Dear ROOTSS readers
I have updated my catalog of Joseph Prince Ministries ("JPM") resources, which you can view at the following link on Box.net
http://www.box.net/shared/erv8cz7kog
For those who are new to ROOTSS, please be informed that I have the entire collection of Pastor Prince's MP3 sermons (2001-2002), CD sermons (2003 to date), CD albums, DVD albums and books. As a form of ministry, they are being made available for those in Singapore to borrow and be ministered to.
To do so, just drop me an email at mloh77@yahoo.com.sg or text me at 9029-5677.
Afternote: I got a call from someone working in 22 Media that lending these materials out constitutes a breach of Pastor Prince's intellectual property. I offered to pay $8 for every CD sermon that I lend out, but he said that this was besides the point. I am waiting for him to officially write to me on this.
Meanwhile, you can download and listen to all 42 sermons (and counting) of my own church's Ps Reuben Ng at the following link. His sermons are equally anointed. But best of all, just like the gospel, they are FREE; there are no copyright issues with them :-D
http://www.box.net/shared/uzrv6pnyo8
After-afternote: 22 Media has responded and you can read that by clicking on the link below:
http://rootss.blogspot.com/2009/02/email-from-22-media.html
11 comments:
Malcolm, great to see you lending out the CDs. I've known this for some time and have been tempted to borrow some CDs. I myself have a sizable collection myself, but definitely not as big as yours :)
My hope is that JP Ministries would eventually put these messages up for free. That would not only be a great step of faith but would speak volumes. Andrew Wommack ministries does that and I've been so impressed by that that it makes me want to contribute to the ministry freely - something I hope to start doing from this year. Wommack truly practices what he preaches.
Just as you've mentioned, the gospel is free. The love of God compels/constrains us to live for Him. In the same way, I think if JPM could put these messages out freely, it would bless so many people that even though they won't make money off them, I believe what they would collect from offerings to the ministry or partnership commitments would exceed what they could make off selling them. To me, doing so is more in line with what the gospel is all about and truly living by faith. Cheers!
Hi stillhaventfound
Thanks for your feedback. I agree with you totally. When I spoke to that guy on the phone, I felt a tinge of disappointment that a grace-based church would have a ministry that is so law-based.
I have gotten feedback from many others that the sermons are so "expensive", and I will not be surprised that for every one person who buys a CD, nine others borrow it. Maybe if the prices were halved, that number would go up to three out of every ten, and the net effect is a win-win one.
The fact is that I was exposed to the grace gospel via an ex-colleague who lent me his collection. In due time, I decided to get my own.
I hope those who are close to Ps Prince reads this and as a result make some radical and out-of-the-box changes and see a longer term benefit in making his material available to a wider audience.
Brother,
I am sorry to read of the incident regarding the copyright. However, as Stanley was so insistent to remind me, copyright infringement is as much 'theft' as plagarism is. This is not to condemn you or to relieve Rev. Koh of his misdeed, but to remind you that Matthew 7:1 does state that "judge not lest ye be judged" and verse 2 states that whatever measure we judge, so shall we be judged.
Furthermore, it also is indicative that merely because God has forgiven our sin we cannot ignore the earthly consequences of our acts. I believe God will show you a way out of this, but also that we cannot forget of a very real consequence in living in a very real world.
Think there's nothing IP unless someone reproduce it. That may have something to do with 'copyrights'...don't think it's anything IP.
I believe the reason we are selling the CDs is based on the same principle as Joseph when he sold seed to the people in Egypt...
Just like how God led Joseph to sell seed, the people had a chance to sow in the land during the famine!
I take an example from Pastor Keith Montiero, one of the pastors in NCC..
When he was down to his last few thousand dollars with family to feed, he invested in every CD ever preached by Pastor and based on feeding non stop, he is now out of that situation and able to bless others!
So although we can lend seed, lets not deny others the chance to sow themselves ^^
Hi Tris
Using the verse you have quoted, maybe you should tell Rev Peter Koh not to pass judgement on NewCre being antinomian. Little did he know the weapon he was using to attack them was a boomerang, which has now come back to harm his own self :-D
But something good has come out of this incident about JPM's materials being copyrighted. There has been an increased demand for Ps Reuben's sermons as a result! And readers who listen to his messages will come to realise that God can and will use any preacher that exalts Christ and His finished work.
Sorry to hear that your efforts to bless others is being stopped. What really is the root of the matter? An IP breach or a money matter? Reality of IP protection is about ensuring that no one makes money other than the creator of the IP. So JPM is really concern about making money from the messages ..... that's the bottomline, no matter how it is being spun. Difficult to reconcile this with the gospel of grace. Sad indeed, but hey we are talking about millions of $$ considering the worldwide distribution - so can't blame JPM for taking such a secular/worldly stance on IP (The worldly system g'tees protection, while relying on faith .... well takes a bit of faith)
Agree with Stillhaventfound. I think Andrew Wommack's testimony about free materials is extremely heart-warming.
http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/free_download
As Visitor mentioned, is this really a IPR violation or even copyright if mere lending is involved? Does that mean we can't loan our music CDs to other people, that that's illegal? Maybe someone can find that out.
I guess since Malcolm's blog is so popular and widely read by NCC members, 22 Media / JPM would suffer a bit. Although they wouldn't suffer that much because it's not as if Malcolm could lend to thousands of NCC members! Think of the logistics involved! I wouldn't want to be in Malcom's shoes :)
Joshen, I'm not sure that applies because we can still sow into JPM by giving money freely to the ministry so that others would have the opportunity to hear the gospel of grace (I'm assuming that most of the money goes into getting JP on TV, not into someone's pocket) - we don't need to buy CDs. So even if CDs / mp3s were free, we still have the opportunity to sow. I don't think it's wrong for JPM to charge for CDs. I just think it's a bit inconsistent. But it's no big deal because most ministries do the same. It's just that maybe I think it'd be so wonderful if JPM were different from the rest (like Andrew Wommack's ministry) and truly be radical in this area.
Hi Malcom,
I enjoy reading your blog and applaud your passion in sharing your revelation on the Grace and love of our Lord.
I am not against NCC. I am liberated by the Grace message. But I am not for the commercialisation of the material. Yes, I am aware that there are cost involved in producing the material. But isnt it that one of the purpose of the tithe and offering is to fund the furthering of the good news (e.g. through mission, distribution of materials)?
NCC is a blessed church, especially in the area of finances. I believe the church is in a good financial position to bless others by giving the material for free or at cost.
Some may say that I am being impractical as this "giving away for free" model is not sustainable. But to spread the gospel is HIS will and I believe HE will surely provide.
I hope the management of NCC could see some of the feedback here and review the distribution right policy of their material.
God Bless!
Hi shalom2u,
It is easy for us to say that the materials should be given away free when we are not the ones funding the cost.
Let me propose an experiment:
How about you together with other like-minded people form a company and purchase JP's sermon cds in bulk (I believe you can negotiate for a much lower than retail price with 22 Media)and distribute them for free? Let's see how long the company will last.
By the way, 10% of NCC's tithes and offerings are tithed out into supporting missions work and if any portion of that tithe is not used yet in the current year, it will be given out in the following year.
If some or all of that tithe is needed to fund cd distribution, then some or all of those missions supported by NCC will lose their funding.
If NCC had used funds apart from that tithe to fund cd distribution, it would not have accumulated the cash reserves it had for paying the land premium of the one-North project.
By paying for the cds, we the buyers are directly/indirectly also participating in the spreading of the gospel.
If anyone still feels strongly that more can be done, why not do it yourself by taking up my earlier proposal and set up a cd distribution company?
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