disgusted July 27, 2007
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,” declares the LORD, ” I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD. -Jeremiah 23:29-32
“From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,” says the LORD.
-Jeremiah 6:13-15
Not an hour ago I was seething. I was livid. Outraged, appalled, sickened, disgusted. I was flipping around on the TV and came to Benny Hinn’s show. (For those of you who don’t know, Benny Hinn is a usually heretical prosperity teacher who holds healing conferences and, from what I can see, swindles people out of their money all, to my dismay, in the name of Jesus.) I would normally have rapidly changed the channel, but something, maybe morbid curiosity, made me stay put. He had some guy on his show named Mike Murdock who made Benny Hinn look like a saint. The man told this “story” about how he used to be dirt poor, but felt led to give $1,000 to some ministry and from that day forward the money just came pouring in. Random people just felt led to shower him with lavish gifts…cars, jewelry, large checks. Then he told his viewers to “plant a seed” and send him $1,000, then sit back and watch the blessings roll in. (my stomach turned) Even if they didn’t have all the money right now. (gag reflex) And remember, if you don’t have any money, a “seed” can still be planted on a credit card. (a little vomit in my throat)
As a Christian, I would like to go on the record as saying that nothing this man said is remotely biblical. God would never ask you to go into credit card debt in order to give money to some televangelist. The “evangelist” part of that word is false anyway, because there isn’t a trace of the gospel in most of their messages. Contrary to what they say, God does not need your money. God does not require you to pay up before He will hear your prayers. Blessings cannot be bought. So don’t be deceived. People who speak such things claim to represent God, but they don’t. They claim to speak the word of God, but if you’ve read the Bible at all you can see that they don’t.
Here’s a video a friend posted on her blog. It very powerfully addresses exactly what I was speaking about.
