7.17.2008

How to know you are truly saved? Lakeland, FL Blog Part 2

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. - James 1:14


After the first ra ra session there was a few minutes of a break, at this point we stood outside as people were leaving and passed out million dollar bills, we got responses that were varied including the usual "thank yous" and the "I don't need these because I am saved".


In the main lobby there was a large booth where they sold lots of stuff. From books to DVDs. One DVD a lot of people were buying was called "How to Keep your Healing" as if God could take it away from you. (Read James Chapter 6)


But on the table was one book that caught my attention enough for me to actually fork out a whole four quarters.


It was called "How to know if you are Truly Saved" and was about 20 pages long. Upon opening up I was immediately shocked it mentioned Hell, and Punishment...I was blown away! Until I read a few more pages.


I am glad I got this book because I believe it answers some questions as to why the Law is being preached but not having the same conscious striking effect.


In the book it says the following (Paraphrased) "God asked the Devil 'What is your price for Sin' and the devil replied 'Blood'"


The core of the issue comes to this. They believe that the Devil makes them sin, the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross was to settle an argument between God and the Devil. As opposed to the right belief that we sin on our own because we are by nature sinful and wicked. Also it is very crucial to the Gospel that the punishment for sin satisfies God's wrath and Justice, not pleasure of Satan.


This is why they could hear the Law, and it not impact their conscious! They believed it was the Devil making them do it! They were in essence worshiping the Devil by giving him so much credit on the fall.



I stopped reading the book...


It was 1pm and time for the "Evangelism Training" ...


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7.14.2008

Lights, Camera, Fiction! Behind the Scenes of a "FauxVival"

TV Production and Manipulation at the Revival.
One of my passions is video production and media. Hence the media, movie ministry slogan of Transplant Ministries. I worked at a local TV Station as a production assistant, I do freelance graphic design and video on the side. I know this field.

The following things I am going to mention may seem as conspiracy, or over the top thoughts and thinking, but anyone who works in television knows the immense planning and prep it takes to create a live show. What I am about to show you comes as obvious to me. Because I at one point or the other have been behind the scenes of live broadcasts, I know the before and after and all the ins and outs of pre-production.

What God.TV has done with the cooperation of Fresh Fire Ministries to stage a fake revival is beyond anything I have seen before. It's an elaborate almost scripted live event which ultimately eliminates the need for the Holy Spirit to move or even breathe for that matter.

As you wait in line to enter the tent, a staff member is coordinating the seating. He lines people up. Let's them in and shows them to the entrance of the seating.The first ones to enter are those from other countries. They are asked to come in first.

For the most part people can sit where they want. Unless you are in a wheelchair.

Here is the central issue. If you were creating a faux revival with a goal to show that people were getting healed the one thing you would not want to show on TV is those who are sick and crippled. This would eliminate any sort of credibility. So the goal of the seating arrangement is to place the sick in the back while keeping the happy spirit filled worshipers in the front. Are there any rules that say wheel chairs in the back, on the sides and out of view of the camera? No. Of Course not. But the seating up front is so tight, so restrained that the people in wheelchairs can only sit in three places. This is so the cameras do not show the sick and crippled.


1. On the side.
In this photo you can see a persons wheelchair. There is a clear space for the chair to be and room for others to walk. However notice the position of the Jib. That's the long tall crane with the camera on it. Notice how it is clearly focused where the Wheel Chairs are not.

2. In the back.
In this photo you can see a little boy standing waving a flag. He is located in the "Overflow Tent" which is far out of sight from the cameras. This is the closest place one can sit who needs room for a wheelchair or to lay down on a blanket as this family did. You never see this on GOD.TV



3. The Front Row...Except.


The front row shows the pure deceit and manipulation of the fauxvival as not one regular person is allowed to sit in the front except Fresh Fire Staff and Friends. They have ton's of staff too because the first 4 rows are taken up in the entire front. So no one with a wheel chair can sit there. This is also an example of manipulation because the only shots of people worshiping and glorifying the savior are of...you guessed it Fresh Fire Staff and Friends. (Man, are they always happy!) They do tell you that you can go up front in any empty seats after worship, but when the speaker is speaking there is not as much need for exciting crowd shots.

With the seating for the disabled clearly pushed to the back and the happy employees with smiling faces in front and ready to go. The prep can being. They have people come out and in an almost hypnotizing trance they pray for a good fifteen minutes.

It's a constant screaming and irreverence to the Lord for what seems like forever. over and over and over again the same words are repeated, people are speaking in tongues (without translators) and it's just mass confusion. After the prayer (or before, I forget the order) someone comes up and asks people for testimonies of previous healing. These are healings that are not from the same night. All these testimonies are verified as much as possible before the event and relate to healings of the previous night or week.

What we have is an incredibly detailed and planned event that breeds false excitement and a false sense of a holy spirit's presence. I hope you look over my writing seriously and take it to heart. We must discern everything when teachers claim to be performing miracles of God.

There was nothing Christian at the Todd Bentley Revival, just a whole bunch of confused people who have no idea about proper biblical interpretation. It really is quite disgusting.

Marcus

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6.03.2008

The Lakeland "Revival",When Benny Hinn meets "Seeker Friendly"

You know at first I was going to write about this revolting display of "Christianity" with snarkiness and outright disgust. Then I thought for a moment. Those are real people there, who are really suffering, who are really crippled, in pain and if I could very lightly say "Seeking god"(Lowercase) and they are being deceived.

My research paper for Old Testament in Seminary was called "A Compare and Contrast of Old Testament Prophets VS Name It Claim it Theology" so I am very much well versed in this sort of filth being disguised as a revival from God. Oh how I long to be able to go there as a witness and be a light for those who are among the darkness. Oh if I could I would be down there tomorrow. Those people need to be saved! Not from pains in their back, blindness or cancer...but from Hell. Even if these people were really healed from all sorts of diseases and medical conditions how puny is your sight being restored if you can see the path to Hell? They need Sins forgiven...

This is taken from their site on god-TV (yea I wrote it in Lowercase)

We need YOU… the Body of Christ needs YOU… the lost world needs YOU to ensure these live broadcasts keep going for the next 40 days!

(They capitalized the hedonism not me.)

What? The Body of Christ NEEDS something? They need ME? I think if it is a true revival from God, it needs nothing but God to keep going? Because we all know that without the financial support of the First Five Hundred who saw Jesus ascend Christianity would be nowhere today!

Anyways just to let you know in this video they claim to not be drunk... Why did they mention that? Is it because they speak, look, slur and act drunk? Did they have some need to defend themselves from those accusations?




What do you think? Am I just full of bad theology or them? Oh how I wish these guys would just go one on one in a debate...Just Once put their view of theology to the test for the world to see, so they might be exposed!

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