Televangelism, a Two Edged Sword

in this current day and age, with the spiraling economy and job losses on the rise, the need for divine intervention seems to be gaining in popularity. You don't have to look hard before you find some form of televangelism perfectly suited to meet your needs. Simply turn on the television, your computer, or even the radio. There is an evangelist talking about the very thing that that you need. Whether you need a Spiritual healing, physical healing or financial healing, they have the answer. Televangelism has become an American institution. And why not? Whats better than having church right in your own living room! You even get to choose the day you wish to attend, no longer having to wait until Sunday mass. Like everything in the world today, this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Televangelism has allowed mainstream churches to add thousands more people to their congregation. Giving them the ability to increase revenue many times over. This of course has not gone un-noticed by the greedy crackpots. Anyone with a little money in the bank can buy airtime and send his message all over the world hoping to cash in on this cash cow. The not so honest televangelists will come up with all kinds of concoctions, potions and lies to suck up some of your hard earned cash. They will promise you any kind of healing you can think of. They have the inside track on Gods blessings and the scripture to prove it. Now I'm not saying I don't believe in healing, in fact I do believe in all forms of healing. If anyone has the answer it would be God ! This is one of the reasons my temper flares when I see one of these crackpots! Like many other scams out there, they too are taking you for a ride! Many of you know all about the Internet scams that plague this generation. Everyone is out to make a buck and there are hundreds of get rich scams. We all know that if they ask for money in order to receive information, or to become the next person to make $5000.00 a month, it is a scam. The truth of the matter is, that many of the televangelists out there today are doing the very same thing. For a price you can receive your healing.

Now I'm not here to condemn all televangelists. There are many good ones out there. For example: Billy Graham, who served God for untold years and Perry Stone, this man is amazing, he can decipher scripture like no one else or John Hagee, a man after Gods heart, who refuses to sugar coat the Word. Of course they are not without their controversy. That is the nature of the profession they have chosen, there will always be controversy. Not too many of us like to be told that we are wrong and that what we are doing separates us from God. We all have our own conception of who or what God is. Hence the controversy. I do believe however, that they truly understand the word of God and that they do apply it to their daily lives. They have seen Gods blessings first hand and are not afraid to give you the whole story straight up, regardless of who you are, or what your religious background may be.

How do you expose the crackpots? Simple... compare what you see and hear to what the bible teaches us. The respectable and the not so respectable televangelists, all know the word of God. (remember even Satin can quote scripture word for word) but the not so respectable ones twist the word to make you think it says something it doesn't. Anyone can read the bible and pull out a scripture, that doesn't mean that it applies to your circumstances. Nor does it mean that it has any relevance to a particular topic. But many evangelists have made a very handsome living out of manipulating the word of God to fit your needs and to make them money. One topic that I see repeated over and over again is financial prosperity. This is one of the niches that many televangelists love to exploit. You'll hear them tell you, if you sow a seed (give us money) God will multiply it 100 times. If you give to God, He will give to you. This comes from Mark 4:3-20 in the bible. However, here Jesus is talking about sowing seed, meaning the word of God, not sowing a money offering into a ministry. That's not to say that a money offering can't help to spread Gods word. But how much of that offering goes to spread the word or better yet, buy the evangelist a new car or a new million dollar mansion? Now if the word of God actually meant He would multiply each dollar you sowed by 100, then the televangelist would only have to invest in his own ministry or another ministry 5 times to become a trillionaire!! Here is an example:

Let's say that you feel genuinely moved of God to give $100. According to the formula, God will return to you $10,000.

Then lets say, again with full faith, you give the entire $10,000 God just blessed you with back to Him (let's say via Kenneth Copeland). According to the formula, God is required to give back to you the amount of $1 million.

Now you give God the $1 million back to a ministry in full agreement spiritually and mentally and God then returns to you the amount of $100 million.

Again, giving God the glory and thanks, you again give God back the $100 million with which He just blessed you. God then has to return to you $10 billion.

Feeling you haven't given enough, you give back to God the $10 billion, rejoicing in the blessings He has shown. God then returns to you $1 trillion.

Finally, in obedience to the Most High, you give Him the $1 trillion. God then responds by giving you $100 trillion.

The reference in the bible they are referring to actually means this..."And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." Does this scripture mean what these televangelists lead you to believe? Not Hardly!! If it did then not one of them would ever have to ask for a single penny. Folks it doesn't work! They are purposely misleading you. They need your money to keep them living in luxury. They are fully aware that the bible does not mean what they want you to believe it does. This is an example of one of the tools used by some less than respectable televangelists, the point of contact or prayer cloth. This is a piece of cloth said to be a point of faith. If you are believing for a healing, holding this cloth can be an act of releasing your faith. I know many of you are about to call me all kinds of names right about now! You're thinking...those are scriptural, we have one of them, there is nothing wrong with a prayer cloth! Well before you get out your hammer and nails, lets see what the bible has to say especially concerning the relevance in the current time in history we find ourselves. The use of prayer cloths have ancient biblical origins. In history, prayer cloths have traditionally been taken from the clothing of various saints and apostles, as well as Jesus Christ. It seems that all advocates of this method of healing draw their roots from the Bible scripture in Acts 19:11-12 which says, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” Prayer cloths are likened unto these “handkerchiefs” from which the power of Jesus flowed. Other scripture outlining the origin of this belief can be found in Mathew 9:20 and Mathew 14:35-37 in which Jesus heals a multitude of sick and diseased people by simply allowing them to touch a piece of his clothes. However, it is not the cloth that is responsible for the healing, it is the faith accompanying the administration of the cloth that brings healing. That faith is manifested in prayer and trusting that God has the power to heal. The prayer cloths used today are nothing more than a cheap substitute for fraud. Another hook to get you to hand over some money. It seems that many have come to exploit these practices for financial gain. It is believed that by promising biblical miracles such as healing, many “religious leaders” and Evangelists have manipulated the scriptures to support their private ministries. There are many scriptures which discount the claims that different ministers and ministries are making. One of these scriptures is a direct attack on the “ministry” of televangelists classifying some as false prophets. It is found in 2 Peter 2:2-3 saying, “Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.

Lets move on to physical healing. Lets take a look at a healing crusade for instance. Whats really happening. A Lot of smoke and mirrors. These events are strictly choreographed from the beginning to the end. These televangelists are spending huge amounts of money to make sure they draw a large attendance. They are there to make money not spend it. There are musicians, singers, choruses, guest speakers, lighting, props etc. Just like a huge concert. Why? To set the mood, or the pulse. To put you in a receptive state. Therefore making you prone to suggestion. Watch carefully as they gently blow on a person or lightly touch their forehead. If you do not respond or fall backwards as they want you to, watch what they do. You will hear things like...take it! receive it! Then they can actually get forceful, the Evangelist will push your head back or push your shoulders or chest. You must go down! Its all part of the show. You will notice how they use quick movements and often loud sounds. This is to get your body to respond. To them there is nothing worse than a person who shows no response. However, healings can and do still take place during these events. Faith can work in spite of where you are. As long as you have faith, you can receive Gods blessings. To the crackpot televangelists, this is just a plus or a byproduct. It's not your healing they want, it's your money. Now compare that to Jesus' healing ministry or the apostles for that matter. He didn't go around with musicians, ushers, sound and lighting. He didn't blow in you face or push you back. Nor did he yell and say, take it! receive it! No, in fact He simply spoke the words, be healed, rise or come forth. He may have touched some, then softly spoke, your faith has made you whole.

Are all televangelists fake? Not at all. There are some who teach as well as heal according to Gods word and they do not waiver from it. In fact many of them have infinitebiblical knowledge. However, you will have to do your homework. Use the Internet, search out web pages, blogs and posted comments on televangelists and find one that's right for you. If it's healing you seek, some of the best healing takes place right in your own back yard, your home town churches. This is also biblical. James 5:14,15 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Here are some other scriptures that pertain to healing. See if any of them mention the healing methods of the televangelists or healing crusades. Also see if the Lord jumps up and down, yells and shouts and carries on like many of the televangelists.

Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:28)

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8:13)

And Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabbi, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight ... (Mark 10:51)

"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24)

"And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." (1 John 3:22)

... for she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." (Matthew 9:21)

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:15)

Are you surprised! Not one time did the bible even come close to the televangelists hoopla that you see today. No yelling or shouting, no blowing in your face or pushing your head back. In fact people stood up! They weren't slain in the spirit or passed out on the floor. They were just healed.

Now that we have taken a serious look at some of the cons of that double edged sword, what about the pros? This is the easy part. There are several good things about televangelism. first and foremost may be your inability to get to and from church. Many of us because of age or health reasons cannot get to church on Sundays. This makes televangelism an Invaluable asset. Often they have a toll-free number showing on the screen, they usually have operators 24 hours a day. If you have a prayer request or simply want somebody to pray with, there will be someone available to you. You can keep up-to-date on local issues as well as global issues concerning the church. You can follow your favorite evangelist and track his or her schedule. You can receive a fresh anointing on a daily basis, you can receive healing right in your own living room. If you are church going person this can be a great asset to your bible teachings. As mentioned earlier there are several good televangelists at your disposal. Through major networks such as TBN, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Day Star or Sky Angel you will find many to choose from. Just make sure you use your God given knowledge and choose one that is Spirit filled and not out there for the money. If they ask for a donation or if you would like to support their ministry, that doesn't mean that they are one of the crackpots. They do have expenses and it does cost a lot of money to air their programs. If you feel led to support them, than by all means do so. Just remember that the bible tells us that healing is freely given, in other words it doesn't cost money in order to receive.

In closing, I cannot recommend who you should or should not watch. That choice inevitably must be made by you. Use the wisdom God has given you and you will find what it is you seek. Now I think we could all use a laugh. After all laughter is good for the soul and God does enjoy a little humor. Take a few minutes and watch the video clip just below this article and we will end on a funny note! Thank you and good luck in your search.