If only we could go on word of mouth…
Randy Clark, casual in jeans and spiky gray hair, has barely begun to lead the worship when some people up front are already “blasted by the Holy Spirit.”
Falling backward at his touch, they twitch and moan and grimace. A woman’s heels drum against the floor. Rapturous cries rise from the crowd. “More frequency. More. More,” Clark prays, above the chaos. “In advance of the miracles you’re bound to do among us tonight, we say thank you.”
And before it’s over almost three hours later, dozens of people declare themselves healed — of pain from an ankle injury, arthritis in a foot, limited hearing in one ear, curvature of the spine, a “spirit of anger.”
That recent scene in a brick office building in Lower Allen Twp., home to Clark’s ApostolÂic Resource Center of Global Awakening, is a window on charismatic Christianity — whose followers insist the Holy Spirit still works miracles.
It’s the fastest-growing segment of Christianity worldwide, and Clark is among its leaders.
He rose to prominence 14 years ago when he launched a revival in Canada that became known as the Toronto Blessing. For years, the revival drew pilgrims from all over the world, including the midstate.
They practiced the New Testament “gifts of the spirit” — healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues — and discovered new ones — “holy laughter,” for example, or teeth suddenly turned gold.
Since 2001, drawn by a prophecy and friendship with Charles Stock, the pastor of a charismatic church called Life Center in Swatara Township, Clark has been based in the midstate.
He launched tours around the world from here, drawing tens of thousands at a time to services in Brazil, India and elsewhere and keeping count of the healings. A textbook for his Global Awakening School of Supernatural Ministry shows the statistics in bar charts: “Lame Walking,” “Tumors Disappear,” “Deaf Hearing,” “Blind Seeing.”
And though he doesn’t claim to have witnessed resurrections, Clark says he has talked with people in Mozambique who were raised from the dead — and the pastors who raised them.
Now, with a new $3.5 million building in Rossmoyne Business Center and almost 40 people on staff, “We’re beginning to see things happen in the U.S. that we used to see only outside the U.S.,” Clark says.
“I expect we’re going to have a visitation of God in the United States now.”
December 11th, 2009 9:31 am
Anything is possible with God. If demons can cause illness and the removal of them can appear to heal, and there IS the gift of healing mentioned in scripture, it is certainly possible people have been healed.
I know a baptist minister and psychologist who had his disbelief in miracles challenged when he went on a short term mission trip to Australia and witnessed one healing (club foot healed and grew before his eyes) and participated in another healing (external tumors shrank and disappeated while praying with hand on her with a prayer partner). He said it blew his mind.
But its a shame we cant trust people who make such claims.
December 11th, 2009 9:40 am
Wb, I completely agree; however, this man is one of the big wigs in the ‘Revival’ movement along with Bob Jones, Mike Bickle, Todd Bentley.
I have to be reminded that in the Gospels, although healings weren’t commonplace, Christ still told various people not to say anything. Here, they are used to bring in more visitors and hence, money.
Miracles happen, but I don’t trust this man here.
December 11th, 2009 10:24 am
Along with all the many other things I retch at related to Randy et al…I’m wondering what plane God’s flying in on to make His visitation to the United States? And does that leave the throne empty?
Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves not dumb as sheep.
December 11th, 2009 2:11 pm
Why are the newly discovered ones always dorky?
Jeff
December 11th, 2009 3:50 pm
Polycarp says: I have to be reminded that in the Gospels, although healings weren’t commonplace, Christ still told various people not to say anything.
While only a few people are mentioned individually who were healed, Matthew indicates that healings by Jesus were commonplace:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 4:23-25 (NIV)
December 11th, 2009 5:45 pm
Wait – good catch – I mean commonplace in the society. I stand in error of my fast typing and no proof reading.
December 11th, 2009 4:55 pm
[...] From something Joel mentioned at the Church of Jesus Christ–Holy Spirit works healing miracles, charismatic Christians say [...]