This past Sunday, I had made plans to meet up with some friends visiting from Dubai. We decided that we would meet up at Hillsong Brisbane for the morning service and then get going from there.
I had been to this Church once before, nearly a year ago and decided then that it wasn’t for me. A year later, it was the same. Nothing had changed, at least, that’s how it seemed to me.
Any Church that has flashy discotheque type lights on stage going spastic during the praise and worship time, I have my doubts and reservations about. What does the flashy light achieve? I have come to ignore the 10 “lead singers” (along with the choir and the musicians) that is characteristic of “the Hillsong experience”, but the lights are ridiculous and a joke! Through out the praise and worship session, I had to remind myself that I was at a Church and not a rock concert. If you think I am exaggerating, you should check it out for yourself. Seriously, it is nothing more than a distraction and a useless addition and just a sad attempt to appear hip (I suppose).
Something else that really bothered me was when one of the Pastor’s started talking about the upcoming Australian census and how he wanted the congregation to enter “PENTECOSTAL” as their religion. He said this while an image of the religion section was on the screen. I could see that some of the other choices included (but were not limited to) Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and so on. It is bad enough that there are so many denominations or dare I say DIVISIONS in God’s Church/Kingdom on earth and here was the Pastor/Hillsong further causing more division in what is already a horrible mess and an insult to Christ. Great job Hillsong (and other Churches with the same mindset). Way to show the world how UNITED the Christian faith is. It is bad enough that the census separately lists the other denominations, on top of that, “churches” like Hillsong want to further their own agenda and cause more division in the Christian faith.
Not Baptists. Not Methodists. Not Seventh Day Adventists. Not Anglicans. Not Pentecostals. Not Jehovah’s Witnesses. Not Catholics. Not Protestants.
CHRISTIANS. We are Christians. Not to label ourselves with any of the “man made” DIVISIONS above. We are called to obey and be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, the Bible.
May the Lord have mercy on all who seek to further their own agenda, rather than desiring the Lord’s Kingdom to be established and His will to be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven.
Come Lord Jesus, come.
Thank Sri 🙂