J. Grant Swank
Gentile and Christian : Betraying Jesus
By J. Grant Swank Jr.
Dec 19, 2008 - 9:48:57 PM

Christmas Exposure: Evangelists who Betray Jesus

Do you give to the following ministries: African Children Welfare Foundation, Benny Hinn Ministries, Bible Broadcasting Network, Children's Survival Fund, Crystal Cathedral Ministries, Good News Behind the News, Joy of Jesus, Inc., Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Kenneth Hagin Ministries, TD Jakes Ministries?

These, and others, get F grade from TransparencyWatch.com when it comes to being financially reliable. Check it Out.

"Ministrywatch revealed that Trinity Broadcasting sits on a $340 million cash hoard, and owns houses in an exclusive Orange County, Calif., community hidden behind very regal gates.

"They control one mansion worth about $4 million, and an even bigger one  -  over 10,000 square feet  -  that's worth about $6 million. The Crouches also travel the world in a jet worth a reported $7 million.

"Ministrywatch criticizes the Crouch's lifestyle, noting that 'we would expect that [in] most Christian ministries, the leadership should have some degree of sacrifice. You want to see that. Jesus lived a life of sacrifice.'

"Paul Crouch, however, disagrees. In the past, he has fired back, charging that 'these critics want us to be humble and poor like Jesus. ... Let me tell you how subtle that is from Satan himself. If God's people are poor as Job's turkey, who's going to pay to send the gospel to the ends of the earth?'
 
"Jan Crouch has expressed similar feelings, saying that 'It's the devil, it's Satan. If he has said don't give, hey, you're listening to the wrong side.'
 
"In response, Ministrywatch notes that 'it's kind of hard to declare that you're living in a fine house as a good deed. That just seems like a selfish deed. They do some good work. But they could spend a whole lot more money if they sold the house and the car and the jet plane.'"

Persons like the Crouches misuse the Lord's language to such diabolical extents that they have to be classed with the in-your-face wicked. Their hypocrisy is as blatant as the first century scribes and Pharisees.

Crocked and crooked evangelists. The law may not say that, but Jesus surely does. Further, if the law looked more deeply, the law might just agree with Jesus.

Jesus told His own to live out the kingdom within. Some big-name so-called "evangelists" have amassed ungodly wealth so as to create their comfortable materialistic kingdom here. Their rationalizations define as "sin."

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That's what Jesus prayed to the Father.

Then Jesus lived out that kingdom of mercy and grace, not money craze. So genuine Jesus followers have lived out that kingdom of mercy and grace, leaving the money craze to the worldly.

"Today Ministrywatch.com gets about 4,000 hits a day, and the founder, Rusty Leonard, is now respected enough that charities actually come to him and ask to be listed. At the moment, there's a backlog of 500 groups that Leonard can't add due to his limited resources.

"His growing influence is seen elsewhere: after Leonard criticized the Joyce Meyer Ministries, she opened up their financial records and sold off a group of million-dollar homes she and her family had been using.

"Leonard says, 'I think they would claim at the ministry that they didn't quite respond to us, that they were doing this on their own. She moved in the right direction.'

"As for Leonard's finances  -  after spending $2 million of his own money on Ministrywatch, he is poorer than he used to be, but that's OK, he says. 'I've gone seven years without earning a salary now. So it's a whole different scenario, but I am more joyful and happy than I was before.'"

Again take exceedingly affluent Trinity Broadcasting Network's Paul and Jan Crouch. They tout mission
work on poor islands in the seas while calculatingly lavishing their lifestyles with unbelievable overflowing coffers. Jan could take her abundant take to the islands' poverty stricken to witness an entire neighborhood constructed in place of shacks, a complete village of children clothed instead of running naked.

Will she? Of course not.

However, she boasts constantly that she does. Yes, Jan surely does just that. She has on her web site photos displaying her  -  all rounded smiles of her  -  hugging penniless urchins. Photo captions ooze with Jan's syrupy feigned compassion for these castoffs. Does that not squeeze the lower-class American purses dry? Certainly. Do not the poor widows send Jan their few dollars? You bet.

After all, Saint Jan is doing the Lord's work "over there." And Saint Paul is standing right alongside Jan's gushing forth. We at grassroots can't leave them stranded, now can we?

Yet the truth is that the Crouches have become so craftily wedded to their high-life money gods that they could not divest themselves of such disgusting regalia if it meant their own souls' salvation. It's become an addiction, like with many other "evangelists." Yet the Crouches brazenly continue to beg for money, money, money and devout naïve fools cough it up in basketfuls. It's happening as I type.

Benny Hinn is another "Christian" crock. He begs to aid Calcutta's poor. In the meantime, he lives the life of the crass wealthy secularist. One wonders if there is ever a match for Hinn's make-believe religiosity. If there is ever a sick hypocrite prancing, it's Hinn.

What about honest-to-God accountability from these "Jesus evangelists"?

The rich gospel frauds know full well how to bury their cash so that no one finds what is truly going on. Therefore, they get by with such carnal antics for decades upon decades. But beware: there is the Eternal All-seeing Eye.

Per CBS News' Glenn Ruppel and John Stossel, if believers gave to their local churches, they would be able to track the money trail by demanding penny-for-penny accountability. But when they send their money to TV hawkers, big-time money slides way down into the play-actors' black holes of Neverland.

However, there are some locals who have taken on the name "evangelists'" covetousness. For instance, Fred Price of Ever Increasing Faith Ministries boasts: "'I live in a 25-room mansion, I have my own $6 million yacht, I have my own private jet and I have my own helicopter and I have seven luxury automobiles.'" His work is rightly named: "Ever Increasing"!

There you have it: local greed in the sanctuary. It's Antiochus Epiphanes all over again sacrificing his pig in the Temple's Holy of Holies. But more, it's satanic desecration that certainly will answer at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Let the fake religionists revel in their worldly take here for it will disappear the moment they breathe their last. Then comes Their Great Awakening.

These money starved so-called Christian "evangelists" will stand before the White Light of Truth. Jesus said, "I am Truth." Then what? Then these gilded charlatans will receive their due. And it won't be mansions, jets and lavish island resorts.

"The popular Kenneth Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries lives in a large mansion in Texas. He recently asked his audience to help him spread the gospel by giving him $20 million to buy a new jet. Copeland promised that the plane 'will never, ever be used as long as it is in our care, for anything other than what is becoming to you, Lord Jesus.'"

Believe that, and we can all buy the marsh swamps in Florida.

"Our ABC affiliate in Dallas, WFAA, took a closer look. Reporter Brett Shipp obtained flight records that revealed that the Copeland jet, on its way to an evangelical seminar in Australia last October, made a two-day layover in Maui. Then it was on to the Fiji islands for another stop.

"After seven days in Australia, the Copelands headed to Honolulu for another three days of what they called 'eating and rest.'
 
"Last December, amid other evangelical stops, the jet made the first of two trips to a Colorado airport, just a few miles away from Steamboat Springs Ski Resort.  And, finally, there was a flight to southwest Texas to a hunting ranch where the Copelands have bagged exotic game over the years."

Where in all of this is the Jesus who had no place to lay His head? Obviously, Jesus left the Copeland jet some time ago. Jesus cannot contradict His own moral base. Jesus abides by His own ethical standard as recorded in the Gospel accounts.

No one can even come close to discovering in those New Testament accounts any lifestyle like unto that boasted by too many of today's "evangelical," often pentecostal trumped-up "evangelists."

God's heart must bleed as He watches those using His gospel concepts and language, only to prostitute all
of that for obvious fleshly gratification. Talk about hoaxes. They are aplenty today.

Talk about End Times signs. They are all around us, especially in America's Bible belt. And they go under
the label "evangelist." First century God-true evangelist John the Baptist, in a mini-second, would shake all of today's shysters into hell's canyon.

The old-fashioned preaching of yesteryear's sacrificing for the Lord has been purposefully, stubbornly shunted for reaping what the lustful sow. Yet the uninformed, innocent fools continue to mail in their checks to expand weighted pockets of religious fakes.

Again check out true-blue Rusty Leonard.

"He is a devout Christian who knows a lot about money. He runs a company called Stewardship Partners, which invests wealthy clients' money in companies that he believes have Christian-friendly values. Before that, Leonard spent a decade as a high-powered money manager for Templeton Investments.

"When he quit, he was in charge of $3.5 billion. He walked away from a seven-figure salary because he felt called by God, and says, 'You know, when you feel called to do something, you do it.'
 
"That calling was to look after donors' money and make sure it was spent properly. He says some people are being 'hosed' because they just don't know what's being done with the cash they give. 

"Leonard and his wife, Carol, gave millions to Christian charities before they decided they needed to look
deeper. He told us that 'we've all been trained to not even think, to just give the money over and not ask questions and to just not be good stewards. And all the satisfaction we get is in the act of giving, not of making sure that actual good work gets done.'
 
"As a result, Leonard started up the research group Ministrywatch. They asked Christian ministries and charities to reveal their finances. At first it was tough going, since, he says, 'nobody had ever held them to account from an independent perspective. So they were totally freaked out by it.'
 
"Many said no, others threatened to sue. Leonard wasn't intimidated. He says his attitude was 'bring it on. And you know, frankly, they like to threaten that, but they don't actually like to do it. Because if they did it, they would raise the awareness of the whole problem to a higher level.'

"As a result, Ministrywatch criticizes 28 Christian groups, including some of the most successful televangelists in America, all for having little or no financial transparency.

"'It's a huge red flag,' Leonard says. 'Nobody should donate to any of those ministries. There's no point in donating to a ministry that wants to take your money but not tell you a thing about how they're gonna spend that money. It doesn't mean that they're doing anything wrong, but it's a very high probability that something is wrong there.'

"The research Leonard and his staff does is available for anyone to view for free on Ministrywatch.com. There, the best groups are showcased as 'Shining Lights.' He points out that the vast majority of the 500 Christian charities and ministries that he lists  -  such as the YMCA and the Salvation Army  -  do a good job. They use donors' money efficiently and reveal where it goes.

"A small but prominent number of groups receive 'Donor Alerts.' These are the cases where he has been able to review some financial information, and as a result, has serious concerns about how their money is spent. That list includes the Crouches and their Trinity Broadcasting Network  -  the largest religious broadcaster in the world."

Visit CBS News"Philanthropic Donations Come From Your Heart, but Where Do They End Up?" 

For the expose regarding Kenneth Copeland, visit"Jet flight records spur Copeland ministry questions"

Visit TransparencyWatch, a ministry of MinistryWatch

Visit MinistryWatch

Call MinistryWatch at 1 704 841 7828

Call Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability at 1 800 323 9473

The Difference between Gentile and Christian

They say the Christians tortured during the Crusades. No. Gentiles did.

What is the difference between a Christian and a Gentile?

First, all humans are separated into two groups: Jews and Gentiles. A person is one or the other from birth.

Second, not all Gentiles are Christians. That's where the misunderstanding comes in. There are those who equate Gentile with Christian. They say that if one is not a Jew he is automatically a Christian. Not so.

Third, one is only a Christian by choice of conscience. A Christian is one who decides to follow Jesus and His commandments. Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."

The proof that one is a Christian is living out the commandments of Jesus. His commandments are summed up in two: love God with all one's being and love one's neighbor as one loves the self.

If a person says he's a Christian but does not live the Christian life, then he is a hypocrite. Jesus said that by our fruits we will be known. Look at the fruit on a person's life tree. Is it good or is it bad?

There are those who say that we are not to judge others. That is correct. However, Jesus did tell His disciples to analyze the fruit on another's tree to see if it is good or bad. If it is good according to Jesus' commandments, then that person is judged to be a Christian. If it is bad according to Jesus' expectations, then that person is judged to be a non-Christian.

I often get notes from persons telling me that I am judging others. These notes come when I write about sinners and sin. Then the supposed righteous note me that I am not to judge, as God has stated in the Bible. I then point out to them that I am not judging a soul to heaven or hell. Only God can do that. I am analyzing a life tree and discerning it to be good or bad. There is a huge difference between judging a soul to eternity and analyzing a life tree.

God gives Christians the right to discern others. For instance, the Apostle Paul carried out that responsibility in his letters to the churches.

Therefore, a Christian is one who lives out the commandments of Jesus, that is, he tries with all his being to be like Jesus in every way.

Not all Gentiles make that choice. Therefore, they are Gentiles but not Christians.

Fourth, there are Gentiles who are not Christians who pose as Christians. For instance, during the Crusades there were scores of church people under the power of the church who called themselves "Christians" but they were not. They were merely church people who delighted in their power over others.

In fact, these humans when hurting others were of Satan while calling themselves Christians. They were Gentiles calling themselves "Christians." They were frauds. They were hypocrites.

True Christians would not have acted out what the killers and torturers did during the Crusades.

It is the same in other various periods of Church History. There were those Gentiles in the name of "Christian" who burnt humans at the stake and provided other forms of persecution. These were Satanists and not Christians, though they claimed to be the latter.

Summation: A Christian may be Jew or Gentile. It does not matter in that regard. A Christian - Jew or Gentiles - is one who keeps Jesus' commandments---period.  (Jewish Christians are often referred to as "Messianic Jews" or "Jews for Jesus.")

J. Grant Swank Jr.
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Read: http://jgrantswankjr.blogspot.com/