Date: 04-Jan-1995 10:52am EST
Subject: THE TORONTO PHENOMENON
from Banner Ministries
Patti, thank you for sending me a copy of THE TORONTO PHENOMENON from Banner Ministries. As I'm sure you're aware, this paper is based upon several false premises and makes many incorrect pronouncements, so it really can't be taken very seriously.
It begins by stating that, "some are waiting for the genuine hallmarks of revival to develop" in what is happening, as though those hallmarks are not already present. But the fact of the matter is, the characteristics of revival have been in evidence in what has been happening from the very beginning. The article then states that "disruptive and outrageous manifestations . . . have never been signs of genuine revival," but in fact, most genuine revivals have been accompanied by manifestations that have been considered disruptive and outrageous.
The article then states that "revival is primarily for the unsaved," but this is also false. Revival is really primarily a reawakening of faith among Christians. Mass conversions are often, but not even necessarily always, a by-product of such reawakenings.
The author states that "this is a 'revival' that has so far affected only Christians." Yet, at every Rodney Howard-Browne meeting, hundreds of people come forward to become Christians for the first time. Moreover, in June of this year, John Arnott said that at the Toronto Airport Vineyard, 2,000 people had been saved and 1,000 rededicated during the preceding six months, while previously, no more than 200 had been saved and 100 rededicated in any given year. The numbers of conversions are of a new order of magnitude. This is exactly the sort of thing that often (but not always) happens during a revival. In view of these facts, it is clear that the author was writing in ignorance when he said that this is "a move that involves no evangelism, has no foundation of repentance." Repentance among believers has been one of the key components of this revival. In many cases, God doesn't give people much choice. He sometimes pins them to the floor until they yield themselves in obedience to Him with respect to various areas of their lives in which they have been living in rebellion.
The article then says that there is a "scramble to travel to a place where the manifestations are occurring, in order to 'get' it. . . . A genuine revival . . . cannot be passed from one to another like an infection." Again, this is spoken in ignorance. One of the primary characteristics of revival is that it is spread in exactly this way, just as can be observed, for example, in a forest fire.
In section six, the author states that "the manifestations, particularly the laughter, are not happening in response to the ministry of the Word of God." Yet, it has been my observation that the manifestations have been taking place as a direct result, not only of the preaching of the word of God, but also of the very presence of the Word of God Himself.
Section eight states that "the scriptures do not predict a widespread revival, but they DO predict a great falling away from the truth." This is also a false statement. In the Scriptures, there are many prophetic glimpses of the great revival that will take place at the end of the age. For example, the Lord said to Moses, "For as truly as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord," (Numbers 14:21), and in Habakkuk 2:14 we read, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
Another patently false statement appears in section 9, where it says, "any genuine outpouring of the Spirit should have affected all churches alike." This has never been the case for any awakening in all of church history. There are always churches that accept a revival, and others that resist it. That is why we have so many denominations. The established churches, for the most part, tend to reject new outpourings of the spirit. The old wineskins are usually incapable of containing the new wine.
In section 10, it says "revivals in the past were conducted in an atmosphere of great reverence and awe of God. When the presence of God came, it was to bring a holy awe, and those who cried out did so in deep conviction of their sinfulness." This statement is made as though there were some sense in which this were not the case for the current awakening. But, once again, the author is mistaken. Great reverence and awe of God, and conviction of sin, are two major characteristics prevailing in the current revival.
The author then says that "the tone of today's laughter is mocking and maniacal, and excites nothing but amusement or disgust in others." If he means that the laughter mocks satan and his works, then he is correct. However, to my knowledge, in no instance has there ever been a mocking attitude towards God or to the works of God in the current revival.
In section 11 we read, "this phenomenon did not start spontaneously, but was promoted by Rodney Howard-Browne." Actually, it did start among several ministries simultaneously (e.g., those of Cindy Jacobs of Colorado Springs, Mahesh Chavda of Charlotte, North Carolina, Joe Jordan, and others), and in Rodney's case, it did start spontaneously. In 1980, while still in his native country, he was travelling in ministry with a group of denominational people, and one day, when they were in the vestry of a Methodist church, a woman who was in terrible pain asked for prayer. He said, "I got up from my seat. . . . I was going to put my hand on her head. . . . And I lifted my hand and got it about here. Just like it looked like you'd pull a six-gun out of a holster and point it at somebody. And when my hand got about HERE, it felt like my fingertips came off, and out of my hand flowed a full volume of the anointing and the power of God, and it flowed right out of my hand and it went right in to her forehead and she crumbled in the floor. . . . There was nobody in the room more amazed than me. . . . And that anointing stayed again for a period of two weeks." Then, in December of 1987, he arrived in the United States to engage in evangelistic work, but it was not until April of 1989 near Albany in upstate New York that he began experiencing continuous revival during his meetings. He later said of the outset of the revival that, while he was preaching, "The power of God fell in the place without warning suddenly. People began to fall out of their seats. . . . rolling on the floor. The very air was moving. People began to laugh uncontrollably while there wasn't anything funny. . . . The less I preached, the more people were saved." This was as surprising to him as it was to everyone else, and from this point onward, these phenomena accompanied his ministry regularly.
In section twelve, the article states that "there is no biblical warrant for calling on the Holy Spirit, or praying to Him -- as in 'Come, Holy Spirit.'" This also is patently false. In I Corinthians 12:13, for example, it states that "we were all made to drink of one Spirit," and in John 7:37-39, Jesus said "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.' But this he spoke of the Spirit. . . ."
If we are thirsty, we are to come to Jesus and drink of the Spirit. Then, we become fountains of the Spirit, as His presence and power overflow from us to others.
In the Conclusion, it is stated that "if the root be bad, then the fruit will be rotten . . . If we look at the roots, at Rodney Howard-Browne's ministry . . . [etc.]" The author is attempting to discredit Rodney Howard-Browne, and also the Vineyard Churches, but there is really nothing that can be said that to discredit either of these two vessels. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is, we are to look to God and not to the vessels that He uses to bring His blessing and anointing.
When all is said and done, this work of God speaks for itself. It is manifestly His work, and those who deny this do so at their own peril. It is inevitable that the stumbling blocks will come, but woe to those through whom the stumbling blocks come. May God grant the author of this article a fresh anointing and understanding, that he may escape the fate that awaits those who attribute the works of God to the devil.