“And I just got to say that, Sun and I from the bottom of our hearts, together with our eldership, our leadership: we are very very grateful for C3 for releasing Pastor Phil and Pastor Chris to be our Advisory Pastor.
And what does that mean to be Advisory Pastor? If anything happens to me, he’s taking over my church. So, you know- I don’t know- Is that good or bad news for you? Haha!
Yeah, but Pastor Phil has been a pillar to our ministry for the last three years.” - Kong Hee, Global C3 Presence Conference, Day 1, Session 1, 2013.
“And the deal – some people accuse that – just what I said then, saying, ‘Oah! That’s prosperity gospel’ or whetever. I’ve never preached a gospel other than about Jesus my whole life. That’s the gospel: Jesus Christ. Beginning and end. You know I got no other message then that one.” – Phil Pringle, Steven Furtick ‘Stay Behind The Guide’,http://www2.myc3church.net/videos/steven-furtick-%E2%80%98stay-behind-guide, C3 Church Oxford Falls, 15/04/2012.
However, we know personally that Kong Hee sees Phil Pringle in an infallible light as a personal master and mentor, pope and Prophet of God.
Not only is Kong Hee a disciple of Phil Pringle, he imitates Phil Pringle in many ways in teachings, conferences, service layouts, financial events and advertising, etc.
“Many people come to City Harvest Church and they look at our church. Look at our pulpit. Our Rise and Build. And they say, “Hey! Why is it that in Australia they kinda copy after you?”
Well actually we came here and copied everything from Christian City Church. So we have our own Rise and Build and I just thought I show you this latest installment where we anounced to our church, SunTec City Convention Center. It’s a twelve thousand seater hall. And ah- it’s amazing. And already, in one month after we signed the lease, we are already starting to earn dividends from all the profits, eh! So lets just watch the video right now.” - Kong hee, C3 Presence Conference, Session 4, Sydney, 2010.
Phil Pringle needs to face the facts. He is a Word of Faith heretic that peddles the same damnable prosperity gospel that his faithful student Kong Hee peddles (Galatians 1). No matter how much Phil Pringle tries to distance himself from being a Word of Faith Heretic, Pringle’s disciple Kong Hee keeps exposing his mentor’s true colours. In fact, Kong Hee happily boasted of being a Word of Faith preacher at Pringle’s Presence Conference 2012.
Kong Hee has done his best to truly copy “everything from [Phil Pringle's] Christian City Church”. Now keep this in the forefront of your mind: If Kong Hee’s church is critiqued, Phil Pringle’s church is critiqued.
Recently, Dr Paul Choo, (the founder of Goducate), gave a lecture titled “The Prosperity Gospel Message”. This lecture examined the pyramid scheme structure of CHC. Below the video are quotes from his lecture.
“So many people are brainwashed. Many of them.
“I go to support him [Kong Hee]! Don’t get confused! Don’t get discouraged and baffled-” because that’s how they think! Why don’t they leave the church? Why more go? You mean everybody’s brainwashed? Everybody’s like that?
Well let me tell you, many will not leave because this is the best scheme they’ve ever seen in their life.
You know you put money in a bank now, how many percentage do you get? Less then one percent right? Quarter percent I heard. Someone told me. … You put money in this scheme- prosperity gospel scheme, (backed by God you know). Not backed by bank. Not banked by US government. Not banked by Swiss government or Singapore. It’s backed by God you know. You know how powerful God is? If you can’t trust God, who can you trust?
Sometimes you buy scheme. Now you got to [inaudible] money. Just underline the highlighter the nice things to see. Then you say, “In this contract, how do I know if it’s real or not?” Let me tell you, this scheme, according to them, is backed not by God but also by the bible. “I show you. Like Malachi three verse ten. You don’t believe me? I show you!” WOAH! Alright.
So here we say, “How can they leave a scheme like this? It’s sooo attractive!” Quarter percent? This one gives you minimum three thousand percent. Thirty four. … Hundredfold? Ten thousand percent. Why do you want to take money out and put it in the bank? “Are you stupid or what? This is backed by God! Endorsed BY MEN OF GOD!”
You know something? One reason why this whole scheme has continued is because not of one man, but because this one man has been endorsed by may other people. Good men. Pastors who say, “Who are we to judge”. Pastors who keep quiet- Let me to tell you, when you keep quiet, when people ask you on a scheme like that, silence is consent. Do you know that?
“You as a Christian! What do you think of this?” [Inaudible] “Don’t want to think to much about these things.” You know what you’re saying? “It’s not bad.”
Let’s say you’re a financial guide and you know there is a scam that everybody’s using and scamming people. As a banker what must you do? You must tell people, “Hey please! Run from that! Have nothing to do with that”. But you and I as Christians most times, we keep quiet. And there are pastors of big churches that endorse this! It’s not about one man! It’s about a whole system that stinks! It’s about a whole system of men who keep quiet so that bad men can do scams. And I will not be apart of that. We must not be apart of it. We know the truth. We must speak the truth now!
I don’t like to do this. I’d rather preach the gospel. Good news is better than telling about scandals and bad things. Why should I go run down people? You think it’s a nice thing? As a Christian, we don’t like to do those things. I’d rather say, “God loves you! Jesus died for your sins! Jesus paid the price”. These are wonderful, wonderful things to talk about. Why do we talk about these things?
Because somebody has to say something. And I hope we will.”
[Condemns Sun Ho's music video] [48:48]
“… But there will come a time when God will say, “You’ve taken my name in vain and I will not hold you guiltless. You will pay”. Til that day, our job is to warn people, “This is NOT Christianity. This is NOT the gospel. This is a SCAM. PERIOD! Using the name of God is a financial scam.” Don’t mince your words when you have to explain that. Don’t try to win popularity like all those pastors th-, “Oh! He’s not that bad! Who are we to judge others?” We’re not here to win popularity. We’re here to tell the truth. If you go to church to be popular, you’re in the wrong place. We came here because there’s truth. Truth will set us free. So I hope today that you have the truth and you will speak the truth but speak it in love.” [55:05]
Pastor Phil Pringle of C3 Church Oxford Falls, is on the ‘Church Growth International’ (CGI) board with Pastor Kong Hee of City Harvest Church. Alongside other CHC staff or members, Kong Hee is facing charges of mishandling church funds of up to US$50 million. The CGI was founded by David Yonggi Cho (of Yoido Full Gospel Church). David Yonggi Cho is under investigation for mishandling church funds of up to US$14.72 million. Also on this board is Pastor Alex Abraham of Bethany Church, Indonesia.
City News reported in 2010,
“To introduce Cho, Dr. Paul Kim, executive director of CGI, took to the stage to introduce the Korean pastors and disciples of Cho, calling them his spiritual children. He introduced the board members from CGI who were present, among them Phil Pringle, Prince Guneratnam, Richard Bernal and Ken Eldred. Kim also announced that Alex Abraham from Indonesia had been invited to join them as the newest board member.” - By Sharon Chew, Asia Conference, The Memory Of The Cross, City News, http://www.citynews.sg/2010/06/the-memory-of-the-cross/, Posted on 05/05/2010. (Accessed 06/05/2013.) (Emphasis ours.)
As a new member of CGI, it appears Phil Pringle decided to speak at Pastor Abraham Alex Tanuseputra’s church.
30th May 2010
Ps Phil speaking for Dr. Alex Abraham’s
Bethany Graha Nginden, Surabaya Indonesia
6.30am, 9.30am, 1.30pm, 5.00pmJl.Nginden Intan Timur I/29 Surabaya Jawa Timur Indonesia Ph: +62 31 5936880 www.bethanygraha.org
Pastor Abraham Alex Reported for Embezzling Rp 4.7 Trillion [~US$ 500 million]
Who could have guessed and predicted that a priest’s great name could be held as a guarantee for being free of financial problems? Pastor Abraham Alex Tanuseputra, who has recently been glorified as the founding father of Bethany Church, allegedly embezzled Rp 4.7 trillion from Bethany’s congregation. “I have consulted at the Indonesian National Police Headquarters level. From the data that I have already presented to the investigator, Pastor Abraham Alex is not only suspected of embezzling the church’s funds, but there is also a strong indication that he’s involved in money laundering,” expressed George Handiwiyanto, SE, SH, MH, to the Special Police Criminal Investigation Directorate for the East Java area.
George predicts that this criminal report against Pastor Abraham Alex will take the public by storm because that person is a pastor. “The congregation’s money is given to God and not for personal expenses or even distributed to family members,” expressed the lawyer who is also a Christian. He emphasizes that this criminal report is to remind all those who manage the finances for congregations of any religion to be trustful and to not use it for business or family purposes. Asked whether the evidence related to these embezzlement and money laundering allegations were already prepared, George replied emphatically, “I am a servant of the Lord who demands truth and justice. So I do not mess around. Moreover, in the judicial system, the evidence must be prepared completely and accurately. Insha Allah, I’ll officially submit it soon to the investigators,” added the man who is known to enjoy entertainment, sports and social activities.
According to George Handiwiyanto, the scandal regarding the mismanagement of Bethany Indonesian Church’s funds, which is located in the residential area of Nginden Intan Timur, Surabaya, has been going on for quite some time. “In 2007, there were some rumors about it but my clients wanted to settle it internally as it was related to the church and its congregation. Since there had been no good faith from Pastor Abraham Alex, therefore to seek justice and the truth, in the end my client who is also a pastor reported this to the Ministry of Religious Affairs. However, Pastor Abraham Alex was not present during the arbitration. So now I escalate this to both the criminal and civil courts so people can learn that one can’t hide the truth regardless of how smart a person is” added this middle-aged man.
Pastor Alex Abraham Joint Sermon with Benny Hinn in Bethany Church Nginden Surabaya:
Source: Ted, Church Pastor Embezzles 4.7 Trillion from Church Offerings, Pastor Abraham Alex Reported for Embezzling Rp 4.7 Trillion [~US$ 500 million], http://www.indoboom.com/2013/stories/church-pastor-embezzles-4-7-trillion-from-church-offerings.html, Thursday, February 21, 2013. (Accessed 06/05/2013.)
Edit (07/05/2013):
“Pastor Kong Hee of City Harvest Church preached at Bethany on 27 January 2013. After the service, Pastor Kong Hee invited Pastor Abraham Alex to pray a prayer of blessing over him. In that prayer, Pastor Abraham Alex prophesied 2 things over Pastor Kong:
1) He will be delivered in September 2013
2) He will fully own (100%) Suntec, paid in full.” - REAL Truth Disclosed TLC, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=348358431936702&id=301569623279202, 24/02/2013. (Accessed 06/05/2013.) [Prophecy was referred to this now removed link at 1:54:00 onwards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_pflSzX780, ”Bethany Nginden 01 27 20…”]
We have noticed similar behaviour between Pastor Abraham Alex Tanuseputra and Phil Pringle. Both Pringle and Abraham prophesied over Kong Hee that he will completely own SunTec City and that he would be ‘delivered’ from his current circumstances.
Since Phil Pringle said he preaches at CHC so Kong Hee can travel to other churches to explain his circumstances and gain ‘support’, this should make Christians question if Kong Hee also gained financial support from Alex Abraham’s church.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” - Colossians 3:1-10
There are many controversial issues that surround the City Harvest Church scandal. If you are not familiar with the charges that Kong Hee is facing, please read our articles on Kong Hee here:
In this article, we simply wish to focus on the ‘Pastoral’ conduct of Phil Pringle and Kong Hee.
Thanks to CHC’s Advisory Pastor Phil Pringle, this issue is further expanding across into other countries as ‘pastors’ lend their support and praise to Kong Hee and Sun Ho. Just recently, a video surfaced on YouTube that filmed Phil Pringle saying that he “got some pastors from around the world to bring” CHC ‘greetings’. Here is the video.
The pastors who endorse and praise Kong Hee and Sun Ho in this video are:
Jeffrey Rachmat from Jakarta Praise Community Church (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Mark Conner from City Life Church (Melbourne, Australia)
Paul Scanlon from LIFE Church (Bradford, UK)
Casey Treat from Christian Faith Center (Seattle, USA)
John Bevere from Messenger International (USA)
David Yonggi Cho from Yoido Full Gospel Church (Seoul, South Korea)
The blurb below the video says,
“These are some great leaders from mega churches around the world who know Pastor Kong personally. They are encouraging and praying for Pastor Kong and City Harvest Church during this period of trial. Dr David Yonggi Cho is the founder and Pastor of the world largest church with an overall members of about a million and he is also Pastor and mentor of Pastor Kong.” - Some Pastors From Around the World Bring You Greeting, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkXtWO63C4Q, Published on Apr 14, 2013.
In response to the above YouTube clip, a new YouTube video emerged juxtaposing the pastors endorsements against Sun Ho’s music video clip ‘China Wine’. The contrast is stunning and disturbing.
(Warning: content of video may be considered highly inappropriate for Christian viewers.)
What this video did was highlight two things. It exposed the lies and hypocrisy of Kong Hee. With one hand, Kong distanced his wife’s immoral video clips from himself and CHC, claiming she was not a pastor and yet justifying her sinful clips using the scriptures. On the other hand, he would flaunt his wife as China Wine and allow her to speak on behalf of City Harvest Church. For more information on this, read here:
The second thing this video exposes how ‘Christian Pastors’ are promoting human depravity in the name, glory and Spirit of Jesus Christ. As the parody pits the pastors against the China Wine music video, one can’t help but wonder if Phil Pringle, Kong Hee or Sun Ho have been fully honest with their fellow pastors.
For instance, would John Bevere say that God put scriptures on ‘integrity’ in his heart if he saw Sun Ho dancing erotically in her music video clip China Wine? Would Mark Conner say that his church is “inspired” by Sun Ho and Kong Hee’s “life” if he saw Sun’s music video clip ‘Kill Bill’ that has her singing about murdering her boyfriend?
Finally, we’ve been observing how Phil Pringle has been informing his audiences that when he pastors CHC this gives Kong Hee and Sun Ho the opportunity to travel to “share in churches their burden ‘n what they’re facing and keep support happening”. [Source 1] [Source 2]
Now that Phil Pringle made the video, we should be asking ourselves if the churches of Yonggi Cho, John Bevere, Mark Conner, Jeffrey Rachmat, Paul Scanlon and Casey Treat have given Kong Hee a platform to receive ‘love offerings’ to financially support his case.
This scandal needs to be a prayer issue for Christians everywhere. Please pray that Christians have their eyes opened to the immoral conduct of these pastors. Pray that no more Christians are “snookered” by their own “idolatrous notions” regarding the behaviour of Kong Hee, Sun Ho, Phil Pringle and other ‘ministers’ who endorse the moral conduct of these ministries.
Pray that Christians everywhere have their eyes opened to the whole truth about the ongoing pastoral and legal issues involved around Kong Hee AND David Yonggi Cho.
The Messianic Phil Pringle gave ‘great news’ to hundreds of Christians at C3 Church Oxford Falls:
“And so that’s part of the reason why I am able to go there and uh- and they’ve just had ah- one really interesting breakthrough in this last week where the Commission of Charities (that’s the organisation overseeing charities in Singapore) has exonerated Sun from [audience applauses] all ah- all charges against her so- There was a pretty interesting ah- ah- so ah- You know I’m believing that we will ah- see continual victories like that-” [Read here]
The Commissioner of Charities (COC) released a press statement yesterday (9 Apr) stating its intention to remove 8 suspended City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders from their respective offices at CHC.
COC last year, with the consent of the Attorney General, had suspended 9 CHC leaders, including Kong Hee and his wife Ho Yeow Sun (better known as Sun Ho), from their duties as office bearers of CHC. This was done pending consideration of their removal later, under the Charity Act.
According to the Act, the suspension orders are valid for a period of not more than 12 months. Before the lapse of the 12-month suspension, COC said that it intends to proceed to the next stage of the process, which is to consider the removal of these individuals from their positions in CHC. This is to protect the charitable property of CHC. The individuals removed may, however, continue with their religious duties which are separate from the holding of any governance or management positions in CHC.
COC said that its regulatory action is independent of the criminal proceedings faced by 6 of the 9 affected individuals (i.e. Kong Hee, Lam Leng Hung, Tan Ye Peng, Tan Shao Yuen Sharon, Chew Eng Han and Serina Wee Gek Yin).
However, in view of the concurrent criminal proceedings against those 6, COC on 28 Dec 2012 made a proposal to all the 9 suspended individuals that the COC would defer the next stage of any regulatory action (i.e. consideration to remove them) should they collectively agree to a voluntary extension of their suspension orders until 6 months after the conclusion of the criminal trial. COC said this was done purely on a goodwill basis so that the affected parties, especially the 6, could focus on the criminal proceedings. Also, it would allow them to have time later to make their case, should they want to, during the removal process, which COC planned to start after the criminal trial. In the meantime, with the extended suspension of these individuals, the property of CHC continues to be protected.
COC said that the deadline for the consent from the 9 was extended twice, and by 7 Feb 2013, 8 out of the 9 suspended individuals had agreed to COC’s proposal to voluntarily extend their suspension orders. COC, in fact, was prepared to consider deferring the next stage of regulatory action even though 1 of them had declined to give consent.
However, when the COC later asked the 8 individuals to confirm their agreement to voluntarily extend their suspension (notwithstanding the lack of consent by the 1 individual), only 5 out of the 8 were prepared to do so. 3 had rescinded their earlier agreement. So, in view of the lack of collective agreement among the individuals and the 12-month duration of the suspension orders (initiated last year) endng soon, the COC has no choice but to proceed with the next stage of the process so as to protect the assets of CHC. That is to say, COC will now initiate the removal process as stipulated by the Charity Act.
PROPOSAL TO REMOVE 8 CHC LEADERS FROM OFFICE
Based on their inquiry report (7 Feb 2011), COC said it intends to remove the following 8 individuals from their respective offices:
Kong Hee;
Lam Leng Hung;
Tan Ye Peng;
Kelvin Teo Meng How;
Tan Shao Yuen Sharon;
Tan Su Pheng Jacqueline;
Chew Eng Han; and
Serina Wee Gek Yin.
In respect of Kong Hee’s wife, Ho Yeow Sun, after reviewing the evidence against her, COC feel that at this point, there is insufficient evidence that she was responsible for or was privy to any misconduct and mismanagement that may have taken place in CHC. COC said should evidence surface to indicate that she was so involved, it will review her status again.
In the meantime, COC will proceed with the removal proceedings against the other 8 individuals.
INVITATION OF REPRESENTATIONS FROM PUBLIC
In relation to the removal proceedings, COC has to give notice to the 8 individuals to remove them. And according to the Act, a public notice of the proposal to remove a governing board member, trustee or key officer is also required. It is noted that any such removal of an individual as governing board member, trustee or key officer will mean that the person is prohibited from taking up such positions in any charity in future.
COC said it has already given notice to the following 4 individuals and invited them to make representations:
Tan Shao Yuen Sharon (as employee),
Serina Wee Gek Yin (as employee);
Tan Su Pheng Jacqueline (as employee); and
Chew Eng Han (as agent)
For the following 4 individuals, COC has also given notice and invited them to make representations. In addition, as provided for under the Act, COC invites representations from the public to be made to COC on its proposal to remove them:
Kong Hee (as governing board member)
Lam Leng Hung (as governing board member and trustee);
Tan Ye Peng (as governing board member and trustee); and
Kelvin Teo Meng How (as key officer)
The public can write to COC by email to mccy_charities@mccy.gov.sg or by post to the Office of the Commissioner of Charities at 140 Hill Street, #02-00 Old Hill Street Police Station, Singapore 179369, clearly stating “Representations on the COC’s Proposal following the Inquiry into the City Harvest Church”. All representations must be signed off with the full name, NRIC no. and contact details of the person making the representation. The deadline is 13 May 2013.
COC has assured that the worship services of CHC can continue as usual.
Since the C3 Presence Conference 2013 is on this week, we thought it might be wise that Christians discern what is being said in the name of God to the Word of God.
If C3 Presence Conference is anything like the last few years, you will not be getting anything that resembles biblical Christianity. For this reason, we would like to provide our listeners with this fantastic resource so you can see through the lies of Phil Pringle, Chris Pringle, Steven Furtick and the notorious Kong Hee.
C3 Church Watch has gathered a vast load of information that reveals why cult leader Phil Pringle is not fit to be an Advisory Pastor for CHC. However, now we wish to turn your attention to CHC’s Advisory Pastor AR Bernard. He too has close associations with Phil Pringle and C3 Church (and also Hillsong).
We strongly advise C3 Church, Hillsong and City Harvest Church to have nothing to do with A.R. Bernard. We do not know when or where this was recorded but this shocking audio on A.R. Bernard will explain why churches should not be associated with this pastor:
Any God-fearing Christian should be disgusted that AR Bernard calls deceitful scheming men that achieve his selfish purposes “God’s favour”. To use the story of Rahab the prostitute in Joshua 6 to justify his behaviour is not the way a Christian pastor should behave. Nor should he be promoting such immoral behaviour to his audience.
Pray that AR Bernard repents.
[Edit: Transcipt now added (20/04/2013)]
“Here’s a question that comes up – “Can you be totally honest and be
successful in the marketplace? Can you be totally honest and yet be
successful in the marketplace?”
Now of course people who don’t subscribe to the Lord, who don’t subscribe to
our value system will say “No you can’t! You have to be involved in bribes, you have to be corrupt and involved in corruption. You have to pay “under the table”, (laughs). You have to be a crook in order to be successful in the marketplace.”
Now many can honestly say that this has, you have, you have experienced a
question like this, an issue like this, since you’ve been in the marketplace. Oh! It would only happen in America? Oh, man! [Laughs]
Where’s there’s a conflict of values and you’re put in a situation where you
have an opportunity for a deal, alright? But somewhere in the midst, they
want you to lie.
Now this is a dilemma that I had to think about and I came across a story
because my value is, that not that honesty is the best policy, honesty is the
only policy! Because if you say it’s the best, it means you have a other
choice. But when you say it’s the only policy, you don’t have a choice.
You’re going to be honest all the time, alright? And because you value
integrity, no matter what the price is, you’re going to be honest.
Now let me give you some real practical stuff that goes on in the marketplace.
Let me give you a story.
There was a women named Rahab in the bible. You’ve heard of her? Alright,
she was a prostitute and uh- she lived on the wall in Jericho. And God had
promised that Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, would ultimately take
Jericho. Jericho was nervous because they heard about the God of Israel
and the incredible things He had done and His power and all that. So the
king of Jericho was terrified. The people of Jericho were terrified. This
prostitute heard about it.
So ah- Joshua sends two spies. Goes to the city to check out the condition of
things and these two spies come to this house of this woman, (who was a
prostitute), named Rahab. And- the presence of the spies immediately indicates that Israel is about to make a move on Jericho. And Rahab is concerned about her own safety so she looks to make a deal because she believes what she’s heard about this God of Israel- of the Israleites.
So she says, “Look, I’ve heard about what your God did to certain kings, how
He crushed their kingdoms. Word has gotten around and I’m going to tell you,
everybody is terrified.” So she makes a deal for her own safety. She says, “Look I want to make a deal with you. If I help you, will you look out for me when the assault takes place?” And they basically said, “Yeah, we’ll help you.”
So here’s what happens, interesting scenario, alright?
Word gets out that these two spies aaare there, so she takes them up to the
roof and she hides them and then the men of Jericho, the military of
Jericho, comes to her house and say “Look we heard that two men came to you and we want to know where they are.”
Now here’s the dilemma. Here’s the moral dilemma when I talk about integrity
and honesty, alright?
Rahab says “Um, actually I don’t know where they are. In fact I- they
came and then they went off in a certain direction”. And the military, the
guys from Jericho said “Oh-” they believe her, alright OK? And they turn and went off looking for these two spies. But the whole time she had them hidden on her roof! Now here’s the problem! She lied! How do we reconcile a person
lying and yet serving the efforts of God? That’s the dilemma.
I remember one principle that I heard and um- it- the principle was, ah- that no lie ever serves the kingdom of God. And I had to think that through and say
“Well, wait a minute! That’s not true! There’s been quite a few lies through the bible”.
And then I started associating names. Mmmm- Abraham (laughs) the father of faith, who lied. So you know, listen, we’ve got to be honest as Christians, and when we read something in the bible, we can’t try to gloss it over and rearrange it. It is what it is, it says what it says. So here’s this woman in the service of God, she lies! Boldly lies! How do I reconcile that?
Well I had to reason this through and said, “Okay”.
Number one, the men, the spies as it appears okay, the spies maintain their integrity. And the person who lied okay, was a person on the outside who heard about this God YAHWEH but was not in relationship with this God YAHWEH. So she had certain values that were not the same as these individuals’ values that they got from Yahweh. And I thought about that and I realised that there are times, (and I’ve experienced this, and you will too), where in business transactions God actually used people who had different values and lower standards, to get His work done. Now let me say, whoa wait a minute! [Laughter] Come on!. Come on! Let’s be honest here, alright? I’ll give you two illustrations, OK?”
When we were bidding on this housing development and we bid again below a billion dollars, but our bid was accepted, everyone had their part to play.
So we had a team, we had equity partners, we had development partners, we
had the government and the community, with my responsibility to use my
influence with government and community in order to make this deal go
through.
So I remember when the equity partners were about to leave and they said to
me, they said, “Reverend, we don’t think you should be in on this meeting”. [laughter] They said, “Because we’ve got to roll up our sleeves and go to work in order to get the underwriting that we’re gonna need for this project”. I said,
“Well, what do you mean, I don’t need to be there?” They said, “You really don’t need to be there REVEREND (emphasis)” [More laughter]
So the lights went on, and I said “Ohhhhhhhhh, OK! I won’t be there!”
[Laughter] So whatever went on in that meeting, I didn’t want to know about
it, I didn’t want to be a part of it, BUT I KNEW THAT THERE WOULD BE THINGS
GOING ON IN THAT MEETING THAT WERE INCONSISTENT WITH MY INTEGRITY AND MY STANDARDS [More laughter]. SO I ALLOWED MY PARTNERS TO PROTECT ME FROM WHAT THEY WERE ABOUT to engage in.
Now, what did they do? I don’t know. But when they came out of that meeting, we had the financing we needed. And I said “Hallelujah!” [More laughter]
Let me give you another illustration: when we were building- [Laughs] We were building our 11-1/2 acre campus. Now in New York City, concrete and steel construction, ah, has been for decades owned by one family (and I don’t say the Trump family). it was a family that spells its name like this [Laughter] You know a family I’m talking about? [More laughter].
They ownsteel, they own concrete, they own rubbish removal. Listen, across the board, nothing gets built without their involvement, OK?
So we were building in the late 90′s. There were also coalitions, and the
coalitions and unions get involved in order to push work for their union
members. So any project that’s going on, coalition leaders will come down
and take a look at the project and ask, “Do you have any union labor here?
Because if not, we’re going to shut this place down!” And they could.
Now what we did, instead of hiring a separate development company, we were the GC (General Contractor) on the project. So if anybody was gonna get upset, they were gonna to get upset with the church. And you just don’t attack the church. That’s number one!
So what we did was outsource it, to bring it in. So when we went to purchase
steel, (in order to do the steelwork, alright), we had to deal with the company that happened to be a part of this family. So in sitting down and talking
[Laughs], with the head of the company. He said, “Well, you know, our family
does concrete. Our family does, you know, ah, fencing”. And they told me all the services provided by their family. I said, “But look, in order for me to do
this project fairly, I have to bid it out.” They said, “Don’t worry. We will
always come in with the best bid. So get anyone else that you want to bid on
the project and I guarantee you, we’ll beat their bid”. [Laughter]
So [Laughs] we had two other bids and we had their bids and sure enough, for some reason, the other bidders said we can’t compete with that bid
[Laughter].
I don’t know if they couldn’t compete with the bid or the family! [Laughter]
So they disappeared and we only had this particular company to deal with. So
they started the project and I found out that word spread about this
particular company was handling our construction project. And as a result,
for some reason, we had no union problems, we had no coalition problems, no
community problems, no government problems. The project went pretty smooth! Uh!
So, on the land next to – we have 11-1/2 acres, we were developing 6-1/2
acres. And on the other side, there was, ah, a- like a backhoe, big construction
machine left on the property. So I saw that and I noticed it, and I noticed it- you know- it was there. And I think, “OK. They were using it so they parked it there because they need it”.
But they never used that machine! It just sat there! So I said, “OK, maybe they’re going to use it for something after”. But throughout the whole project, that machine just sat on the property next door to the property we were developing. So finally I asked the question. I said, “You know, you
guys have had that machine there for the past two years throughout the
development of this project and ummm, you know, you never used it. I don’t
understand.”
“Reverend, don’t worry about it, we just left it there”.
Well, I found out that that machine was a “marker” and that machine sitting there “marker” told everybody who would drive by, “don’t touch this project!”
[Crowd: "Woooah!" Applause]
So the project was under the protection and development of this particular
family. [Laughet] Got it?
So there are times as we engage with the marketplace, God brings people to us who are not of the same values and integrity, who end up accomplishing things on our behalf, without us having to compromise our own integrity. It doesn’t mean you go out looking for corrupt people to do your work [Laughter]. Don’t think that that’s what I’m saying [Laughter]. There’s a difference when God gives you favour and sends someone, as opposed to you calling up, “Oh, OK. Let me give you the most corrupt individual you can find” [Laughter] . No, because then you become an accessory to the fact, alright?
But you’ll find, and I’ve found, (as it’s the only way I can explain this),
that there have been times when God has just given me favour and given me
people to do for me what I could not do for myself, nor did I need to know
[Laughs] how it was being done because God knows that I want to maintain my level of integrity and my service. Come on! Give God a good hand clap offering!
[Applause]
Now, Joseph experienced false accusation. Let me just say something to you
about false accusations. Number one, sometimes what appears to be a demotion is actually a promotion. Sometimes what appears to be a demotion is actually a promotion. Sometimes God humbles us in order to exalt us!
And as I said to you, there is no biblical record that shows where Joseph
was vindicated against this false accusation. But let me give you some
principles that I’ve learned over the years because I’ve gone through false
accusations about things and the Lord has told me, in one very critical
situation, “Just hold your peace, just be quiet and I’ll take care if this”.
And I held my peace, my wife wanted to talk because my wife said, “Well, He
told you that but He didn’t tell me that”. She wanted to talk but I said “No,
no, no, no, no, you’re under my covering!” [Laughter]
Let me give you a principle that I’ve observed over thirty one years, OK? False
accusation is the last stage before supernatural promotion.
Falseaccusation is the last stage before supernatural promotion. Now, which means that if the devil cannot attack your quality of service, if he cannot attack your integrity, then he’s got to make up a lie about you! And when he’s got to go that far, that is the last stage before promotion. So you shouldn’t get angry and upset. You should do exactly like Joseph. What do you do? Continue the quality of service and continue to walk in integrity.
Your name is attacked before you’re promoted. Your reputation is attacked
before you’re promoted. And if you can stand the attack on your reputation
because you’ve built the character that you need, then you’ll experience the
next level of promotion.
“Well, that’s not fair! Why do I have to be attacked? [Laughs] Why do I have
to go through false accusation to be promoted?” Because rememeber: we live
life on levels, we arrive on stages, right? And as you move from one level
of life to another, the INTIMACY of your relationships must change. So quite
often, false accusations that come against you, purge your relationships
because you discover who you real friends are.
And believe me, when you’re promoted, you’ll want to take your real friends with you, not the ones who pretend to be your friends. You really find out who your friends are.
Earlier I said to you that relationship is a network for life – relationship
is a network for life. [Asks where he is on time schedule, takes time for
break] - A.R. Bernard
Before watching this sermon of Phil Pringle at the C3 Church San Diego, imagine Phil transported backwards in time to the early church. Let us lay out the scene…
Philip of Corinth finally afforded to buy Askepios’ shrine at Epidauras, a place well known for healing people. With renovations complete (and statues of himself in the courts), he started preaching at his new church.
He managed to afford sophists to advertise and encourage local churches and early church fathers to visit his new church to advance the Kingdom of God.
With some church fathers present (Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas and Justin Martyr), the charismatic sophist wanted to prove to them how orthodox he could be. Irenaeus insisted on staying home to scribe how Philip was peddling gnostic beliefs and imitating pagan religions around him. Nevertheless, the ‘critic’ was finally persuaded to check out Philip’s church to hear what he had to say. The early church sat and listened as they listened to Philip’s sermon: Parable Of The Dog.
How do you think the early church father’s would have responded to Phil Pringle’s level of orthodoxy?
Quick recap, Chris Rosebrough from Fighting For The Faith, thoroughly examined the behaviour of Steven Furtick and his church at the Code Orange Revival, (which Phil Pringle endorsed). At this man-made revival event, Perry Noble preached that Steven Furtick WAS a Messiah. The only guest invited to speak that preached the gospel was Matt Chandler who also gave a profound message that insisted the “bible was not you”. The result of this sermon was an angry Furtick who went out of his way to censor the gospel and Matt Chandler’s biblical message. As a result of the despicable nature of Furtick’s handling of events was this conclusion by Chris Rosebrough :
“Based on the performance I have that I’ve seen… I think it is safe to say that Steven Furtick is a cult leader. I know that might come as a shock to some of you but I mean, based on what his followers have been saying to me privately and pubicly on twitter as well as in email and other stuff like that- I mean this guy is a cult leader. He is the visionary. He’s the man of God. He’s the new Messiah. But he’s not.” - Chris Rosebrough, The Antidote to Antichrist’s Anti-Truth: 08:30,http://0352182.netsolhost.com/F4F012012.mp3, 20/01/2012.
Shockingly, more news has come out about the dangerous nature of Furtick’s Elevation ‘church’. While we do not agree with various things about ‘FBC Jax Watchdogs’, the information they spill is worth reporting. We wish to thank FBC Jax Watchdogs for this startling information about Steve Furtick. (Download the pdf of the volunteer contract form HEREbefore reading.)
Let’s hope that Phil Pringle does not copy this idea from Steven Furtick.
Elevation Church and Steven Furtick: Volunteer to Be Sued!
Nothing is more likely to destroy a species or a nation than a determination to survive at all costs. — C.S. Lewis
Contrary to popular blogger belief, TWW does not need to “go looking” for controversy. We have been around for 4 years and have developed a reputation that we give a hoot about people who have been hurt, let down, and abused by churches. The church leaders have their fan clubs of admiring wannabe pastors and church leaders. They pay the dough to sit in their presence at the interminable conferences held in nice places all over the world.
Who is the fan club for those hurt by these churches and leaders? Well, TWW is one. Julie Anne Smith at Spiritual Sounding Board and Kris at SGM Survivors are others. All of us raise red flags to help people know about church settings that are optimized for potential abuse.
This past week we got an email from an individual who referred to a contract that volunteers, as well as church employees, must sign at Elevation Church.
“I also grabbed it as well if it disappears. The whole thing is unconscionable in fact, if not actually in law. I plan on showing this to a few of my lawyer buddies online to see what they think.”
This individual went onto to call this document a pile of codswallop (or something similar).Frankly, I agree. TWW has written a number of posts outlining the potential pitfalls of signing membership covenants. Here are a few.
When signing one of these “covenants,” potential church members should understand that they are signing a legal document. We are warning you: these documents have been vetted by church attorneys.
The pastors go all “nicey, nicey” on the likely member, explaining that this is simply a “biblical” way to demonstrate that one is committing oneself to praying for, and supporting, the local body of Christ. Then everyone joins hands and sings “Kumbaya” while reveling in the loving unity of the local body. That is, until an unsuspecting person asks the wrong question and finds themselves on the receiving end of some “loving” church discipline with little recourse. Said person can run but the church can legally report them to the next church (and they do). Please refer to this post on TWW on how to legally extricate yourself from an abusive church.
If you insist on signing a church contract, consult your own attorney.
These covenants were invented by lawyers to protect the church leadership, as well as the church assets, from liability. These are not meant to protect you. (Repeat 10x).What makes this practice particularly despicable is that prospective members are rarely advised that they are signing a legal document or that they should consider getting legal advice prior to signing it.
We have often said that smart people should not sign these documents without first consulting with their own (not the church’s) attorney. Better yet, they should ask themselves why they would join a church that would not tell them that they are signing a legal document.
Is paranoia a biblical value at Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church?
Deb and I wanted to visit Elevation Church and listen to Furtick speak in person. We called the church office to ask when and where he would be preaching because there are multiple campuses. But, they have a funny little rule. They won’t tell you. It is against the rules. No matter which way I asked the question, the administrative person refused to answer me. Is this paranoia? Sure seems like it.
The infamous volunteer/employee contract is gaining fame.
The following document has been making its way around Charlotte, NC and has been picked up by Stuff Christian Culture Likes on Facebook link. It is a confidentiality agreement that must be signed by employees and anyone who wishes to “volunteer” at Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church in Charlotte link. Some smart folks, knowing that such a document might tend to “disappear” (imagine that!) made sure to post it on Dropbox here. (It takes a few seconds to load).
For those of you who have not had the opportunity to meet, or hear about, mega-pastor Furtick, we have embedded a well-known video called “Hey, Haters” at the end of the post. He is good buddies with Ed Young Jr link and Perry “oppose us and oppose God” Noble link which probably says it all. So, this man who says he is into peace and love and wants to restore a “hope of a nation,” has created a document to “insure” you stay “unified.”
Here is most of the document. You can view the whole thing at the above link. I have highlighted a few things. I also introduce each section.
It’s all about gossip and slander but these terms are not defined. Note the legalese.
THIS CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) dated __________________, is by and between Elevation Church (“Church”) and ________________________________________ (referred to as “I” or “me” below). WHEREAS, the Church and I agree that the Bible was inspired by God and written by man without error and is completely relevant to our daily life; WHEREAS, the Scriptures forbid the spreading of gossip, slander and the betraying of confidences (Exodus 23:1; Leviticus 19:16; Proverbs 6:19, 11:13, 16:28, 20:19; Romans 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:10; 2 Corinthians 12:20 and Titus 2:3); WHEREAS, as an inducement to the Church to allow me to volunteer, or to hire me or continue to employ me, or to provide me access to its confidential information, or to provide me compensation and/or benefits, as the case may be, I have agreed to execute this Agreement and be bound by its terms and covenants. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the above premises, I agree to be bound by the terms, conditions and covenants set forth herein:
They say you must disclose things if required to do so by the law but you must alert them immediately if you do so. Oh yeah, and be careful not to say too much.
1. CONFIDENTIALITY 1.1 Duty to Maintain Confidentiality. I promise and agree that, except to the extent the use or disclosure of any Confidential Information (as defined below) is required to carry out my assigned duties with the Church, during my employment or volunteering with the Church and thereafter: (a) I will keep strictly confidential and not disclose to any person not employed by the Church any Confidential Information, and (b) I will not use for myself or for any other person or entity any Confidential Information. However, this provision shall not preclude me: (i) from the use or disclosure of information known generally to the public, other than as a result of my violation of this Section; or (ii) from any disclosure required by law or court order, so long as I provide the Church immediate written notice of any potential disclosure pursuant to this subsection and take all reasonable and lawful steps to limit the extent of such disclosure.
Of course, it is wrong to share prayer requests as you will note in (i). However, look at what else one must keep secret.
1.2 Definition. The term “Confidential Information” means all non-public information furnished to, obtained by, or created by me within the course and scope of my work (volunteer or otherwise) with the Church. Confidential Information includes,but is not limited to, such information relating to: (i) Church participants, including lists, contact information, prayer requests personal information; (ii) the Church’s finances, including personal financial/salary information related to the Church’s financial statements, balance sheets, offerings information, cash flow, forecasts and cost analyses; (iii) the Church’s plans and projections for opportunities for new or developing ideas; and/or (iv) the Church’s research and development activities and technical data.
Then, one must agree that this is all very reasonable.
2. REASONABLENESS OF RESTRICTIONS I recognize that the terms of this Agreement are necessary to protect the Church’s confidential information and the sensitivity of such information. I also agree that its terms are fair and reasonable. Thus, I agree not to contest the general validity or enforceability of this Agreement. The covenants in this Agreement shall survive the termination or end of my employment or volunteering with the Church as set forth above, regardless of the date, reason or manner of my separation. I acknowledge that this Agreement is supported by good and valuable consideration.
And, if you happen to mention that the church is thinking about offering Zumba in the sanctuary on Mondays, you can get your pants sued off you.
3. GENERAL PROVISIONS 3.1 Remedies Available to the Church for My Breach. I acknowledge that my breach of any of the restrictive covenants in this Agreement will result in irreparable damage to the Church. Therefore, in the event of any breach or threatened breach by me, I agree that the Church shall be entitled to an injunction from a court of competent jurisdiction enjoining me from committing any violation or threatened violation of this Agreement. I further agree that the Church shall not be required to post a bond to obtain such an injunction. All remedies available to the Church by reason of a breach by me of this Agreement are cumulative, none is exclusive, and all remedies may be exercised concurrently or consecutively at the Church’s option.
Fascinating.
Do not tell what the pastor makes. That Ed Young Jr thing was really yucky link. Poor Ed…
Do not tell how much was in the plate on Sunday. People might wonder where the money goes.
Do not share any cool idea that Furtick has. Someone else might copy it and that is not fair. Why help another Christian church. Furtick wants it all.
If you do any of the above, you can be sued. Well, I gotta hand it to him. At least he doesn’t play games with Matthew 18. He’ll just sue your sorry bottom.
Bottom Line
Do you really want to volunteer for a church that threatens you from the get go? Is this truly a place of love and unity? Ask yourself why Furtick wouldn’t want to share any neat ideas he has with everyone else? Or is he hiding his bundle under a bushel?
Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others,that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
We managed to capture this audio in Phil Pringle’s C3 Presence Conference, 2011.
In this audio we have Kong Hee’s Advisory Pastor Phil Pringle ‘prophesying’ over Kong Hee. Pringle informs the audience about Kong Hee’s circumstances and is caught encouraging people to give money to Kong’s cause in court. Conveniently, Pringle does not explain why Kong Hee was being investigated. What was said was very revealing about Phil Pringle and Kong Hee. We will look at tackling some of the things said in this audio in another articles. Feel free to share this article or audio.
Hear it below or read the transcript underneath the audio.
Kong Hee: “Tonight, can we do two more things before I give the stage back to Pastor Phil? First of all, could – could Pastor Phil, could Pastor Chris and Sun come up to the stage for a moment right now. You know what? God shows his love through people. That’s why we need one another. And could you just take a moment? I just – two things, right? Just – and can you just turn around and give somebody a big hug? And just say that, ‘God really loves you’. ‘God really loves you’. ‘He really, really loves you’. Amen! Amen! Amen!
Tonight, the second thing; how many of you are glad that you came tonight? Let’s give the Lord a big clap offering. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen!
Tonight is it possible- past these eleven months, I don’t know what the future holds. I believe in God for complete deliverance. I believe in God to come through. Not one night but I believe in the blessing of the house. Sun and I, we believe in Apostolic proclamation and blessing. Tonight, as the Advisory Pastor of City Harvest Church, as the Apostle of our church, will you just, could you- Pastor Chris just lay hands on both of us. And can you just pray for us? Amen.”
Phil Pringle: “Amen, Father. Here right now. Father in heaven, deliverance is there’s. [Chris Pringle: “Yes!”] You’ve circled us with songs of deliverance. You’ve turned our mourning into dancing. The oil of just- the feelings of despair, the ashes are replaced with the oil of joy. What a victory this will be. Though it’s dragged on, it’s only for a greater rope to hang the devil by. In Jesus name, Father we pronounce victory. [Crowd cheers]. We pronounce [Chris Pringle: “Yes!”] conquering. We pronounce deliverance in JESUS NAME. NOT ONE NIGHT WILL THIS FAIR HEAD SPEND BEHIND BARS. LORD GOD YOUR NAME IS EXALTED. YOU WILL GLORIFY THE NAME OF JESUS to this great man and his wife and that awesome church that they have built by the power of God and in the name of Jesus.
So here tonight Father, all of us stand together as the body of Christ, as the Kingdom of God. We can invoke things on this earth in that name above every other name. We have a power. We declare it in Jesus name.
SALVATION! VICTORY AND DELIVERANCE! In Jesus mighty name! Hahaha! Oh bless him! The blessings in heaven, bessings of the mountains, blessings of the hills, blessings of the valleys, blessings of the city, blessings of the country, blessings of the people, blessings of the nations – rest upon you. You’ll speak to those who sit on thrones. You’ll stand before those who command the affairs of men. You’ll speak from a broken heart and win those who are proud and they will break and kneel before you. And those who’ve attacked you will be at your feet, seeking forgiveness. And you will show the grace of God and the hand of Heaven and the reconciliation of the Spirit of the Lord.
“Kings will come to Christ. Men who have opposed with their proud mind the things of God will be bent towards God, blown by a wind greater than themselves. God is raising you up. Once you have come through this, you’ll stand and strengthen the church.
Not only in Singapore, not only in Asia but through-out the world,” says the Lord. “You’ll strengthen the hearts of pastors everywhere, prophets everywhere, apostles everywhere, preachers, evangelists.”
So bless this man Lord. As he builds a massive bridge into China, that nation will come to Christ. The price of China is being paid in your world right now. An anointing for a nation yet to come to Christ. Jesus!
CHINA! TURN! And oil, none other has carried, will be placed upon you that you will share with many thousands of evangelists [that] will travel to the nation of China, like messengers carrying the message of the king – and that I will put the trumpet to your lips. You will grow an army. A vast army will gather.
“Your hour is yet to come,” says the Lord, “But I will bless you in Jesus name”.
Pringle: “And those who’ve attacked you will be at your feet, seeking forgiveness”
Then Pringle goes on to say this,
“Alrighty. Can I ask you to find your seats again? Is that alright? If you can just return to your seats. I want to let you know about a couple of things.
I’m wondering if- thank you Kari. I’m wondering if i can do something that ah- we don’t do here normally. (And I’ve only got about five minutes because the buses are leaving at ten o’clock.)
I’m wondering, as I was sitting there just wrestling with a thought, because I really ah, appreciate everybody here and their sacrifice in getting here. But I’m feeling like I just would like us to show love in a very real and a practical way for Kong and Sun.
So I’m just going to ask this question. If you would like to help them financially then we’re going to pass the container one more time here. I don’t want you to feel that you have to. I don’t want you to feel that there’s any great drive for this on you at all.
But I just feel that maybe some of you who would like to do this. We normally don’t receive offerings for preachers because it’s a very big conference and it’s a- and we build it into our overall thinking and budget to look after our speakers. But right now, if you need a card and you want to help these guys, just raise your hand.
You need to understand that they- I’m- I’m not quite sure I can say this, are they- are they- they’re gone? Okay. Umm…
To actually even be here, because their passports were confiscated, they had to pay bail to get those passports back. The bail was set at one million dollars. Each. Uh- oh, for Kong Hee I’m sorry.
Then, I think it was even more for him. I can’t remember the figures. But I know that for- they had to raise seven million dollars for members of staff and others to travel. That’s just that area. If you’ve ever been to Singapore, you know how expensive this place is. To fight the case he has had to employ a legal firm. And I know what the bills are. They are nearly a million dollars each time they come. Between half a million and a million dollars each time those bills come. His church is not allowed to pay one cent of his personal cost that he is incurring in this battle. He has to find it himself.
He’s sold his house. He has scratched together everything he can. One of the things that I’m doing is going there. I’ve made a commitment to be there once every two weeks. Normally it ends up being once every three weeks because of a variety of commitments that I’ve already got and doing things. But when I’m gone, he’s able to travel. And when I’m their, he’s able to travel and preach and find support amongst Asia and other churches.
Uh- I know that he was finding it hard to put some money together to get a cup of Starbucks at one stage. And uh- it’s a challenge. There’s been new legislation passed on the use of commercial spaces in Singapore since this case has come. So the religio- the restriction on his church is severe, ah, in that area [inaudible] after their purchase, go into co-ownership with ah, SunTec. And we’re in there. I will be speaking there in a couple days time. I will be on Friday to speak there happily.
We’ve got another great preacher here called Kevin Loo, who will be speaking here ah, in our church on Sunday. And I want you to meet him tomorrow night, ah, in church- ah in our meetings here.
But I’m just wondering, there may be some people here who feel- and you would like to put something, anything, in to help pastor Kong and Sun. And these are mighty, mighty men and women of God. Unbelievable in what they have accomplished. I can’t even begin to tell you the impact they’ve had on so many nations around Asia. Ah- I think Andrew Kubalah was it- one meeting there where I might have prayed for sixty different nations? Sometimes praying for a thousand pastors from one nation. I didn’t even preach. I just called nation after nation up on the stage.
We would pray for a thousand Indians. And we’d call another nation up. Vietnam. Cambodia. And one after the other, we were all at this Asia Conference, prophesying over them, speaking into their world, touched that.
Two thirds of the worlds population was just there. You cannot ignore that. God is raising up a voice to go into the city so-
I always think of these things is not just time to play around, kind of mess around and think, “Oh you know! We’re just here for a nice little sermon!” This is a place where we would do something and achieve things. And so I’m wondering if ah- if those ushers could just- right now- let me pray- and we’ll pass those containers. If you need a- if you need a card, please don’t feel embarrassed.
If you’re just thinking, “Ok! I’ll let it go,” don’t feel guilty. Don’t feel embarrassed. I do not want you to feel any pressure at all on- this is simply an opportunity for you to say, “I would like to help… uh- in support of these guys.”
Father right now I’m praying that you will help us be a blessing [to] Pastor Kong. Every cent that it goes into this offering will go to them. And probably more that we will try and add out of the budget of this conference. Father! Right now I’m praying for blessing on that dear couple, in Jesus mighty name. And everybody said, amen!
God bless you as you give and thank you very much.
I had to think deeply about getting involved in this because I know where I go. I take a lot of people with me. I don’t mean not just my family but our church and a whole movement. Ah- but I’m a slight risk taker and- you know like- I like the idea of standing for people. It’s easy to say I’m standing for Jesus. For once, one of his servants is suffering. Front page attack. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like plenty of times. But I’m a little older now. A little browner. It doesn’t matter so much. Standing with a guy when I know what it feels like to put on your shades, going to a supermarket. And your kids take a beating at school, cos their father’s the pastor. Some of your people are looking. They’ll talk to me about the church I go to. You feel that and hold your head up high. You keep marching.
You need a great church. You need a great people standing with you- easy to be a fair-weathered friend. When that foul weather comes, God’s looking at them to be faithful. In Jesus name, amen! Thank you so much for giving right there. I really do appreciate that.”
The Commissioner of Charities (COC) released a press statement yesterday (9 Apr) stating its intention to remove 8 suspended City Harvest Church (CHC) leaders from their respective offices at CHC.
