SEEKING THE SENSATIONAL

     A very pleasant good morning to each listener. I trust that the
past week has been good for you and that you have left time in your
busy schedule to allow the Lord to be a part of your activities. He
is our constant companion whether we like it or not. He sees our
every action, He hears our every word; thus, how careful we must be
in the things which we do and the things which we say. Generally,
our lives are rather mundane. By that I mean, each day comes and
each day goes and we wonder what happened to yesterday. And many
days pass by without much flare or excitement. Because of this, many
today look to religion to give them excitement. Many expect their
religious activities to be sensational.
     The expectation of something sensational happening is not
limited to the present time. It is an old characteristic which is
seen in the lives of many in the Bible. Let us notice one person
particular that was expecting something sensational to happen. I
turn to the 5th chapter of 2 Kings and read about a man by the name
of Naaman. Naaman was a man of great authority, a man of great
valor, but the scriptures tell us that he was a leper. Leprosy was
and is a dreaded disease. At that time there was no cure for
leprosy. The disease ate away at the body and slowly brought about a
dreadful death. A servant of Naaman told him he should go to the
land of a prophet of God, which Naaman went about doing. He came
before the house of Elisha, the man of God. He stood there in all of
his splendor, with his horses, his chariots, his army. Elisha, the
prophet sent a messenger out with the instruction, "Go and wash in
the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and
thou shalt be clean."  That sounds like such a simple command. Go to
the river and dip for seven times and you shall be healed. Naaman
had no trouble understand the instruction, but Naaman had a problem
with the instructions. Note his response: "But Naaman was wroth, and
went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to
me, and stand and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his
hand over the place, and recover the leper." (2 Kings 5:11). What
was Naaman's problem?  Naaman was looking for the sensational. Don't
tell me to dip seven times in the Jordan. Come out and do something
spectacular.
     How sad it is that there are many people in the world today
who are looking for the spectacular, looking for the sensational.
And when it comes to religion the sad thing about it is that there
are always those who will prey upon such people. These false
teachers will use people to their own advantage. Listen to the
apostle Peter, "And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by
reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. And in
covetousness shall they with feigned word make merchandise of you"
(2 Peter 2:2,3). Did you hear what that inspired man said? Is it
possible that there are men who will use others (men and women) as
they would use merchandise, to fill their own pockets through those
who are gullible enough to follow them and give them their money?
     I realize that the following comments that I shall make are
very explosive.  Many in the world about us do not like to hear such
things discussed. No doubt the reason is because these are highly
emotional issues. But, I hope and pray that I am speaking to honest
people who will at least examine what I shall say. Do not allow your
emotions to cloud your ability to reason, to think, and to know that
I am discussing matters of serious consequence.
     I turn our attention to the Benny Hinn Miracle Crusade which
came to the city of Beaumont a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Hinn and his
associates came into the city claiming that miracles were to come to
Beaumont. He drew large crowds. No doubt they came with anticipation
to see a miracle. Because that is what Mr. Hinn said he was going to
do. And as we have already stated, people desire the sensational,
the spectacular. So the crowds came. You see, it was announced as
FREE. And we like free things.
     But, before Mr. Hinn began his miracle service, he took up a
collection, saying, "If you want to reap a big miracle, you've got
to sow big!" He said that miracles would begin as soon as the
collection started, promising, "This is the service where everyone
can be healed!" Mr. Hinn asked for money in exchange for miracles.
He asked the people to give $1000, $500 or $250. He told the people
not to give anything less than $100. I wonder why Mr. Hinn came to
the city of Beaumont?? To perform miracles or to pass the hat? To do
some work of God or to take up a collection.
     During the collection, a screening process took place on the
floor of the Montagne Center. Instead of all the people just getting
out of wheelchairs, ushers helped some of them up and supported them
as they tried to walk. The ushers attempted to get one little girl
of perhaps 5 years of age, evidently suffering from cerebral palsy,
to get up and walk. The ushers had to hold her up because she could
not walk. She could not even hold up her head. After several
attempts, they gave up, putting her back in her wheelchair.
     One man, who had supposedly been in a wheelchair, was able to
walk on the state. Benny Hinn proclaimed him healed. However, when
he was sent off the stage, he had to be carried down the stairs and
carried to his chair. My listening audience, when Jesus healed the
paralytic in Mark 2, Jesus told him to pick up his bed and to walk
(Mark 2:11). He didn't have to be carried anywhere.
     Benny Hinn tried to get another "healed" woman to run across
the stage with him. However, she could not. She said since she had
not used her knees in six weeks, they were weak. When Peter and John
healed the beggar, he went "walking and leaping and praising God."
You can read about that in Acts 3:8. He did not have weakness from
lack of use. And he had never walked before. (Acts 3:2).
     I understand that there was a man who suffered a heart attack
while there. There was no effort made to heal him. He was taken to
the hospital, where I understand that he died. How tragic.
     I kept looking in the newspaper for some spectacular account of
some blind person receiving his sight. I did read that their were
going to be some blind attend the service with the expectation of
having their sight given back to them. My listening audience, don't
you think that if a person who was blind was healed that it would
have had 3 inch type on the front page of the Beaumont Enterprise.
Just one person. In the first century when these miraculous powers
were evident in confirming the Word of God, there was never any
doubt or any question raised as to whether or not a miracle had been
performed. Listen to the reading of Acts 4:15-16, "But when they had
commanded them (that would be Peter and John, two of the apostles)
to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable
miracle hath been wrought through them, is manifest to all that
dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it."  A miracle had been
performed and these religious leaders could not deny it. It was very
evident that the lame man had been healed. The whole city knew it.
They had seen him day after day, sitting by the gate called
"Beautiful," begging money from the people who walked by. Don't you
think that if a miracle had been performed in Beaumont, Texas on the
days of February 12 or 13, that the whole city would have heard or
known about it?  As noisy as reporters are, they would have found
the story if it had happened. But, no story, no headlines, no
healing miracle.
     I did see a brief account on one channel last week of a woman
who claimed to have been healed during the crusade. It had something
to do with her spine, her back. But, strangely, she did not realize
that she had been healed until the next morning as I remember her
statement.  And then, she voiced that she was much better.  Friends,
when Christ or His apostles healed, they did not just make people
better, they healed them.  And there was no doubt that a notable
miracle was performed. This we did not see in Beaumont week before
last.
     As I stated when I introduced this part of my lesson this
morning, I realize that some in this audience may take exception to
what I have said with reference to Benny Hinn and his false claims.
But, be honest with yourself; surely we can be honest with each
other. Did a miracle happen in Beaumont, Texas on the days of
February 11 and 12? I will be the first to retract my statements and
make sincere apology. Show me the miracle. Give me creditable
testimony to such.
     Reminds me of an incident which I referred to some few weeks
ago when a preacher was asked if he would like to meet a man who had
been raised from the dead. The preacher stated, "No, but I would
like to meet the man who signed his death certificate."
     In a religious discussion with a gentleman some years ago, when
we were discussing whether or not the miraculous powers of the Holy
Spirit were still being conferred on man today like they were in the
first century, I made the statement, "It is time to quit debating,
why not demonstrate?" Let us go to the cemetery and do what Jesus
did with Lazarus, when he said, "Lazarus, come forth." And Lazarus
came forth. But, the gentleman would not accept the suggestion. He
made no attempt to perform a miracle. He said that would be tempting
God.  I then stated, "You claim that I am a false teacher. Cause a
blindness to come over me as Paul did to Elymas in Acts 13:11.
Elymas withstood Paul and sought to keep the proconsul from hearing
the truth. Elymas was a false teacher and Paul caused him to be
blind for a season. You claim I am a false teacher. If you have what
Paul had and can do what Paul did, then cause me to be blind."
Obviously, he made no attempt.
     Allow me to make one thing very clear. It was not my intention
then, nor is it now to make people look bad.  My concern is for the
truth of God's Word and the recognition of the warnings given in
that Word. There are many warnings concerning false teachers, with
the charge that they need to be exposed, marked, pointed out. When I
see what I believe to be error, I believe that I have an obligation
to my God to expose that error.  No, I am not the savior nor
protector of mankind. Jesus Christ is our Savior and we will all
ultimately be judged by Him and with His Word. But, each one of us
has the responsibility to examining what we hear and see; comparing
it to the revealed Word of God. I believe Benny Hinn to be a false
teacher, and God's Word says "Mark him."
     We need to turn away from flashy sensationalism and get back to
the Bible. What would Jesus do? Do you honestly think He would come
into our community and advertise a healing Crusade and begin asking
for money in exchange for miracles? If one has that conception of
the Son of God, they have been reading a different Book from the one
that I read from.

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