I believe the leaders of City Harvest Church (CHC) were passionate and sincere when they started in their mission to preach the gospel and reach out to as many lost souls possible. Without a shadow of doubt, much good has come out of CHC and many souls have been saved. So how did a ministry that began sincerely end up in the grave situation it is in today where its Senior Pastor & Founder Kong Hee has been found guilty in Singapore courts of misappropriating S$50.6 million of church funds & sentenced to 8 years in prison ? The truth is CHC landed itself in hot soup by preaching and practicing erroneous false doctrines as well conduct 'services' that do not fit the Biblical format. We will do well to obey Scripture and expose these false teachings and false components within their 'services ':
1. God requires 10% of a person's monthly income (Tithing)
2. It is necessary to construct a building or a 'house for God'
3. Replacing diaglogue ( Dialegomai) with sermons
Tithing
CHC, (like many other congregations in Singapore) teaches that a Believer should give 10% of their monthly income to the leader of management of the congregation they belong to. This erroneous tithing doctrine is false, unbiblical, and a huge lie. All the scripture passages used by leaders to justify tithing have been twisted & taken totally OUT OF CONTEXT. Here is the evidence . I am so convinced of this & am confident that it can be proved in a court of law ( the same court that sentenced Kong Hee ) that tithing for new covenant Believers is unbiblical.
Building God A Church
Indoctrination
In order for a congregation to remain true to Scripture alone, it needs to have healthy debates on church doctrines. It needs to have Dialogue. How many Believers would show concern if they were to learn from the Bible that the worship “services” they attend each week do not conform to the Biblical format? Believe it or not, sermons as they are carried out today actually thwart true spiritual growth.
Sermons form the core of a religious “service” which allows one person to speak without challenge for perhaps an hour, and then the congregation is quickly dismissed. This format has enabled not just CHC but virtually all of Christiandom to maintain iron fisted strangleholds over their congregations, allowing only one voice to be heard without any challenge from its listeners . And the result? The minds of the congregation become numb to reason which makes it so easy for them to part with their hard earned income. Furthermore, Believers are taught to be absolutely obedient and submit to their leaders under all circumstances - this is a cultic mindset. Yes, we are to heed the instructions of those who guard over us, but to submit blindly to your leader is far from Biblical. The Bible itself constantly warns us of false doctrines and preachers. If it was Biblical that one man speaks and everyone else listen, then great, so be it. But is it? In truth, it is absolutely contrary to Scripture and when we deviate from it, we get the result we see today in CHC.
The clergy calls the shots in the running of CHC and the laity allow them this freedom because of their theological training. But does attending bible college or being a formally trained pastor somehow make them less susceptible to error? No it doesn’t. The point is obvious: Bible education does not insulate a man from error. The clergy should allow themselves to be checked through dialogues with their congregation - sadly this is not the case in organized religion.
3. Replacing diaglogue ( Dialegomai) with sermons
Tithing
CHC, (like many other congregations in Singapore) teaches that a Believer should give 10% of their monthly income to the leader of management of the congregation they belong to. This erroneous tithing doctrine is false, unbiblical, and a huge lie. All the scripture passages used by leaders to justify tithing have been twisted & taken totally OUT OF CONTEXT. Here is the evidence . I am so convinced of this & am confident that it can be proved in a court of law ( the same court that sentenced Kong Hee ) that tithing for new covenant Believers is unbiblical.
Building God A Church
The
second false teaching is that Yahweh God needs a building, thus justifying the
necessity to collect church building funds. So many gullible people
have believed this other big lie. The church is a living organism (ekkelisa), and Yahweh God dwells IN HIS PEOPLE. He does not dwell in buildings made with man's hands. Here is the evidence .
In order for a congregation to remain true to Scripture alone, it needs to have healthy debates on church doctrines. It needs to have Dialogue. How many Believers would show concern if they were to learn from the Bible that the worship “services” they attend each week do not conform to the Biblical format? Believe it or not, sermons as they are carried out today actually thwart true spiritual growth.
Sermons form the core of a religious “service” which allows one person to speak without challenge for perhaps an hour, and then the congregation is quickly dismissed. This format has enabled not just CHC but virtually all of Christiandom to maintain iron fisted strangleholds over their congregations, allowing only one voice to be heard without any challenge from its listeners . And the result? The minds of the congregation become numb to reason which makes it so easy for them to part with their hard earned income. Furthermore, Believers are taught to be absolutely obedient and submit to their leaders under all circumstances - this is a cultic mindset. Yes, we are to heed the instructions of those who guard over us, but to submit blindly to your leader is far from Biblical. The Bible itself constantly warns us of false doctrines and preachers. If it was Biblical that one man speaks and everyone else listen, then great, so be it. But is it? In truth, it is absolutely contrary to Scripture and when we deviate from it, we get the result we see today in CHC.
The clergy calls the shots in the running of CHC and the laity allow them this freedom because of their theological training. But does attending bible college or being a formally trained pastor somehow make them less susceptible to error? No it doesn’t. The point is obvious: Bible education does not insulate a man from error. The clergy should allow themselves to be checked through dialogues with their congregation - sadly this is not the case in organized religion.
Spiritual apathy among Believers
Many
Believers attend services faithfully each week, but how many examine whether what
is preached from the pulpit is Biblical? We need to search the
Scriptures to see if what is fed from the pulpit is scriptural, for
wrong believing will lead to wrong action. Spiritual apathy of church goers is a main
reason why preachers who teach false doctrines get away with it.
These are four of the major reasons that contributed to CHC's present troubles. So far, there has been no real diagnosis of the problem at CHC by the clergy - men of the cloth who have been to seminary and who are supposed to be guardians of the truth. In fact, it is the plough men, the layman and former CHC members who speak the truth.
Did we get our facts wrong on this page? We would like to be factual as we can. If there is any information here that is inaccurate, please inform us. All constructive criticism will be appreciated.
