So how does Pastor Richard Taylor of the Victory church in Cwmbran respond to anyone daring to raise questions and to encourage debate about the so-called "Welsh Outpouring?" We now have the answer, in the form of an email he sent to Neville Stephens of the Zion Christian Fellowship in Talywain and the Prophetic Witness Movement, which was published on Neville's blog on 18 June, 2013:
My dear brother
Why do you find it fitting to speak negatively about what The Lord is doing through our local church. We have seen hundreds of people come to faith in Christ currently being discipled and have planted several churches in Wales to reach the lost. I find blogs such as yours brought to my attention by our church family both unloving and unhealthy. Wales needs a an awakening whilst chapels are closing down we are humbly seeking to make Jesus known to as many as possible.
The nit picking is more secondary issues that do not remove the fundamentals of our faith. We have not criticised you at any time and pray for all churches in Wales. I'm saddened by the response of those who claim to be brothers in Christ who have nothing better to do than tear down the marvellous things God is doing. We admit we are not perfect but are doing the best we can to allow The Lord to move. Many people I'm Cwmbran have been effected and come to faith including while families and our own church has grown by over 150 new converts surely we ought to rejoice. We have no connections with past revivals or ever called it one as you state. I will pray for you my dear brother that The Lord will bless you and your family and church. We are humbly seeking to His will. I don't really know of you but I'm sure you are a Godly man, pray for us.
Why do you find it fitting to speak negatively about what The Lord is doing through our local church. We have seen hundreds of people come to faith in Christ currently being discipled and have planted several churches in Wales to reach the lost. I find blogs such as yours brought to my attention by our church family both unloving and unhealthy. Wales needs a an awakening whilst chapels are closing down we are humbly seeking to make Jesus known to as many as possible.
The nit picking is more secondary issues that do not remove the fundamentals of our faith. We have not criticised you at any time and pray for all churches in Wales. I'm saddened by the response of those who claim to be brothers in Christ who have nothing better to do than tear down the marvellous things God is doing. We admit we are not perfect but are doing the best we can to allow The Lord to move. Many people I'm Cwmbran have been effected and come to faith including while families and our own church has grown by over 150 new converts surely we ought to rejoice. We have no connections with past revivals or ever called it one as you state. I will pray for you my dear brother that The Lord will bless you and your family and church. We are humbly seeking to His will. I don't really know of you but I'm sure you are a Godly man, pray for us.
Blessing
Pastor Richard
Here is my own response to this very revealing email from the man who heads up this movement, which Neville graciously published on his blog today:
Hi Neville!
Hi Neville!
I do hope you won't mind me writing to you yet again on the subject of the so-called "Welsh Outpouring!"
Returning to your blog today, I read Pastor Richard Taylor's message, and your response to him which I thought was very fair and balanced, and indeed extremely gracious! I would personally like to thank you for being prepared to open, and to continue to allow, proper debate on this very important issue. There is much at stake here!
He says, "I find blogs such as yours... both unloving and unhealthy."
Really? Since when has it become "unloving and unhealthy" to heed the Scripture that urges us to "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." (1 John 4:1)
Since when has it become "unloving and unhealthy" to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints?" (Jude v3).
Just because we WANT something to really be what we perceive it to be, does NOT of itself make it so! And if we deceive ourselves, we in turn deceive others. And such deception carries with it the intolerance of those who are not similarly persuaded. Although Pastor Richard speaks of humility, it is actually willful ARROGANCE to be so wantonly dismissive of legitimate questions being raised out of genuine concern about the origins and direction of this purported move of the Spirit!
Nit-picking??? Secondary issues??? These issues are VITAL and of PRIMARY importance in ascertaining if this is truly a move of God, or a Satanic deception!!!
He laments that he is "saddened by the response of those who claim to be brothers in Christ who have nothing better to do than tear down the marvelous thing God is doing." We can well note that he says of those who raise questions that they CLAIM to be brothers in Christ, not that they ARE, and that as TRUE brothers they are doing what TRUE BROTHERS should do, which is to - as noted - "try the spirits!" Such scornful and scathing dismissal of watchmen doing their job as having "nothing better to do" is, I fear, completely unworthy of any Christian pastor and shows him up in a very bad light indeed!
On 17 June, the Victory church hosted Nathan Morris of "Shake the Nations." Nathan Morris partnered with John Kilpatrick to commence Alabama's "Bay Revival" which is essentially the sad continuation of Kilpatrick's leading of the FALSE Brownsville, Pensacola "Outpouring!"
This week, 26 & 27 June, sees Victory hosting Roy Fields, the worship leader most associated with the "Florida Outpouring" and a big buddy of not only the nefarious Todd Bentley, but also Rodney Howard Browne the "Holy Ghost Bartender", two of the most notorious FALSE leaders (actually occult practitioners) of the contemporary "Church!"
Surely, an essential part of a pastor's role is to be a responsible gatekeeper of the fold. He has to do his best to keep the flock safe from harm. He has to be very vigilant about who enters. But here we have a shepherd who frankly is woefully negligent of such duties. And the wolves are being warmly welcomed in! (A wolf may bleat, and he may yet wear a fleece, but is he any less a wolf?) Is THIS being LOVING and HEALTHY?
The Pastor of Victory Church does NOT want questions asked about the movement there. Neither does the Enemy! The last thing he wants is for his plans to stage yet another of his great counterfeit revivals to be exposed and thwarted!!!
As Jesus said, we need to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16).
In His Name,
Rob Thomas, Merthyr Tydfil
I would encourage anyone seeking to get at the heart of what is really happening in Cwmbran to check out Neville Stephens' blog:
www.ziontalywain.blogspot.co.uk
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www.ziontalywain.blogspot.co.uk
