Controversial televangelist Benny Hinn said his two “biggest regrets” in his decades-long ministry include promoting prophecies he now admits “were not accurate or from the Lord” and pushing “prosperity theology.”

“The two things I regret most in ministry: I was not too wise a number of times with prophecy,” the 71-year-old charismatic preacher told Stephen Strang, host of The Strang Report, in a recent interview.

“I had guests come to the crusades that I think brought harm to not only people’s lives but also to my reputation because their prophecies were not really prophecy. They went outside the borders of redemption.”

“And then there were times when I thought God had showed me something that He wasn’t showing me. And I spoke it out,” Hinn said. “But in 1 Corinthians 13, we clearly see that we all prophesy in part. That means we don’t see the full picture. And sadly — and I wish I could go back and fix it — but sadly, there were some prophecies I gave that were not accurate or from the Lord.”

“But who’s perfect?” he added.

“And for that, of course, I ask people to forgive me,” Hinn said. “I’m just human and made mistakes like that. And I’ll probably make them again, I suppose, down the road, because I’m not perfect.”

“But you know, it’s sad when people focus on the times you missed it. But that’s just, you know, the way it is. Yet there were times when I did not miss it,” Hinn claimed.

Hinn said his other greatest regret in ministry is his teachings on prosperity theology. Since the 1980s, the Israeli-born American-Canadian has been one of the most notorious purveyors of the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God rewards active faith and faithful payments of tithes and offerings with health and wealth.

“And that’s been a very difficult one for me,” he said. “When I started in ministry, it was simple. And then the ministry grew. … I think that’s when my troubles began. I don’t blame anyone, but sadly you get kind of in a place [where] it becomes difficult. You don’t know what to do and how to get out of it.”

“So I came to the conclusion in 2019 that I don’t want to be part of the gimmickry of it, and I still stand by that. But sadly, I let pressure get to me, and because of that pressure, I said things and did things that I should not have done,” Hinn said. “And for that, really, I am sorry, and I ask the dear people watching us to really forgive me for that. And I’m striving with all my heart to be as biblical as possible with that.”

“Right now, my focus is the Lord and only the Lord,” Hinn said. “And if, of course, there will be the time when I may have to raise funds for our ministry, I will do it as biblically as I know how — and balanced.”

This is not the first time Hinn has claimed to publicly renounce his past teachings; in September 2019, he admitted his teachings on prosperity “got out of hand” and “damaged a lot of people” and said he wants the remaining years of his ministry to focus on evangelism and the Gospel — not the “health and wealth” theology that made him millions.

“How long do I have on this Earth? What am I going to do in the next 20 years? That is for me to decide,” he said at the time. “I want to make sure that for the next 15-20 years of my life, that my message is the Cross. The real call on my life.”

“I want to be known for that,” Hinn continued. “I don’t want to be known as the prosperity teacher. Prosperity is one thing in the Bible, there’s a whole lot more in the Word of God than prosperity, but it’s become a major issue now because of the gimmickry involved in it. That needs to stop.”

At the time, Hinn also hit back at reports of his tremendous wealth, including a net worth of $60 million and multiple private jets, stating, “If I had that kind of money, I would give it to God. It’s madness … that’s ludicrous. I don’t know how, even, that started.”

Biblical prosperity, he said, is “God blessing His people, taking care of His people. Jesus made it very clear, if God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, will He not care for us? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things you need will not only come, but they’ll also be added to you.

Hinn’s nephew, Costi Hinn, who has openly criticized his uncle and the prosperity gospel, told Christian News that he hopes for genuine repentance — not simply remorse — on his uncle’s part. However, he pointed out that Hinn has previously expressed regret for his past teachings only to resume his behavior.

“Genuine repentance in the Bible is always accompanied by actions that prove that it’s really repentance,” he stated, explaining that repentance would look similar to that of the account of Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax collector who returned money to those he had swindled out of his love for Jesus.

“Jesus saves him and goes to his house that day and is willing to eat a meal with him and show him love and grace in the midst of his past and his sin,” he recalled. “And Zacchaeus is jumping for joy, excited to pay people back, excited to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus and show his genuine repentance through his actions.”

“My desire is that Uncle Benny’s statement is not merely public remorse to save face or protect his ministry from decline,” he stated, “but rather that it is genuine repentance and that he would be willing to forsake everything if it means gaining Christ and the full Gospel.”
Sources:Christian Post

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Finland — Dr. Päivi Räsänen, member of the Finnish Parliament and former Minister of the Interior, will face criminal charges for a third time, the Finnish Supreme Court has announced.

The decision follows two previous trials, one by the Helsinki District Court in 2022 and the Helsinki Court of Appeals in 2023, where Dr. Räsänen was unanimously found innocent of “agitation against a minority group.” The agitation she was accused of concerned public statements she made affirming the traditional, biblical interpretation of gender and sexuality. Her case will now be heard by the Supreme Court of Finland.

Despite this develop, Dr. Räsänen remains steadfast in defense of her Christian conscience.

The former government Minister said in a statement, “In my case, the investigation has lasted almost five years, has involved untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totaling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal.

“This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression. I hope that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, others would not have to undergo the same ordeal. I have considered it a privilege and an honor to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.”

The case against Dr. Räsänen began back in 2019 after making a tweet where she questioned the leadership of the Finnish Lutheran Church, her own denomination, for its sponsorship of the LGBT “Pride 2019” event. The criminal investigation also led the prosecutor’s office to confront her with a 20-year-old pamphlet on biblical gender and sexuality she co-wrote with Lutheran bishop, Juhana Pohjola.

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, the organization helping with Dr. Räsänen’s legal defense, said in a statement, “This is a watershed case in the story of Europe’s creeping censorship. In a democratic Western nation in 2024, nobody should be on trial for their faith – yet throughout the prosecution of Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola, we have seen something akin to a ‘heresy’ trial, where Christians are dragged through court for holding beliefs that differ from the approved orthodoxy of the day.”

Despite two earlier acquittals, Finland’s legal system is unique in allowing “not guilty” verdicts to be appealed to a higher court. Finland’s Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, has not announced when the trial will be held. Dr. Räsänen said she is willing to take her case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary “to defend free speech and freedom of religion.”
Sources:persecution

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ഫസ്റ്റ് അസംബ്ലി ഓഫ് ഗോഡ് ചർച്ച് കുവൈറ്റ്‌ ദൈവസഭയുടെ പുതിയ ശുശ്രൂഷകനായി നിയമിതനായ പ്രിയ കർത്തൃദാസൻ പാസ്റ്റർ ഷിബു മാത്യു മെയ്‌ 8 ബുധനാഴ്ച്ച രാവിലെ കുവൈറ്റിൽ എത്തിച്ചേർന്നു.
കുവൈറ്റിലേക്ക് വരുന്നതിന് മുൻപ് പാസ്റ്റർ ഷിബു മാത്യു 2002 മുതൽ 2024 വരെയുള്ള 22 വർഷ കാലം അസംബ്ലിസ് ഓഫ് ഗോഡ് മലയാളം ഡിസ്ട്രിക്ട് പത്തനംതിട്ട സെക്ഷനിലെ അസംബ്ലിസ് ഓഫ് ഗോഡ് അഗപ്പേ സെൻട്രൽ ചർച്ച് കുമ്പഴ സഭാ ശുശ്രൂഷകനായി സ്തുത്യർഹമായ സേവനം ചെയ്തിരുന്നു. ഈ 22 വർഷത്തെ ദൈവദാസന്റെ പ്രവർത്തങ്ങൾ കുമ്പഴയിലെ ദൈവജനത്തിന് വളരെ അനുഗ്രഹമായിരുന്നു. ഒരു മികച്ച സഭാ ശുശ്രൂഷകൻ, ബൈബിൾ കോളേജ് അദ്ധ്യാപകൻ, സെക്ഷൻ പ്രസ്ബിറ്റർ തുടങ്ങിയ നിലകളിൽ തന്റെതായ വ്യക്തി മുദ്ര പതിപ്പിച്ചു. കർത്തൃദാസനെ ഫസ്റ്റ് അസംബ്ലി ഓഫ് ഗോഡ് ചർച്ച് കുവൈറ്റ്‌ ദൈവസഭയുടെ കമ്മിറ്റി അംഗങ്ങളും സഭാ വിശ്വാസികളും ചേർന്ന് കുവൈറ്റ്‌ എയർപോർട്ടിൽ സ്വീകരിച്ചു.
Sources:christiansworldnews

http://theendtimeradio.com