Yes, it is real. No, he was not kidding. It's the sort of mistake that you get when you combine pastors who have never graduated high school with a church that is KJV-only.
I've got more, but that was the worst one.
#2 on the list is the time a pastor spoke on Matthew 6:22-23: "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
He said, "It means that if you really want something (like a new car), think about it and focus only on that every moment. Keep it in the 'eye' of your mind all day. Then your 'eye' will be good, and then you will receive what you want."
Amid all the 'Amens' around me, I looked down at verse 24 (
the very next verse): "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Hmmmmm ... that doesn't seem to support his interpretation, now does it?
Now, if I ever hear a preacher start in on the 'I'm-just-a-humble-guy' routine ...
"I've never been to college. Never been to seminary. I don't know any of that fancy Greek and Hebrew ..." I just get the overwhelming urge to shout,
"Well, then, sit down and shut up!" 