Chester Hensley

[Whole Hearted]

Originally Posted by BHILL

Chester Hensley was best friends with my pastor and my pastor messed up and our church split,the con pastor then took the split.I believe thats why CH didn't like him,and I believe the con pastor thought CH was nuts.

I grew up about 20 miles away from where Hensley pastor and I agree, in his last few years he was nuts.

[winklebottom]

I have heard so many sad stories (even on this website) of congregations who's pastor had "gone nuts" and I still don't understand, I guess I am nieve, how the people let it happen right before their eyes....or other preachers don't step up to the plate and offer help and guidance. I feel so bad for the saints who put their every hope and faith in their pastor, just to see it crash around them in confusion...

[Whole Hearted]

Originally Posted by winklebottom

I have heard so many sad stories (even on this website) of congregations who's pastor had "gone nuts" and I still don't understand, I guess I am nieve, how the people let it happen right before their eyes....or other preachers don't step up to the plate and offer help and guidance. I feel so bad for the saints who put their every hope and faith in their pastor, just to see it crash around them in confusion...

I agree it is sad and yes there are way to many sad stories out there.

[stasis]

Chester Hensley is a folk legend among some people.

I hear tales of many miraculous things happening during his ministry. I've even heard it said that he was able to move the sun across the sky and direct the wind with his fingers. I guess some people actually believe these things, despite the fact that if the sun moved out of place a decimal of a degree everything on earth would be destroyed, let alone the actual concept that God would give someone the ability to jerk the sun around (or the Earth) just for kicks on a Tuesday afternoon in the park or something. I mean, it sounds like Elisha had nothing on this guy.

I understand that when Chester Hensley died (in a car accident, or of cancer... I've heard two different stories), his congregation placed his casket within a hexagram, aka 'star of david' or 'seal of solomon', and hoped he would rise from the dead. He didn't.

For a while it seems some people regarded him as a kind of Pentecostal or Charismatic super-saint after he died... Like William Branham, I suppose. Everyone thought they inherited his ministry, or had been passed 'the mantle'. In fact, I think some preachers in the SE Texas area still believe they are the 'chosen one'. I never knew the man personally. He may have been a pleasant person, but it sounds like the stories of his ministry have become more and more distorted over time after his death. I mean, I hear all kinds of fantastic tales... gigantic fireballs flying out of baptistries and floating around the auditorium... Thousands of people being miraculously healed of diseases, ditch water miraculously turning into gasoline (instead of wine) to fill an empty fuel tank.

I personally would have liked to see a quadraplegic suddenly grow four new limbs, but I tend to doubt that happened. I mean, God can do anything he wants, but i'll have a healthy skepticism regarding the tales I've heard.

I also heard a person who was a member of Chester's church say that one of the seals of Revelation were opened during one of his church services... The Sixth Seal, I believe. Which is odd, because I thought only the lamb was worthy to open the seals. Perhaps the lamb decided to announce it's opening one night or something... sounds sort of like a grand-opening ceremony where someone cuts a ribbon with a gigantic pair of scissors, only probably with lots of freaky yelling and such.

It's funny how you always hear of such amazing miracles from other people who heard it from someone else who heard it from someone else. EG "Brother so-and-so went on a missionary trip to the Congo and raised someone from the dead!" Not that I don't believe miracles can happen. Obviously God can do anything he wants to do.

I also heard that in his latter days Chester was on a 'Nazarite Fast', and wouldn't shave. Someone named Randy Clark reportedly lambasted him about this quite a bit. Of course, Randy Clark also married a lady who was trinitarian (her name is Renee, they're still married.), and Chester wasn't too big on trinitarians, so he prophesied that this marriage would destroy Randy's 'ministry'. Randy Clark now runs a big charismatic 'ministry' called Triumph Church in Nederland Texas where he tells people that Jesus wants them to get rich and that Christ's disciples were entrepreneurs. It's like Tony Robbins, but with select bible verses, and lots of people dancing around in tutus and swinging from the ceiling on cables and twirling on the platform. Entertainment factor: 10. I understand lots of Pentecostal churches have since started having younger converts dance on their platforms to enticing music, holding two sticks, swinging them around and making the sign of the cross with them. Perhaps this comes from Randy's approach. I hear at one point in his ministry Chester liked to make grand entrances, wearing white robes with spot-lamps shining on him (I thought we were supposed to receive our robes when we die.. you know... 'he who endureth to the end'). Maybe Randy Clark got his inspiration for dramatic performances from the case of Chester's robed entrance.

Then there is the other guy who was (might still be) having church in Chester's old building. Don't know much about him. 'The Ark'. I think the named changed though... might be wrong. All I know is he says another guy named Gary Armagh is his enemy. Gary Armagh was also thought to 'bear the mantle' of Chester Hensley. Gary Armagh ran a church called World Apostolic Revival which is no more. He hooked up with a woman in his congregation and got a divorce. That tends to degrade one's reputation in 'ministry'.

Overall, it seems some people tend to be more interested in sensationalism, signs and wonders than bearing their cross and living for God.

Perhaps Benny Hinn inherited the mantle.

[winklebottom]

wow...lots of "stories" and hear-say...I wonder how much is truth. All I know is in the 70's, I saw many recieve the holy ghost in revival. And he kept my attention, which for a teenager that was hard to do!!

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by winklebottom

wow...lots of "stories" and hear-say...I wonder how much is truth. All I know is in the 70's, I saw many recieve the holy ghost in revival. And he kept my attention, which for a teenager that was hard to do!!

Well, you have made your feelings obvious, all that I know is that I saw the results of his ministry in CA, and it was tragic. A lot of lives were destroyed.

[stasis]

Originally Posted by dizzyde

Well, you have made your feelings obvious, all that I know is that I saw the results of his ministry in CA, and it was tragic. A lot of lives were destroyed.

If you have time, I'm interested in hearing what happened in CA.

The reason why is because I'm beginning to find that most of the preachers who associate themselves with the name 'Chester Hensley' are charlatans who teach a lot of false doctrine, and have very shady pasts, and exercise extreme influence over their congregations who follow blindly. Overall some of them are extremely proud individuals who blatantly conflict with the word of God. One in particular even said 'scriptures don't matter', and 'I don't need to read that' when certain doctrines were questioned with the Word of God... of course, the excuse was 'the letter killeth, the spirit giveth life' (a scripture they and most other people don't even understand), basically anything they teach is perfect and they expect everyone to believe 'the spirit revealed it to them', even when it goes against the fullness of scripture.

The general attitude borders on 'Papal Infallibility'.

Long ago I had a very high respect for some of them and believed everything they said, but thankfully I'm beginning to see things the way they really are. Their preaching is a stage performance where they get attention. As you, I've seen a lot of lives destroyed... and I want to understand more about the whole topic because it has affected my life so much.

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by stasis

If you have time, I'm interested in hearing what happened in CA.

The reason why is because I'm beginning to find that most of the preachers who associate themselves with the name 'Chester Hensley' are charlatans who teach a lot of false doctrine, and have very shady pasts, and exercise extreme influence over their congregations who follow blindly. Overall some of them are extremely proud individuals who blatantly conflict with the word of God. One in particular even said 'scriptures don't matter', and 'I don't need to read that' when certain doctrines were questioned with the Word of God... of course, the excuse was 'the letter killeth, the spirit giveth life' (a scripture they and most other people don't even understand), basically anything they teach is perfect and they expect everyone to believe 'the spirit revealed it to them', even when it goes against the fullness of scripture.

The general attitude borders on 'Papal Infallibility'.

Long ago I had a very high respect for some of them and believed everything they said, but thankfully I'm beginning to see things the way they really are. Their preaching is a stage performance where they get attention. As you, I've seen a lot of lives destroyed... and I want to understand more about the whole topic because it has affected my life so much.

I don't want to name names, but I have family that was in a church in CA that at one time was a revival church, highly regarded. They got hooked in with Hensley and after that things just went crazy. The Pastor just became a total nut job, it was the same thing were the urshers started carrying guns, the church services were like some kind of weird drama, and the pastor wound up having multiple affairs. The long time members tried to support him to the very end, and were very traumatized by the whole thing. I think this pastor might have wound up going to jail, my memory is a little fuzzy on that, but I do know that he wound up being totally discredited and disgraced. It was a real black mark in that city, a lot of people knew about it.

[Sister Alvear]

very sad... very sad indeed...so many innocent souls have been destroyed by men with great personalities...

[DaveC519]

Originally Posted by crazyjoe

...whatever happened to Chester Hensley from Nederland, TX and all of his posse?

I realize I'm a little late in responding, but when I found this thread, I felt compelled to respond, because Rev. Hensley was such a close friend of our ministry, and an even closer friend to our pastor.

I read every post in this thread, and it broke my heart to read the negative gossip, Our assembly continues to cherish our memories of him, because folks, he was the real deal. Bro. Hensley was a wonderful preacher, pastor, teacher, evangelist, and truly- a prophet of the Lord to the whole house of Israel. Now, those of you who knew him, you know what that last part means.

Many years have passed since we last had the privilege of attending one of his revival meetings in our church. My wife and I personally received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in two of those revivals. For me, it'll be 30 years this year. We also received rich teaching that continues to bless us to this day. And I can personally tell you that the things he prophesied of the Lord are still coming to pass.

Men who are used as Bro. Hensley was are few and far between. And because of that, there was much jealousy which surrounded his ministry. Now, I can't speak for his old church, or what happened there, I can only speak for his association with our congregation. But I can tell you that you don't get bitter water from a sweet spring, and vice versa. I have no reason to believe that everywhere else he was anything but what he was in our presence: he loved God, and God's people, with all his heart.

Yes, he was eccentric. Yes, he was an extrovert, to say the least. And that was part of his charm. I can still remember his corny jokes and his laugh. He was truly unique and one of a kind, and I'll continue to miss him for many years to come.