TODD BENTLEY INTERVIEW

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Todd Bentley is a man who was born into an inescapable pit, remaining there 18 years and digging deeper all the while. His unsaved parents divorced in his early childhood, and young Todd followed in his father’s hopeless and defiant steps of being a drunkard and a user. Todd had a "biker" mentality and was also in the occult, and he needed the rescuing that only God can do. Thankfully, Jesus lifted him out of that pit when he was 18 and filled him with the Spirit- tongues and all.

As a baby believer, Todd cut his teeth on Good Morning Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn. Thinking that Benny’s several hours of daily prayer were "normal Christianity", Todd decided to do more (he both worked a normal job and prayed up to 12 hours a day). Todd’s intense hunger has initiated a life of him intensely, supernaturally, and undeniably encountering the Living God. This riveting interview is meant for you, The Remnant. My desire is that you might experience God the Father in the intensity and depth that Todd did as well. Jesus’ anointing is for you. Do His acts. Be blessed.

 

Kathryn- There are a lot of people in America who haven’t yet heard the name of Todd Bentley. Could you tell me who Todd Bentley is?

Todd- Todd Bentley is the founder of Fresh Fire Ministries, which is based in Vancouver, Canada. We have a mandate to take God’s saving, healing, and delivering power to the nations. We emphasize on healing and deliverance to the love of God, and out of His presence- healing for sick bodies and broken hearts. And, in our crusades in different nations, we do evangelistic type crusades in Africa, India, Mexico, different countries in Europe and places… We do crusades anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 people in a single service. Very much evangelistic with miracles, signs and wonders, and that’s kind of who I am as a person, is an evangelist. I’m called to see people saved, healed and delivered, come into wholeness and set free, destroy the works of the enemy. There’s also a real part of who I am in the area of mercy and compassion, so that’s expressed through humanitarian projects that we do in different countries. Congo, Malawi, where we do feeding, going and feed the hungry as well as building children’s homes and orphanages and things like that. So, people would ask who Todd Bentley is, I would say, in a definition, in just one moment of "who am I?", I would say I’m a man deeply in love with Jesus and it was His presence... and, I am undone because of His presence and how it impacted my life. And, who I am is somebody that lives for the preaching of the gospel and seeing the kingdom of God not just coming in word only, but come in power and see the demonstration of the real gospel. People experience His love demonstrated through healing and deliverance.

Kathryn- And you were just with Heidi baker and Roland? Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Todd- Heidi is really precious, Heidi and Roland and their ministry in Mozambique. We’ve become dear friends in the spirit. We very much believe in what they’re doing and have partnered in with what they’re doing in Africa. Heidi and our ministry worked together in a project in Malawi this past June which was an evangelistic crusade, but also a feeding for tens of thousands of people who were hungry in Malawi. People were being struck by the famine and we just did a mass feeding and with the feeding as the crowds gathered, we preached the gospel. It was love in action. We partnered together on that project, and in canadian funds (the distribution and all the crusade entailed) was over nearly half a million dollars.

Kathryn- But with the signs and wonders following…

Todd- Signs and wonders! Yes.

Kathryn- Can you tell me a little bit about what the biblical purposes of signs wonders and miracles are?

Todd- Sure! There are many different reasons why miracles happen. And, I always say the number one reason why God heals people today- and we always think about the great, theological reason on why miracles happen- the number one reason why God heals people today, believers and unbelievers alike, is love. The compassion of Jesus moved to heal every sickness and disease, and it’s the love of God more than anything else that is the motive or the reason behind why God touches and heals people.

Then there are several other Biblical reasons and purposes. For one, it’s- some would say- the dinner bell. Great multitudes came to hear the Word, and be healed. And so, we owe it to the world- an encounter with God’s power. A demonstration of God’s power, then hear the gospel. And so it’s the demonstration of God’s power that draws people who normally wouldn’t go to church. And they come to see, and a lot of them come in their desperation. And so, it’s very much the dinner bell. It’s a sign that causes the unbeliever to wonder if God is really alive.

Kathryn- You say we owe it to the world. Can you explain that?

Todd- When I say we owe it to the world, an encounter with God’s power, it’s because for so long what we’ve given the world has been religion. And they’re looking for, they’re searching for, something that’s real, something that’s genuine. And, because we’ve given the world religion and we’ve given the world in so many different ways hypocrisy. And when they see Christianity today on television, the idea that they have of what "Christianity on television" is, we now owe it to the world something that’s real and something that’s genuine. We owe them an encounter with God, because all that we’ve given them is empty words and promises that so many times have been broken. So that’s what I mean by that.

Kathryn- Aside from people getting born again and filled with the Spirit, what is the greatest miracle that either you or someone on your team has experienced?

Todd- Physical miracle?

Kathryn- Yes.

Todd- Yes. One of the greatest miracles I think that we’ve ever witnessed is I remember this young 16 year old girl in India who had polio in both her legs from birth- she was just a young teenager. Both her legs were twisted outwards, kind of like pretzels. Both her legs were twisted so her feet pointed out to the sides. She couldn’t walk; she had two metal braces, and there were crutches that were attached to her arm. And when she walked, she kind of had to turn her hip and pull one leg out in front of her, and turn her other hip and pull the other leg out in front of her so she kind of dragged her body. And, she had come to our meeting in India and had me pray for her twice- two nights in a row, and nothing had happened. And, on the last night, I had a big healing line for cripples and she, once again in desperation, just pressed through, got in the line, and tapped me on the shoulder.

Well, I was praying for somebody else and I kind of looked at her and I thought, "Oh, honey, I’ve prayed for you five or six times in the last two nights." And, I just… really, inside, I’ll be honest, I really thought that if anything was going to happen it was going to happen later, or it would have happened already, so I kind of just turned around and just touched her with a courtesy prayer. Because, I had to go on… there were so many hundreds of others that needed prayer and I had prayed for her so many times. And, really, within me, my human compassion wanted to just stay and pray with her over and over and over.

Well, she had just fallen under the power and I went on and I heard the crowd scream and she was up behind me, running, and trying to take steps and run. And, you could hear her respiratory system, and she was breathing like somebody who had run up and down like fifty flights of stairs, but really she had only taken a few steps. But, because she had never been able to walk, and most of the time she had just laid bed-ridden, she had never really been able to use her legs, so when her body really started to move, her respiratory system had come alive. She had been without exercise because she hadn’t walked because of the polio, so mostly people just carried her. And, when she did walk, she had to drag her legs and they were both dead. So, I remembered her lying under the power of God, and her face and her legs vibrated like this, and they just vibrated and shook up and down and, she didn’t just walk, she ran. And, that was one of the greatest miracles. Though we’ve seen many other creative miracles where we’ve actually witnessed… this has got to be one of the greatest miracles right here… let me just share this one. This is an amazing miracle:

I was in a meeting in Uganda, Africa, where there was a woman who had been to all the witch doctors and all the soothsayers because she had breast cancer. And, you know, just not being able to have money for medical, she’d go to the local witch doctors and soothsayers to be healed of cancer in her breast. After two days of our crusade in Uganda, we had seen just 176 people get saved in two nights. And, you know, the rains would come, so maybe six thousand would gather. So, the rains came, and you know, there is a whole lot of witchcraft. And, it was in the second night, this woman had come to the service.

Three years earlier she had breast cancer, and she hadn’t received her healing, so the breast was totally removed, and she was without one breast. During the mass prayer, she grew a brand new breast… right during the mass prayer. And, she came up on the platform for everyone to see and know that, "I have a brand new breast." The night after her miracle, over eighteen hundred people, at one time, went through mass deliverance; and many of them were witch doctors and soothsayers that had all showed up the next night to see what kind of power does the white man possess that he could even cause breasts to grow. So, all the soothsayers and witch doctors and people in witchcraft showed up… the magicians… they wanted to see. So, the crowds went from six thousand to twenty-five thousand that third night of the crusade in Uganda. And, because of her one miracle, over thirty-four thousand people gave their lives to Christ. And, hundreds of those people were in witchcraft themselves, and they now said, "Jesus is the One," and they turned their lives over to the Lord.

Kathryn- Wow. So, what do you say to the people who go to the church and practice churchianity? When they think of miracles, they think that when all of the Apostles (like Peter) died, miracles died with them? What would you say to them?

Todd- I would say to the people that are sincere and have never witnessed a healing or a miracle, or they would believe that miracles passed away two thousand years ago, I would say to them, "Do you love the Lord?" Because, if you love the Lord, you’re going to be in heaven whether you believe in miracles or not. And so, you’re probably a good Christian. But, why be satisfied when there can be more? You see, people go, Do I have to speak in tongues? Do I have to? And I go, No. You get to. You know. People go, Do I have to do miracles or believe in miracles to go to heaven? NO. But, you get to, and it’s an adventure. And so, I would say to them, you know, just be a little bit more open and say, God, is there more? Because, it is an adventure. Don’t be satisfied with where you’re at. And, I would encourage them that Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever. And, if we really believe that, that He’s the same today, then He still does what He did two thousand years ago today. And, if that’s true, then let’s believe Him for the entire gospel. Let’s not just be satisfied with where we’re at.

And though where you’re at is you’re a good Christian, you love God, you’re sincere, and you’re going to heaven… But, you get to. And, if you get to, come on in to the adventure, because it really is an adventure. And, it’s not a requirement for salvation, but why not see God’s power come upon your life to see others set free? Because I know that it’s within them to want to see people saved and healed. And so, I would say to those that there’s an invitation. So, be hungry, and say, Lord, if there’s more… and be open to having the truth about being presented to them in such a way that they would know that it’s in the scripture. And, I would invite them to check out either our ministry, or any other ministry, supposedly, that has signs and wonders and really look at it. And be open to say, if there really is more, God, I’d love to be a part of the adventure. You know, this stuff is happening, and can happen, through every believer.

Kathryn- so, you’re saying that we have the same mandate.

Todd- I’m saying we have the same mandate. These signs will follow those who believe. But, there is a place where, these signs will follow those who believe in the signs. It’s like, just because you’re a believer, it doesn’t mean these signs will follow those who "believe". Because, if you’re a believer and you’re not seeing any signs, well that means (to you) that that passage of scripture can’t be true. Because, the Bible says, these signs will follow them who believe, and I know lots of believers who don’t have any signs following after them. Well, there has to be a place where it’s these signs will follow them who believe… but you have to believe in the signs. And so, if you believe that you can speak in tongues, you’ll speak in tongues- because you get to. You don’t have to, but you get to. But if you don’t have any faith for that, then that’s not a requirement of salvation. But then, it’s according to your level of faith and expectancy and hunger. Unless God just decides to blow into your box and blow it up, and He does that too.

Kathryn- When you preach, you seem pretty much possessed by the Holy Spirit. Do you feel that way when you’re up there… because, you’re very ignited. Who would you compare yourself with?

Todd- You know, I’m very focused. And, who would I compare myself with? I’ve had people compare… and, I’m going to let what others have said speak, you know, rather than what I would say… But, this is what others have said: Just today, actually, Andrew White said, You’re like a Charles Spurgeon when you preach. I’ve had others say of my meetings, It’s kind of like being in a meeting with Paul Cain moving in the word of knowledge and revelation (though I wouldn’t put myself on that level at all), and others would say, It’s kind of like you’re in a meeting with Rodney Howard Brown. This is so because as I move in the joy and renewal and healing, and I alas move in the gift of the word of knowledge and prophecy. And, I kind of function back and forth between the two. And so, I can be in one meeting and just call out people by name and prophecy and move into these words of knowledge that are detailed, and then jump over into the area of healing. And then there’s JOY. And so, people have made these comparisons quite a bit actually and in several different places.

Kathryn- That’s a pretty tall order for a 27-year-old. You look at many preachers and pastors, and when they see someone who has a lot of zeal, they’re like, Oh, you just got born again… And, you oftentimes try to see them try to squelch that. And yet, their church is dead, dry, barren, you know, no joy, no laughter, no power, no salvations, no vision, no world-wide trying to get ANYONE to come to the Lord. What’s the difference between you and the pastor who’s been sitting there, self-complacent, for a couple of decades?

Todd- You know, people have asked me that question in many different places that we’ve been. And, they want to understand why is God doing what He’s doing with Todd Bentley, with Fresh Fire Ministries? Why a 27 year old? And, some have been locked into their idea of who God uses and their idea of "well, it’s just zeal, and he’s a new Christian…" So, those things have actually kept them, for many years, away from the ministry; even though they haven’t been able to deny the fruit and things like that. And, just recently, even within the last several years, leaders today in the church like Mike Bickle, John Arnott… leaders that have really been a part of revival… Randy Clark and I are dear friends, and the Chavda’s, and different ones… And, they’ve embraced this quickly. Leaders of what God is doing in the prophetic movement… whether it’s Rick Joyner or others, and they’ve recognized in many ways what God is doing. And, that’s brought some credibility to us… the fathers and the mothers that have been doing this for twenty and thirty years or longer- like the Chavda’s- the different generals that we’d recognize in the church today, especially in the revival movement and the prophetic movement. They’ve brought credibility. By them being willing to say, You know what? We can’t deny that people are being saved and healed. You know, there’s an anointing there. Let’s give him an opportunity. And, they’ve brought me in. I thank God for that. And, I really honor my mothers and fathers.

And, people would ask me why? And, I would have to say, God’s grace. Because, the call of God and the grace of God (is on my life). And, I could point out again and again throughout history… Charles Spurgeon started preaching when he was nineteen. People are willing to recognize him as a preacher. But what about when he was nineteen? You know Benny Hinn… in his early twenties. And, how many others today were just in their early twenties? And, we forget, you know, I’m in my early twenties.

And so, a lot of pastors, once I’m forty or fifty, they’re going to be like, Come on into my church. But, they missed it. Right now, they’re not denying that it’s there. But, they’re trapped because of how young I am and because of in my youth, there is a zeal because of my youthfulness. Because I am twenty and because I am young. But, that doesn’t take away from the anointing. The Bible says, Let no man despise you because of your youth. Many leaders in the church today have been willing to lay all that aside, and even look to me as a father. I have many interns and disciples that are twice my age that I’ve raised up and are now in the ministry doing what we do. And so, they’ve laid aside knowing a man after the flesh. And they said, Let’s know him after the Spirit. Because, the fruit is there. And so, God’s grace has definitely brought an anointing. He’s brought ones around me who have brought favor and credibility. And, it’s been His favor and credibility that He wanted to bring to my life and ministry by the relationships that we have.

And, people go, what about protection? Well, my wife, she’s with me here. My wife travels with me. She can be on any trip that she wants to. We have an agreement together as we set my schedule, we set it together. We make a priority to book off birthdays and Christmas and holidays and all these things. And, I have around me accountability in the area of… we’ve submitted our ministry each year to a government audit for protection in what we do with our finances. And that is just God’s wisdom. We set things in place, you know, I never travel alone. There’s always a team of people around me. I’ve set things in place, I have an apostolic board, which, you know, I have James Goll, Bill Johnson- a pastor in California, and different ones that I really look to, and they’ve really spoken into my life. And then, I have a prophetic advisory board, you know, prophets today that have recognized, Bobby Connors, Pat Coking, Bob Jones… And I have a pastoral board who I can submit to them everything that the prophets are giving me. If I need prophetic advice, I can go to the fathers. If I need help because somebody wants to challenge me theologically, I can turn it over to them and say, Guys, help me on this. Write our position on this truth or our position on that… So, I’ve got in place a lot of protection around me.

Kathryn- It’s so interesting you explaining that. It’s like a teaching in and of itself. What would you say to a girl or a young man, or someone who wants that intimacy with God that you were speaking of, and who wants to step out. What is your message to that person?

Todd- Well, the first thing is, before we step out into the ministry, there needs to be a definite call, where God makes it clear that it’s time. If you’ve heard my testimony, it became very clear and evident that it was time.

Kathryn- And so, God is able to make it clear.

Todd- God is able to make it clear. And, it may not come as dramatic as it did for me, and there may be other steps that He leads you into, but be sure that you have a strong local church behind you. And that you have the blessing of other ministries around you. And that you’re willing to… you see, most of what we’re doing right now… we’re at a place of ministry right now that we have 31 staff, 56 worldwide. We’re running a ministry that’s now in the millions, and we’re doing over 19 nations a year (outside of Canada and America) and we’re breaking out into crusades and all those things. But, we work within a team. I still go into different conferences and still work together with different ministries. I don’t want to be independent. I don’t want to be by myself. And so, I want to have relationship.

Kathryn- When they hear naysayers. When they hear people say, Oh, you shouldn’t do it. You can’t do that. What is your word to them?

Todd- I would encourage people to always go by what the Lord said, because it’s better to obey God rather than man. But, be careful and still keep a humble, submissive heart about it. And, just say, You know what? I agree to disagree, brother. But, we love one another in the Lord. So, let me take this step. And, if I fall, be there for me. And, if they were true in their heart, they’d be willing to let you get out on the water and sink, rather than try to keep you in the boat. And so, I would say in relationship, Guys, we’re disagreeing on what you’re sensing the Lord is saying. And, because we’re in relationship together and we love one another and there’s honor between the two of us, would you love me enough to let me take this step out onto the water? And, if I sink, will you love me enough to be there for me when I fall? And, if I don’t, will you rejoice in me if it goes? And, I’m not going to come and say, I told you so. Because, we’re in the church as brothers. That’s what I would say. And, that’s how I walked through.