Sydney has just hosted about 35,000 people from around the world at a huge Hillsong conference. Hillsong's CEO is Brain Houston, author of the (oddly absent from Amazon) 'You Need More Money: Discovering God's Amazing Financial Plan for Your Life'. (Here's the conference website... wait for the wonderful Christian Rock...)

Joseph Prince was there, preaching. It's a little awkward writing about it, since my current landlady is a keen Hillsong member, and has been getting up at 5.30am and returning at gone 11 to help at the conference. She also gives something like 10% of her earnings to the church, I think. Anyway, this is from his (mainly merchandise-selling) website:

Do you look at yourself and see only lack in the natural? Do you say, “I don’t have a good education”, “I am poor”, “I am too old” or “I am a divorcee”? I have good news for you. As a blood-bought believer and child of God, you have the supernatural favour of God!

In the Bible, Ruth was a poor Moabite widow who went with her mother-in-law to live in Bethlehem, a Jewish town where the inhabitants considered Moabites outcasts. But she did not wallow in self-pity and moan about being a poor widow of the wrong race in the wrong place. Instead, she believed that God would favour her and she declared, “I will find favour in the field I glean.”

In the natural, Ruth had everything going against her. But because she trusted in the favour of God, she not only became the wife of Bethlehem’s richest man when Boaz married her, she also became the great-grandmother of David and had her name included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ even though she was not a Jewess! That is what God’s supernatural favour did for her. That is the kind of blessing God’s supernatural favour can give you.

A church member shared how, due to unforeseen circumstances, she was late for a job interview. But she confessed God’s favour on her before the interview and miraculously, the interviewers shortlisted her for a second interview.

There were about 40 applicants with the right experience. And though she lacked the relevant experience, by the favour of God, she got the job which came with better pay and a car allowance which fully subsidised her car loan. Her new company was even willing to pay for her petrol and handphone expenses — all because she believed and confessed that she had the favour of God!

Do not look at what you do not have in the natural and see lack. Trust in the favour of God and you will see blessings your natural abilities cannot bring in!

(From JosephPrince dot Org)

I love the little details here: God will personally intervene to get your handphone expenses and car allowance payed! Awesome. The logic is inescapable, though. Point out that the vast majority of the world are poor, and that they probably pray very hard not to be? They haven't 'confessed God's favour', though they may say they have. It's their fault. They must try harder to align themselves with the abundance of Jesus.

God's millionaires in Business Weekly is a great article on the how Hillsong works its money and governance.

As Brian says:

Anyone who puts the Kingdom of God first (rich or poor) can expect bible economics to work in their life NOW.

Oh, and here's Brian's wife, Bobbie, doing her bit for the sisterhood:

If I carry weight I feel like a retard ... How are you going to do anything to surprise your man when you need a hydraulic crane just to turn over in bed?" Have plastic surgery, if it makes you feel better and it is for the right reasons, and "girls, pelvic floor exercises - can you believe I am saying this? - you know, I have heard that orgasm is not as strong if you are really sloppy in that area"

Hillsong's charitable arm, Emerge, runs a project called Young and Gorgeous: 'going into schools to teach 12 and 13-year-old girls about skin care and make-up, to help them learn, an Emerge woman told me, "that each and every one of them is unique and precious" .' Low self- esteem is the gravest sin of all, as the Sydney Morning Herald points out.

And let's end with Brian again

“We want you have an awesome time,” Houston tells the crowd, before instructing everyone to turn to 2 Corinthians, 9:7: Give not grudgingly, nor of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

“Last year people were so faithful that by the last night everything was paid,” Houston enthuses. “During this conference, every night like I say, we’re going to be taking offerings and I’m going to believe that people are going to have a heart to give, and we’re just gonna see hearts open and awesome things happen ... I’m going to challenge you to really invest into that ... Let’s have purpose in our heart, that we’re going to have the spirit of giving, we’re going to give in to the life of this conference and let’s be generous with it.”

“The scripture says God loves cheerful givers, and that’s the spirit under which we’ll be giving tonight, and I’m just gonna believe that the very first night the giving to this conference is going to be awesome ... I know you’re full of purpose tonight to put the kingdom of God first, and giving it all, cash, or if you want to write out a cheque please make it out to the Hillsong Conference, and those who want to give with credit cards, there’s cards, there’s cards on every seat, you’re welcome to fill out the details, put your details of your card there ... all our needs, our riches and glory. I speak your promise, I speak your blessing into the life of every giver, in the name of Jesus, amen, amen.”