Expert: Brian Thompson - 12/30/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have some relatives who are pentecostal, I myself am catholic. I have read some of your posts concerning the catholic church and you seem to get kind of "nasty" or shall I say unchristianlike. My relatives do the same which is what really turns me off to your churches. And as far as talking in tongues--it supposidely happened to my relatives last summer as they were watching Todd Bentley and the Florida healings-----we all know why Todd Bentley no longer preaches can you please tell me how they could of been so filled with the holy spirit when todd bentley turned out to be a fraud? I do want to make very very clear that I do not believe in those healings ------ the only one who can heal is jesus christ himself (and not through anyone else). Don't you think that one of these fake healers could actually turn out to be the anti christ???


ANSWER: Ok cris

I will tell you a few things about why I think as I do.'

I was raised as a Catholic but they didn't introduce me to Jesus. I was well instructed in Catholicism but teated harshly by Catholic religious teachers. I wandered off in my teens and reentered the church by a different door thirty years later. What I have found is that God is not limited to the limitations of his people, he can use a flawed vessel if he wants too. Tod Bentley was a sad event obviously God wasn't prepared to let it go on, because Tod didn't deal with his own problems. We can all be corrupted and there are only three traps, pride, lust and greed. There has been no shortage of these in the Catholic Church so please don't do a holier than thou, when someone in another Church falls,

Something else I found is it doesn't matter what door you walk in, it is whether you know the owner of the house that matters and in some churches you may be introduced to the owner much quicker. Now I ask you, you say I have been nasty but is there anything I said that wasn't true?? Is it nasty to reveal the truth and you will find I am just as "nasty" no matter where the error lies. The Church I am in now was founded by a man who fell, very regrettable and did enormous damage to the faith of the people in the church at the time, I would not want to listen to that man even though he has been restored because it is possible he lacks discernment.

It takes faith to talk in tongues, God honours faith, not the man, so yes, your relatives may have been baptised in the spirit listening to Tod Bentley because the truth which he spoke caused their faith to rise. Tell me, how many Catholics do you know who speak in tongues?

As to healing I have seen healings, I have been the instrument of healing and I have been healed, all many times, so divine healing works, again faith is needed. Who did the healing? Jesus Christ but without prayer and faith it would not have happened.

As to the anti-Christ, he is already in the world, there have been many anti-christs and there may be many more. Will he exhibit miracles? we are told he will and to be careful, but is Tod Bentley or Benny Hinn the anti-Christ? no more likely than Pope Benedict.

You see cris. your attitude suggests that you know what it is all about, but the reality is we each only possess a piece of the puzzle. Some of us have been fortunate to find a place where our piece appears to mesh with other pieces.

Ask yourself what did Jesus mean when he spoke about the Nicolaitans. Who was he remonstrating with when he remonstrated with the Scribes and Pharassees?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I do apologize if my question about Todd Bentley came across as holier than thou-- there are corrupt people in every church-catholic also. The point I was trying to make is that Pentecostals seem to be too quick to believe anyone who can do these so called healings and that gets a little dangerous because that is exactly what the anti Christ will do. I am sorry that the catholic church did not teach you about Jesus-I have been taught about Jesus. There are a few catholics who at times have talked in tongues-mother Teresa was one, being a former catholic you must know that we only believe you can talk in tongues if you are almost saintly.

I don't mean to come across as knowing what it is all about. I don't think anyone will know the full truth until we meet the lord. But I think there are so many frauds with these healing (I don't even know if these healers are part of your church). It truly scares me that people blindly follow these people, we are told to be careful about the anti Christ exhibiting miracles but if you put them on TV people seem to just believe it's a miracle--that's not right.
I do want to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I'm sure you are a very good pastor and a very good christian person. I really just worry about those that follow healers.

Answer
Hello again cris

Let me dispell a misimpression you have, Speaking in tongues is an outward sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It is available to all believers and one of the gifts of the Spirit. I didn't say the Catholic Church didn't tell me about Jesus, they didn't introduce me to him. What I mean is this. Christianity is a relationship, a personal relationship between the believer and Jesus Christ. There is no need of any intermediatary, no need to pray to someoneelse to intercede for you. This they did not tell me but quite the opposite. They did not tell me about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, an empowering which enables you to live the Christian life. I know Catholics who speak in tongues and who have tried to teach other Catholics, they are very closely watched by the church as if, at any moment, they might become heretics.

The healings are rarely frauds, true there have been some preachers who have exploited this aspect of ministry but there are charlatans everywhere, remember Simeon in Acts, don't form your opinions from what you see on television because this is the devil's medium and you need great discernment. Pentecostals are a people to whom the miraculous is everyday, they pray for miracles, they see miracles and they expect miracles so they may not question closely when a ministry or in fact, a believer, exhibits the gifts of the Spirit. Remember they are gifts and once given God doesn't take them back even if the person themself requires rebuke. God has used some very broken vessels in powerful ministry and there are many who cannot handle the power of the Spirit, perhaps this is why the Catholic Church avoids such things

We are not called to chase after signs and those that do lack discernment, but we are are called to seek God and have expectation that he answers prayer. Signs and wonders follow the preaching of the Word so therefore ask not why Pentecostals look for them but why Catholics do not. The people perish for lack of vision. It is God's purpose that none should perish. Traditions nullify the Word of God but it is God's purpose that we should believe his Word, not the sayings of men.

Finally on the subject of healing, it is my personal experience that medical science dispite its advances beyond body snatching really knows very little, they dispense potions, some of which work and treat symptoms but healing is left to the body. I rely on God who made the body to know what is needed to heal it and he is faithfull. By his stripes we are healed, it is the Children's bread.