Jesus is a big business

Gavana

JF-Expert Member
Jul 19, 2008
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Do God and Money Mix?

CNBC examines the growing business of evangelical Christianity


By Tyler Mathisen


Joel Osteen, Pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston
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Evangelicalism is one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the United States, and now this ardent form of Christianity is starting to flex its economic muscles.
In Corporate America, the religion’s growing status is seen in all kinds of businesses. From health clubs to Hollywood movies, and from publishing companies to pizza parlors, firms around the United States are now saying they have Christian values at their core.
“Jesus is big business in America,” explains Laura Nash, Ph.D., a senior research fellow at Harvard Business School.
In fact, Jesus has always been big business in America says Nash. And while the message of the Bible has been constant over the years, today’s Christian messengers are very different from those of days gone by.
From Houston’s smiling pastor Joel Osteen to the fiery sermons of Dallas’ Bishop T.D. Jakes, today’s superstar preachers are spreading the word of God to mega-congregations of tens of thousands of people — an economic force in their own right.
And these new Christian leaders are acting like CEOs of mini-conglomerates that turn out best-selling books, CDs, DVDs and even major motion pictures.
“I think that Jesus is the product,” says author and televangelist T.D. Jakes, who is currently bishop at The Potters House, a primarily African-American Pentecostal church in Dallas. “When the product is excellent, it doesn't require a big sales pitch.”
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Not content with preaching to the choir, Christian authors and broadcasters are going after the secular market too. Bill Hearn, for example, the CEO of EMI Christian Music Group, says his company’s vision is to impact popular culture from a biblical world view.

Joel Osteen, a best-selling author and televangelist who is currently pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, one of North America’s largest churches, says his message is not only heard by the converted.
“People say, ‘I’ve never been to church, but you know I’m watching your broadcast, I’m reading your book,’” Osteen said. “So I think faith is definitely growing all across America.”
But while Christian-based business has morphed into a multi-billion dollar industry, and an economic success story, what about the non-believers? Does the increasing closeness of Christianity and commerce have the potential to make some consumers uncomfortable?
Harvard’s Laura Nash says that Americans have always viewed freedom of religion as the freedom to express religious beliefs up to a point. That is, as long as it doesn’t impinge on another American’s freedom to express their own religious freedom.
And there’s another consideration: Is the Christian movement just what a scandal-scarred corporate America needs? Os Hillman of consultancy Marketplace Leaders, who is a nationally known leader on faith in the workplace, is optimistic.
“God does not frown on people with money,” Hillman said. “The issue here is the love of money versus money itself.”
 
Pentecostal pastors and many other people are known by their fruits. This question and answer section has been set up to test your knowledge about the most famous Pentecostal pastors. As i like to say, i am nota perfect person but i would not like the so called "holy men" to mislead others into, that is why i try to expose them as much i could.

The Bible warns that in the latter days many impostors would rise, they would perform many miracles (Matthew 24:24) and speak what their followers want to hear, like employment, visa, promotions, jobs and healing (2Timothy 4) .There is no doubt, these men and women mentioned in this chapter, with all the evil things presented are among the impostors spoken about. However many Pentecostals think that their pastors have a mandate to heal and make them rich.

1. Which very famous pastor and mentor of Pastor Benny Hinn faked her own kidnapping – Semple McPherson


2. Who said "if you are an intellectual, you will probably go to hell for it" -Jonathan Bell.

3. Which evangelist teaches that Jesus was rich and Apostles were successful businessmen with plenty of money? Fred price, Avanzini and others.

4. Which pastor felt he had to go to a psychiatrist to find out whether or not he was a homosexual? -Jim Baker.

5. Who wishes he could have a Holy GHOST machine so he can kill all his enemies? - Benny Hinn.

6. Which evangelist was banned from British television for airing un substantiated testimonies? – Morris Cerullo.

7. Which great evangelist said that we should never be sick and that we should posses power as that of the witched to kill and to heal? – Benny Hinn.

8. Who when accused of a sexual impropriety defended himself by saying a demon had duplicated him, and that if you see him doing anything bad, it's not the real him? – Bob Larson.

9. Which preacher sells eldership to his church by mail? – Morris cerullo.

10. Which mentor of Benny Hinn, fell in love with a married man and her miracles were discovered to be fake? – Kathryn Kuhlman.

11. Which great pastor said that man does not have a god in himself but that he is God himself? – Kenneth Copeland.

12. Who claimed that God is around 6'2, 6'3 inches long and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hundred pounds – Kenneth Copeland.

13. Which televangelist was exposed years ago for receiving words of knowledge" not from God but from his wife via radio transmitter? – Peter Popoff.

14. Which tele evangelist owns his mountain top? - Pat Robertson.

15. Which great pastor confessed to periodically visit Kuhlman's and Aimme McPherson's graves and receive re-charge of his powers? – Benny Hinn.

16. Which preacher claimed that god had vowed to take his life if his followers did not raise 8 million dollars by March – Oral Roberts.

17. Which great Pastor claimed that Satan conquered Jesus on the cross and took his spirit to the darkest regions of hells? – Kenneth Copeland.

18. Who bought twitty city and believes white hair is most often among the holy?-Paul Crouch.

19. Which pastor without shame said that God has 3 spirits, 3 souls and 3 bodies? – Benny Hinn.

20. Which pastor claims that Christ was "born again" in hell – Benny Hinn.

21. Which pastor was caught red handed collecting personal information and addresses of his followers and later use them in worship by pretending that God could enable him to know about any one? – Ps Grant Jr. W.V.
 
Gavana,

People often exploit even the most sacred of all places. The secret is not to critisize those who claim to be of God (read 1 Chronicles 16 :22) but rather to know those that are of God by their fruits. (Read Matthew 7:20)
 
Gavana,

People often exploit even the most sacred of all places. The secret is not to critisize those who claim to be of God (read 1 Chronicles 16 :22) but rather to know those that are of God by their fruits. (Read Matthew 7:20)





Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them-that is, But the point I now press is not so much the end of such, as the means of detecting them; and this, as already said, is their fruits. The hypocrisy of teachers now leads to a solemn warning against religious hypocrisy in general.
 
KAZI NDIO HII

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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evJt2rqtTrs&feature=related[/ame]
 
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them-that is, But the point I now press is not so much the end of such, as the means of detecting them; and this, as already said, is their fruits. The hypocrisy of teachers now leads to a solemn warning against religious hypocrisy in general.

I wouldn't buy that. I would rather say 'the hypocrisy of some teachers' and not just 'the hypocrisy of teachers'. The latter means all teachers. If you mean all teachers, you are lying because you haven't met all of them. So, you can only tell what you know and what you don't know, say you don't know it. Right?
 
"Your Faith Has Made You Well"

Faith healers of today are fond of citing Jesus' statement to a woman suffering 12 years from a flow of blood who came to him for cure: "Your faith has made you well." (Luke 8:43-48) Did Jesus' statement indicate that her cure was dependent on her faith? Was that an example of "faith healing" as it is practiced today?

When we read the Bible record carefully, we see that on most occasions Jesus and his disciples did not require that the sick declare their faith before being cured. The woman cited above came and, without having said anything to Jesus, quietly touched his garment from behind and "instantly her flow of blood stopped." On another occasion, Jesus healed a man who was among those who had come to arrest him. He even healed a man who had no idea who Jesus was.-Luke 22:50, 51; John 5:5-9, 13; 9:24-34.

What role, then, did faith play? When Jesus and his disciples were in the district of Tyre and Sidon, a Phoenician woman came and cried out: "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is badly demonized." Imagine her despair as she pleaded: "Lord, help me!" Filled with pity, Jesus replied: "O woman, great is your faith; let it happen to you as you wish." And her daughter was healed "from that hour on." (Matthew 15:21-28) Clearly, faith was involved, but whose faith? Notice that it was the mother's faith, not the sick child's, that Jesus praised. And faith in what? By addressing Jesus as "Lord, Son of David," the woman was publicly acknowledging that Jesus was the promised Messiah. It was not a simple expression of faith in God or faith in the power of the healer. When Jesus said, "Your faith has made you well," he meant that without faith in him as the Messiah, the afflicted ones would not have come to him to be healed.

From these Scriptural examples, we can see that the healing performed by Jesus was far different from what is commonly seen or claimed today. There was no strong emotional display-shouting, chanting, wailing, swooning, and so on-from the crowds and no dramatic frenzy on the part of Jesus. In addition, Jesus never failed to heal the infirm on the pretext that they lacked faith or that their offering had not been generous enough.

Purpose of Miraculous Healing

Even though Jesus did much healing throughout his earthly ministry, he was not primarily pursuing a ‘healing ministry.' His miraculous healing-for which he never charged the people or solicited any donations-was secondary to his main concern, that of "preaching the good news of the kingdom." (Matthew 9:35) The record says that on one occasion "he received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure." (Luke 9:11) In the Gospel accounts, Jesus was frequently addressed as "Teacher" but never as "Healer."

Why, then, did Jesus perform miraculous cures? Principally it was to establish his identity as the promised Messiah. When John the Baptizer was jailed unjustly, he wanted assurance that he had accomplished what God had sent him to do. He dispatched his own disciples to Jesus and asked: "Are you the Coming One, or are we to expect a different one?" Note what Jesus told John's disciples: "Go your way and report to John what you are hearing and seeing: The blind are seeing again, and the lame are walking about, the lepers are being cleansed and the deaf are hearing, and the dead are being raised up, and the poor are having the good news declared to them."-Matthew 11:2-5.

Yes, the fact that Jesus performed not only healing but also the other miraculous works recorded in the Gospels firmly established his identity as "the Coming One," the promised Messiah. There was no need for anyone to "expect a different one."

Miraculous Cures Today?

Should we, then, expect God to prove his power today through cures? No. With the miraculous works he performed by the power of God, Jesus had established beyond any doubt that he was the Messiah that God had promised would come. Jesus' mighty acts are recorded in the Bible for all to read. There is no need for God to prove the point by repeating such acts to every generation of people.

Interestingly, cures and other miraculous works were convincing only to a certain degree. Even some eyewitnesses of Jesus' miracles did not believe that he had the backing of his heavenly Father. "Although he had performed so many signs before them, they were not putting faith in him." (John 12:37) That is why, after discussing the various miraculous gifts-prophesying, speaking in tongues, healing, and so on-that God had given various members of the first-century Christian congregation, the apostle Paul was inspired to say: "Whether there are gifts of prophesying, they will be done away with; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For we have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially; but when that which is complete arrives, that which is partial will be done away with."-1 Corinthians 12:28-31; 13:8-10.

Of course, having faith in God is vital for our well-being. However, basing one's faith on false promises of cures will only lead to disappointment. Moreover, regarding the time of the end, Jesus gave this warning: "False Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones." (Matthew 24:24) Besides quackery and frauds, there would also be manifestations of demonic power. As a result, claims of unexplainable events should not surprise us, and these are certainly no basis for genuine faith in God.

Since no one today performs cures as Jesus did, are we at a disadvantage? Not at all. Actually, those healed by Jesus eventually could become sick again. They all grew old and died. The healing benefits they received were relatively short-lived. Yet, Jesus' miraculous cures have lasting meaning in that they foreshadowed future blessings.

Hence, after examining God's Word, the Bible, Alexandre and Benedita, mentioned before, no longer put their faith in modern faith healing and spiritistic cures. At the same time, they are convinced that miraculous healings are not things of the past. Why so? Like millions worldwide, they look forward to blessings of healing under God's Kingdom.-Matthew 6:10.

Sickness and Death No More

As we have seen earlier, the main objective of Jesus' ministry was not to heal the sick and perform other miracles, but the preaching of the good news of God's Kingdom. (Matthew 9:35; Luke 4:43; 8:1) That Kingdom is the means by which God will accomplish the miraculous healing of mankind and undo all the damage that sin and imperfection have wreaked upon the human family. How and when will he accomplish this?

Looking centuries ahead, Christ Jesus gave his apostle John a prophetic vision: "Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ!" (Revelation 12:10) All the evidence shows that since 1914 the great opposer of God, Satan, has been cast down to the vicinity of the earth, and the Kingdom is now operating as a reality! Jesus has been installed as the King of the Messianic Kingdom and is now ready to make big changes on earth.

In the very near future, Jesus' heavenly government will rule over a righteous new human society, in effect "a new earth." (2 Peter 3:13) What will conditions be like then? Here is a glorious foreglimpse: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away . . . And [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."-Revelation 21:1, 4.

Can you imagine what life will be like when the miraculous healing of mankind comes true? "No resident will say: ‘I am sick.' The people that are dwelling in the land will be those pardoned for their error." Yes, God will accomplish what faith healers could never do. "He will actually swallow up death forever." Indeed, "the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces."-Isaiah 25:8; 33:24.
 
I wouldn't buy that. I would rather say 'the hypocrisy of some teachers' and not just 'the hypocrisy of teachers'. The latter means all teachers. If you mean all teachers, you are lying because you haven't met all of them. So, you can only tell what you know and what you don't know, say you don't know it. Right?

Even though Jesus did much healing throughout his earthly ministry, he was not primarily pursuing a ‘healing ministry.' His miraculous healing-for which he never charged the people or solicited any donations-was secondary to his main concern, that of "preaching the good news of the kingdom." (Matthew 9:35) The record says that on one occasion "he received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure." (Luke 9:11) In the Gospel accounts, Jesus was frequently addressed as "Teacher" but never as "Healer."



the Bible says:

I Timothy 6:5-8 "useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content."

I Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is the beginning of all evil…"

They surely hate this verse because their gospel is about money, prosperity and riches.

Philippians 4:11-13 "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

I Corinthians 4:11 "Even to the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten and homeless."

Acts 3:6 "Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have ...

James 2:5,6 "listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

II Corinthians 8:13, 14 "For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack - that there may be equality.

Romans 15:26 "For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.

I Timothy 6:3-5 "Whoever teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the true words of over Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching of our religion is swollen with pride and knows nothing. He has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words, and brings on jealousy, disputes, insults, evils suspicions and constant arguments from people whose minds do not function and who no longer have the truth. They think that religion is away to become rich"



1Timothy 6:9 "But those who strive for riches fall into temptations and are caught in the trap of many foolish and harmful desires which pull them to ruin and destruction".



You cannot truly give your allegiance to God while at the same time trusting and lusting after material gain. You cannot worship both God and mammon at the same time. (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13)



The lust for wealth can never be satisfied by any success. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
 
Jamaa wamerudi tena that is true " jesus is a big business "
 
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