Todd Bentley Scandal Reveals Bigger Problem: 2 Demonic Spirits Roam the Church Freely

The uniting of two sinister forces, hyper-grace and hyper-love, has created a ferocious monster that is devastating lives.

I believe there are two evil, powerful and seductive demonic spirits that are roaming freely in churches all over the world, and people are celebrating them, promoting them and imparting them into millions of others. These spirits, dark and crafty entities that have already caused extreme destruction in innumerable people, are: hyper-grace and hyper-love.

The reason I call these two mindsets, philosophies and theologies “spirits” is simple: Satan has devised a scheme to deceive the church to such a degree that people believe themselves to be radical followers of Jesus while living in such a way that disqualifies them from an eternity with Jesus. Those infected by hyper-grace and hyper-love are at great risk, with many of them already surrendering their salvation and many others moving in that direction.

I was at Jimmy Swaggart’s confession in 1988. I helped give leadership to a city-wide prayer movement with Ted Haggard approximately 15 years ago. My wife and I had a private meeting with Todd Bentley in Lakeland in 2008. All three had a powerful, undeniable anointing. All three failed dramatically. Hyper-grace didn’t restore them. Hyper-love didn’t remedy the destruction.

(If you’d like more details on the current crisis, read a Charisma News article titled “Revivalist Todd Bentley Accused of ‘Sexual Perversion’ With Male, Female Interns,” that was released yesterday HERE.)

I remember John Bevere sharing the story of him visiting Jim Bakker in prison. John asked Jim, “When did you stop loving God?” Jim shocked John Bevere by saying, “I never stopped loving God. I stopped fearing God.”

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Hyper-Love

For a closer view into this topic of hyper-love, read one of my more popular articles titled, “The Great Love Deception: A False-Love Movement Is on the Rise,” here.

When we encounter love, we will be presented with a view of God that is quite different than what we previously understood to be true. God’s love can be expressed in a very direct, uncomfortable way that breaks you and may even wonder how a loving God could act that way. God’s expression of love will often put you at risk, threaten you and trouble you. —”The Great Love Deception: A False-Love Movement Is on the Rise”

I’ll say it loud, clear and repeatedly until it’s finally received: The love of God that results in glorious breakthrough and warm feelings, no matter how great the revelation, is not nearly enough to keep us calibrated with the heart and expectations of God. (Yes, contrary to the love camp, God absolutely has expectations. If you read your Bible, you can’t miss them.)

I’ve heard from countless people, most of them wonderful yet deceived, that all we need to do, whether in evangelism, in our personal relationship with Jesus, in ministry or in any place in our life is to focus on God’s love. Reveal God’s love. Preach God’s love. Grow in understanding of God’s love. Go deep in God’s love. Meditate on God’s love. Study about God’s love. Minister God’s love.

I’ll be the first to say that I agree we have the glorious opportunity to do what they are campaigning for. Going deep in revelation of God’s love will mark us, transform us and overwhelm us. God’s love is powerful beyond description. However, it’s not enough.

The fear of God is critical (and fear here doesn’t always translate as reverence. It’s also translated as terror in places.) We must embrace both God’s kindness and severity. We must minister both.

Someone mentioned to me that God would forgive him if he starts dating a girl who wants to have sex prior to marriage. He knew that this sin was wrong, but he didn’t believe it was a big deal, and God certainly wouldn’t send anybody to hell over it. He argued he could just ask for forgiveness later, and all would be well.

While most might not be as brazen as this young man, millions would actually agree with him. The percentages of people who profess Christ while also living in sexual sin is staggering. Fornication, pornography, lust, adultery and other sinful lifestyles are a pandemic in the church. A misunderstanding of God’s love has led to this. The Bible is clear on just what appropriate love looks like in this case:

But I have written to you not to keep company with any man who is called a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Do not even eat with such a person.

For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But God judges those who are outside. Therefore “put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (1 Cor. 5:11-13).

True love protects the flock, and true love trusts God’s wisdom. True love obeys God even when it doesn’t feel like the humanized love so many have adopted.

When leaders are the ones in sin, love demands we handle it immediately. Ministry must stop for that individual. Restoration into the ministry is not the next step. It’s possible they will never step behind a pulpit again. That’s okay. Ministry has become an idol for too many. True love will expose that in someone’s heart and deal with it.

True repentance is so rare today. I am waiting for the day the failed minister is more broken over the lives he destroyed than he is endeavoring to start preaching again. That is true love in action.

Hyper-Grace

My article “Five Marks of the False-Grace Message” is my most read ever, and the most scrutinized. Read it here.

We as Christians are not exempt from judgment or from the repercussions of sin. If we are in Christ, there is no condemnation, but if we are deceived by false theology into thinking we are in Christ, while actually living in disobedience, we are in trouble. We are not in Christ and there is condemnation. No salvation. The wrath of God remains on us. False-grace doctrine is eternally deadly. There are many people following Jesus today in an unsaved condition. —”Five Marks of the False-Grace Message“

When you add the deception of hyper-love to hyper-grace, a rampant theology that actually encourages Christians not to confess sin, you have a two-headed monster that is bringing widespread destruction to the church.

Those who subscribe to both deceptions promote God’s love and forgiveness to the exclusion of his severity, and they believe God is indifferent to sin. This monster creates the perfect environment for sin to be nurtured, and to kill.

“Then, when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and when sin is finished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15).

So, the response to sin is tepid. The threat is wildly minimized.

Instead of a severe and immediate response to sin, “love” and “grace” is enacted, believing all is well and that is all that’s necessary to see happy restoration take place. This fallacy has put millions in the path of unrepentant ministers and has caused many of those millions to adopt doctrines of demons as a result.

When true love and true grace are in play, it looks very different than the passive, mild response we see today. People presume that we are all sinners (we are not) and that we all sin daily (we should not) and therefore the sexual sin, sins of leadership, unforgiveness, lust, greed and any other number of evil acts are minimized, deemed benign. In reality, unrepentant, unresolved sin is eternally deadly, especially for Christians.

For if we willfully continue to sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which will devour the adversaries (Heb. 10:26-27).

False-love coupled with false grace will rip people to shreds spiritually. It’s already seduced untold numbers of people.

I want to encourage you to read a bold, sobering and tear-driven message from Jeremiah Johnson regarding the recent controversy regarding Todd Bentley and Rick Joyner. It was written with much prayer and fasting, and the message it contains will have us all trembling in the fear of the Lord. You can read the message titled, “An Open Letter To The Body Of Christ 8/26/19,” here.

To hear more on hyper-grace, listen to Michael Brown’s two podcasts on the matter.