Are Christians more accepting of charlatans then we should be?

The thing that was frustrating for me when I was a Hillsong CUSTOMER, is that the same people who allowed others to think for them in a "Church" setting were quite sharp and switched on in every other aspect of their life.

I have great hopes and expectations for churches like Hillsong and Bethel.

I believe that God is well able to correct the errors in a church that is sincerely seeking to please Him and to surrender completely to the Jesus Christ in every area of their lives.

I have great hopes and expectations for churches like Hillsong and Bethel. I believe that most of the people attending them are sincere, on fire, Spirit filled people who love Jesus only and who are the kind of people I would hang out with.

The Lord has a wonderful plan for the structure of our world, and it is based on the family,
with everything growing from that.

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

In keeping with God's plan we need to pick a home church, one small enough we can personally meet, love, and care for each member rather than go to a megachurch. We are to be part of our home church.

You can easily get involved in a home church from a Mega Church. Most have really good home church meetings as part of midweek service. Another good thing about a mega church is that you can find many outreach ministry opportunities to get involved in. These outreach ministries become a core group of really close friends that become life long friends who have the same passion for ministry. Many small churches have nothing like that. They just have Sunday service and a few food events and that's it about it.

Can someone attend these home meetings without the expectation of attending the mega congregation?

You can easily get involved in a home church from a Mega Church. Most have really good home church meetings as part of midweek service. Another good thing about a mega church is that you can find many outreach ministry opportunities to get involved in. These outreach ministries become a core group of really close friends that become life long friends who have the same passion for ministry. Many small churches have nothing like that. They just have Sunday service and a few food events and that's it about it.

You speak about "spiritually discerning" these mega churches, yet seem not able to see these "churches" are a part of His Great plan to cause the unfaithful to fall into the apostasy they deserve. That, friend, is how close we really are to the end.


What I see here is a great deal of false advertising. I'm wondering if you're here to stir the pot, or whether you're on their side? As I read your posts, they are mostly one-sided for the false church. It's my wish that your eyes be opened & the light of Christ would shine on you.

On what grounds? Certainly not on the basis of Christ's messages to the Seven Churches.

Churches which abandon their biblical basis and the true Gospel never come back to the truth. They simply go into more and more error and/or apostasy.

I just don't think they are as bad as all that. I am not seeing them as apostate.

In 1990's, Lester Sumrall's Church operated Lesea Broadcasting + had a Church capacity around 3,500. It was considered a [Mega] Church in those days. My entire family and even when I was dating went several times to Sunday Service. No one pressured anyone for money. yes, there were a variety of envelopes to give to through the offering plate, but I never remember a single Sermon based upon giving to the Church. It was a very comfortable setting. And when the Power of God took over, it's the [same] as a smaller setting, but more people witnessing and worshiping God creates that energy buzz that is electrifying. Not that it is God, but it is a reaction of the senses to what God is doing and the people are just like currents of flowing energy. I had some good connections [for being in a Church atmosphere] with God in that Mega environment.

Hard to generalise but new believers especially younger ones often get sucked into cults, like hillsong. its not they accept it, is just that those in leadership are wolves in sheeps clothing and pretty cunning at fleecing the flock.
why did you go there anyway?

No other fellowship around, or everyone else was? Am glad you saw the light and left. Hillsong has its hooks into a lot of churches, that arent even hillsong branded, but they may play hillsong music, and every time they play apparently they will get royalties of some sort from music CD or download sales. If its that profitable, not sure why they need to ask for more money on top of that.

pastors living the life of riley remind me of the boss saying if you work hard and earn enough, he will buy himself another lamborghini.

"God wants you to give me your money"
- Hillsong's core message

I was the leader of the Soulwinning ministry outreach at Word of Faith in Dallas Texas in the early 80s, The pastor was Robert Tilton. The 20 to 40 people I was very close to from the soulwinning ministry were all about Jesus and saving souls and we were not into the extreme Hyperfaith or name it and claim it message.

As Robert Tilton began to get further astray from the mission of the Church we all eventually left, the church closed down and he went off to California or Florida or somewhere and started up somewhere else. I think he is still pedaling the same nonsense on late night TV.
There were many Jesus loving people in that church and for a while there were many great moves of God. These churches that are on the cutting edge of a move of God are going to have to find their way through any nonsense that tries to spring up. Hopefully they can work it out like the Corinthians by applying the scriptures when any extremism or flaky stuff pops up. Meanwhile every little thing they say and do will be used against them by those that are looking to accuse them of "false doctrine".

are you sure Hillsong is a "cult" ?
I haven't been to Hillsong in Sydney, but have been to the Hillsong "campus" in Newcastle.
A mate invited me to go one Friday night.
I left partway through cos it came across a bit presumptuous.

money is God's provision ... correct ?

there was a memoir written by a former hillsong attender called Those in glass houses.
its an interesting read. It sounds similar to word of faith type churches. A lot of hype and a shallow type faith. I think churches with lots of converts at first seem really impressive and vibrant, but many fall away and into sin, because they lack depth for the long haul. There needs to be good soil. You cant just grow a church on steroids and then in hard times they eventually end up going bankrupt.

why I would call it a cult is because its leadership seem controlling and a little manipulative.