TV Evangelists Free gift Vs God's free gift.

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Richie_2uk

Guest
#1
Yes I know, another thread on Tv Evangelist and preachers. I was watching a tv preacher and during his preach, he stopped and turned to the camera, and pointed at it, and said, the Holy spirit told me that you need to call, and pay $37.50c, because God is going to bless you. Then he ranted on about how people need, to get in that quick time of God's blessing to pay. I thought to myself, what an utter nonsense.

God is a blessing type of person, he will bless you with or without money. God said to go out to preach the gospel, where in the bible did he say to charge for it? were did he say in the bible that preachers and evangelist are to charge them money for God to bless people or to do miracles? Why are there a Christian body, that will put these people staight. and Correct them in love?. Its all about money with these TV Evangelists and preachers, no matter how they cover it up or tell you they are in teh right to do it.

Fair enough, they may bring out a new book or DVD, and you may have to pay for them. But the way they go about it, I think it's wrong. When you go to a super market or a retail store or to any shop or store, the tillers don't come to you and ask you to pay a gift sum to pay for an item, they put a set charge on each item right? These Tv Evangelists/preachers will turn around and tell you, for you to have this FREE new book or DVD of mine, you need to pay a gift sum of $50, or $250 or what ever. How is that free? Fair enough if they are giving it for free and we to pay the postal services for postal and packaging, then yes! thats within reason. But isn't that putting a set charge price on an item and ask for you to pay a gift sum? Do they know the meaning of the word gift?

Now I know you will know what the word gift means. and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know the difference between a charged item or a given as a gift item, But wouldnt it better for them to say look here is what I am charging you for this book or dvd? rather telling people they need to give a gift price of what ever? God gives many gifts, and freely gives them with heart, and meaning, but imagine if he turned around and said to you, if you want my free gift, you send me a gift of $100, it don't make sense, its a con, and its decieving people. and to be honest I think this should be stopped. I know that it won't! but thats my personal thought on this matter.

What do you think should be done about it? And do you think personally its right?
 
Sep 14, 2014
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#2
Of course its not right. They are exploiting people. I'm sure god doesn't need your money... Only people need your money.
 
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Richie_2uk

Guest
#3
Of course its not right. They are exploiting people. I'm sure god doesn't need your money... Only people need your money.
But what are we doing about it? Shouldnt there be some sort of, I don't know! a christian panel or some sort of Christian body that will point them in the right direction, and tell them in the right way or something, its disgusting to be honest, and people are so gullable to pay and be stupid to fall for these people. no wonder why the world is corrupt, and people dont trust Christianity. You are right its not right. and they are exploiting vulnerable people.
 
Feb 24, 2015
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#4
There is a problem and it comes down to one simple failure to understand the gospel, revival. Throughout my life this myth has been put about, we have to spread the "message" to bring in the Kingdom, to bring about revival again. Now I know the love Jesus put in my heart, how he changed my life and direction, but revival and the language about changing the world through being zapped by the holy spirit is heresy. It does though support TV evangelists who can say, you are blessed by this "great move" of God, and you want to be part of it, so be blessed by giving money etc.
The gospel spreads because people are loved from the heart, cared about, support given, lives transformed and reality dawning, outside of money, or rank, or technology, or leadership, or gifting, or great sermons etc.
I have seen bretheren churches, evangelical churchs, charaismatic churches all fail to realise this simple reality, we must walk in spirit and truth, from the heart. Jesus called the rich young man to sell all he had, so he would truly trust on the love and care the Lord provided through His people. This is the power of God. These evangelists are just greedy peddlers of their fantasy and success through wealth and influence which is 100% the opposite of the gospel.
 
Sep 14, 2014
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#5
But what are we doing about it? Shouldnt there be some sort of, I don't know! a christian panel or some sort of Christian body that will point them in the right direction, and tell them in the right way or something, its disgusting to be honest, and people are so gullable to pay and be stupid to fall for these people. no wonder why the world is corrupt, and people dont trust Christianity. You are right its not right. and they are exploiting vulnerable people.
You'll never stop people trying to make money off of others. You need to educate the people who are actually paying the money. I may be way off the mark here as an atheist... But does someone really understand god if they think they need to pay for salvation?
 
Feb 24, 2015
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#6
But what are we doing about it? Shouldnt there be some sort of, I don't know! a christian panel or some sort of Christian body that will point them in the right direction, and tell them in the right way or something, its disgusting to be honest, and people are so gullable to pay and be stupid to fall for these people. no wonder why the world is corrupt, and people dont trust Christianity. You are right its not right. and they are exploiting vulnerable people.
The answer is education. It is not for christians to dictate what can or cannot be done in Jesus's name, because the fruit is testimony enough. The question we have to face is why people are searching for worldly answers while abandoning the heart of the gospel of love and reality. It is always easier for a preacher to hold up miracles as affirmation of their ministry rather than face the emotional realities of why there are problems...
 
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Richie_2uk

Guest
#7
You'll never stop people trying to make money off of others. You need to educate the people who are actually paying the money. I may be way off the mark here as an atheist... But does someone really understand god if they think they need to pay for salvation?
I dont think these Evangelists and preachers understands Salvation. The only payment if you will! God wants from us is our belief, not by works, and certainly not by works that decieves or con like some of these TV preachers.
 
Feb 24, 2015
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#8
My sadness is how little proof christians ask for for miracles or sensible justifications. So many crooks are exploiting this naivity of trust especially when millions of pounds/dollars are involved without proper oversight, which in the world would simply be called corrupt behaviour.
 
Sep 14, 2014
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#9
I dont think these Evangelists and preachers understands Salvation. The only payment if you will! God wants from us is our belief, not by works, and certainly not by works that decieves or con like some of these TV preachers.
And that's what I mean, any self respecting Christian would know that handing money over isn't going to get them saved. So we need to look at the people who do pay this money and why. Supply and demand lol
 
Mar 12, 2014
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#10
Yes I know, another thread on Tv Evangelist and preachers. I was watching a tv preacher and during his preach, he stopped and turned to the camera, and pointed at it, and said, the Holy spirit told me that you need to call, and pay $37.50c, because God is going to bless you. Then he ranted on about how people need, to get in that quick time of God's blessing to pay. I thought to myself, what an utter nonsense.

God is a blessing type of person, he will bless you with or without money. God said to go out to preach the gospel, where in the bible did he say to charge for it? were did he say in the bible that preachers and evangelist are to charge them money for God to bless people or to do miracles? Why are there a Christian body, that will put these people staight. and Correct them in love?. Its all about money with these TV Evangelists and preachers, no matter how they cover it up or tell you they are in teh right to do it.

Fair enough, they may bring out a new book or DVD, and you may have to pay for them. But the way they go about it, I think it's wrong. When you go to a super market or a retail store or to any shop or store, the tillers don't come to you and ask you to pay a gift sum to pay for an item, they put a set charge on each item right? These Tv Evangelists/preachers will turn around and tell you, for you to have this FREE new book or DVD of mine, you need to pay a gift sum of $50, or $250 or what ever. How is that free? Fair enough if they are giving it for free and we to pay the postal services for postal and packaging, then yes! thats within reason. But isn't that putting a set charge price on an item and ask for you to pay a gift sum? Do they know the meaning of the word gift?

Now I know you will know what the word gift means. and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know the difference between a charged item or a given as a gift item, But wouldnt it better for them to say look here is what I am charging you for this book or dvd? rather telling people they need to give a gift price of what ever? God gives many gifts, and freely gives them with heart, and meaning, but imagine if he turned around and said to you, if you want my free gift, you send me a gift of $100, it don't make sense, its a con, and its decieving people. and to be honest I think this should be stopped. I know that it won't! but thats my personal thought on this matter.

What do you think should be done about it? And do you think personally its right?
People need to read the bible and educate themselves whereby they can recognize false teachers as those you described above. These people allow themselves to be deceived for their lack of knowledge. I put more fault on these people for their ignorance than those that are taking their money. (It does not appear right now Creflo Dollar will be getting his $65 million luxury jet, maybe people are starting to wake up.....but I still have doubts)

One must also educate himself in learning that God's free gift of salvation is not up for sale but it does come with conditions. What some people refuse to understand is that free gifts can come with conditions and meeting those conditions do not, cannot earn the free gift.

Will every single person who ever lived UNconditionally receive God's free gift of salvation?
 
P

psychomom

Guest
#11
Colin is right....Christians know (or they should) that Christ paid for our salvation.

but there are lonely, desperate, hurting people in the world.
they're willing to do almost anything for relief. :(
 
Sep 14, 2014
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#12
My sadness is how little proof christians ask for for miracles or sensible justifications. So many crooks are exploiting this naivity of trust especially when millions of pounds/dollars are involved without proper oversight, which in the world would simply be called corrupt behaviour.
In the experiences Ive had with some Christians, some of them seem to be conditioned to dismiss reason and not to question. Maybe that's where it stems from in some of these cases.
 
R

Richie_2uk

Guest
#13
The answer is education. It is not for christians to dictate what can or cannot be done in Jesus's name, because the fruit is testimony enough. The question we have to face is why people are searching for worldly answers while abandoning the heart of the gospel of love and reality. It is always easier for a preacher to hold up miracles as affirmation of their ministry rather than face the emotional realities of why there are problems...
Education is certainly a key in this matter yes I agree, but decieving and conning people and twisting the truth is not part of there education. Greed is there real education. and its that type of education should not be preached by these types of people. I know God will deal with those people, and I know someof these TV preachers are actually doing good. just that little area of decieving needs to be taken away from the matter. then perhaps, people of the world, may start to see what true christianity is all about. No wonders people of the world arent trusting, or giveing there hearts to God, or becoming a Christian, because of little pockets of things like this is giving them wrong signals. Obviously we know who is behind this deciept and lies and corruption. So yeh education is a key issue, but if we can educate with truth, not to put these TV preachers to shame, but to correct them in Christ's love. and tell them they are doing something that is not right. Wouldnt that be educating them in truth?
 
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Richie_2uk

Guest
#14
Colin is right....Christians know (or they should) that Christ paid for our salvation.

but there are lonely, desperate, hurting people in the world.
they're willing to do almost anything for relief. :(
|I totally agree, and thats why there should be some sort of a Christian body, to tell these people in God's love and correction, to steer away from this sort of thing, as it give a christianity a bad name? I know these types of peopel exist all over the world, and Im not pointing a finger as a judgement, but trying to see if there is a way to talk with these TV Evangelists and preachers and tell them and to try correct them of there errors without judgement?
 
Feb 24, 2015
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#15
There is a problem, it revolves around heresy. A lot of these preachers are part of the word of faith movement, NAR, latter rain, "Little gods" heresies which imply that financial success on earth is kingdom authority on earth. Now the fact they appear to be christian while understanding they are probably closer to mormon theology is where the emphasis needs to go.
These people preach an idea that they are eternal, with power to move weather etc. while failing to deliver what they claim. The question then arises is how good the theological understanding is of the church today as a group, and the influence of these movements indicates not that good. The truth is groups are growing which are challenging this theology and showing up its contradictions and lies. I would suggest you join one of them and learn more of their perspective. The danger they have is of just becoming a miracles are heresy group, which is equally not helpful....
 

gb9

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2011
11,645
6,276
113
#16
as strange as it is, I actually 75% agree with seabass. people do not know their Bibles and they fall for this stuff because the preachers make it sound good. I do not know about the U.K., but this " buy your way into heaven" nonsense gets bigger and bigger over here all the time.
 
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psychomom

Guest
#17
|I totally agree, and thats why there should be some sort of a Christian body, to tell these people in God's love and correction, to steer away from this sort of thing, as it give a christianity a bad name? I know these types of peopel exist all over the world, and Im not pointing a finger as a judgement, but trying to see if there is a way to talk with these TV Evangelists and preachers and tell them and to try correct them of there errors without judgement?
i agree, but there is. it's called the local church. :)

i don't know there's a thing we can do about the TV 'preachers',
but Christ called us to make disciples, not just converts.


do you think if we, as the Body of Christ, stuck with people after sharing the Gospel
and brought them to our churches, it might make a difference?

there they would receive sound Bible teaching (we hope) and the local assembly
can help them when they're troubled, as we are all to do?
 
Feb 7, 2015
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#18
i agree, but there is. it's called the local church. :)

i don't know there's a thing we can do about the TV 'preachers',
but Christ called us to make disciples, not just converts.


do you think if we, as the Body of Christ, stuck with people after sharing the Gospel
and brought them to our churches, it might make a difference?

there they would receive sound Bible teaching (we hope) and the local assembly
can help them when they're troubled, as we are all to do?
Ya know, you're pretty smart.
 

Yet

Banned
Jan 4, 2014
3,756
69
0
#19
Namaan was healed of leprosy by the word of Elisha. He wanted to give the prophet a gift. Elisha refused it by saying ' as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it but he refused.

Ever see see a preacher do that? Not in a million years.

A side note: do you sigh and cry over this corruption and greed in Christendom? The local church is defiled and corrupt by the same token. Robbing the poor and preferring the rich. This is a great evil in the 'body'.
Do you groan in the spirit over this wickedness? If not, why not? The prophets of old lived in hell over the same sins in the religious leaders of Israel. Nothing has changed. Not really.