What shall we do?

Acts 2:377 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do? (from New International Version)

The present crisis that has erupted over the Florida Revival is much bigger than simply one weak man who’s life did not match up to his message. In June in a quote of a conversation with a reporter Todd said “."We're preaching and teaching the gospel and praying and healing the sick," he said in an interview just before the recent service began. "Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit. What's the fruit we've produced? One suggestion here is that the product has been “Civil War in the Body of Christ”
So this is a really good place to start when we ask ourselves the question “What shall we do ?” In the scripture above quoted the verse is followed by these words repent and be baptized every one of you and you will receive”
This speaks clearly that where there is a heartfelt repentance there is also a heart changing impartation . None of us who believe in Grace, believe that Todd has irreversibly damaged his relationship with God. Like all of us he is a weak man and has succumbed to his already known and recognized weaknesses. However the scripture tells us “To whom much is given much is also required” The need for acknowledgement after repentance (baptism) caused such a release. Repentance is more than an acknowledgement that I have been found out .in wrongdoing. It is a willing recognition of the impact that my failure has had on others , as well as on God Himself..
Repentance means changing our mind and going in an opposite direction. We all need to repent, Todd for his lack of wisdom , and for his deception in holding back information from those who were supposed to give him covering. One of those men said this week “Todd kept me out of the loop about a third party involved in the marriage problem”. The reason Todd gave was that he wanted to protect his fellow minister. In fact “being kept out of the loop” is an unsophisticated way of saying he lied or misled someone, whom he knew had the power to shut him down. A little like Hilary Clintons comment that she “misspoke”
Repent to, for the teachings he gave that distorted the word of God led people into dangerous spiritual territory, and the unwise people he surrounded himself with many of whom were marked as immoral , or had marriage troubles themselves. If repentance means turning around then he certainly needs to set off in a new direction with new companions…the Bible clearly tells us that “bad company breeds bad morals” if you have a problem with shoplifting its insane to visit Wal Mart with a group of people with a similar problem
We as church leaders and avid Christians need to repent for many things in this whole situation. Turn round change our direction and ensure we don’t find ourselves once more in the place of being the laughing stock of the press and communications world, and bringing shame to the Good News we are here to present. and exemplify.
1. We need to repent of a mindset that says that the Great Commission is no longer effective. Instead of going out and reaching the world with the message of salvation we have formed a mindset that says “super stars” are going to gather the last time harvest whilst ordinary believers sit in the bleachers and cheer on their favorite evangelist . This is a little akin to the “big bang theory”. The places where the Gospel is growing fastest with the greatest impact are the places where individuals are burdened for and feel responsible for telling people about Jesus. Our North American attempt at this always includes massive and instant “revival” that releases us all from personal responsibility to be obedient to Jesus, and allows us to finance a Hollywood style leader to do it for us.
2. We all need to repent concerning our failure to believe the Bible to be the Word of God., and the standard for life and Ministry. The moving of the Holy Spirit is to be in connection with the preaching of the unadulterated Word of God. The North American Charismatic is a biblically illiterate person desperately wanting to see the moving of the Holy Spirit and will surrender to any manifestation that comes along, and believe it must be from God because its supernatural. Thus we have mixed a New Age thrust with the moving of the Holy Spirit .. In this connection we have allowed ourselves to be convinced that miracles demonstrated are in fact an endorsement of a mans teaching , no matter how far away he is from an orthodox belief system. and the revealed word of God
3. We need to repent of our own foolishness and naivety which leads us to believe that somehow God is more concerned with demonstration than He is with Character. Jesus, Paul, Peter and the church through the ages, have pointed to the need of Character in those who preach the Gospel. None of us are perfect but God does not endorse our lifestyle because he uses us. Paul warned against laying hands too suddenly on people. In writing to Timothy he called for the highest standards to be expected of those in ministry at the fundamental level.
4. We need to repent about ineffective and inoperative accountability set ups for ministries. The scripture when talking of leaders says they must be “known to be full of the Holy Spirit” The accent here is on being known. How can accountability exist when the persons involved have no overlapping life and knowledge of one another’s life style. Did no responsible ministers know about Todd’s marital problems. I fear even those in his own office were party to the information. Where there is no true team ministry there can be no true accountability . We are told to “know those who labour amongst us” God has a wonderful accountability system its called the Local Church. Here a man or woman’s life can be open to the knowledge of fellow leaders and elders, and correction and help can easily be obtained, or offered
5. We need to repent of thinking too highly and expecting too much of men we place on a pedestal and then promote to the place where they believe their own publicity. Turning our gifted men and women into eternal jet setters, leaves them with a wrong view of themselves and their value in the Kingdom , and sets them up for spiritual, moral and financial failure. Making them so elite that no one can challenge them or call them to account since we have declared them to be the” Lords anointed”.. We need to repent.for being worldly when it comes to our view of ministry. In the real world people like Billy Graham carry such a punch because of their clear holiness springing from a wholesome relationship with God and their family
6. We need to repent to for our attempts to sanitize the Holy Spirit in our meetings in such a way that no offence might be felt by those who need conviction of sin and who are crying out for real people to introduce them to a real God. We have become the arm chair critics of all those who hunger for manifestation and are more in favour of suppression than expression of the life of God in our regular meetings
7. We need to repent because we have been guilty of finding fault with a person based on the outward appearance. Millions of young adults have tattoos and love Jesus more than their fathers and grandfathers who lead ineffective churches that fail miserably to connect with the current generation.. God looks on the heart ( ours included) and is less concerned with body decoration than we think He is.
8. Many of the “Fathers” of the charismatic movement need to repent for withholding their wisdom, and maybe their private knowledge, of Todd’s personal problems, because they were afraid of losing face with their stream or group and not supporting what others saw as God moving. Some need to repent for not speaking out clearly, others because they were more interested in getting on the bandwagon and gaining publicity for their own ministry than sharing the truth in the light of the written word of God
9. We need to repent because there are a group of “ministries” who are more interested in their own financial success, and personal fame in ministry than they are in the truth of the Word and the standards of the book. These people will now capitalize on their presence in Florida as though its a qualification for ministry and a reason for people to have them come and minister. They will tell how they sat on the platform, were personal friends with Todd and some will even say that God has shown them “that Todd’s mantle has passed to me” We need repentance to see that this is not the style or methodology of the Carpenter from Galilee.
So what shall we do ? We shall all repent ! Not just Todd but the whole Charismatic Movement that allowed itself to be deluded into the Western Dream that the “Great Revival is upon us” and all we need to do is to turn up and capture the blessing that someone else has created