Late Night Ad

[Doug64]

Hi:

On late night TV last night, an ad ran for the "Austin (I assume Texas) Awakening" and wondered if this is a local group, a new location of a Word of Faith movement or what?
Does anyone know?

Doug

[Carmen]

Just am doing a quick google...

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/55/story_5518_1.html - a story about the pastor that will "root out" pride by removing hair piece. The church is independent Pentecostal. "Phillips had been speaking about a coming awakening for almost a year." New move of God characterized by excessive worship and prophecy...like the Toronto Blessing. Just another thought. A few years ago I heard lots of prophecies to the effect that one must confess publicly, make public demonstrations of humility, only so can God move and renew the nation or the whatever. Excuse me, but this sounds more like the Pharisee praying on the street corner with long tassels on his prayer shawl and may, despite the word "humility" have more to do with pride and publicity than otherwise. Aren't we supposed to approach God where no one sees it and not in public? Weren't the Corinthians having some similar problems that Paul was forced to address?

Anticipation and certain kinds of "prophecy" can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy, they get a "revival" by expecting one. The fact that one "feels" something is not a guarantee for the presence of the Holy Spirit. False spirits or just imagination pumped up by music and dance can induce altered states of perception and euphoria. Hardly anyone ever questions if the mass experience really is from God, it is just assumed because it "feels" so good. Those that question may be ushered out, kept out or all but thrown out, being forced to leave their churches. They are "hard to receive". Even feelings like love and happiness can be supernaturally heightened - some that have experienced this have also experienced orgasms or fits of happiness or sadness that can last for days. I have not seen such excesses except for experiencing one kind (unfortunately not the orgasm) - the rest I read about in Frank Bartleman's Azusa Street or from testimonies.

Here is The Awakening site: http://www.theawakening.com/. Their article about healing says that God has given everyone the ability to heal. And with the new revival they will probably add that it will only work if one is humble enough or holy enough as is always being propagated. I am for humble Christians, don't think that the Christian walk is feasible without it, but what they write sounds like just another "sure-fire" method for something. David Ethan's prophecies are run of the mill, you can hear the same ones again and again on TBN. Their article on "Compromise" shows that they are into holiness. That in itself is not bad, if the choice is individual rather than collective. Done as a collective it can hurt others that cannot adjust quickly or fully enough. The "awakening" will expect that of everyone involved now, not when they are ready. In my experience euphoria and holiness don't make a good combination.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/126/42.0.html says they are oneness pentecostals - insistence on rebaptism "their" way for validity - even if the person is already born-again. For me it is a bad sign, that can be debated. They put a high emphasis on the "name" of Jesus, the power it contains. Frankly, I had enough of that in the Word-of-Faith movement; it is one of the things that I run from when recognized. Oneness Pentecostalism does play a role for me, it makes me run faster. Unfortunately the next Protestant churches nearby are oneness Pentecostals even though AoG, the Italian branch of AoG believes in oneness and the speaking in unknown tongues as the proof of baptism of the Holy Spirit. Been there, done that, got less than nothing out of it. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are not Christians as some have. I'd just say that they are gravely misled - such an environment can cause many cases of spiritual abuse despite the euphoria that everyone is trying to reach, or rather because of it. My Italian friends are still in such a church though they have experienced abuse. Forming a new group with me and others as they come may help them solve that problem. I just hope we don't create new ones.

The Awakening talks about the benefit of things for the "body", but still carries around a lot of excess doctrine that is not beneficial for the Body of Christ in my opinion.

They link up to a lot of stuff and names I haven't seen yet and have RSS. Thanks for the tip, Doug! It will be worth keeping an eye on them. If Jesus doesn't come within two to five years I suspect this one will fizzle out too. It seems to arise from the same milieu as the Toronto Blessing and Brownsville Revival, but this time the emphasis is on humility and then holiness, (holiness was always one of the big issues in revival). I have heard recent "prophecies" to this effect too, specifically about humility, I just don't remember where I heard them. If I can make a prediction of my own, it'll blow over like the last revival and leave a lot of hurting and disillusioned people in its wake, not because they were not "holy" enough, but because its origin is not from God. No, this isn't a kind assessment, but I was deceived in such a milieu, ran myself ragged from experience to experience and revival to revival, and I won't be the last one.

Like always take what you like and leave the rest, meanwhile I'm running away already and stepping up the tempo....

[Doug64]

Hi Carmen:

Thanks for the information.

It just seemed from the title that it appeared to be similar to the Toronto Blessing and other such revival type operations.

Doug

[Carmen]

That's what I was getting at, the similarity is likely more than skin deep. Some telling signs - as far as what is written about it - are already there. I wouldn't have direct experience with it for a few years at least, it takes that long for things to get to Europe. Things like that spread to other English-speaking countries pretty fast, but otherwise you have to wait until someone feels motivated enough to translate material and ship it along with whatever "blessing" it is supposed to accompany. Then local writers pick up on it, usually translating English material. Thank goodness stuff like that doesn't catch on too well here (Exceptions are Catholic cult-like movements that started in Spain). There are a few kooky churches in the metro area, but otherwise it is relatively quiet.