[Churchwatcher] The false teachings in Word of Faith and Health & Wealth cults are nothing more than tools used by wolves to manipulate their followers into giving their loyalty and their finances to their dangerous movements.
Hillsong’s latest financial ‘pledge’ gimmick comes under the above cult categories. Hillsong’s famous ex-pastor and now global huckster, Pat Mesiti, recently praised Gold Coast Hillsong ‘prosperity pledge’ on Instagram:
Soon after Brian Houston states the above on Instagram:
Our church prayed this declaration together on Sunday morning. I encourage you to declare it too!
Source: Brian Houston, Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/p/BrdwVajnHwm/, Published December 17, 2018. (Accessed December 20, 2018.)
This is a classic example of Brian Houston manipulating his followers in order to ‘milk’ them of their finances. He offers just enough Christian language in the decree to make it sound ‘selfless’. However, if we simply reverse the pledge, Houston is capitalising on people’s inate sinful nature and offering them a ‘salvation by works’ gospel (which in reality is no gospel at all).
Brian Houston states:
I believe financial revival is in the air.
That’s the ‘carrot’ everyone is trying gain – money. That’s the motive as to why they are giving. But why are they believing the false biblical notion that ‘financial revival is in the air?
I will be generous toward God, toward my church, toward the people I love and toward the people who need my generosity the most.
So if you declare this decree Brian Houston has made up and ‘be generous’, you will receive ‘financial revival’ for 2019. In other words, give money to Hillsong and God will unlock ‘financial revival’ in your life. Note that after God, generosity towards the ‘church’ has priority over family and those who need it most.
2019 will be a year of breakthrough, favour and blessing as I commit to living my life extravagantly generous.
By reversing the pledge – we can see now it has nothing to do with God’s favour. If it is up to the person’s ‘giving to get’ God’s prosperous favour – then it’s not favour. The Hillsong followers are motivated by greed to living as ‘extravagantly generous‘. We have to ask the question – with Hillsong followers’ expectations raised to such a level, what is the impact on their ‘faith’ when they don’t experience breakthrough?
I recognise God’s extravagant generosity toward me and I desire to reflect his generosity in all that I do.
The above statement is the dangerous narrative of Health and Wealth cults. This narrative often based on John 3:16, suggesting that if God gave his Son for us, how much more should we financially give to a ‘god of wealth’. Flourishing in the theology of Hillsong is the belief that Jesus Christ was rich (materially) but died poor so we can be rich (materially).
The truth is that what Christians bring to others as disciples of Christ and His finished work of redemption, are eternal riches – we offer them the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the same way Peter offered the lame man salvation when Peter had no silver and gold to give him (Acts 3).
In 2019, I want Christ’s selfless nature to frame my life and be my guide.
Given that Christians have the nature of Christ through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, this is an interesting statement. Brian Houston and Hillsong (as is often the case in these cults), are literally confessing they are outside of the Christian faith by not acknowledging they have saving faith through the Holy Spirit. It is the inner working of the Holy Spirit that motivates the believer to love and live sacrificially.
If they’re decreeing this for 2019, what have they been missing out on this entire time? Then again, because they believe in the false Health & Wealth and Word of Faith gospels, is it any surprise they lack any Christian understanding of the true gospel, the true Holy Spirit and the true Jesus of Christianity?
I am a child of God, made in his image and committed to his cause.
Working from the bottom up, this is why Word of Faith doctrine is so dangerous. If Hillsong have no concept of the gospel, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and a biblical understanding of grace, how can they know they are a child of God? According to them – you just confess it. Speak it as though it is true. That’s called ‘delusion’. If they don’t know what Christianity is and they’re claiming to be God’s children, then in reality Brian Houston’s appeal to their greed is ‘searing their consciences’. As they pledge their allegiance to Hillsong and its false doctrine, who will show them what biblical Christianity actually teaches on these important matters?
Brian Houston would rather his followers line his pockets as they march off to hell, wrongly ‘confessing’ they are God’s children. This is wicked – if Hillsong were truly followers of Christ and His Word, they would simply read out a section of scripture or a creed. But they don’t – they create their own ‘creed’, speak it and believe it, and this is why Hillsong is so dangerous. They not only financially ruin you at the expense of their leadership, they send you to hell while encouraging you to declare you’re ‘a son of God’, all without knowing the basics tenets of biblical Christianity.
Hillsong’s 2019 With Decree:
I believe financial revival is in the air.
I will be generous toward God, toward my church, toward the people I love and toward the people who need my generosity the most.
2019 will be a year of breakthrough, favour and blessing as I commit to living my life extravagantly generous.
I recognise God’s extravagant generosity toward me and I desire to reflect his generosity in all that I do.
In 2019, I want Christ’s selfless nature to frame my life and be my guide.
I am a child of God, made in his image and committed to his cause
[Editor’s Note:Reprinted with permission. Originally published at Churchwatch Central]
[Editor’s Note: Title changed by Pulpit and Pen]
