Prosperity gospel

I came across this four-part series of videos by Justin Peters, who has credentials as a Master of Divinity (Biblical Languages), a Master of Theology (New Testament Major / Theology Minor), and is a recognized expert on the Word of Faith movement, having done his thesis on the life and ministry of Benny Hinn.

If you yourself are involved in a church that teaches this dangerous doctrine, and/or holds Benny Hinn and other false teachers in high esteem, I beseech you to watch this four-part summary and find out for yourself just how far removed such doctrines are from BIblical teachings.

And if you know anyone — loved ones, friends, etc — who are in such a church or following pastors who actively advocate the teachings of such false teachers, please show these videos to them. Better yet, order the full DVD set¹ of the series A Call For Discernment by Justin Peters.

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From what I understand, doctors and paramedics have certain guidelines when it comes to resuscitating people who have either lost their heartbeats or stopped breathing. After a certain amount of time, the doctors and paramedics just have to make a call and declare the person dead.

How do we apply this principle when it comes to counseling wayward Christians or people who think that they are Christians?

Over the past few days, after I have highlighted how deluded Chee Seng was with the prosperity gospel, a few good brothers and sisters like Denise and Phil have been at his blog trying to counsel him and make him see that what he’s espousing and following is a false gospel.

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I feel sorry for this man in India, really I do, but his unfortunate experience does bring to mind a Biblical lesson that Christ Jesus taught about storing up our riches in heaven instead of seeking temporal riches in life.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Maybe the Prosperity Gospel preachers would like to pick up the story… then again, they might just encourage their congregation to make more money to afford better safes or ensure that they make enough to bank with the Swiss banks which don’t have this problem.

Termites feast on trader’s money

A trader in the Indian state of Bihar has lost his life savings after termites infesting his bank’s safe deposit boxes ate them up.

Dwarika Prasad had deposited currency notes and investment papers worth hundreds of thousands of rupees in a bank safe in the state capital Patna.

The bank says it put up a notice warning customers of the termites.

Mr Prasad says he did not see it in time as he did not go to the bank for months after the notice went up.

Bank officials admit they did not inform the customers individually about the termite problem.

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Over the last few days I have been led to read more of the harms of the prosperity gospel and its effects on ordinary Christians like you and me. I don’t specifically look out for these accounts, but I believe God has led me to read them and warn others.

Some are really heart-wrenching accounts where families have lost loved ones and almost everything they owned. In the end, I can only conclude that the prosperity gospel not only takes away all that one has materially and turn one’s life on its head, but, more dangerously, it can also take away lives of those who trust in the falsehoods!

In one such instance that is very well-documented, let me share with you the account from the Parker family.

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Perhaps some of you are thinking that after starting the ball rolling on a rather loud debate on the prosperity gospel, judging, discernment, motives, etc, I’m really ’smart’ to keep away and just let things roll while  not saying a word.

The fact of the matter is that I didn’t want to respond to every comment because there’s no point in doing so — the final message gets fragmented into so many comments so much so that the crux of the matter is lost somewhere along the reply to a reply to a reply…

The other fact is that I’ve been doing quite a good amount of thinking, following several comments to the post and personal emails to me addressing the issue.

And I think I’ve come to the point where I think I’m ready to take this issue of why I am doing what I am doing forward to its next level. Initially, I had thought of closing the comments on the last post on the false teachers with a last comment from me (since its my prerogative as its my blog after all, right?), but I thought a post would be better.

Let me therefore lay it all out for you as to my position. Just a disclaimer before we continue: if I quote you on your comment in a negative light, it is NOT an attack on you. Read the rest of this entry »

Ripping Off the Poor in Uganda — The Creflo Dollar Half a Million Dollar Africa Meeting

Ooh, reading this just made me boil with anger!

If not for the fact that I don’t believe in violence against another human being (and assuming that I can actually locate him while he’s zooming around in his private jet), I’ll be right up to Creflo Dollar’s face and just do something bad to him.

Uganda is one of the most impoverished countries in the world where people make less than a US dollar a day if they do make anything at all. And here comes Word of Faith ‘Christian’ preachers like Creflo Dollar who are bringing the gospel that claims Christ wants to make everyone who believes in Him rich.

Well, of course, there’s a condition — you first need to give till it hurts to the ministries of such “anointed men” like Creflo Dollar before you get financial blessings that are “pressed down, shaken together, running over”!

This is worse than simply ripping off the poor.

This is rape.

HT: Yesumulungi — African Christian Perspectives.

Get Out Before They Suck You Dry!

In my interaction with some folks following my post on the prosperity gospel teachings of a particular church in Singapore, I’ve come to hear from some who have expressed concern that they have loved ones still caught up in the Word of Faith (WoF) movement.

They wonder how best to tell their loved ones to get out.

Perhaps this testimony published at Pulpit Pimps will help — it comes from a man who has left the WoF “cult” after being involved in the movement for 30 years giving and giving to Joyce Meyer’s ministry.

I’ll share my favorite quote from the post here, something which I have expounded on again and again but few seldom listen:

The salvation of Jesus Christ is NOT about all the things that the Lord gives to His people! And people who seek the Lord for what He can give them are seeking Him for all the WRONG reasons! A person cannot receive the salvation of Christ unless first he realizes that he is a wretched sinner who deserves HELL, not all of the worldly stuff you WoF people clamor after! It’s not about getting all the STUFF. It’s about giving up their lives for HIM and becoming His slaves. Somehow you Word of Faith people have gotten that all backwards. You think salvation is about getting, and getting more It’s just STUFF, material worldly stuff, it’s CARNAL and ungodly! You think that all your STUFF is proof that you are blessed. There is one thing that is promised for sure to all true followers of Christ and that is PERSECUTION!

You Word of Faithers only think of earthly “blessings”. But God does not promise us the things of this world. Think about it What would it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your own SOUL? Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, all of those hellish creatures on TBN - I can’t even name all of the pulpit pimps on TV (and maybe even your pastor too by the way) all of them have their reward. They have their “Best Life Now”. But they can’t take any of it with them where they go!

You may want to print out and show the article to your loved ones whom you are concerned about, and may God open their eyes to see and ears to hear!

Does your church support and invite the likes of Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn et al to speak at Sunday services, and perhaps even sell their publications by the dozens at the church bookstore? If it does, it is about time you reflect on what you are actually learning at church.

I’ll leave you with what the Apostle Peter wrote regarding these WoF teachers.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 2:1-3

HT: Real Christianity.

Shalom Aleichem.

This is too funny not to post and share.

Foreword: this is a word out to Christians out there, and please understand that I do it in all love as I care about your salvation and what you’re learning from church. Sure, I might not know you from Adam, but my concern for you as a brother or sister-in-Christ compels me to write this even as I know it might draw a ton of flak.

Listen to me, and listen well: if you desire a true relationship with God and a real Christian walk, stop listening to the filth that is coming out of that pulpit at City Harvest Church!

This is my personal comment on the teachings of the pastor Kong Hee, after watching his sermon presented this morning (Sunday, January 6, 2008) via the net.

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Presenting the CD set you have always wanted to own on the prosperity gospel.

Order today and receive a pair of gold plated prison chains! Hurry, limited time offer!

I just watched a sermon at a church’s web site, and have been frantically searching for the Biblical basis for what the pastor preached on tithing and prayer.

To emphasize the point, the reading was taken from Malachi chapters 1 and 3.

Anyhow, one point that the pastor made about how men can have their prayers answered was that they need to present gifts to their wives (which is one form of honoring one’s wife).

Excuse me, but what?

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This is not an attack on any church or denomination. I am going to simply tell my story as it is, about my experience in a Pentecostal church and why I stepped out of it.

Back in my youth, during college days, I started attending Charismatic/Pentecostal church services as it was the natural thing to do. Natural because back then I was in a college run by the Anglican Church of Singapore and the school’s chapel was skewing towards the Pentecostal movement.

Moreover, I wasn’t attending any church on a regular basis as I was looking for one where I could really find the form of worship I would be comfortable with.

It was easy to step into the Pentecostal movement and feel part of the community immediately. Most of the friends I made in college were of the same inclinations — Christians who were looking a church to attend. So when seniors of the school who were also members of the church started inviting us to attend the services on Sunday, it didn’t take much to say ‘yes’ to the proposition.

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