Monday, January 26, 2015

CHARLATANS


"A CRYING SHAME: CHARLATANS in the HOUSE"

-by J. Lee Grady (-Charisma Magazine).
Churches and ministries are employing bizarre gimmicks to raise money. What has happened to our discernment?
You've probably heard it on Christian television before. An evangelist opens his Bible, reads a Scripture and then suggests that you send an odd amount of money to keep your favorite program on the air for another month.
He begs. He pleads. He cries. And then he tells you that if you hurry and give right now, "while God is stirring the waters," the Holy Spirit will reward you in an extra-special way.
I've heard different amounts suggested-such as $64.11, or $72.14, or $53.24, to correlate with some obscure Old Testament Scripture reference. The implication is that if you write a check for this magical amount, God will release some kind of special blessing on you, such as the salvation of loved ones or the quick sale of a house.
To the untrained ear this may sound like a formula for blessing. Actually it is more akin to superstition-or worse, witchcraft. It's not even remotely biblical, but those of us in the charismatic movement are so used to tolerating such shenanigans that we think this is standard procedure for fundraising.
Some ministers who raise money for Christian television stations have succumbed to the infamous "debt reduction" tactic. It goes like this: "God says that if you will give a $1,000 sacrificial offering right now (God always seems to be in crisis mode in these situations), you will supernaturally get out of debt! The miracle anointing is here! You can release it by writing that check! And we take credit cards, too!"
Talk about voodoo economics. This kind of manipulation is actually against the law in Canada. The U.S. government allows American evangelists to get away with it, but that doesn't mean it's right. It is a spiritualized form of arm-twisting.
And believe it or not, it is getting more blatant and bizarre.
A widely traveled minister recently gave a message about what he called "the Boaz anointing" at a prominent church in Florida. He then invited anyone who wanted this "new" blessing to come to the altar, where gullible souls were encouraged to deposit a check for $1,500 in the basket. Apparently the Boaz anointing can be yours if you can afford this hefty price.
At another church in my city of Orlando, a self-proclaimed prophet said that he would have a personal word of blessing to pronounce over any person who could give $1,000 in the offering. That's right- he was selling personal prophecies. Those who actually gave the amount (yes, some people actually fell for this charlatan) stood up to receive "words."
I want to rip my shirt in half and throw dust on my head.
Why should we be surprised that the church in America is making such a weak impact on society when we are allowing greedy impostors to pollute our pulpits? They are no different than the sons of Eli, who took the people's offerings "by force" so that they could spend it on their own selfish wants (see 1 Sam.2:12-16).
They have fallen into the error of the sorcerer Simon, who offered to buy the power of the Holy Spirit so that he could impress people (see Acts 8:18-20).
And what happens to the people who buy into this craziness? I've heard some suggest that "God will bless anyone who gives," even if they give to a crook. That's hogwash. Seed must be sown in good ground if it's going to produce. Those who use manipulation, strong-arm tactics or Scripture-twisting to get money, or who sell the anointing of God so they can buy clothes and houses are not going to release any form of blessing.
In fact, they just might release curses-of poverty, bankruptcy, fraud and confusion. Such dark forces actually follow ministries that have given themselves over to this spirit of financial manipulation. The Bible actually says that charlatans-those who follow the "error of Balaam"-will face a harsh judgment in the "black darkness" of hell (Jude 11,13).
What can you do about this? You don't have to stop giving. God loves a cheerful giver, but He does not want us to give under compulsion. Nor does He want us to reward the modern sons of Eli.
Speak out. Confront those who misuse the Bible to dig for money.
Change the channel. Get up and walk out. Give to ministries that focus on meeting real needs and maintain ethical accounting  standards. This financial foolishness will end when all of us take a stand.
SOURCE:  http://www.charismamag.com/fireinmybones/
NOT SURPRISINGS THE HYPOCRITICAL LEE GRADY THE FORMER EDITOR OF CHARISMA DOESN'T TAKE HIS OWN ADVICE? HE IS NOT SPEAKING OUT AND CONFRONTING THOSE WHO MISUSE THE BIBLE TO DIG FOR MONEY?  YOU DON'T HEAR MUCH FROM GRADY OR CHARISMA ABOUT CROOKED EGOTISTIC NARCISSISTIC TV EVANGELISTS?
AND OF COURSE HYPOCRITICAL CHARISMA HAS NOT REPORTED ON THE DEATH OF THE CHURCHES THAT WERE RUN BY IT'S PASTORAL FRIENDS IT HAD SUPPORTED  INCLUDING KARL STRADER AND CARPENTER'S HOME CHURCH, RON CLARK OF LIVING WATER CHURCH, AND RANDY WHITE OF CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS? IT ONLY TALKS ABOUT THE LIVING NOT THE DEAD?
AND CHARISMA WOULD NOT PUBLISH THE FOLLOWING
The demonised idiots in the Third Wave make a lot of claims about the success of their ministry programs but unfortunately for them they don't offer much proof of their successes in terms of valid testimonies of lives transformed, marriages healed, families saved, or businesses transformed like the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship "Voice" magazine used to do in the days it was alive, vibrant and influential.

I am not a novice when it comes to Christianity or Pentecostalism and have seen all kinds of things including meetings at Melodyland Christian Center, Anaheim, California, Second World Conference on the Holy Spirit in Israel, Revival with Rodney Howard Browne at Karl Strader's Carpenter's Home Church Lakeland, Florida, Todd Bentley meetings at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, Toronto, Florida, etc.

Yes I have seen it all at the meetings but after it was all said and done there were not many significant changes in the lives of the people who went to these meetings. Rather I saw and met people who became very weird and off the wall and whose theology was extremely faulty. I met in these meetings pastors who ran around the church backwards carry communion elements, had suffered from bipolar disorder for years, were never healed and whose churches literally died. (SOAKING http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-2a4)

BETHEL TEMPLE   http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-29r
JESUS IS GOD  http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-1BH
DO IT  http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-27m
YOU MUST BELIEVE GOD http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-Fc
A HEALTH AND WEALTH CHRISTIAN  http://wp.me/p2M7AJ-24v
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