By Paul Strand
CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent
June 6, 2008
CBNNews.com - HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania - Ten weeks in, daily and nightly revival services still continue in Lakeland, Florida.
They've been marked by thousands of healings, both there and across the world where people have been watching the services via God-TV or the Internet.
But many Christians have wondered, where does this revival go from here?
The End of Spectator Christianity
CBN News caught up with Patricia King of Extreme Prophetic ministries just after arrived from a visit to Lakeland.
What's happening there, she said, "is for the whole Body of Christ."
King believes the anointing to get out of the pews and heal others is available to anyone who comes to Lakeland or watches the revival on TV or the Internet.
She said, "I hope it's the end of spectator Christianity. I do believe it's for everyone."
When we saw her, King was getting ready to minister at the Voice of the Prophets conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, hosted by Randy Clark's Global Awakening ministries.
Clark is the evangelist who the Lord used to help kick off the Toronto Blessing in 1994 and he is giving a very public endorsement to what's begun in Lakeland.
Clark put out a letter to the Christian world, saying that what he's seen in Lakeland "convinces me that the season has come for another Healing Revival."
Why's he taking such a public position?
"Generally speaking, the leaders of the last revival always persecute the next one," Clark told CBN News.
He wanted to decisively break that horrible pattern.
"I felt it was very important that those of us who were leaders gave our blessing," he said.
North America's Time Has Come
For years, Clark has been sending out huge teams overseas who have taken part in the kind of divine visitation for healing he's desperately wanted in North America.
Now he's writing in that public letter "I believe the time of such a visitation has come."
He said, "The unique thing for me with this is what we've been seeing overseas we're seeing here now."
Todd Bentley, the most prominent figure God's been using in Lakeland, is ecstatic about that.
When the outpouring started, Bentley called King.
"He said, 'Patricia, the sick are being healed and it's right here in North America; it's happening right here in North America!" she recalled
King believes the Lord has told her Christians need to see how they fit in.
She said, "It's for a purpose…not just to sit in a revival night after night. It's so that you can take it back to where you're from and in your sphere of influence and just let it blaze.
"And we've been hearing testimonies of people who've even watched it on the media where it's breaking out in their regions, their churches, their nations," she added.
Clark told us, "I definitely do believe that around the world that this is already happening and I just want to get to be in on it myself."
Not only does Clark believe this revival is going to spread across the nation, but also that it's going to be big.
He says he's received several prophecies to 'get ready for the stadiums.' In other words, it's going to be so big in a city, the only place that can hold all the people coming would be a stadium."
Of these prophecies, Clark said, "I actually met three people of different races on different continents who gave me the exact same vision."
Clark feels the Lord told him of several North American cities that will soon see these stadium-size revival services break out.
It's his vision now to train up a thousand saints to minister healings in every one of those cities. That's because, as Clark wrote, "God's going to anoint 'believing believers' to take part in this new move of the Lord."
And Clark believes a hallmark in the cities God will target is that, "There'll be some people crying out 'God, we're desperate for you to come visit.'"
King added, "From Lakeland it's going to start hitting cities where there are hungry people that'll gather together in the name of Jesus and wait on Him and just release their faith to do the stuff. It's not going to be contained in one place. It's going to spread. It's going to move. It'll go from city to city."
Not Your Typical Evangelist
Clark also believes God's going to amaze "unbelieving believers" who've been taught God doesn't even do healing anymore in these days.
But one of his main concerns right now is how some fellow Christians are making harsh judgments against Bentley and the Lakeland outpouring itself.
Bentley is covered with wild, colorful tattoos and sports metal on his face. He screams out "Bam!" as he lays hands on people, many of whom immediately fall to the floor, "slain in the Spirit."
Of the revival, Clark said he's worried, "Some people are judging it because Todd doesn't look like your typical evangelist."
But Clark pointed out, "The reality is people are getting healed - and a lot of them. And the Gospel is being preached."
He begs fellow believers "Don't miss the anointing!"
RELATED LINKS:
Letter from Randy Clark
Extreme Prophetic with Patricia King
Global Awakening
Ignited Church
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