Living it...

There's a whole lot of religion in the press recently. My previous post about Todd Bentley has caused quite an uproar, and Today I found out about about pastor Michael Guglielmucci (click the link to see the news report), the guy connected with Hillsong Australia, and is part of one of the largest youth churches, PlanetShakers, has deceived the world in the most extraordinary way. In short, he wrote the song "Healer", written from his place of struggling with terminal cancer. He performed it (I believe) on the Hillsong 2008 DVD, wearing an oxygen mask, with his oxygen tank on stage, appearing quite weak, but able. As it turns out, he was never ill, no need for oxygen, he just wanted to be famous.

I guess I should point out that he's now getting psychiatric help, but even so, how was this able to go on? How was Todd Bentley's marriage able to fall apart? How were these things able to happen in the realm of the world media?!!!

Lets look at a bible passage from the beginning of 2 Peter (The Message)...
But there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can't tell right from wrong.

They give the way of truth a bad name. They're only out for themselves. They'll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won't, of course, get by with it. They'll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.

There's a couple of things I'd like to point out from that.

> Lying Prophets / teachers, this could even refer to someone who gives a 'Good' message rather than a 'God' message.
> Those who can't tell right from wrong, doesn't refer to people who are stupid, it simply refers to people who believe something they haven't fully tested.
> The way of Truth, basically 'Christianity'

So, am I judging these people, no, that's for God to do in his divine way. I don't have a clue what he thinks about it, and it's not my sin to carry. It's theirs.

For me, this reminds me of a sermon I once heard, about carrying Jesus with us. I want to have a look at it this way:
Would Jesus be upset by your: Conversations / phone calls / text messages / emails / facebook account / IM Conversations? Imagine that Jesus is watching over your shoulder as you sit at your PC, would he be uplifted by your actions? Or would he cry at your deception?

I used the word deception. If you go to church and you're most definitely one thing, an all out 'Christian', doing all the 'Christian' things, but you go home and write a smutty email to someone you're flirting with...Why? If you go any pray with someone but then text a friend with some gossip...Why? If you lead worship and then go and have sex, or even foreplay, with someone who isn't your wife...Why?!!

It's hard hitting, and a tough pill to swallow.

God Loves us, and when we repent, we are clean in his sight. But don't deceive yourself, if you're not living (or trying to live) the life, then jog on mate, because God ain't having it.

I am far from perfect. I do many things I shouldn't. But seeing this deception in the church has inspired me to try even harder to get closer to God, in word thought and deed.