Things can get real exiting when there is something new always coming around the corner. After all God is always doing a new thing nowadays.

The Bible speaks of a condition equivalent to  being "drunk in the Spirit." But the Biblical interpretation is significantly different than what is being recommended by Rodney Browne, Kenneth Copeland, Benny  Hinn, Oral and Richard Roberts and many others too numerous to name. The Old Testament prophets, Jesus and the apostles warned of it as a judgment from God on an unbelieving people, not a blessing.

Rodney Browne tells people to be drunk in the spirit. When one is physically drunk your able to take on anyone. Your more pliable, is his pitch to the church. But the reality is, when someone is drunk they are more liberal and can be very antagonistic and obnoxious.

In Isaiah and Jeremiahs day the priests were getting drunk. And this is what God had to say in Jer. 13:12-14: "Therefore you shall speak to them this word: 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Every bottle shall be filled with wine."' And they will say to you, 'Do we not certainly know that every bottle will be filled with wine?' "Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land-- even the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem-- with drunkenness! "And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together," says the LORD. "I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them."

Spiritual drunkenness is very deceptive, in that it feels good at the time but its outcome is judgment. No one feels bad when they get drunk until afterwards, they have fun and it feels good until... Today's spiritual drunkenness is a mystical experience which has an appearance of religion, but its disguised. Jeremiah warned that spiritual drunkenness is followed by a surprise. Destruction!

When asked whether or not people have tested their experiences, they reply "Yes!" The question is how? Did they judge by their feelings or do they just know that it's God by their intuition and not by His Word? Being in church and seeing things happen doesn't necessarily mean that it's from God. We are told to test all things. The spiritual man judges all things; not hearts, but doctrine.

We are to be vigilant in receiving what is good doctrine and be responsible, mature enough to stand up to what is wrong. We are to reject the bad and cling to what is good. A spiritual person is constantly aware that there are two forces at work in the spiritual realm. If one thinks that only the Holy Spirit can influence them in spiritual matters, then they are likely candidates for being deceived. This would mean that since we have God, we are infallible immune to any straying.

If pressure is being put on you to act a certain way or believe a certain thing along with everyone else, without any test applied -- BEWARE ! This is not what Scripture tells us. What we have found is that there is a lot of psychological conditioning and autosuggestion involved to make the audience at a Rodney Howard Browne or Toronto service be geared for expectation.

There is nothing holy about losing control, outbursts of uncontrollable behavior is an accurate description of what is going on in this movement.  Is this not what is happening in Pensacola , Toronto and Rodney Browne's meetings. What we see happening that is called manifestations of the Spirit is, in my opinion, more closely classified as works of the flesh, its not the spirit being manifested but the works of the flesh being manifested. Gal. 5:21 --The word "revelries" refers to "a cutting loose; rioting; a consequence from being drunk." Likewise, the word "lasciviousness" means excessive action; an absence of restraint." Feelings or manifestations cannot be justified on their own as to whether or not they are from the Holy Spirit. They must be examined by Scripture. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit which is operated by self control not the opposite. They are called fruit, not fruits because they all go together.

When people are relaxed and given the suggestion  that what is taking place is from God, they relax  and go along with the program. They can do funny things such as rolling on the floor, howling like coyotes, bark like dogs, have someone walk them with a leash, or become propellers on an airplane. Instead of becoming laborers in the field, this movement has  transformed a portion of the church into an experimental animal farm. 

Whenever the flesh is involved, it becomes trained to the feelings and sensations it experiences. For example, if one is an alcoholic or drug user, they get hooked on the feeling of looseness and euphoria long before they become chemically dependent. When people put down their defenses and believe that it is God who is touching them, they are training themselves for this particular sensation or feeling and will become expectant that this is what it feels like when God is there. The presence of laughing, incoherence, and paralysis is the exact opposite of the fruit of the Spirit which exhibits self control and sober-mindedness. The person with the fruit of the Spirit does not succumb to the excessive behaviors.

Is the Toronto blessing Rodney Brown and Pensacola and Benny Hinn with others actually Gods judgment instead of his blessing because of our lack of discernment? We had better find the answer.

I Peter 4:17-18: "For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Before Christ comes will he not clean out the Church to see where our affections are, is he not preparing a bride who is faithful to Him?

Could God possibly be judging us for our rejecting of truth and the knowledge of God and letting us go after our experiences much like the lukewarm disciples went after the miracles?

What is it like to fall asleep. To be drunk is like having a sedative, putting people in a stupor where one moves very little. There are others who talk in their sleep, this is what is happening to those involved in this new movement, they are sleep walking doing things they never thought they would do.  A person who falls asleep is insensitive to what is transpiring around them. people are paralyzed, become mute, spaced out, are delirious, can't speak or mutter unintelligently. If there was a fire they couldn't cope in saving their own life.

They are in a worse condition then the lost that are half awake. Their is going to be no real revival until the church comes out of its state of slumber. Prov.20:1 calls wine "a mocker".  All the people I've ever seen drunk were not more flexible or pliable but more obnoxious, loud and rebellious. It is a mockery   and judgment from God on a Church that has her eyes closed.

Isa. 24:7-11: "The new wine fails, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.   The mirth of the tambourine ceases, the noise of the jubilant ends, the joy of the harp ceases.  They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.  The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none may go in.  There is a cry for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone."  If one is going to apply the scriptures on wine and joy and drunkenness they cannot just take the positive ones (of which I haven’t really found any), but need to look at it the way God does, it was a visit of  judgment.

Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum comments on the use of animal behavior. "Daniel four, where God made Nebuchadnezzar act like an ox. Here, again, the Lord’s action here was not a blessing for Nebuchadnezzar, but, rather, a judgment on an unbeliever who saw himself as a god.  In other words, from a purely biblical perspective, people acting like animals is not a sign of any divine blessing from God; on the contrary, if God is involved at all in such an event, it is a sign of judgment. But the fact is that God is not involved at all, Satan is probably involved to a great measure (he, too, is symbolized by a lion in I Peter 5:8-9) and most people on the lay level who are involved in the Toronto Phenomenon have been deceived by false teachers, becoming self-deceived victims of mass hysteria and mesmerism. "

Today what was once known as discernment is labeled heresy hunting and a critical spirit. We have found ourselves in a new atmosphere developed around certain individuals that have become the untouchables.  Free to dispense a new wine to their more than willing audience.

WHERE THERE IS AN ABSENCE OF DISCERNMENT HERESY WILL THRIVE!

This attitude would never have been accepted in the apostles day or even centuries after. Today is not a time to shrink back from those who say we are "Gods anointed."  We need boldness to examine whether they are under his anointing or self proclaimed leaders taking us for a ride over the waterfalls. These men are trailblazer like Paul, leading the church into another Gospel.

Can you throw God around like a baseball? Does he obey your every whim. Can you pass on his presence to another person or an inanimate object?  Can you breathe in the Spirit, if you can then so can unbelievers! Is the Spirit a healing presence then we shouldn’t get even a toothache since he is always indwelling the believer! Is the anointing of God going to invade the U.S. and drive out every demon, when the anointing comes will all your loved ones be saved, as Benny Hinn says?  If not what makes you think you can’t speak up about it? Maybe God is using this to see whose side your on, if you’ll stand up for him and his truth. Remember Joshua "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord! " Remember Jesus said "you are either for me or against me", "you either scatter or gather."

Who is your allegiance to? A man who tells you everything God says or God himself!  We need to stop and take stock in what we are praying for.  Maybe we need to stop praying for our healing and success and pray for some discernment.

If God is endorsing theses men’s ministries than maybe he is also endorsing the Gurus, Mormonism and Christian Scientists. How can you prove he is not?  After all he's now pouring out his spirit upon ALL flesh, right!

Rom. 13:11-14: "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. "

Does anyone have ears to hear?  Lets get back to the ancient ways and live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, not out of the mouth of men.