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You are right. We know that God can use imperfect people and that grace will prevail.
i agree though Los, the power of the song remains the same... how God uses our weakness and selfishness to glorify himself continues to amaze me.
im praying.
So yeah, that is messed up. The guy needs major healing.
God can show off here in a big way.
praying...
I know that people will be hurt by this; I pray that they'll not doubt who God is because of this.
God is indeed a healer, and I'm praying that He'll heal those hurt by this ...and heal Michael.
God is indeed the God of second chances.
My faith isn't shaken and we all know God can and will be glorified through any circumstance or failure of human efforts.
How can we say that the song is still annointed? What scripture do we base this 'annointing of songs' on?? It was a lie in the beginning and is a lie now. Just because we got a whole bunch of fuzzy feelings from it doesnt make it truth. The only truth is scripture, and the song is not from scripture.
Remember how the devil used scriptural concepts to try and deceive Jesus at his temptation? Jesus was only able to resist because he new the scriptures "in his heart" and out-bibled the devil every time. Don't fall for bible-sounding concepts!
I love Mike, have known him some time, as many have and pray that God would reveal His grace in a new way.
I certainly don't judge the brother, I know I am capable of the same sin. I think it is for the Gug's family and church to deal with personal matter, and us as a wider church to learn, not from his mistakes, but from our own in being lead on a wild goose chase.
Did that sound too nasty? I mean it with love :)
Just admit you are a liar and repent. You don't need therapy. You need a swift kick in the ass.
Because even if Michael didn't need healing before, he definitely needs it now.
I think by asking these hard questions it strengthens our faith rather than weakens it...and it actually becomes a faith worth having.
Sorry. But when the church stops showing grace, we are no longer Christ followers.
Dude. Seriously? How could you say that?
Scary man.
One thing none of us can afford to do is judge- at least I wouldn't imagine anyone of us wants more judgment, (pressed down, shaken together, and running over) given back to us. (Luke 6:37-38)
On a happy note...one less person with cancer?
So sad. I totally agree that the content of the song is extremely powerful and wholeheartedly true. I hope the story surrounding Michael dies away quickly and that the song will still be able to impact people's lives just the same.
As Christians we are called to extend grace even in these kind of circumstances however let's be wise in making it clear that this kind of behavior is not to be tolerated. To do otherwise is to "laugh in the face of the devil" as C.S. Lewis puts it.
Great thoughts. I heard the news early and have been wrestling with it all morning.
Your thoughts sum it up best.
I pray for our leaders that people live strongly, have an even stronger support group(we are all able to fail and stumble), and that we are lead by the Holy Spirit, because then we can have an impact that no tv show, song, or speaker could ever have.
I honestly feel a burden to pray for him, his family, and those who are directly effected by this.
As a songwriter, there have been times Ive written from someone else's perspective. granted I didnt lie and say I had a terminal disease, but the "story" of the song was inspired by someone else's trial.
The message of this song still stands firm, and God will still get the glory
Can someone tell me what percentage of the church's songs over the past 100 years were written out of a humble heart? out of a heart loging to praise God? out a heart looking to write a hit? out of a heart looking for personal fame and glory? out of a heart looking to glorify God? Nope. No one can. Because we don't know.
We sing these songs because they proclaim truth about the God we serve. It just so happens that Hillsong and Integrity were duped into including the backstory to this song because it was so powerful, and as it turns out, it was a lie.
But if the words were true before you found out Mike was lying, they are still true now.
Also, what if Mike wrote this at a time when he had good intentions, and only after it was written did he decide that making up a story would give extra oomph to the song?
If this was a song about Mike's power, I'd throw it in the trash. But it's a song about God's power, and because of that I'll keep singing it. But that's just me...
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice
peter - a liar
matthew - a legalized thief
simon - a militant zealot
moses - a murderer
the woman who was set up - an adulterer
david - all kinds of issues
james & john - arrogant
the list could get pretty long.
"it is by grace you have been saved." - paul, eph. 2:5
We need to be Berean and appropriately test what we are being feed and call things for what they are and not whitewash...even if you have found it meaningful.
Yes grace...but also shrewdness. We don't seem to do this very well.
And God - He still is our Healer, He still is more than enough for each and everyone of us.
Wow.
Yeah Derek.
Art - Maybe we should have kicked King David in the ass and thrown away his book of Psalms...
This just reminds us once again how messed up we (all) are and how gracious God is.
Wow...
Praying...
As far as the song goes... I wouldn't play it anymore, not because the message changed... but because most people will think about this every time it is played, rather than being able to worship freely. It will be difficult for people to seperate the story behind it from the song itself.
The funny thing people forget to mention about the Berean's is that they received the gospel with joy and then checked it out with scripture. Most modern day folks who call themselves "Berean's" have no joy and are just out to save their own reputation.
too bad people will use this against Christ...
praying for him.
my question is why does one person get this grace, and not another?
http://www.loveisgreaterthan.com/reason-124-why...
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." - John 8:6-11.
I guess I'm glad I don't know the back stories of the other writers of songs that have special meaning to me. I've done as bad if not worse things in my life. God's grace covers all.
Here's my thoughts - http://www.chrisfromcanada.com/?p=710
We have some serious soul-searching to do, I think.
http://garydurbin.blogspot.com/2008/08/people-l...
Art, I agree he deserves a swift kick in the ass. But I deserve worse than that and God adopted me into his family and called me righteous, In Christ.
So I'm forced to put down the stones I had picked up to throw at Michael.
Forgiveness and redemption are the core of being a Christ follower, but you can't just say "there, there, it's OK, we forgive you" if the guy has no repentance in his heart at all. I can't see how the church can be TRULY loving the guy if there's no reproof, no correction, no admonishment to have true repentance.
But it's gotta be done in a loving way...wise as serpents, gentle as lambs, as they say, yes?
Rich
I think what Art is saying could actually be Biblical...ONLY IF another very important process takes place...c/o Matthew 18:15-17.
15"If your brother sins against you,[a] go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'[b] 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
Not sure how we are to treat pagans or tax collectors...but I know those in the times of Jesus were not treated politely.
In verses 21-22, Jesus said that we should forgive our brother 77 times. Anyway...just dropping some scripture on it.
Was this guy planning a miraculous healing as a next step?
Will God use this song in an authentic healing experience for Mike now?
Hmmm..
It is not our job to be his accusers.
It is his local church body's.
I trust that Hillsong is doing what they need to do biblically.
In that trust over suspicion I choose to forgive Mike for lying and also know that not only will God use this song... but I am pretty sure God will use Mike to pen an even greater song.
Should we start removing Psalms from the bible???? David was a huge lier, murderer...the only difference is we have been able to see how David's story played out a few thousand years later!!!!
Well. Don't tell my wife.
I think that is my daily tally.
Here is the truth - his junk just got exposed - none of us are any better than him - we are all just one decision, one mistake away from falling hard and being humiliated.
All the guy needs to do is get right with God, get into a community of real folks that love him, and make amends as best as he can - God will take care of the rest. I look forward to the day that he is restored and using his writing gift for the kingdom again. What a kick in the nuts that will be for the devil!
I'll definitely pray for the guy and give him plenty of grace. I just wish that Christian soldiers would stop shooting their own wounded. The devil howls with delight every time we do it.
But I also see where Art is coming from, too. This guy used an emotional ploy to engage people in a song. He's not the first to do it, but maybe the most public so far. This is bad, bad stuff. This is dangerous stuff. Christian culture (and worship music) is already littered with so much emotionalism, I think Christians should be both praying/restoring and crying "foul" with equal volume. I think stuff like this so tricky, but we've got to be balanced in our approach.
In all honesty, if this song had been released by a guy who was "healthy," would it have been a hit? We're all saying it's a great song, but for me, I found the song's value to be its honesty - a prayer of faith and trust sung by someone staring down death. To find out a dude lied about that - it makes me sick.
Let this be a somber reminder to us all.
Here are my thoughts on the situation! God's grace extends to everyone! Love the sinner, hate the sin! Pray for him and his family and for anyone who may allow the devil to use this to turn them away from Jesus! Should he be held accountable? Yes! Should he be publicly stoned or crucified? No! Jesus did that for him already!
I still love the song! It will still encourage me! I still have a million miracles in my life and all around me! Take that devil! Stick it in your ear!
God is God. We are not. God is good. We are prone to sin. God is perfect. We screw up. A lot.
Grace and discipline, in my life, have been inseparable. So have repentance and restoration. Like Los pointed out in the comments, it's the local church's job to handle these things. I am sure they are doing their part. I think that it is something God will use to shake us up (a lot of that has happened lately in our world, eh?) and get us to look to Him again, not to a person or a movement or a song or an institution.
Thank you, Los.
I'm not saying I can't be suckered - but typically, I have a high sense of discernment .. and I can't help but think if this was purely an intentional, willful, thought out scam that I would've discerned SOMETHING?
Will be interesting to see how it pans out.
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
www.fredmckinnon.com
www.theworshipcommunity.com
I kid.
Love your heart Los.
I'm so sad about this whole thing though. I'm hoping that one day soon, I can hear this song and sing it without thinking about the lie behind it.
I'm actually wondering how the guy was smart enough to fake it though... seriously? How did he sleep at night? I can only assume he really does have some kind of illness that he didnt' want people to know about...
Either way, it still moves me and makes me love the Lord more each time I hear it.
this whole story makes me sad.
I had the videos on my blog and would have left them up but it looks like they've been removed from youtube. great and powerful song.
The acceptance of grace is by repenting and turning from sin. Grace is not allowing a person in our church who has fallen deeply to maintain a place of influence in our lives. In fact Jesus and Paul teach the opposite frequently. There is to be two exhortations before finally, YES, a member of the church is told to leave and no longer welcome. Also read 1st Timothy and Titus. Don't argue with me, argue with the author of the bible. This doesnt mean we stop showing God's love or friendship to a person, it means they are removed from a position of influence. And this has happenned for Mike, and I'm SURE he agrees with it. We just need to remove his influence from our own lives.
Turn away from transgression people. Obviously there is a spirit associated with this web of lies, and that spirit is in "The Healer" song. Sure it makes us feel warm and fuzzy but worship is for God, not for us. Bring a pure and blameless offering into his courts, not a lie.
Song's have no annointing. This is a concept we invented, it's not in scripture. We made it this far without "The Healer", we can go on without it, and certainly go on without feeding any more royalties to the writer of this lie.
Truely, I love Mike and feel so heart broken for his family and friends. YES there needs to be a focus on restoring Mike into the Kingdom and into grace and that is the responsibility of his church and those around him, but it is our responsibility on the outer circle to tell the devil, NO we will not take any more lies, we're getting back to God's word and we're putting away all influences that are not of God.
We created an environment where the devil can get away with this and he has made a mockery of us. We are partly to blame for giving Mike an opportunity to be above reproach and giving him the catch-phrases he needed to get away with this lie.
In case it hasnt come across, I'm not angry at Mike, although I feel for those closer to him, I'm angry at us and definately at myself. We fell for it. And by the looks of some of our reactions, we'll fall for it again.
Even when it has been exposed as sin we rationalise and make excuses to keep the elements of this lie that we like. "It's still annointed..." BAH. Can anyone give me a scripture defending the cause to keep singing this song in God's house? Put away transgression.
Still love the song, though.
I mean nobody is perfect do we stop writing songs? or singing songs from the same imperfect people?
Let's forgive mike and yes pray for him but the song? The song is still true to it's words - My God is the One and Only Healer! I CAN SHOUT IT OUT TO WORLD!
Maybe we're forgetting what "anointed" means? If something is anointed it is consecrated or set apart by divine intervention. An "anointed" person is not someone who has achieved a level of sanctification such that he doesn't even really need the Holy Spirit anymore. An "anointed" person is a just a person who God has chosen to use, for whatever reason. Same goes for an "anointed" song.
God often chooses the weak and the humble as his vessels. Sometimes he uses murderers and adulterers. Sometimes he uses people with no major blemishes on their public record, but DON'T DECEIVE YOURSELVES, those folks have sin in their heart too. We all do.
I'll admit, lying to your family about having terminal cancer is severely jacked up. But if any of you think you're better than Mike Guglielmucci, you better check yourself. Or check the Bible. The more we see our sin, the more we see our need for a savior.
How did those closest to him not see the lie? I have 3 friends who battled real cancer and its not subtle. I agree with the comments regarding King David too. Do we throw out all his Psalms because he sure did have issues for which as Karen stated he did get his tush kicked. Consequences don't go away even as grace abounds.
Use the song or not I don't know but lets not hold up one song as a "must do" when there are thousands out there that come from the truth. As far as we know. That's the sucky thing. Now every worship leader is going to need a polygraph test to publish anything. BTW, which came first, the song or the lie? The song could very well have been Spirit breathed. But the promo was the no-no.
The royalties should be donated to cancer research or Make A Wish. In that case, buy, buy, buy!
I've just posted a Featured Article on this subject called "When Vessels Break" on TheWorshipCommunity.Com at:
http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/when-vessels...
In that article, I share Philippians 1:15-19 ... it's very applicable, I think. Powerful.
We continue to believe, we continue to pray.
For the Kingdom,
Fred McKinnon
www.fredmckinnon.com
www.theworshipcommunity.com
Fake illness preacher Michael Guglielmucci told to go to police
Jesus is still lord of the church!!
But we probably should just chill out over the song. It's a song. Not the focus of our worship or faith. A song. Relax.
If you think it can communicate grace or be a reminder that God can use anyone and anything for His purposes, then use it wisely.
But it's probably possible to worship without it. I mean, because, you know...it's a song.
I blogged about it here http://elgincombs.blogspot.com/2008/08/healer.html
Poor us. That would really suck...for US. And God's altar would be pure. That would suck.
Jesus says if you're unaware meat has been sacrificed to foreign gods then is ok to eat, but if you are aware, then it is not.
Flip from the Phils, yeah that's awesome that Matt Redmond sang a Michael Jackson and someone got blessed. I'm glad a person was blessed. I wonder how God felt though being offered a worldy sacrifice? Matt Redmond is not the bible.
Don't get me wrong, God IS our healer and the words to this song have validation, but
Man... we're too churched and have forgotten his Word. He DOES NOT accept sacrifices given from a an ill heart. Cane & Abel anybody?
Everyone keeps rationalising the validity of this song using worldy concepts. "Oh well we'd have no songs to sing"
"Oh well, the song meant something to me", "Oh well, the words are still true", "Oh well it's still annointed (what the?)"
I said it before, I'll say it again, how about some SCRIPTURE defending this songs place in God's holy house???
Don't risk your sacrifice of praise being rejected by God. Bring him something without blemish. Why risk it? It's God, the Holy Father and creator of the universe for crying out loud, not some imaginary friend we hang out with.
Personally I think Jesus would be driving this song out of the temple with a whip.
Johnny Leckie, right on man. It is just a song... so why risk keeping it given the huge deception associated with it y'all?
Sorry to drive it so hard,I must sound like a douche, it's just my instant reaction to this event is A. Hurt for the family, B. What can WE learn.
Deborah, good for you for spotting the lie. I'm so angry at myself for falling for it, I loved Gugs... he was a total inspiration to me for years.
@ Ryan Armstrong
I believe god gave him that song, but not for that reason.
@ The Canadian
If we did indeed kick his butt, we wouldn't be christians would we? I mean, I understand where your coming from, but that could have been better worded. a bunch of people will probably be pretty offended
A story was published yesterday about his porn addiction from the age of 12. I believe he was so enveloped in a fantasy that he really did think he had cancer. (At some points) But geez, give the guy some credit for coming forward. If he didn't truly want help, he wouldn't have, plain and simple.
No keep in mind I am not condoning what he did. What he did was absolutely wrong, and the actions they took, I believe were needed. That doesn't mean the song isn't anointed, or that the song was a fraud. Maybe he really began writing this song when he really wanted out? Maybe he wanted Jesus to truly be his healer of his addictions? Maybe this was his declaration? I honestly think he has some deep rooted issues, but our position should be to love, encourage, and discipline. That's what every parent does, not because of hatred, but because they love their children, and want the best for them. I believe Mike will come out of this season strong. I believe God is going to do bigger things with him, despite what has happened in the past. David? A man after God's own heart? Paul?
I am going to continue to declare the song over my life, and I am going to continue to pray for the restoration of Mike and his entire family. I believe God is truly going to be his healer with his family, friends, and his marriage. I choose to forgive Mike.
...just kidding, it's just a bad porn habit...
See, that wasn't such bad news after all, was it?
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/08/...