Benny Hinn’s Body Guards Take Their Job Way Too Seriously

Greetings

I got back from England safe and sound. I wish getting there was easy, as I was grilled by British Customs something fierce on the way in on Friday morning. But 1/2 of the officer’s questions were about my money and how do I live in the Netherlands and who employs me. But seriously, I almost didn’t get into the country!

But anyway, it all went well. I failed to say much in the previous entry about what kind of conference I was going to, and it’s only because I didn’t know anything about it other than it had the word “flame” in the title and that crusade evangelist to Africa, Reinhard Bonnke was the keynote speaker. I found out from Walter–who blessed me in all manners by taking me on this trip!–only during the flight that Benny Hinn was speaking during the last night’s service.

I’m told I am good at dragging these posts on and telling stories, so I will do so with this entry. If you have never heard of Reinhard Bonnke, and you’re not a pew-warmer or lazy-boy Christian, then look for some sound bites or videos of him on Youtube or wherever. This man has preached simple Gospel message crusades in Africa for decades, and has seen 44 million people make a commitment to Christ. God told him he’d see 100 million this decade, and there’s only 3 years left for the rest to be harvested. But man, if you can see the footage or the pictures from these events all over Africa–you will be rocked and hopefully be stirred about what you’re doing with the Gospel in your own life. I was blessed with the simplicity of his preaching style. No overcomplicated theology. It was great.

And say what you will about Benny Hinn and be offended that he has a lot of money, but apparently he personally has financed most of the Christ For All Nations‘ mass crusades in that continent for the last year (just in case you can’t figure out the math, that’s not cheap!).

I met some interesting people and spent a lot of time in a particular exhibition booth in the warehouse at this arena for a Word of Faith type of Bible college located in Machester, England. At first I held my cards close to my chest and let them speak to me, and try persuading me to consider attending their college and not tell them I was from the “revival school in Pensacola” (which made other peoples’ jaws drop in a good way previously at this conference). It became obvious to me at this conference dropping that being from the revival school/Dr. Brown’s school carried some clout to many people there. I sometimes forget how privileged I am to have been a part of that family, and try not to take it for granted. Anyway, these people from World Harvest Bible Training Centre had me interested by the fact much of the literature they had for sale was of giants of the faith whose books I devour (Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake) but in particular that they use Kenneth Hagin books for their course text books. I don’t know if you’ve ever read Kenneth Hagin, but you should ignore whatever you’ve been told about him and give one of his books a read–he’s becoming the individual I would recommend for simple and easy to understand faith and Holy Spirit teachings.

Anyway, I wasn’t dressed “like a minister” though I technically am one, but maybe that would have helped me at customs and with an experience later on I will mention. I talked at length with Matthew from New Zealand who teaches at this school, who agreed with me it was a divine appointment that we had crossed paths and we talked about our backgrounds. It may be possible I will visit this school in the future (they have faith I will) or he and some students come for a ministry visit to Holland (I have faith they will).

The biggest reason I spent so much time in their booth, was pretty much a lot of the rest of the warehouse was…well, let’s just say I can understand what moved Jesus to flip over the tables of the money changers in the temple when I saw much of the stuff going on. I know there’s legitimate stuff that happens and it is a great way to hear about what other ministries are doing, and people make a living ministering to the Body of Christ with things. But I saw “holy socks”, “Jesus watches”, “new generation pulpits”, prayer cloths and other disgusting trinkets and widgets, oh and lets’ not forget the forms to have my dreams interpreted and make a donation for the interpretation–hello!? Puke! I got the business cards of many slick and slimy businessmen-like individuals who didn’t know how to take NO for an answer when I said I didn’t have enough money for the items they were trying to peddle.

So since I figured I would be escorted out of the building if I resorted to channeling my anger in the same fashion Jesus did by making a whip, I decided to do something else instead: mockery. However, the pictures I took in pure mockage of this carnal stuff will not be published on this blog any time soon since this Macbook doesn’t accomodate the flashcard for my camera and I will not be able to afford a flashcard reader until next month. But I had Walter take pictures of me with “Rovercomer” the mascot, I snapped pictures of holy socks, Jesus watches, and stuff like that. It’s unbelievable the stuff people peddle in the name of ministry.

However, I will say nothing but positive things about Christ For All Nations (Bonnke’s ministry). He was a very humble man and spoke with nothing but simplicity, and it was mostly the organizers and other individuals who elevate him to such celebrity icon status. I did manage to get a picture taken with him, and am happy about it. I’m not one of those people who takes pictures with high profile men of God to show off who I’ve met or know, but because I respect and look up to people and will take the opportunity if I’m given it.

On finally seeing and hearing Benny Hinn for myself.
Some of you are going to be disappointed in the following statements, but it’s mostly going to be those of you who’ve never studied up on just what actually goes on in his meetings and what he ACTUALLY teaches, and have a lot of confidence in your straw man arguments about what he does or teaches. However, I’m not about to write a defense of him, either. In fact, I thought he carried himself in a very arrogant and eccentric manner as a person, but we all have quirks and God uses us anyway. I’m sharing my observations and experience. That’s about all.

I have to admit, he came on and did a teaching, and it was not a healing crusade atmosphere. He taught a message on the anointing and the presence of God and differences in terminology that I really can’t personally say was un-scriptural or heretical. He’s not a gifted teacher by any means, but what he taught on was kosher in my opinion. The anointing that that man walks in is undeniable. The atmosphere was already charged, but when he came on in the evening, the only way I can describe the change was that there was more of a ‘warmth’ to the presence of God. I don’t know if words can articulate what I mean, but it was awesome in a good way.

One thing you may think was eccentric, and maybe rude, actually impressed me about him. He would refuse to continue preaching if people were moving or making a distraction while he was preaching. His explanation was that he didn’t like people being irreverent in the presence of God and didn’t want to have people distracted by others who may be interested in hearing what God’s speaking to them in that meeting. So there was a woman getting up and walking through the isle, and he said he wasn’t going to continue until she hurried up and left. OUCH! But you have to admit, say what you want about him, but deep down something in me admired the way he respects the anointing and wanted to protect it at all costs.

At the end, he led us in worship and in a prayer, and pointed to my few rows and asked for all the pastors there to come up on the stage quickly. I was sitting in the third row (Walter got us great seats!), and I was one of the few individuals that got to go up on stage and receive prayer from him. Which leads me to this title. His body guards/ushers take their jobs way too seriously. They grab and pull people and move them around. I realize in some settings when people fall out under the power of the Holy Spirit, it’s great to have people catch them and lay them down gently, but these guys pull you by both arms and drag you around. If it weren’t for being so caught up in the anointing and feeling the presence of God, I would have made a scene. Maybe nobody else minds this kind of nonsense, but I have a hard time understanding it.

So us “pastors” lined up the way the ushers ordered us to, and when I got to the steps this massive body-building usher snarkly asks me if I’m really a pastor.
I said yes, and then he goes “oh yeah, what church?“
To which I reply “The Church of the Netherlands–I’m a Canadian missionary“.
He deemed that sufficient and grabbed my right arm rather forcefully to prevent me from going up onto the stage out of turn. He was weeding out flakes who were trying to get up there–I know because Hinn’s instruction was only for pastors and not “people who think they’re a pastor!” I loved that he said that!

So Mr. Bodybuilder grabs me by the arm and forces me up a few steps to the stage, and then holds me still. I honestly almost fell on him because of the balance he was making me unable to keep, not because of the power of God! Then, an usher at the top of the stairs grabbed me by the other arm and was pulling me up the stairs while Mr. Bulky pulled me in the opposite direction. They got into a yelling match with each other about if Hinn was allowing me on the stage or not (he was having people come up one by one and laying hands on them and things). I told them that one of them better let go of me and that I didn’t care which one–I didn’t feel like having one of my arms ripped off, eh!

So I got up on stage, and Benny stops and faces the audience and just sings some hymn. It was odd for me; I had to have been on stage with my hands in the air just praising God with my eyes closed for five minutes before he turned to over to pray for me. I felt like I was going to fall over. I wasn’t nervous, I wasn’t tired–but just that the presence of God there was so strong I couldn’t stand up. I’m not a feel-the-presence of God type of guy either–so for me that was saying something about this whole thing. Then he simply came over to me and put his hand gently on my jaw/throat area and spoke something over me and told me to receive my anointing. He backed away and his bodybuilding ushers yanked me away, almost making me trip over myself.

To be honest with you, I was under something–in a good way, for the rest of the night–I’m telling you what! Say what you will about him, but there was a presence on him and the only way I know how to describe it was like “liquid warmth” all over my body and my feet and hands could shoot electricity out of them if I had something sick to lay hands on. I’m still marveling in the experience as I think about how to word it for this blog entry.

All in all, it was not a bad weekend, and I knew I was going to receive impartation this weekend at a conference like this on soul-winning and a passion for the lost. But I thought I would just be stirred up by the teaching. I had no clue I’d be up on stage for a few moments with Benny Hinn laying hands on me. There probably weren’t more than 20 of us ministers who went up on stage in this stadium of a few thousand people, so I appreciate and covet that I was one to share this privilege. Some of you are mad and think I’ve lost my head because you’ve already decided the guy is a demon-possessed false prophet and rich fake healer or whatever, but trust me, it was not the devil that came over me as he prayed! Anyway, ya’all know whether I’m flaky or solid, judge it for what it’s worth.

So many many many thanks to Walter for taking me on this trip! It was good to get to know one another better and bond in this way as well as to be challenged and blown away by the conference and to come back to the Netherlands with some gasoline for the fire.

Click here for the Full Flame theatrical trailer to get an idea of what the Full Flame Film Series is about–that this conference was anchored on. But I beg you to take the 12 minutes to watch the Lost at Sea movie clip. It’s the introduction to the DVD series. It will stir you and challenge you about how the Church of God is supposed to be a lifeboat for the lost, not a cruise ship for the saved. The theme is that we are called to get out of the boat, not stay in its protection while others around us drown. I cried watching this at the conference.

Blessings!