The most grandiose fraud of our time is the emergence of , what I call, "celebrity preachers". They are the most frequently seen ministers on the christian channels. The majority of them are frauds. Frauds to what? To the word of the Lord. What they profess and how they live is filled with contradiction. And the glue of self-delusion holds it all together.....for a while...but it is not sustainable. You who have watched these characters, are aware of some who have already " fallen from the fraud", and others who will. That also says something of those who listen to them and support them financially. These ministries are concocted self-branding enterprises of personal enrichment. The bible to them, is a sales manual. It's used for entertainment, persuasion and tithing for these religious Titans. And they certainly are........private jets, several homes, exotic vacations, yachts, Roll Royces' and all to often the pleasure of women , and for some young men.
Why are we caught up in this deception and self-delusion? Because of what they offer us and demonstrate themselves.......i.e. their apparent success. Or what they call blessings. It also begs the question as to what do these celebrity preachers offer that the preachers of the established religions(Catholic,Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, etc.) don't offer.
First, let's consider who we are. As humans/folks we are all concerned with two fundamental issues in our daily lives; self-preservation and self-determination. We have a drive to survive and do it our own way. It starts at the most basic level and extends to the most nebulous. From getting enough to eat it stretches to wanting a gourmet meal. From learning how to talk to persuading others. From learning to walk to running a marathon. That's the wonderful journey we strive toward. Hence, the majority of us do not seek a personal relationship with the Lord. We don't want to give up our concern for survival/self-preservation....it's too scary to put that responsibility in the hands of another. And when we consider giving that responsibility/power over to an unknown........it's even more scary. What about self-determination, the responsibility and power to make choices/decisions. Isn't that what we came here to do. How is it that most or all of us agree that no two of us are alike? That's an accident? An unexplained peculiarity? No......it's purposeful. That's one of the reasons we came here--- to become unique. As spirits we're not very different/unique. But in the world we can speak a different language, be raised in a different culture, have some different experiences and even among others of our same tribe still be unique. Another biggee.......how many folks have you come across in your lifetime who you could surely say are led by the Lord...........that means that all of their behavior and decisions are in the hands of the Lord and they are not acting out their own will. They have completely surrendered their responsibility and power for self-preservation. I'm not talking about their ability to get off their rearends and work in a field to harvest crops but have given up worrying about having food at all. Or when they know they are about to enter into a dangerous situation instead of depending on their own knowledge and skills to survive they go to the Lord for his guidance in the matter. Let me give you a personal example. A loved one was living in a crack den. I knew that I would be the one who would have to offer a rescue. Note that I used the word 'offer'..........yes, it was my will to rescue this person but perhaps is was not their will. I asked myself, how was I going to accomplish this scary/dangerous task. For those who just don't know, people who are hanging out in a crack den are usually not just users but also dealers and they have weapons to protect themselves as well as force their will on others. They 're not welcoming of any stranger at their door. Have you come to expose us, stop us from what we want to do, or take away our drugs, our money? That is the fear they have when you knock on their door. So I prepared in the sense that I attempted to find the location and warn those I was obligated to, that I had to go on what you could call a mission. But exactly how I would approach this.......I had no idea. But being human I had my own thoughts on the matter. Do I bring a gun? Do I call the police, request an escort? Do I call on some nasty muscled friends? (I don't have nasty friends but I have some very muscled ones). So I prayed as I prepared. And the Lord said to me in that quiet, brief, very clear spirit voice of his..........."bring gifts". What......."gifts"?????????? This is not a party.It's not Christmas. Bring gifts. But after 28 years of friendship I don't question the Lord's guidance. I brought cash. Druggies and drug dealers like cash. That's a gift. So I made my way to an unfamiliar address, in an unfamiliar neighborhood..........and I was not scared. Any person would be under the circumstances but the Lord was with me.......his peace replaced my fear. After a good drive I couldn't find the exact street and while I was going around in circles I needed to use a restroom, that's when I came upon a fastfood restaurant. Having finished attending to my bodily needs as I was about to leave another spiritual suggestion came....Food.... food is also a gift.......especially to druggies because they never have any money left over when they spend it all on drugs. And the Lord did not say bring a gift....he said, bring giftS! So I did what the Lord advised me to do.........I talked calmly to the loved one, to the man at the door, gave him the gifts, and waited in my car with an out-of -state license plate, and no one knew where I had exactly gone and while I waited in my car for the loved one to gather their things a carload (6) young men in a black Mercedes drove into the driveway blocking my exit and all except one hung around while the one headed to the apartment to find out why an out-of-state unfamiliar vehicle was parked in their driveway. When the loved one departed the apartment and got in my car........without a word, a gesture or a look from any of the young men, the Mercedes was moved and we left. I'm sorry I digressed but the incident seemed appropriate to retell when I speak of surrendering one's self-determination and the obvious benefits to such. Had I done what seemed logical or reasonable it certainly could have been a disaster. But done the Lord's way, it came off beautifully!!!!
Ah.......back to the topic at hand. So what do celebrity preachers offer that traditional preachers don't offer and it also explains why churches (that is it's members) are growing in the former and dwindling in the latter?
For established religions, they offer self-preservation.........as a believer you're entitled to eternity, your reward, your ultimate preservation, only not here but in the hereafter. And you're granted self-determination .......if you are obedient to the myriad of religious rules/expectations (attending services, tithing your income, sending your children to bible study, honoring the authority of church leaders, etc.) then otherwise you can plan/execute your own will. We (the church leaders) will not hold your feet to the fire. We'll not excommunicate you even if you get into trouble. The only basis for not allowing you into the community of believers is if you challenge the integrity or authority of the church, otherwise you're ' safe ' from expulsion, condemnation or judgment.Prime example; I never heard of a priest being excommunicated (being stripped of their church membership) because he molested and sexually abused the children of his parishioners or even losing his retirement pension but I have heard of priests being excommunicated because they challenged the integrity of the church.
So why are folks leaving traditional churches and following the celebrity preachers, who don't seem to be held to any particular religion or belief, even though they all without failure, hold up the Bible as their authority? Because celebrity preachers offer more! Not only do they grant you self-determination of the same kind that traditional religions allow but they offer self-preservation.....NOW!!!!!!!!!! Your reward is HERE and in the hereafter. Look at me..........the preacher seems to say and sometimes actually does say. Look how well I'm doing. Did you see me drive up in that luxury car or limousine. Haven't I told you I need a private jet to bring the word of the gospel to the world. I need your dollar for this broadcast. I stand before you not in a $200 off the rack suit but a customized $1000 tailored new creation of a suit with my ministry brand symbol or logo just like any corporate brand.
And we fall for it. We enter the self-delusion they conjure up. And we accept the focus and drive we have for self-preservation and self-determination that we understand and know. We change not. We engage in all the trappings our celebrity preachers engage in and we profess that the Lord knows us and approves of everything we do.
So, don't fault the Lord if he's not with you or the celebrity preacher on this.
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