dave ward – Protestia

Bethel Pastor Describes God ‘Losing His Virginity’ By Having Sex with Congregation

Bethel Church’s School of Supernatural Ministry Pastor Dave Ward, who is sure to become a mainstay here on Protestia, told the congregation during an August Encounter Room service that he has a message from God given in the form of 50-year-old secular song lyrics: pucker up and take a mint, because the Lord wants to know them as Adam knew Eve, and in fact has already known them in that way.

We’ve written about Bethel Church recently, the charismatic California megachurch headed up by Bill Johnson. A few months ago they sang worship songs to themselves, talked about how angels sit around God’s throne and have farting contests, and had one of their pastrixes promote the notion that God heals through holy snoring. Mostly we ragged on them because they’ve repeatedly shut down their healing houses and supernatural healing ministries due to COVID-19.

In the case of God wanting to get real intimate with his creations, Ward took to the stage during a worship set and explained:

“I’m just going to read the words. It’s a secular song. I won’t sing it, because I don’t know the encounter would work, But I really just feel the Lord is saying these words over us.“

Ward continues that he wants the congregation to receive this into their hearts because “the Lord is going deep right now.” He proclaims of the series of man-centered, self-important, sentimental, syrupy, theoerotic lyrics: “These are the words He says over us.”

For reference, the lyrics he reads come from the 1957 folk Song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. They were written by Ewan MacColl for his lover Peggy Seeger, a woman with whom he was cheating on his wife and having an affair.

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless skies, my love
And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last ’til the end of time my love

After reading the lyrics, Ward concludes “If this song isn’t prophesying, I don’t know what is.”

We believe him.

H/T to Salt and Light for the link.

Video: Bethel Church Literally Sings Worship Songs to Themselves

In a shameless move of self-adoration and idolatrous self-aggrandization that would make our brethren that hold to the ‘regulative principle of worship’ instantly take off their shoes and chuck them at the stage, a Bethel church pastor was seen leading his congregation in self-worship and self-adulation, in possibly one of the most self-centered things we’ve ever seen.

In the video, Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry Pastor Dave Ward stands on stage and claims to have a direct revelation from God, while the music plays and the lights are sufficiently dimmed to evoke the right heightened emotion.

Take a moment and bask and show off. Just like my 3-year old daughter…I tell her 14 times a day ‘you’re the most beautiful thing in the world.’

And she puts on a dress that doesn’t go with her shorts, and she wears long socks that don’t match….she walks up to me proudly and prances around and I just go ‘oh my goodness, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’

Let’s be like that with the Lord right now. Put on your outfit. Your quirks. The things you don’t feel good about yourself, the things that don’t match. The circumstances, the challenges, the weaknesses…

Telling the congregants to act like three-year-olds and get ready to prance and twirl so that God can tell us we’re the most beautiful thing in the world, he continues:

I dare you, says the Lord, to come before me, and give the Lord a little twirl… if you’re a man do it in a manly way… but just stand, prance, twirl before the King of the universe, the Father who looks at you and says ‘before you do a thing ‘you move Me.’ You move Me. You move Me. You move Me.

Pleased as can be that they are moving God, Ward then turns it around a bit, doing a little switcheroo, telling his congregation:

Now tell him it back. Do it proud. Because I move You…I move You…tell the world, tell those around you. I move You. I move the King of the universe! I move you. I move You. I move You.”

Watch the video.

It’s so grimy it hurts.

H/T to Salt and Light for the video.