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Praise God For Benny Hinn.

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Jacob62

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Benny has for decades demonstrated what his type of faith is all about. It is entirely based upon a prophetically derived use of Scripture to achieve his anointing displayed with excellent arm action upon crowds of people. One swooping arm wave up in the air, and down the people go.

Benny was an effective Forerunner for the Toronto Laughing, for the Pensacola Running, for gold flakes falling out if the air, for the Kansas City Babbling Prophets, and for the NAR Joel's Army. Benny prospered in all he pointed his hair at, and not everybody can do that.

I once attended a Benny Event in our local colliseum. I wanted to see if he was everything people said he was. Indeed he was, and when our local pastor smiled and asked me, "Well, what do you think of this?", I told him I understood it.

That pastor later had to deal with his exdrug dealing son philandering with a girl in the youth group. He also had to call the County Sheriff to arrest the church janitor in a truck with a fifteen year old boy from the church youth group. The guy went to the state Penn, and was heard to say, "So I am a pedophile, and I am going to Hell."

Another guy under this pastorate was on a business trip in Minnesota, and also got arrested and put in the State Penn for being with a Young boy. The Church Music minister later ran off with the pianist, divorced his wife and two little girls, and was last working at Home Depot. Another wife in that AOG Church ran off with a guy she met in an Internet chat room. We later saw them at a local holiday parade, sitting there and enjoying it with her new friend. She said "Hi!"

Another guy in the Church with a wife and two little girls hung himself in his garage. Another guy was caught filching cash from the youth group Royal Rangers.

The Pastor on a couple of occasions from the pulpit asked the Sunday congregation, "What would you folks like me to preach upon next week?" One evening, I met him in a local Bible College campus library while he was preparing his next sermon. He was sitting in a room at a table reading commentaries.

I once asked an officiating state Church leader, "Where is the word of knowledge and where is the powerful spiritual shepherding in this Pentecostal church, such that this terrible moral destruction keep happening? He did not give an answer.

A subsequent Pastor allowed a woman in the Church to teach several ongoing mixed adult Bible studies for some time. She later died of cancer, after years of prayer and victorious anointing in the Church services to receive healing.

I am well familiar with what Pentecostalism promotes and glories in through its doctrine.
 
Gotta love those catchers. You know the ones who stand behind the one about to be "zapped" by HS filled Benny.
What does that pay? I might try and get a job doing that. Haven't seen any openings recently.
 
Benny has for decades demonstrated what his type of faith is all about. It is entirely based upon a prophetically derived use of Scripture to achieve his anointing displayed with excellent arm action upon crowds of people. One swooping arm wave up in the air, and down the people go.

Benny was an effective Forerunner for the Toronto Laughing, for the Pensacola Running, for gold flakes falling out if the air, for the Kansas City Babbling Prophets, and for the NAR Joel's Army. Benny prospered in all he pointed his hair at, and not everybody can do that.

I once attended a Benny Event in our local colliseum. I wanted to see if he was everything people said he was. Indeed he was, and when our local pastor smiled and asked me, "Well, what do you think of this?", I told him I understood it.

That pastor later had to deal with his exdrug dealing son philandering with a girl in the youth group. He also had to call the County Sheriff to arrest the church janitor in a truck with a fifteen year old boy from the church youth group. The guy went to the state Penn, and was heard to say, "So I am a pedophile, and I am going to Hell."

Another guy under this pastorate was on a business trip in Minnesota, and also got arrested and put in the State Penn for being with a Young boy. The Church Music minister later ran off with the pianist, divorced his wife and two little girls, and was last working at Home Depot. Another wife in that AOG Church ran off with a guy she met in an Internet chat room. We later saw them at a local holiday parade, sitting there and enjoying it with her new friend. She said "Hi!"

Another guy in the Church with a wife and two little girls hung himself in his garage. Another guy was caught filching cash from the youth group Royal Rangers.

The Pastor on a couple of occasions from the pulpit asked the Sunday congregation, "What would you folks like me to preach upon next week?" One evening, I met him in a local Bible College campus library while he was preparing his next sermon. He was sitting in a room at a table reading commentaries.

I once asked an officiating state Church leader, "Where is the word of knowledge and where is the powerful spiritual shepherding in this Pentecostal church, such that this terrible moral destruction keep happening? He did not give an answer.

A subsequent Pastor allowed a woman in the Church to teach several ongoing mixed adult Bible studies for some time. She later died of cancer, after years of prayer and victorious anointing in the Church services to receive healing.

I am well familiar with what Pentecostalism promotes and glories in through its doctrine.
What you have describes probably happens in most church situations. It is just that the AOG and Pentecostal churches like it make certain claims of those baptised with the Spirit are better Christians than the common "herd". The truth is that at least 50% of all church members, including those in Pentecostal churches, are hypocrites, who are not born again of the Spirit, but attend church for social and religious reasons. These are the ones who are "angels" at church on Sundays, in front of other Christians, but are "devils" at home and work when there are no Christian observers.

Also, 40% of all those in the community have been domestic violence victims at some stage or another. The percentage among church members is 30%. Also, spiritual abuse is rife across all denominations, not just Pentecostalism, accounting for the number of Christians suffering from clinical depression, and the number of suicides.

In my last Charismatic church, a number of marriages among my friends ended in divorce; an elder's wife committed suicide, a female friend was stabbed to death by her professing Christian partner, and an elder was caught in a public toilet propositioning other men. So, I've been there, seen that. I left that church in 1978 because of the worldliness, gossiping, elder's wives revealing confidential information resulting from their husbands' counselling of church members, power and control "covering" doctrine, and authoritarian shepherding and demands of accountability from members.

Dave Hunt's book, "Occult Invasion" was a real eye-opener to the corruption that New Age occult has brought into the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.

But these have not stopped me believing that there are genuine gifts of the Spirit still in evidence today in spite of widespread counterfeits in churches.

I am assured that there are "seven thousand who have not bent the knee to Baal", ie, there are still genuine pastors and leaders in the Pentecostal movement who stand for the gospel of Christ and holiness of life and who wouldn't have a bar with all the jerking, falling over, shaking, convulsive babbling of fleshly tongues, misuse of personal prophecy and words of knowledge. It is just that we don't see the genuine ones on Youtube, They are happy working away from public view while they just get on with making disciples for Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to work with them as He wills.
 
I spent my first 20 years as a Christian among Charismatics and Pentecostals. There was good and bad. I learned a lot, but got weary of the bad things I experienced. The worst thing for me personally was the bad doctrines that was a constant contender for me. I'm glad I'm free of it now. What triggered me leaving those groups was the "good friend" who used me financially, and hated me for hurting his pride, and the elder who took advantage of me financially because he knew I was a forgiving person. And the pastor who kept making bad decisions because he was trying to "believe God" for success. (Among many other situations). Now I'm under really great teaching, and often find myself wishing I had done the switch 20 years earlier. Live and learn.
 
I spent my first 20 years as a Christian among Charismatics and Pentecostals. There was good and bad. I learned a lot, but got weary of the bad things I experienced. The worst thing for me personally was the bad doctrines that was a constant contender for me. I'm glad I'm free of it now. What triggered me leaving those groups was the "good friend" who used me financially, and hated me for hurting his pride, and the elder who took advantage of me financially because he knew I was a forgiving person. And the pastor who kept making bad decisions because he was trying to "believe God" for success. (Among many other situations). Now I'm under really great teaching, and often find myself wishing I had done the switch 20 years earlier. Live and learn.
What is your great teaching called? Really curious.
 
I go to a Bible Church, where the Bible is taught by exposition, not mere opinions. It really helps to have a pastor who has an M.Div. and Th.D. But whenever he makes a mistake, I point it out. Much of what he preaches confirms my own interpretation of scripture. I'm very encouraged by it.
The Gospel you believe is called helpful Bible exposition encouraging. I see. Maybe you are hesitant to share your faith.

So sorry to make you feel uncomfortable about any details of truth in Christ.

Regards.
 
"God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one." (James 1:13).


I think he is making a fair point. I often wonder what it must be like for the famous people to try and get on in the world while everyone who serves them or admires them is so unable to understand them. I'm reminded of Luke 18:15, Luke 9:54-55, and others. I think he's been an inspiration and a idol of sorts that has probably helped people get through some tough times of faith struggles. But I think he's probably inspired a lot of the wrong sorts too. I'm reminded too how Jesus said that when the blind leads the blind they will both fall into a pit, and I think that if a preacher ever says "I don't know" or "I can't explain it" then they've obviously ventured into that dangerous ground where they are saying that they are not in control of their own beliefs. To me that's a real problem, especially when some if the behaviours don't really reflect the nature of godliness.
 
"God cannot be tempted by evil, and He himself tempts no one." (James 1:13).


I think he is making a fair point. I often wonder what it must be like for the famous people to try and get on in the world while everyone who serves them or admires them is so unable to understand them. I'm reminded of Luke 18:15, Luke 9:54-55, and others. I think he's been an inspiration and a idol of sorts that has probably helped people get through some tough times of faith struggles. But I think he's probably inspired a lot of the wrong sorts too. I'm reminded too how Jesus said that when the blind leads the blind they will both fall into a pit, and I think that if a preacher ever says "I don't know" or "I can't explain it" then they've obviously ventured into that dangerous ground where they are saying that they are not in control of their own beliefs. To me that's a real problem, especially when some if the behaviours don't really reflect the nature of godliness.


Well said.




JLB
 
The Gospel you believe is called helpful Bible exposition encouraging. I see. Maybe you are hesitant to share your faith.

So sorry to make you feel uncomfortable about any details of truth in Christ.

Regards.
What are you talking about? Why do you think you made me uncomfortable? I don't get it.
 
this is a depressing, yet necessary, thread. i didn't get saved until -after- being indoctrinated thru a Pentecostal, residential rehab facility. I'm thankful, looking back, that I was so sick and burned out (no, really; I should have been put in the state hospital), because had I been of sound mind and able bodied...

they would have put me thru the ringer, like they did so.many.others...

and then I had a long distance older Pentecostal church lady friend. I wish her well, I do, but...what's strange, to me, is that as God moved in my life and my parents began to forgive me (took a lot, miracle they didn't get rid of me), I'd encounter...more and more hostility from her. sometimes masked in quasi-religious stuff, other times not so masked...I dunno. I should not have made the mistake of assuming that she was a 'real friend' in the sense that my unbeliever friends who kept in touch are 'real friends,' nor do I wish to make sweeping generalizations, its just...

well, now she's changed her number, after telling me time and time again how happy she was that "The Lord put you in my life," etc., and the thing is...

especially since my parents saw fit to -do forgiveness- towards me, etc., my life has been on an upswing, and I've been less and less in need of hand holding and pitying, more just...well, I guess I was foolish enough to think that maybe we could be long distance friends, on a more equal, give and take basis. nah. my unbeliever friend (says she leans towards Christianity, now and then graces some of the more left wing Episcopalian parishes with her presence) says that she just kept in touch so she could feel better about her own life. I thought about it, and...

-shrug- I wish her well, I keep her+her family up in prayer. I'll never join a Pentecostal church. Live and learn...

i dunno. I read on a marxist/conflict theory news and analysis site (don't always agree with everything, there, but...it hits hard from the analytical left wing, makes me -think- about society, etc.) something like: religion serves the interests of the powerful. and...'religion makes good people better, and bad people worse.' so, it isn't -just- the Pentecostals. I vaguely remember more middle-of-the road 'church people,' growing up Presbyterian. And then there is/was the 'devout Catholic' psychiatrist (according to my research, he's something like the #2 or #3 psych prescriber on Medicare...in the entire state) who would publicly humiliate me...while I had -obvious- brain damage...from his 'treatments,' at a private, for profit psych hospital (I didn't sign up for shock 'treatments,' certainly not -that much- shock, ok?). The chain that owns that psych hospital owns bunches more, they paid hundred$ of million$ to the feds for fraud (happened to my parents and me, ugh) and other shady junk...

the company's stock went up once the settlement was reached. ready to move on, open for business!

rambling...my own personal jibber jabber aside, Barna data shows that maybe 1 in 3 'evangelical, Born Again' church goers even have the fundamentals of a Christian Worldview. as in...many do.not.believe that Jesus is the -exclusive- savior, way to The Father...or that Hell is real and eternal...or that satan is an actual creature...blah blah blah, it happens.

On the one hand, it has -always- been this way, in Christendom. wheat and tares, wolves in sheep's clothing, false teachers, false prophets, heresies a go-go (gnosticism and various forms of unorthodox asceticism early on, for instance...), and...

well, Scripture -does- indicate that there will come a time when things will '..wax worse...' and then the evil one and his minions will '...deceive the very Elect, if possible...,' so given the across the board problems in the established churches--sex scandals and pedophilia and embezzlement and 'prosperity Gospel' and, before that, the popularity of eugenics within the mainline denomination--one -does- sort of wonder...

"The great deception," "The great apostasy," "The great falling away..."

are we there, yet? if not...how much worse will it get? and...given the dwindling numbers of church goers, the growing skepticism towards all things Christianity-related, and the growing numbers of -vocal- former church people...

will the mighty, established churches go out with a whimper...or with a bang? -shrug- random thought. :)
 
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