"Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do--blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. - Matthew 6: 1-4 (NLT)
http://www.charismanews.com/us/40853-filmmaker-tyler-perry-lays-hands-on-bishop-td-jakes
The link above is to a video showing what happened at the end of famous prosperity preacher TD Jakes' Megafest conference. Apparently the video has gone viral and elicited all sorts of opinions from across Christendom revealing that the body is sorely lacking in discernment and wasting away from malnourishment because no one reads their bibles anymore. One of the end results of the purpose driven-seeker friendly-bless me theologies infecting our churches today is that it breeds a lazy Christianity. It is a religion based on secular reasoning and driven by consumer-product logic. People now "come to Christ" to invite Him into their hearts so that they can go to heaven and they can receive untold blessings. No longer is there work involved on their part. No longer do we deal with the weight of sin and the need for a Savior. The need for repentance. No longer do we explain the need to pick up your cross daily to follow Christ or to fellowship in His sufferings. No longer do we warn people of the coming persecution and being hated for loving Christ. Instead it is sold as one big kumbya experience that requires nothing beyond a tithe, promises them that nothing will ever be wrong again, and that just before all the bad stuff happens on earth we will be whisked away to hang out with Jesus in the clouds as we watch sinful mankind be righteously judged. That is not the Bible beloved - it is a fairy tale.
This lazy Christianity however is permeating the body. So we come to Mr. Tyler Perry, Hollywood media mogul. Now remember as we discuss this that we have two types of arguments. We have carnal arguments which are measured as the world measures and we have Christian arguments which must always be supported by Scripture. If there is no supporting Scripture, you are making a carnal argument. The video shows that mega church pastor Jakes calls Perry up to the altar at towards the end of his Megafest conference. This was apparently during the "offering" portion of that day. Perry tells the crowd that when Jakes asked the arena to sow a $113 seed for a youth center initiative he has that God prompted him to sow $113,000 and then changed his mind and told Perry to make it a cool million. Perry then lapses into the gibberish tongues that is practiced in far too many churches today, tells people that anyone who disagrees with them must be a "hater", misuses Psalm 23, and then lays hands on Pastor Jakes who immediately has to be held up by diligent staffers while he does the Pentecostal shake rattle and roll to the oohs and ahs of the crowd. Hallelujah! Pass the offering plate!
The fact that any Christian would rise to defend this only indicates how far we have fallen away from Christ and solid Biblical teaching. It is lazy Christianity that allows a little leaven here and a little leaven there until we think nothing of a man who cross-dresses for a living laying hands on a man trying to bilk poor people out of their money can be considered a profound moment in the faith. Wake up church!
Let us start with Mr. Perry. As the world goes, Mr. Perry appears to be ahead of the curve and a nice affable fellow. My understanding is he does an incredible amount for his community. He has hired more African Americans than anyone else in Hollywood and his movies usually try to have a clear delineation between right and wrong and contain a moral. From a secular standpoint he should be applauded for all of this. To God of course it has zero relevance. These are all carnal arguments. His movies are not Godly. Besides language issues there are over sexualized characters not to mention Mr. Perry became famous portraying a woman and cross dressing. What does the Bible say about that?
A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this. - Deuteronomy 22: 5 (NIV)
