Pastor Kayanja’s strange gospel of money
DAILY MONITOR, LETTERS | June 7, 2009 LETTERS | June 7, 2009
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/sun_letters/Wedding_headaches_86068.shtml
Pastor Robert Kayanja has been questioned by the Ugandan media as to why every person is supposed to pay $50 for the Benny Hinn Holy Spirit outpouring. Pastor Robert Kayanja argues that the gospel is not cheap. He says that Ugandans are used to free things yet there are no free things. He does not quote scripture to substantiate his arguments.
The word of God says categorically that freely you have received freely give (Matthew 10:8). It is also written that: “the love of money is the roots of all evil” (I Tim 6:10). The word of God says you will see them by their fruits not by their suits.
Ps. Kayanja is a smart businessman. He knows that if 20,000 people register for the so-called Holy Spirit outpouring, he will make over $2m.
Michael George Kizito,
BENNY Hinn silent about Kayanja’s sodomy saga : Check out this article by one of the Media fanatics of Benny Hinn
Great time at Benny Hinn conference
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3732&Itemid=71
Written by MALITA WAMALA
Wednesday, 10 June 2009 13:48
The only disappointing aspect about the Benny Hinn Fire Conference was the time I got home. Since majority of delegates had reached Rubaga Miracle Centre by 4p.m. to get good seats, it was not on the cards for us to leave after midnight! Yet there I was, letting myself into the house a few minutes to 1a.m. on Friday. Not that I was complaining. It had been worth every minute, every penny.The praise and worship was great and given the circumstances with the media and all, I was a bit apprehensive about what the turn up would be like.Would people put all the press reports before what God had prepared for us? I did not know what to expect.
Which was an added advantage for me, because getting there, it was amazing seeing people trickle in even after the conference had kicked off and the 10,500-seater cathedral was packed beyond its capacity. What was even a bigger tear-jerker was when Pastor Robert Kayanja and his wife Jessica took to the pulpit to welcome the delegates and frenzied screams only comparable to those coming from a football pitch when Arsenal has scored against Man-U, erupted and lasted for minutes. It was their way of telling the visibly thinner Miracle Centre pastor, ‘We have your back, don’t worry’.
And not one word was said about the sodomy allegations throughout the night. We had more important things on our minds; like what God was planning for us that night. At Namboole Stadium in 2007 when Ps. Benny Hinn held a miracle crusade, I was so caught up in the worship that I didn’t realise the evangelist had arrived on the podium until I heard the deafening clapping and screaming from the stadium. This time, I wanted to record that moment. I kept one eye on that door through which he was expected to come.
But the next thing I knew Christians were jumping up and down at 8.35p.m, screaming and waving plastic chairs, bags and handkerchiefs in the air.
By the time the dust settled, there he was in his trademark suit with the dove emblem at the breast. This time it was blue. I was truly at a Pastor Benny Hinn Fire Conference and not watching it on TBN!
The conference started off very much like one of his healing crusades as he worshipped and prayed for the sick for the first hour, before he launched into his teaching about the Holy Spirit.
The most memorable thing I picked from the teaching was the stark difference between the power of God and the presence of God. He noted that many of today’s Christians have the power of God (which is responsible for the miracles, healings and extraordinary things), but have lost the presence of God.
He said without God’s presence, which is only manifested through repentance, prayer, reading the Word and worship, a minister of God can easily be destroyed by the power of God s/he has.
And unlike what we commonly say as “feeling God’s presence”, he said the presence of God which is the Spirit of God cannot be felt; it manifests. What is felt is the anointing, or power of God.
When God’s presence manifests, usually the most a person can do is speak in tongues, or simply cry. It is too overwhelming and at the same time gentle for words or coherent speech.
We do need the power of God, yes – it is the only way the world will know and accept Christ – but above all, we need the presence of God which automatically comes with the power of God, but not vice versa.
In fact Ps. Benny said, he prayed that God kills him first, before He ever strips him of His presence. Or just the way David said in Psalm 51, “…Take not your Holy Spirit from me”.
malita@observer.ug
