called for the death penalty for adultery, for both the woman and the man! That was bitter medicine for men who did as they pleased with women. Matt. 19:10 records their shock: “If the case of a man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.” They did not live in a culture wherein a man was expected to live with only one woman for life, much less, give her equal rights if marriage failed.

How did we ever begin to read “whosoever divorces his wife” into those places where Jesus literally said “whosoever puts away, or abandons, his wife”?

It may be that the one place where apoluo was mis-translated “divorce” in 1611 started the whole process. The American Standard Version corrected the error in 1901. It never became popular enough to make much difference. Wuest was careful to avoid such mistakes, as noted earlier. But almost everything that has ever come off a printing press has been influenced by the King James Version of the Bible, even Greek-English lexicons, and most modern translators seem to be influenced by that one occurrence in it and translate apoluo “divorce,” even though the meaning of the word does not include a writing of divorce (apostasion). Now, tradition has taught us to record “divorced” in our minds though our eyes actually read “put away” in the King James Version.

Is written divorce, as commanded in Deuteronomy, the solution to the cruel practice of “putting away”? The twenty-fourth chapter of Deuteronomy is evidence that, even as God heard the groaning of his people in Egypt and provided deliverance from slavery, he also heard the groans of enslaved women and provided deliverance from abuse by means of that tragic necessity, divorce; tragic because it ends that which should never end, marriage; necessary to protect the victims of those who do not obey the rules of our creator, all-mighty God. Necessary, originally, because men “put away” women, trapping them in illegal and adulterous multiple marriages.

Divorce is a privilege, provided as a corrective for an intolerable situation. It is a privilege which can be, and often is, abused. Divorce is not a pretty picture in most cases. Loneliness, rejection, a deep sense of failure, loss of self-esteem, critical relatives, child care problems, property settlements-these concerns, and more confront the divorced.

Divorce can be more traumatic than the death of a mate. Grief following the death of a spouse is hard to bear, as is the grief of divorce. But a dead spouse does not keep coming back. The divorced one often does, thus prolonging and often renewing grief. Divorce is still only what it was in Jesus’ day, a partial solution to a serious and cruel situation; and maybe the only reasonable solution. It may be necessary, but it is always a tragedy!

We might be able to prevent some divorces by tightening our divorce laws or by religious prohibitions against divorce, but such actions would not prevent broken marriages. When couples stay together only because of fear of the notoriety required by divorce laws, or because of church prohibitions, or “for the sake of the children,” tragedy can result. Disastrous marital triangles, domestic cruelty, child abuse, murder, and suicide are some of the documented consequences of marriage which had failed but was not terminated. What a fearful choice! A broken home is a tragedy, but I will never forget a young man who put a gun barrel in his mouth and ended his marriage, his alternative to divorce. His church had forbidden divorce.

Our high divorce rate is not the real problem. Marriage failure comes first, and then divorce. The divorce rate is only an indicator of our high bad marriage rate. To correct this, we must do more than preach against divorce! It will be more difficult. It is easy to preach against divorce, but difficult for a church to be constructive in providing preparation for marriage and strengthening of marriages. Our challenge lies here!

Can a divorced person be ordained as a deacon or a preacher? The Apostle Paul, an educated man, knew the Greek word for divorce (apostasion) and knew his culture. He also knew Christ would accept anyone, even him, the “chiefest of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Unquestionably some early converts had multiple wives, slave wives, and concubines. Each of these relationships, though given the nicer title, polygamy, was adultery. Paul rejected the heads of such households as leaders in the church. The command to give a writing of divorcement in Deuteronomy 24 limited a man to only one wife and thus prohibited polygamy and the adultery inherent in it. Paul seemed to concur fully when he said, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2). He rejected polygamy, not divorce.

Despite serious abuse, the divorce law (Deuteronomy 24) still has validity. Divorce is a radical solution to insurmountable marital problems. It ends all hope that the marriage might be saved, and declares publicly that the marriage has failed. This moment of truth can be shattering. Sin, related to this failure, must be confessed if there is to be any forgiveness, any peace with God. “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This includes forgiveness for marital failure.

As opposed to putting away, written divorce, commanded by the law, provided a degree of human dignity for women subjected to cruel abuse, adulterous polygamy, and the whims of hardhearted men. Nothing so flimsy as an oral “I divorce you” would do. Divorce declared the legal end of a marriage, thereby precluding any charge of adultery or bigamy should either party ever marry again. Divorce severed all marital ties and all control by the former spouse. Divorce demanded strict monogamy. Divorce prevented unilateral dismissal and preserved the basic right to be married. Divorce does the same today. Abandonment, desertion, putting away, or whatever one calls that hard-hearted forsaking of a wife for another, without divorce, was and is forbidden by the Lord Jesus himself (Mt. 19:9, Mt. 5:32, Mk. 10:11-12, Lk. 16:18).

For centuries much of the Christian community has interpreted these teachings of Jesus to say: 1) Divorce is absolutely not permitted, or at best, is permitted only in the case of admitted or proven adultery. 2) A divorced person is not allowed to marry again. 3) A divorced person who does marry again lives in adultery. 4) A person who is divorced cannot be ordained as a deacon or a minister. Every one of these beliefs could be wrong. The first three are contrary to Mosaic Law and are based on scripture in which Jesus did not even use the Greek word for divorce (apostasion); the fourth is based on scripture in which Paul did not use it. The word Jesus used was apoluo, to put away. This was the problem with which he dealt, not divorce.

A divorced person must have great grace and determination to serve in a church which holds to the four positions listed above. How can this be, when the church is the body of Christ on earth, to function and to serve as he did, in person?

Christ, who once wept over Jerusalem, must look down from heaven and weep over us. He came and called Simon the Zealot, a radical anti-Roman, and Matthew, a hated lackey of Rome, a pair as incompatible as any you could find in America today; but he put them to work, together, in his kingdom. Then he went to Samaria, revealed himself to a woman with a shameful background of marital failures, and sent her out to share the revelation of God in Christ as if she were as good as anyone else. He must weep when he sees us wasting our time trying to figure out whom we can disbar from serving him in his church.

Jesus openly ministered to all who came to him. Yet many of our divorced friends are afraid of our churches. They know what we say the Bible teaches about divorce. Can we be right and so unlike Christ? Do our traditional interpretations separate us from people whom Christ would have received? If so, we must be wrong. He came to save sinners. The only people he ever rejected were the self-righteously religious. Is our understanding of his words correct if it does not square with his life? Divorced people are real people! For centuries churches have excluded these people from fellowship and usefulness, from joy and equality, even from salvation; people for whom Christ died. Whether or not divorce is sin, this certainly is! May God grant us the grace to mediate that grace which did come in Jesus Christ to the divorced.

(This article appeared in the May/June 1986 edition of Your Church. Walter L. Callison is a Baptist minister from Iowa City, IA. He is a graduate of Park College and the Midwestern Baptist Theology Seminary. He served previously as director of missions for the Bethel Baptist Association.

This article appears on the Lisa David site.

This is the first in a series of videos Rick Joyner and Todd Bentley plan to share with the greater Body of Christ about aspects of Todd’s restoration process. Todd is attempting to be transparent about his issues and the process he is undergoing. The heart behind this, I think, is to try to help the 50% of the church that has been through divorce.

This was posted on Todd’s Facebook page today:

Todd Bentley Begins
Restoration Process

By Rick Joyner

Todd Bentley was used to spark the Lakeland Outpouring, which raised the faith level of much of the body of Christ. Testimonies of healings and miracles from it are now virtually all over the world. When Todd’s marriage failed, he abruptly stopped all ministry and virtually disappeared for almost nine months. In the meantime, his divorce was finalized and he has recently remarried.

Todd has taken full responsibility for the failure of his marriage. He and Jessa also admit that their relationship was premature and should not have happened the way it did. Both are adamant that it was not the cause for the failure of his first marriage, nor did they begin their relationship until Todd was convinced that his marriage was over. They have both expressed that it was wrong and premature. They do not want to try and cover this up even though they know many will never accept them for it. Even so, they are married now and are resolved to make the most of their marriage, their lives, and to continue to serve the Lord in the best way that they can.

My position all along has been that I will do my best to comply with Galatians 6:1, “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV). To obey this Word, I have always felt that it did not matter what one had done, and that it was my responsibility to help them find the grace of God to return to the place from which they had fallen. I confess that with Todd, I am not just doing this as a duty. From the time I first met him nearly ten years ago, I knew that he had an extraordinary purpose and a gift of faith for the miraculous that would be desperately needed in these times. I consider helping any of God’s children an honor, and helping Todd is a privilege.

I also confess to some selfish ambition in wanting to do this. I had a dream two decades ago in which one of my children had fallen into a sewage ditch and could not get up. My child was being scorned and no one would help him. A man came along who helped my child get up and then cleaned up. In that dream, I felt as if I would give everything that I owned to this man who helped my child. Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Jim Bakker is My child. Will you help him?” Since that time, I have been devoted to helping any of God’s children that I could who have committed any trespass, because I knew there were few other things that would bring the Father’s favor. I consider this willingness to at least try to help others this way a major reason for the extraordinary favor that our ministry, my family, and I have received. I love Todd and am glad to help him, but I also know by doing this, I will be doing something that means a great deal to our Father.

When we release someone to minister in the body of Christ, we are releasing him or her to minister to God’s own children, and I personally do not do that with anyone who I would not allow to minister to my own family. For all that was done through Todd, and especially at Lakeland, which touched and helped countless thousands, many were also left confused and hurt by the way it ended. I think Todd is even more sensitive to this than I am. Although in some ways he greatly misses being in ministry and praying for people, he wants to be sure that when he comes back that his life and his ministry are on the most solid ground possible so that he does not cause these kinds of problems again.

Jack Deere and Bill Johnson have agreed to be a part of Todd’s restoration process. I asked them to be a part because I know they will probably see things I don’t, but also because both Todd and I trust them and know they would not sign off on something they did not really believe in. However, both of them are going to be involved in this at a distance, and therefore, I will be the main person responsible.

Being a believer in body ministry, I expect our whole leadership team, and to some degree, our whole local church, to be involved in helping Todd and Jessa. Our staff and all from the church that I have discussed this with are very happy about them being here and want to help them in any way that they can.

In future Bulletins, we will go into more detail about what we’re doing and why, as well as what we think was a cause of some of the failures Todd experienced. We will only do this for the sake of helping others avoid the same traps. We know that trust has to be earned and that Todd will have to earn the trust of the body of Christ for future ministry, which will not be easy, nor should it be. Todd, more than most, does not want to jump back into ministry prematurely, even as much as he misses it in some ways.

I for one have been very encouraged by the expressions of grace and genuine concern so many have expressed toward Todd in this situation. It gives me great hope. As we have been constantly reminded, the Lord had great patience with sinners, but He had none for the self-righteous. We’re all here because He had mercy on us, and we know we still need it. However, we also know that true repentance and restoration can only come if we refuse to compromise the clear biblical standards for morality and integrity.

Todd wanted to personally say the following:

It has been a long while since I have spoken publicly and openly. I am sorry for the hurt and confusion that my decisions have caused the body of Christ. It has been a true season of brokenness, hiddenness, and a long process of grieving.

As many of you now know, my previous marriage has endured years of unresolved conflicts. I apologize that it has ended in divorce, and I take full responsibility for my part for the ending ofthe marriage. I realize thatmy silence and decisions have caused many of you to feel hurt, confused, and offended. The reason for the silence was for my needof healing, creating a restoration process under a team of qualified leaders, much needed rest after the Lakeland Outpouring, repentance, and the divorce process.

I have now relocated to Fort Mill, South Carolina and have entered intomy restoration and healingprocess under Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson.I am confident of this one thing—that God is faithful to His promise and my hope is to be fully restored, strengthened, healed, and to learn from all the mistakes I have made along the way.

Thank you friends and partners for your continued prayers, encouragement, and love. I am committed to the work of the Holy Spirit and confident that the good men around me will help me be restored first as a man, as ahusband, and ultimately to fulfillGod’s call on my life.

Those of you who were touched by the Lakeland Outpouring do not lose your encouragement. What happened there was from God, and Todd is a true servant of God. He has made some mistakes, and he is trying to get his life back in order, and you can be confident that he will. Throughout the Bible, many of the greatest heroes in it also made some of the worst mistakes. King David, possibly the greatest hero in the Bible after Jesus, made one of the most horrible mistakes, not only committing adultery, but murdering the husband of the woman he committed it with. God knew that was going to happen with David when He called him, and He loved David before, during, and afterward.

One of the remarkable events in the Bible is that the Lord then used Bathsheba to bring forth the heir to the throne, Solomon, and she is part of the genealogy of Jesus. It still stretches me, but we need stretching in the grace of God. At the same time, we must balance it with how God hates divorce, and it is one of the scourges of our times that is tragically hurting many, many people. Marriage is under such an assault now because it is so important. However, legalism will not overcome lawlessness. This situation and similar ones that almost every church and family are now being faced with is one that we need answers for. We cannot run from Him, but must run to Him with our need.

Many of Todd’s friends and former partners have asked if and how they might help to rebuild and establish Fresh Fire USA, which has recently relocated from Abbotsford, BC Canada and is now based at Heritage International Ministries in Fort Mill, SC. Donations can now be made to Fresh Fire USA at the following address:

Fresh Fire USA
C/O MorningStar Fellowship Church
375 Star Light Dr.
Fort Mill, SC 29715

Make checks out to Fresh Fire USA, or if you would like to donate by credit card to help in rebuilding Fresh Fire USA, call 1-800-542-0278, and tell the operator that you want to make a donation to Fresh Fire USA.

Let the howling begin.

One thing I want to point out is that God is the God of mercy.

Many in the Body of Christ want to hold Todd to a standard that they themselves would never live under.  Todd’s marriage was on the rocks for years, and he tried to save it.  He truly believed that God told him to marry Shonnah.  But there comes a time when you don’t have anything left and you say, “I’m done.  I’m done God.  I don’t care what the consequences are, I’m done.  I can’t do this anymore.”

I know.  I said those same words the day I left.

Over 50% of the church in the US is divorced.  Somewhere between 20 and 40% of the clergy are divorced.  I know of two leaders with world-wide effective ministries who have been married for over 30 years to their second wife.

Divorce is a horrible thing.  I would not wish it on anyone.  But which is worse, to live a lie for the sake of ministry or to be honest and leave?  Charles Stanley lived a lie for years.  He and his wife were separated.  She never attended the church he pastored.  He is now divorced and still pastoring.  He said God called him to ministry, not marriage.

David, the man after God’s own heart, had an affair with his friend’s wife, got her pregnant, had the man murdered and then married the woman.  When God confronted him about his sin, He didn’t tell David that his marriage was illegal and to send Bathsheba away.  He didn’t tell David he was no longer worthy to be king and to resign.  God did not even tell Nathan to impose the death penalty for adultery on them both.  God, for whatever reason, had mercy.  He judged them and the child died.  David pleaded for mercy, but accepted the judgment when the child did die.

Personally, I think Todd is guilty of gross stupidity, but graceful is not a word I would ever associate with Todd Bentley.  He crashed and burned in a spectacular way, the same way he has lived the rest of his public life.  I don’t think he is capable of doing anything in a corner in secret.

I believe what Todd and Jessa have said about their relationship.  I agree the timing wasn’t the brightest thing they ever did.

To me, there are a couple of different types of adultery.  There is physical sex, which may or may not have any meaning.  Sexual adultery doesn’t have to have any emotional attachment whatsoever to it.  It just is.

Then there is emotional adultery in which the affections of a married individual are enticed away from their spouse by another person.  I believe within Christian circles this is far more common than is realized.

I don’t think Todd is guilty of either of these.  By all accounts that I have heard, Shonnah had departed for Canada before Todd and Jessa connected.

You know, in the Bible, all a man had to do to divorce his wife was give her a certificate of divorce and it was OVER.  If you want to consider dating while waiting for a divorce to be finalized adultery, I will concede you have a valid point.

So the real question in this is how is the body of Christ going to respond to the whole divorce and remarriage issue?  It is a daily reality in all our churches.  Do you treat the people in your church who are divorced and remarried the same way you thing about Todd Bentley?  Some of them DID have affairs.  Some of them DID leave their spouses for the person they are married to now.  Do you threat them they way you are advocating Todd and Jessa be treated?

I’ve been looking at the topic of what an evangelist is for a very simple reason. I feel that it is what God has called me to do.

I have struggled with the call of God on my life for years. Part of that is because I spent 4 years in an organization that strongly taught that women are basically dirt. Not only does not use them to do anything, they are easily deceived and prone to sin. They need men around just so they can stay saved. One day soon I will post one of their teachings on women and give them full credit for their authorship. It’s a pdf from their mag, so it’s not like they can deny it.

Part of my struggle comes from the fact that I’m divorced. How could God forgive me? How could God ever use me? How can their be a call of God on my life?

The truth is that I was separated for 5 years and have been divorced for 2. I have no interest in trying that experiment again. I have had one dinner date in that 7 year period of time. I doubt I will even do that again. I’m just that not interested.

The interesting thing is that I have grown closer to the Lord and seen Him do more stuff in and through my life these past 7 years than I have at any other time in my life. The Lord has tremendously encouraged me to chase after Him and chase after the dream He’s given me. So here I am.

The person who has been the most encouraging in this process has been my pastor. He and his wife have tremendously ministered to me the last few years, and they have helped me to find a great deal of healing in my life. He has encouraged me to pursue this. He has helped me to chase down the Greek in the passages that have caused me to stop and say, “Am I really hearing God? How does what I hear fit into this or that passage?” The Greek is amazingly clear about these things. Hopefully, I will pin him down one day soon and get him to help me pull this together and put out a coherent teaching on the subject of divorce.

God is in the business of taking broken lives and making them whole again. He doesn’t just bring wholeness, but purpose and destiny. The people of God are a people of destiny. One thing I am finding out about the Lord is that if you are pursuing Him, it is a hard thing to escape from the destiny He has for you.

You can do things to disqualify you from specific offices, from specific ministry. God is really serious about holiness and sanctification. He will land on you hard about rebellion and blatant, continued sin. Don’t hear me say that it’s okay to be a whoremonger as a Christian because God will make it all better. He won’t. Judgment really, really sucks.

But if you are trying to chase Him and you are fighting against sin in your life, He will help you. The one thing He requires of you is humility. You have to take responsibility for your actions and you have to ask for help. You have to become transparent with people you trust.

If you have done your best to make a marriage work and, for whatever reason, it doesn’t, your life in Jesus isn’t over. The wonderful thing about the Lord is that He knows the real issues, not the ones you and your spouse fight over. He knows your heart, He knows their heart and He knows the truth about the situation. We see from our perspective, but He sees the entire picture.

Divorce isn’t the unforgivable sin.

There is forgiveness for the things you did wrong, for the things on your side that contributed to the mess. And there’s healing. And there is the fact that God loves you with an everlasting love.