The "River"
(please wait for the
"wav")
This weekend my wife, daughter, and I went up to Grand Rapids Michigan. We went for several reasons (1) to talk to some of the faculty of Calvin Theological Seminary, (2) to go to some extremely good Christian bookstores, and (3) to visit the Grand Rapids Assembly of God.
We had called ahead and were told that every Friday was "revival" night beginning at 7:00 p.m. So we drove out to the church and were astounded by the size of the building. This is the largest Assembly of God building I have ever seen. Finally after some direction we walked to the sanctuary and entered into a service in progress.
The sanctuary seated (my estimate) at least 4 to 5 thousand people and that evening there were possibly around 2,500+. People were singing as we entered in, the usual songs with themes of (1) power, (2) anointing, (3) dominion, and (4) revival.
During the singing my wife took note and pointed out several women who were in the midst of some serious spasms, jerks, and shakes. I watched these young girls (mid-teens) for the next 2 hours. They did not stop, even when they walked to the rest room. As they walked they seemed to be "hit" by a force which cause them to bend at the waist at about a 45 degree angle.
An interesting coincidence: I prayed "Lord God do not allow these Your people to be deceived, let them only have what is truly from Your hand." Immediately after I had mouthed that prayer their Pastor stood up and announced "we have not been able to break through." and called for the "intercessors" to come to altar. naturally, these young girls came up front, bobbing & weaving all the way. Then the Pastor made an astonishing statement, he said, "I don't want you to pray for souls, intercede for yourselves." Why I found (and find) that astounding is that this was a "revival" meeting, i.e. a meeting in which one hopes for the Lord to convict sinners and save them by His grace. So why not pray for "souls," i.e. lost people?
Well, after some moaning and groaning at the altar we began to sing some more rousing songs of victory and dominion. Then the guest speaker came foreword. He was a secular drummer who got saved and now goes around presenting something called "drums of fire." I did not get his name (sorry). He then told of us how God had healed and delivered folks via his drum solos! So he testified of the great RIVER he is now a part of and how God is doing the same things all over the earth. Then he played his "drums of fire" solo. Which was as fine a piece of drumming as I have heard, outside of Ina-Godda-Divita by Iron Butterfly :)
No one seemed to get healed, certainly the girls still were afflicted by spasms. Nor was anyone delivered. It was 9:00 p.m. and we wanted to get back to the hot tub, so my little tribe, quietly slipped back out of the flow, back to show and reality and back to the Holidome!
There WAS NO PREACHING FROM THE BIBLE AT ALL. Possibly 2 texts quoted during praise. I do not understand how they expect people to get truly converted apart from a clear presentation of the Gospel. People who respond to some sort of emotional call without any Gospel message presented makes me wonder if they got saved at all.
What we gained:
1) It seems as though it is mostly women/girls who experience the
spasms, jerkings, and modified duck-walking. I did not see any
men doing these things. I wonder why?
2) None of the platform folks (leaders) showed any manifestations
at evening, I have seen some "slain" on video, nothing
too wild however. I wonder why?
3) Grand Rapids Assembly of God got this way due to a DIRECT
IMPARTATION from Pensacola Assembly of God. It WAS
NOT a sovereign move of God.
4) This Grand Rapids church is now considered the "regional-center"
for revival according to the latest Pentecostal Evangel magazine
we obtained there.
5) We will go back without our daughter next time. We will be
identified as ministers and I hope to speak personally with folks
who exhibit various manifestations and get some data from them.
This deception is spreading folks, big time. Please read the "Kundalini Connection" if you have not had a chance. I am very concerned for our brothers and sisters who are being massively duped by this clever counterfeit.
