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THE KLEIN FAX

P.O. Box 87, Moshav Nes Harim 99885 Israel

Tel: +972-(0)2-534-6985   Fax:  +972-(0)2-534-6984

E-mail: ewisrael@emmausway.org

www.emmausway.org 

August 27, 2008

26 Av 5768

Dear Praying Friends, 

In this letter:

-The God of Elijah

- The End of an Era

- Marching For Life

- Our Position on Our Position

- A Volunteer’s View of Emmaus Way 

The God of Elijah

As we hear more and more reports of amazing, unprecedented happenings all over the globe, we personally sense the need to get quieter and quieter inside. Elijah was a man who moved in great signs and wonders. What an anointing he had.  He was one of two mortals known to not have experienced physical death. His meeting with the Lord in 1Kings19 speaks volumes. 

“Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’  And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 

The mighty wind, the earthquake and the fire were very real supernatural manifestations. It may not be easy to grasp that God was not in them.  He made them happen…but He was not in them.  The Lord came in a still small voice. What does that say about the desire to run to the signs and wonders?  Is it of the Spirit or of the flesh?  The image of Elijah wrapped in his cloak at the entrance of the cave conveys such a sense of majesty, awe, and intimacy.  Isn’t that what we are really seeking? 

The End of an Era 

In the wake of the recent exposure of Todd Bentley’s life, no doubt many of us are struggling to find God’s perspective on what happened in Lakeland.   We are of the opinion that this matter is not so much about Todd as it is about the entire Charismatic movement.  When a significant number of recognized leaders who for decades have had the ear of large segments of the Body completely endorse the ministry of someone that does not have an acceptable testimony of walking with God, it’s time to stop and take a good hard look at where we are.  The issue at hand is neither small nor one that will be easily dealt with. 

It is time that we (speaking as the body of Messiah) stopped tolerating mixture because the good part is so good…the miracles are so great…the anointing is so powerful.  Are we seeking power and anointing or are we seeking God?  The two are not synonymous.  Beloved, integrity is a basic foundational element in a life or it is not there at all.  On this, by definition, there is no middle ground. It is a sad and telling thing that multitudes of the world’s population do not hold integrity as an absolute qualification for leadership. It is an even sadder reality that neither do many in the Body of Messiah. 

Since God knew just how out of order Todd Bentley’s life was, for Him to enable a scenario where confusion and strife would result and His Name would be mocked, He must have had a pretty good reason.  Can we agree that regardless of anything else, God was behind all the healings and miracles? (The devil doesn’t do life, only death.) If so, we need to ask what He was doing.  Could it be that the Lakeland “revival” was a Divine set-up to open our eyes to a critical flaw? 

At the time of Todd Bentley’s last service on 08-08-08, it was known by many that He and his wife were separated and heading towards divorce.  One report said that the breakdown was manifested back in June.  John Arnott wrote on August 17,  “Furthermore, it has now come out that there has been some inappropriate behavior, both with excessive drinking and also with a female member of his staff.”  I have read several statements by the “apostolic” brethren that stepped up to affirm, bless, and cover Todd Bentley in response to the present situation.  Apart from what I would call a simple acknowledgment that something was askew, their statements were mostly about encouraging us to be merciful and not judge Todd.  As far as we know, only Dutch Sheets, a pastor from Colorado, has spoken out and placed the responsibility at the feet of the apostolic and prophetic leaders of the charismatic movement.  If you’ve not seen his letter it you can find it at http://www.dutchsheets.org/index.cfm.  Here is an excerpt: 

“We, the leaders of the charismatic church, have built on hype, sensation, innovation, programs, personality and charisma. This has produced: shallowness; false movements; novice leaders— gifted but immature and untested; a deficient understanding of God's word; the building of man-centered rather than kingdom-centered churches and ministries; competition rather than cooperation; humanistic, self-centered Christians who don't understand sacrifice and commitment; Christians without discernment; superstar leaders; a perverted and powerless gospel; prayerless and anemic Christians; a replacement of the fear of the Lord with the fear of man; and a young generation that is cynical of it all. We are responsible, not the devil; he takes what we give him. For this compromise in the way we build, for giving the Church watered down wine, commercial Christianity, a flashy but weak Church and hype disguised as anointing, I repent to God and ask forgiveness of the body of Christ.” 

On the first read I thought, wow, this is one of the most brutally accurate, condemning documents I have ever read.  It is not simply a confession concerning what took place in Lakeland, but it is a clear accounting of everything that has been wrong with the Charismatic movement since its inception forty years ago.  (Sometimes it just takes time for things to fully ripen before we can see what they really are.)   However, as I went over the letter again, some things struck me that gives an important perspective on where we are and where we need to go. 

One of the primary characteristics of this movement has been that the emphasis on receiving revelation directly from God on all manner of things caused (or enabled) people to feel they were outside the necessity for human accountability.  In his attempt to bring error to light, Dutch Sheets in effect demonstrates how much he is the product of where he has been for the past forty years.  As was said above about Todd, this is likewise not really about Dutch Sheets.  So without judging his motives, we’d like to address a couple of points. 

- How and why is he, as a single individual, writing on behalf of a whole movement and repenting for the actions of others without having first gone over the matter with them?  His name alone appears on the document.  Not having been directed by “the others”, he is in fact what he does not want to be…a self-appointed spokesman.  Saying that God directed him to write what he did without consultation, confirmation, or submission is a quintessential example of the very malady he is writing about. 

- How can someone that has been so long part of a system that has wreaked the havoc and devastation herein described, including spiritually raping and abusing the church (his words) and being aware of what they had done, in the very letter of confession, be speaking of shaping another movement?  Surely a leader of the caliber of Dutch Sheets knows that identifying the existence of such a deep and pervasive malady is only the first step of what will be a long and very difficult process.  Healing cannot possibly begin until the causes and roots are exposed and pulled out.  Even in the political world, when there is major wrongdoing, politicians are expected to resign.  It’s really quite notable how Dutch Sheets declares and then exemplifies that the leadership of the Body is no different than Washington D.C.  They, the leaders, can’t just say “sorry” and turn around and become the leaders of a new movement.  The characteristics described in this letter of repentance reach into the outer realms of perversion and error.  If only half of what Dutch Sheets wrote were true, and someone were to really receive that word into his heart, he would be so decimated that there would be no way that he could imagine leading anyone in the Name of the Lord any time in the near future. 

The true prophetic anointing divides between joints and marrow, soul and spirit, gifts and fruit and if you will…between manifest power and inner character.  Let us finally cease being enthralled and drawn by great gifts, mighty miracles, big names, big numbers and the call to “come and get some”.  The Holy Spirit is waiting to meet us right where we are. 

Marching for Life 

Last weekend I (arni) participated in a March for Life in the eastern part of Germany organized by our friends at TOS Ministries in Tuebingen.  About four hundred people from all over Germany, the US, and elsewhere gathered to walk a total of nearly 2000 kilometers, tracing the outline of a star of David on the blood-stained land of eastern Germany, where between 1943 and 1945 thousands upon thousands were marched to their death.  If the voice of Abel’s blood could be heard crying out from the land, what kind of sound must have arisen from eastern Germany over the last 60+ years?  According to Biblical principle, where innocent blood has been shed a curse rests on the land making it unfruitful.  The Presence of God cannot abide there.  We have heard numerous testimonies from around the world of God’s blessing being restored once shed blood is acknowledged and repented of. 

Last year the Holy Spirit led the brethren of TOS to do this very same thing starting in the Swabian Alps and ending in the death camp at Dachau outside of Munich.  It recently occurred to me that this that was done last year played a part in preparing the ground for the church in Munich to be open to receive a worship team from Israel on the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of Krystallnacht.  If this is true, then we can expect the March in eastern Germany to likewise open a new door for the word and work of the Kingdom to prosper there. 

I think this event is a good contrast to the puff and fluff we have seen so much of in former days.  If we walk in God’s ways, if we are faithful, if we keep our eyes on Yeshua and seek to manifest His nature in everything we do, if we set our eyes on the grace to be revealed at the coming of the Lord, we will in due time reap a harvest that will endure beyond the end of time and truly glorify God. 

Our Position on Our Position 

Recently we have written about the state of our being from a practical, temporal perspective regarding the future of the Ministry Center.   Our sole concern is that we know and fulfill the desire of God’s heart.  Quite honestly, we are just not sure what that is. It is a great blessing to be a blessing and see those who come to the center blessed.  But neither our identities nor ministries are inextricably linked to having a place to receive and minister to guests, be they from Israel or abroad.  However, since what we are doing here reaps spiritual fruit in the lives those that come, and we are still only in a formative stage, we want to be sure it is God to discontinue the ”guest house” aspect of our present operations.  Therefore in our next few communications we are going to endeavor to give you the fullest picture we can to the end that each of our friends and supporters who God might want to engage to maintain this facility, would have a full enough picture to enable their hearts and minds to come to a place of commitment and action.  We cannot over- emphasize the point that we are not trying to convince anyone of anything or keep the center running.  We believe that the will of the Lord will be made known in the manifestation of the support necessary to maintain the facility on a monthly basis or purchase it outright.  According to present conditions, the longest we can wait to make a decision is December 31 of this year.  In light of all this we share this next section with you. 

Emmaus Way from a Volunteer’s Perspective…by Rachel Williams 

“I have been volunteering at Emmaus Way since February 2008. Before this I was working in the city of London for a global business-consulting firm.  Being in business consultancy means living outside the box because each job requires different solutions, i.e. ….there is no box!  

“I have sojourned to Israel over 19 times since 1996 and have enjoyed the many hotels, apartments, kibbutz life and variety of ministries that I have had the extreme pleasure of partaking in.  Each trip gave me more insight into the heart of God, His plans for His people at this time, and how the nations are so much part of this wonderful miracle called Israel. I’ve enjoyed prayer summits, holidays, flat-sitting, and kibbutz volunteering, but nothing has matched what takes place in my heart at Emmaus Way in Nes Harim (Miracle Mountains). 

“I was an attendee in the first worship school here and then returned as an individual guest during the feast of Succoth 2006.  I’ve seen the ministry from both sides of the fence.  Being here this time as a volunteer has bought more revelation of the uniqueness of this setting and the ministry the Lord has given to Arni and Yonit …to prepare a place for the Presence of God.  At Emmaus Way you can actually feel this happening, and experience in your heart something of the eternal place where we can dwell till His coming. 

“The unique location in the Judean hills adjacent to a national park with many nature trails is a gem.  Eagles soar in the sky, shepherds attend their flocks on the byways, and jackals howl in the night.  The facilities are superbly put together with the loving care and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  The four guest apartments comfortably sleep up to 27, are furnished in contemporary style, and fully self-contained.  There are two spaces set aside for prayer, worship and meeting, each equipped with keyboards, guitars, percussion and worship banners.  Outside there is a beautiful lawn with a gazebo, a hammock slung between two trees (an ideal spot to relax and read), a fire pit where guests can sit around a blazing bonfire, and a gas barbeque for outdoor eating. 

“Total freedom is offered.  Groups can take over the run of the place. They can spend hours alone with God in nature; they can play, relax, and fellowship in the comfortable lodgings; they can draw from the resident believers’ extensive knowledge of the surrounding areas and Jerusalem; plan day trips to the beach, Yad v’Shem, the Dead Sea, the Old City, and historic Biblical sites such as the place where David fought Goliath; as well as receive teaching, exhorting, and prophetic insight from those who are on hand to share what has been given to them. The available input and guidance is geared to help the visitors to perform the tasks and missions appointed for them by the Holy Spirit.  ‘Preparing a place for the Presence of God’ is an experiential reality given full range here in the hills and able to be lived for the duration of the stay. 

“I have found no other place in Israel with such freedom, flexibility, and sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading in a group setting.  The experience is beyond normal group trips to the land, which I know to be excellent!  It is part retreat, part holiday, full of joy, expectation and fun.  It is as if for the weeks you are here, you are being grafted into the very fabric of Israel and her place in God’s heart. 

“Groups would be well advised not to plan too much before coming and let the wind of the Spirit guide them in each step He would have them take.  People who come to Emmaus Way leave deeply touched.  Many have gone back to their nations with a desire to ‘prepare a place for the Presence of God’ in their own environments, being linked to Israel in a way which will usher in the Presence of God here on earth.” 

Thank you for reading this long letter!  May God bless you from Zion!                                 

                                                                                                Your servants…

                                                                                                            For the Glory of His Name,

                                                                  Arni and Yonit 

EMMAUS WAY IS ABOUT LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

OUR GOAL IS TO GIVE HIM A PLACE ON EARTH…

WHILE ON THE WAY TO BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN

We are a faith ministry dependent on the support of God’s people.

For information on making a contribution go to www.emmausway.org/policy.htm

Tags: IsraelLakeland Bentley Ministry

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