1835- PREACHERS AND MONEY- WHAT
DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Let’s try and cover a few basic
principles today.
For some reason the past few
weeks I have kind of hit on the money/prosperity gospel somewhat.
I really did not plan this- but
it is such a major part of today’s church that the issue comes up a lot.
When I covered the verses in 1st
Peter the other day- one of the ‘suffering’ verses went on to say ‘the elders
[church leaders] that are among you I exhort… take oversight of the flock among
you…not for filthy lucre [money] but of a ready mind’.
You see this theme all thru out
the New and Old testaments.
The apostle Paul wrote to the
Ephesian church and said ‘he that does not have a job- get one- so you can have
to give to those in need’.
Now- he applies this principle to
the leaders as well.
In the book of Acts- chapter 20-
he calls the church leaders from the city of Ephesus to give them some final
words before he departs.
He tells them ‘the whole time I
was with you- I worked to provide for my needs- and the needs of those who were
with me- I coveted no mans money’.
He said he did this to leave THEM
[the church leaders- ministers] an example that they would follow.
The basic principle is church
leaders were not to ‘go into ministry’ with the idea [goal] of ‘reaping a
financial harvest’.
Now- this teaching runs all thru
out the bible.
So how come so many modern themes
violate this teaching?
We all have a tendency to ‘see’
what we want to see- and throw the rest out.
You can find verses that speak
about providing for the needs of those who are feeding us the word of God.
The apostle Paul said ‘don’t
muzzle the ox that treads out the corn’.
Meaning?
Support those who are feeding you
the word.
Okay- got it.
Jesus said to his men ‘when you
go into a city and they give you a place to stay [for the night!] and feed you-
then take it- the worker is worthy of his hire’.
So we see the basic principle of
helping those out who are teaching us Gods word- while at the same time the
warning- and example that the Apostle Paul gave us- that you are not doing this
for the money.
Paul told the Corinthian church
that when he was with them he preached the gospel free of charge.
In the Old Testament book of
Nehemiah- he was used of God to restore the city of Jerusalem that was broken
down and he became the governor during the rebuilding.
He asks God to look upon him and
bless him because he did not take the regular salary- that he had the right to
take- but was giving the other leaders an example that they are not in this for
the cash.
The same type of thing that Paul
did.
So if we take a balanced view-
from the whole bible- we come up with a teaching that says ‘yes- it’s fine to
support your teachers/preachers- but- they are not to become rich from this
support- and we also need some of them to do it for free- to work a regular job
as well- to give an example to others that they too should work- and not see
ministry as a career choice- from which you become wealthy’.
Now- this type of teaching will
simply be rejected by those who don’t like it- they will continue to justify a
‘I’m in this for a financial harvest’ type thing- and simply by pass all the
scriptures that seem to be contrary to their personal desire.
When we recently overviewed the
book of James I showed you how one of the main themes from James is the warning
[rebuke] of the rich and his praise for the poor.
Many years ago- when I used to
listen and get into the Prosperity gospel- I remember one of the main teachings
came from the letter of James.
It focused on James’ writing
about the tongue- a good confession.
As well as his exhortation to not
be double minded.
But these verses were actually
used in contradiction to the main point of James.
They were used to say ‘maintain
your confession of wealth- if anyone tries to tell you anything different- you
must reject it- don’t be double minded- keep the wealth confession and you will
receive a 100 fold harvest’ [which by the way is another distortion from the
teaching of Jesus].
So even though James says ‘beware
you rich- your money and riches are rotting- they are fading away- they are a
witness against you in the Day of Judgment’.
Or ‘Has not God chosen the poor
of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom’.
‘Do not the rich call you before
the courts and blaspheme that holy name by which your are called’.
I mean this theme is all thru out
the letter- yet the teaching among the prosperity group managed to bypass all
these themes- and simply pick a few verses out and turned them into a modern
day financial scheme.
Okay-enough for now- I guess I’ll
paste my first little book at the bottom of this post.
I wrote it years ago and
eventually put it on a disc and sent it out.
It really is amateurish in a way
[in my view] but there are lots of verses I reference that might help those who
are interested in this subject.
Okay- that’s it for now- read and
enjoy.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to ‘click’ the note App on my Facebook
Profile- I have posted lots.
-[BOOK]
'HOUSE OF PRAYER, OR DEN OF THIEVES'
a critical look at the modern prosperity gospel.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 ‘YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON’
CHAPTER 2 ‘TWISTING THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER’
CHAPTER 3 ‘WHAT IS THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING ?’
CHAPTER 4 ‘WHAT DID JAMES SAY ?’
CHAPTER 5 ‘WHOSE MINISTRY, JESUS OR OURS ?’
CHAPTER 6 ‘1 TIMOTHY 6’
CHAPTER 7 ‘WERE JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES RICH ?’
CHAPTER 8 ‘COVENANT THEOLOGY’
CHAPTER 9 ‘SOWING INTO GOOD SOIL’
CHAPTER 10 ‘IS THERE HOPE FOR FALSE PROPHETS ?’
INTRODUCTION
It
all started a few years back when I was regularly listening to certain
ministries who taught the prosperity gospel. Over the years I subscribed to a
few of these ministry magazines and truly enjoyed their teaching, but every now
and then while reading through the bible I would come across certain passages
of scripture that seemed to contradict the themes of the prosperity movement. I
also found it strange the way they interpreted certain passages of scripture,
it was almost as if when they were done explaining them, that these passages
meant the exact opposite of what they were plainly teaching.
During
this season of learning, while the Lord was dealing with me about these various
doctrines, I would find myself at times saying 'something needs to be done
about the extreme teaching coming from this camp'. I would also deal with some
of the unbalanced teaching through the small avenues of influence I had through
a local radio program and various speaking opportunities. I would even go
through stages where I was so upset over some of the more extreme elements of
this teaching, that I would avoid dealing with it at all because of the
emotional baggage that comes with having to disagree with a brother in Christ.
Then
why write this book? Each time I would determine to drop the whole matter and
never deal with this issue again, something would happen, or be said on
Christian television or radio, or be written in a new book, that was so off
base that I would ask the Lord again if He wanted me to do more in bringing
about a more balanced view of biblical prosperity. The most recent incident was
while watching Christian TV one night, the preacher who was speaking is a
well-known prosperity preacher. Before he preached he invited another
prosperity preacher to share a 'special' revelatory word the Lord had given
him, as the preacher came to the pulpit he began to lead the people in a series
of confessions/actions that he told the audience to imitate in order for them to
experience breakthrough in their finances. As he stood on the stage he then
went through the motions of pulling down an imaginary lever on a slot machine
while confessing in a very loud voice the words 'MONEY COMING'. He did this
three times while the audience followed. When they got to the last shout, the
preacher emphasized the importance of this last shout, and as he led them in
the pulling down of the lever they all shouted at the top of their lungs 'MONEY
COMING TO ME'
Well
to say the least this was another one of those 'incidents' that caused me to
ask the Lord if I should do more about such obvious abuse in the church. A few
days later, while driving to work one morning, I remembered this incident and
asked the Lord if he wanted me to write a book on this subject. Later on in the
day during a lunch break, while reading through the bible during a regular
devotional time, I just happened to be reading through the book of revelation,
and when I came to revelation 1:19 where Jesus tells John to 'write the things
which thou hast seen', it hit me like a ton of bricks. So here I am today,
believing that this book will serve a definite purpose in the Body of Christ
and cause us to return to a more balanced view of the 'things of this world'.
CHAPTER 1 'YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON'
It
has been said that the best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the real. So
let’s begin with a biblical look at true prosperity. In the past, while trying
to deal with this subject, I would often find people responding in defense of
the prosperity gospel by saying things like 'oh, but you don't know how good
the Lord is' or 'you don't know how much God wants to meet our needs' or, 'the
bible doesn’t say money is evil, but the love of money'. To which I would reply
'AMEN', I agree with you. But the bible also gives us many warnings against
materialism, seeking to be rich, and living for material things.
So
while trying to deal with the false prosperity gospel, I would like first of
all to establish the truth that God is good, he does want to meet our needs and
give us the desires of our heart, and yes, he even wants to bless us
financially and materially. God promises not only 'heavenly' or 'spiritual'
blessings, but also earthly or material blessings as well. If you go through
the bible from Genesis to Revelation you will find instances of Gods people
being rich, prosperous and blessed in every way. You will find many promises of
Gods provisions for us, not only spiritual but also financial and material.
There is no doubt that God can, and does bless His children in all areas of
life if they are obedient to Him.
We
also know that there are many warnings in the N.T. against seeking to be rich,
living for material wealth, and the like. So how do we harmonize these two
truths?
Let’s
look at the overall purpose of God for his church. We are commissioned by Jesus
to tell the whole world about His love for us, so we can make disciples of all
nations. The message from our lips, [and hearts] is to overflow with who Jesus
is and what He’s done for us. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us that as we
proclaim and talk about Him, and seek first His kingdom, that He will take care
of all the other less important things. MATHEW 6:19-24 ' LAY NOT UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES
UPON EARTH, WHERE MOTH AND RUST DOTH CORRUPT, AND WHERE THIEVES BREAK
THROUGH AND STEAL: BUT LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN, WHERE
NIETHER MOTH NOR RUST DOTH CORRUPT, AND WHERE THIEVES DO NOT BREAK THROUGH AND
STEAL: FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS THERE
WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO........ NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: FOR
EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE, AND LOVE THE OTHER; OR ELSE HE WILL HOLD TO THE
ONE AND DESPISE THE OTHER. YOU CANNOT
SERVE GOD AND MAMMON. THEREFORE I SAY UNTO YOU, TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, WHAT YE SHALL EAT, OR WHAT YE SHALL
DRINK; NOR YET FOR YOUR BODY, WHAT YE SHALL PUT ON. IS NOT THE LIFE MORE THAN
MEAT, AND THE BODY MORE THAN RAIMENT? BEHOLD THE FOWLS OF THE AIR: FOR THEY SOW
NOT, NIETHER DO THEY REAP, NOR GATHER INTO BARNS; YET YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER
FEEDETH THEM. ARE YE NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THEY? ...... THEREFORE TAKE NO THOUGHT, SAYING WHAT SHALL WE
EAT? OR, WHAT SHALL WE DRINK? OR, WHEREWITHALL SHALL WE BE CLOTHED? [FOR AFTER
ALL THESE THINGS DO THE GENTILES SEEK;] FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KHNOWETH THAT
YE HAVE NEED OF ALL THESE THINGS. BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD
AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THES THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. TAKE
THEREFORE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW:
FOR THE MORROW SHALL TAKE THOUGHT FOR THE THINGS OF ITSELF. SUFFICIENT UNTO THE
DAY IS THE EVIL THEREOF' Jesus is making a distinction between material things
and the kingdom
of God . He is saying if
we seek first His kingdom, then all these material needs will be met. If the
kingdom is about material things, then Jesus contradicted himself. The plain
meaning and thought of this passage is that if we put God first, He will take
care of us. Now say if the disciples took this to mean that the primary message
of the gospel was 'God will add all these things unto you'. And say if they
went around teaching all nations to quote 'all these things shall be added unto
you'. And then all over Jerusalem
and Judaea and unto the uttermost parts of the
earth they had people quoting 'all these things shall be added unto you'. And
after a lifetime of ministry they taught the people how God would give them
things if they kept quoting and meditating on the passages of scripture that
speak about material wealth. What do you suppose Jesus would say when He comes
back? First of all the plain teaching of Jesus in this passage is to get their
focus [meditation, confession] off of material things. He plainly says that the
'gentiles seek these things', and that the disciples are not to be thinking
about these things all the time like the gentiles. He tells us to focus on the
kingdom as opposed to focusing on material things. He tells us that as we go
forth by faith to proclaim his gospel, that he in turn will meet our needs.
After all, the disciples left their jobs in order to follow Christ, and he was
reassuring them that they would be taken care of materially if they forsook all
to follow him.
I
find it troubling that some teachers use this very passage in order to justify
materialism, while the plain meaning of Jesus words are the opposite. Jesus
says you cannot serve God and money. So we must take our minds and thoughts and
meditations and focus them on God, not worldly things!
So
true prosperity can be defined as God meeting all the needs of his children as
they proclaim him in all nations. True prosperity is God meeting our needs
while our focus is on him [not on our needs being met!]. True prosperity is
being able to preach the word of God without a covetous motive [1 PETER:5:2].
I
should make note that there are some who teach that this passage of scripture
[MATT. 6:19 -24] actually
teaches that we have a bank account in heaven with real money credited to our
account! And every time we sow [give into] the kingdom of God ,
that we are actually building a fund in this account. And that by faith you can
claim a withdrawal on your account and receive your financial harvest now. But
if this is what Jesus was teaching then the entire passage is twisted into
turning our attention towards money once again! Jesus plainly warned us against
focusing our thoughts on the material things in life, he told us not to be like
the unbelievers who have all their possessions in this life only. Jesus told us
to build up treasures in heaven, which meant a life lived for eternal purposes
as opposed to temporary rewards. I believe that if we get our priorities right,
that God will meet our needs, and we will be so excited about God and his
kingdom that we wont even have time to think about serving mammon!
CHAPTER 2 'TWISTING THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER'
While
a new Christian, enjoying that early honeymoon period with the Lord, I’ll never
forget the joy I experienced while learning the bible for the first time. The
clarity, pureness and unity of scripture were a sure foundation for a long road
ahead. While working as a house painter and listening to Christian radio all
day long, it was an early introduction to the various 'streams' of teaching
that were being produced in the church. One day my job foreman, who often heard
me listening to Christian radio, thought I would enjoy listening to a new tape
series that he had just been given. So I popped the cassettes into my radio and
listened with the excitement of a new believer in Christ. The cassettes were a
new teaching on the parable of the sower. MATTHEW 13:1-9, 18-23 ' THE SAME DAY
WENT JESUS OUT OF THE HOUSE, AND SAT BY THE SEASIDE . AND GREAT MULTITUDES WERE GATHERED
TOGETHER UNTO HIM, SO THAT HE WENT INTO A SHIP, AND SAT; AND THE WHOLE
MULTITUDE STOOD ON THE SHORE. AND HE SPAKE MANY THINGS UNTO THEM IN PARABLES,
SAYING, BEHOLD, A SOWER WENT FORTH TO SOW; AND WHEN HE SOWED, SOME SEEDS FELL
BY THE WAY SIDE, AND THE FOWLS CAME AND DEVOURED THEM UP: SOME FELL UPON STONY
PLACES, WHERE THEY HAD NOT MUCH EARTH: AND FORTHWITH THEY SPRUNG UP, BECAUSE
THEY HAD NO DEEPNESS OF EARTH: AND WHEN THE SUN WAS UP THEY WERE SCORCHED; AND
BECAUSE THEY HAD NO ROOT THEY WITHERED AWAY. AND SOME FELL AMONG THORNS; AND
THE THORNS SPRUNG UP, AND CHOKED THEM; BUT OTHER FELL INTO GOOD GROUND, AND
BROUGHT FORTH FRUIT, SOME AN HUNDREDFOLD, SOME
SIXTYFOLD, SOME THIRTYFOLD. WHO HATH EARS TO HEAR LET HIM HEAR.........HEAR YE
THEREFORE THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. WHEN ANYONE HEARETH THE WORD OF THE
KINGDOM, AND UNDERSTANDETH IT NOT, THEN COMETH THE WICKED ONE, AND CATCHETH
AWAY THAT WHICH WAS SOWN IN HIS HEART. THIS IS HE WHICH RECIEVED SEED BY THE
WAYSIDE. BUT HE THAT RECIEVED THE SEED INTO STONY PLACES, THE SAME IS HE THAT
HEARETH THE WORD, AND ANON WITH JOY RECIEVETH IT; YET HATH HE NOT ROOT IN
HIMSELF, BUT DURETH FOR A WHILE: FOR WHEN TRIBULATION OR PERSECUTION ARISETH
BECAUSE OF THE WORD, BY AND BY HE IS OFFENDED. HE ALSO THAT RECIEVED SEED AMONG
THE THORNS IS HE THAT HEARETH THE WORD; AND THE CARE OF THIS WORLD, AND THE DECEITFULLNESS OF RICHES, CHOKE THE
WORD AND HE BECOMETH UNFRUITFULL. BUT HE THAT RECIEVED SEED INTO GOOD GROUND IS
HE THAT HEARETH THE WORD, AND UNDERSTANDETH IT; WHICH ALSO BEARETH FRUIT, AND
BRINGETH FORTH , SOME AN HUNDREDFOLD SOME SIXTY
SND SOME THIRTY'. As the teacher taught through the parable he explained how
Jesus was teaching us how to plant [sow] the word [scriptures] in our hearts
[through confession, meditation, etc.] in order to receive a thirty, sixty, or
hundredfold return. He then applied the entire teaching to reaping an
hundredfold return of MONEY! He taught how that at each stage of the parable
the devil tries to steal the word so we don’t receive our harvest. He then got
to the part where Jesus says 'THE DECIETFULLNESS OF RICHES CHOKE THE WORD', I
couldn’t understand how Jesus could be teaching us about reaping a financial
harvest, and then say this! It almost seemed like a contradiction. Well the
teacher then began to sound uncomfortable as he explained how the deceitfulness
of riches was actually that old traditional teaching that says you cant be rich
[or something to that effect]! Even as a new believer in Christ I just couldn’t
accept this explanation, it was almost as if the teacher was trying to make
Jesus words say the opposite of what he meant.
The basic
plain meaning of the parable is self-explanatory. There are always obstacles
and enemies of the gospel. Ultimately those who overcome these obstacles will
bear good Christian fruit in varying degrees [30,60 or 100 fold]. The various
hindrances to the word of God include the 'cares of this world and the
deceitfulness of riches'. If you want to produce fruit for God you cant get
caught up in the materialistic pursuits of the world [2 TIMOTHY 2:4].
Many
times in connection with this parable is the doctrine of sowing for a harvest
taught. Jesus often uses planting [sowing] and harvesting [reaping]
illustrations in his teachings. The main focus is usually dealing with the
spreading of the kingdom
of God and the message of
Christ to the nations. Sometimes the seed refers to believers themselves, and
other times the actual message preached [MATT. 13: 20 ,38]. Sowing and reaping also refer to the works we
do, as well as the money we give into the kingdom [1COR. 9:11 , GAL. 6:8]. While there are many ways you
can apply sowing for a harvest, I find it disturbing that some in the church
have focused the entire teaching towards financial and material gain. This type
of preoccupation with money is in direct opposition to the warning that Jesus
gave in this parable, he told us that the deceitfulness of riches could derail
us from being fruitful, and the distorted teaching that applies this entire
parable to money is in itself a fulfillment of the warning that 'the
deceitfulness of riches' can deceive you, because it denies the very warning of
Christ and makes him say something that he never said!
CHAPTER 3 'WHAT IS THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING'
I
must admit that out of all the various portions of scripture used to teach a
false prosperity gospel, this is one of the most deceptive. In order for us to
fully grasp the concept of the abrahamic blessing, we must do a little history.
In
GALATIANS 3, the apostle Paul makes one of the greatest N.T. arguments for
justification by faith versus law. I personally believe this doctrine to be one
of the foundational doctrines in the N.T.
The
heresy that Paul is fighting against in Galatians is the heresy of legalism
that was taught by the judiazers. The judiazers were the Jewish/Christian sect
that taught that gentile believers needed to be circumcised and brought under
the law in order to be saved. The main argument that Paul uses to refute this
doctrine is in Galatians 3. In this chapter we find Paul going back to the O.T.
books in order to show that God established, by covenant, the basis of
justifying man by faith without the deeds of the law. The main argument Paul
uses is 'the abrahamic blessing'. Paul traces Gods promise to Abraham, made
before the law was given, where God says 'in thee shall all nations be blessed'
[GEN. 12:3, GAL. 3:8]. This meaning that God would bless [save] all nations
through the promised child of Abraham [which would eventually be Jesus]. Paul’s
point is to show that God already promised to bless all people through
Abraham’s offspring [the abrahamic blessing], and not through the law. The
abrahamic blessing referring to justifying the world by faith and giving us
'the promise of the Spirit by faith' [GALATIANS 3:8-14], this argument is also
used in Romans 4.
Now
here comes the tricky part, some teach that God covenants to make us rich
trough the abrahamic blessing [or covenant]. They use this chapter to teach
that Christ died so we can receive the abrahamic blessing. They then define the
abrahamic blessing as the 'things' that Abraham had. But once again the
abrahamic blessing as defined in Galatians 3 is referring to God justifying us
by faith as opposed to the law. Paul was in no way teaching the Galatians that
God was going to make them rich! He was battling for their very souls! The
plain text of this passage shows us that Paul was dealing with the issue of
justification, and not finances. And it would make absolutely no sense for Paul
to begin to address money issues in the middle of this chapter.
Each
time I came across this type of distorted interpretation, I honestly couldn’t
understand how so many different teachers could so consistently apply the same
passage in the wrong way. It almost reminds me of the O.T. passage that speaks
of a conspiracy of the prophets [EZEK. 22:25 ].
A sort of network of false/distorted interpretations of the scripture that
exist among certain groups of believers, and these same false opinions are then
propagated again and again until after you hear them long enough they seem to
become accepted truth in the church at large. We need to re-examine some of
these doctrines and receive correction and make the proper adjustments in our
thinking and acting [repentance!], so we don’t continue to spread these false
opinions in the church.
CHAPTER 4 'WHAT DID JAMES SAY'
One
of the strongest books in the N.T. dealing with poverty and riches is the book
of James. Simply reading this book in context would give the modern prosperity
gospel a strong rebuke! James contrasts both rich and poor, he says that God
has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of God . The context also implies that these
poor Christians will remain poor in this life! [JAMES 2:5] The prosperity
message teaches that if you have faith in God that you will not be poor. It’s
obvious that both James and the prosperity teachers of today have a difference
of opinion!
Lets
look at exactly what the word of God says; JAMES 2:1-6 'MY BRETHREN, HAVE NOT
THE FAITH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD OF GLORY, WITH RESPECT OF PERSONS.
FOR IF THERE COME UNTO YOUR ASSEMBLY A MAN WITH A GOLD RING, IN GOODLY APPAREL,
AND THERE COME IN ALSO A POOR MAN IN VILE RAIMENT; AND YE HAVE RESPECT TO HIM
THAT WEARETH THE GAY CLOTHING, AND SAY UNTO HIM, SIT THOU HERE IN A GOOD PLACE;
AND SAY TO THE POOR, STAND THOU HERE OR SIT HERE UNDER MY FOOTSTOOL: ARE YE NOT
THEN PARTIAL IN YOURSELVES AND BECOME JUDGES OF EVIL THOUGHTS? HEARKEN, MY
BELOVED BRETHREN, HATH NOT GOD CHOSEN
THE POOR OF THIS WORLD RICH IN
FAITH, AND HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM WHICH HE HATH PROMISED TO THEM THAT LOVE
HIM? BUT YE HAVE DESPISED THE POOR. DO NOT RICH MEN OPPRESS YOU, AND DRAW YOU
BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEATS? How were they despising the poor and being
prejudiced in their thoughts? They were treating poor people with contempt
while showing honor to the rich. This is exactly what we do in the church, by
teaching that poor Christians have little, or no faith, we unconsciously treat
them with contempt. We teach that the poor are under a curse and are therefore
not living up to all their benefits in Christ. We actually set up a cast system
in the church. James says the poor have great faith! He doesn’t portray them as
having small faith. He warns the rich not to trust in uncertain riches. The
bible flatly teaches that financial abundance is not a measure of ones faith!
We must stop teaching that if you would simply believe God you would have an
abundance of money. This is not true in every case. Sometimes the abundant
supply from God is the grace and patience that he gives to the believer in the
face of severe trials or lack. The N.T. clearly teaches that there are
believers with lots of faith who are poor! You can't deny the plain word of
God. We should not suppose that a lack of financial abundance is a sign of weak
faith!
Now
to one of the most recent 'new revelations' that is being taught in the church.
I first heard this from a very respected soul-winning evangelist. I then heard
it taught from a variety of other teachers. As of this writing it seems to be
accepted 'truth' in certain circles. Lets read JAMES 5:1-6 'GO TO NOW, YE RICH
MEN, WEEP AND HOWL FOR YOUR MISERIES THAT SHALL COME UPON YOU. YOUR RICHES ARE CORRUPTED, AND YOUR GARMENTS ARE MOTHEATEN. YOUR GOLD AND SILVER IS CANKERED; AND THE RUST OF
THEM SHALL BE A WITNESS AGAINST YOU,
AND SHALL EAT YOUR FLESH AS IT WERE FIRE. YE
HAVE HEAPED TREASURE TOGETHER FOR THE LAST DAYS. BEHOLD, THE HIRE OF THE
LABOURERS WHO HAVE REAPED DOWN YOUR FIELDS, WHICH IS OF YOU KEPT BACK BY FRAUD,
CRIETH: AND THE CRIES OF THEM WHICH HAVE REAPED ARE ENTERED INTO THE EARS OF
THE LORD OF SABAOTH. YE HAVE LIVED IN PLEASURE ON THE EARTH, AND BEEN WANTON;
YE HAVE NOURISHED YOUR HEARTS, AS IN A DAY OF SLAUGHTER. YE HAVE CONDEMNED AND
KILLED THE JUST; AND HE DOTH NOT RESIST YOU. The first time I heard this 'new'
truth, the preacher said that this passage was dealing with the end-time
transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor. It was explained that in verse 3
'YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURE TOGETHER FOR THE LAST DAYS’ meant that the rich
gathered together their wealth so it could be given to the church in the last
days. While I have no problem with the idea of the world’s wealth being used
for kingdom purposes, I do have a problem with distorting the word of God to
prove our points! A simple reading of James 5:1-6 shows us that the reason the
rich are being reproved is because they spent their lives building up financial
fortunes without being rich toward God [LUKE 12:16-21]. This scripture also
plainly says what is going to happen to their wealth. Is it going to be 'transferred'
to us? Is it going to be given to the Christians in the last days? Is it going
to be used at all? NO! It is going to canker, rust and corrupt! It is going to
be destroyed! It will be of no help at all in the day of judgment [PRVB. 11:4].
It will be a witness against them for living covetous lives. The entire theme
of James follows this line of thought. To read all the other things that James
says about the rich and poor in this epistle, for us to then interpret this
passage and say that James was now teaching the Christians that they would
become rich through the end-time transfer of wealth, is ridiculous. Once again
the plain meaning of scripture is being distorted in order to make it say the
complete opposite of what it means.
One
more thing before we leave James. The early Christian community did not equate
poverty with being under a curse. They did not equate poverty with sin. There
are many rebukes in the N.T. against sin in the church, but the poor in the
church were praised, not rebuked! The very mindset of looking upon the poor as
a lower class permeates this teaching. If the poor are cursed, not living up to
their inheritance, don’t know how to apply faith principles or simply don’t
know/believe the word concerning prosperity, then in essence we are despising
the poor through our belief system. The N.T. plainly teaches that it is okay to
be poor! We need to heed the warning from this N.T. epistle and stop despising
the poor!
CHAPTER 5 'WHOSE MINISTRY, JESUS OR OURS?'
I'll
never forget the time I was watching 'Christian' TV and saw a preacher holding
up his Rolex watch and then teaching the people that this was an example of his
faith in action! He then went on to explain that when we use our faith to
obtain things, we can then show these things to people as a witness of our
faith. If this is what it means to go witnessing for Christ, I think most
people would be standing in line to sign up!
Over
the years I have heard it taught that the only way the world would be saved is
if the church becomes extremely rich financially so she could send the gospel
to the world. That the world would see our extreme wealth and would ask 'where
did you get all that money?' and we would then say 'from God', and the lost
would then want what we have and get saved! Convenient isn’t it. But is this a
biblical picture of the N.T. church and her witness in the earth?
In
order to answer this question, we need first to look at what the N.T. church
is. The church consists of communities of believers scattered throughout the
world. All over planet earth, right now, there are believers thriving and
testifying of Gods grace in all types of circumstances and situations. The
community of believers that Jesus launched 2 thousand years ago is still going
strong. She answers to no man or human govt. She has outlasted empires,
persecutions, false religions and every other conceivable attack that can be
imagined. The prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled ‘THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT
PREVAIL AGAINST HER’ [MATT. 16:18 ].
As
of today there has been no other single institution upon earth that has had
more influence in the history of the world than the church! Now, if the church
truly consists of believers [seeds], planted [sown] all over the world under
the lordship of Christ, with various giftings [Apostles, Prophets, etc.]
operating under the administration of the Holy Spirit, this ministry [the kingdom of God ] already has the potential of a
worldwide witness to all nations. As a matter of fact this worldwide gospel of
Christ has been prevailing magnificently throughout the generations. This
wonderful kingdom, under Christ’s rule, has been active. It has been
supernaturally deploying ministers from day one [ACTS 13]. It has even
witnessed for Jesus Christ when its main ministers were broke! [ACTS 3:6]. The
witness of the gospel has done extremely well throughout the centuries and will
continue to do so, whether or not we all become rich!
The
reason I say this is because there is a mindset in the church [American mostly]
that equates the witness of the gospel with the success of American charismatic
entrepreneurial ministries. We have been deluded into believing that unless we
all become rich, we will never be able to reach the world. The overall success
of the kingdom of
God has never been
dependent on any budget of any ministry past or present! Most of the modern day
proponents of the prosperity gospel usually head up American ministry
organizations and equate the sowing of seed [finances], with giving money to
help support their organizations. They then sincerely believe that unless their
organization makes more and more money, they will never be able to fulfill the
great commission of reaching the world.
The
N.T. clearly teaches the principles of our witness for Christ, and the focus
has never been extreme wealth. But on sacrificial living, loving each other
unconditionally, a sharing caring community of people who are known for good
deeds of charity. In the book of acts the early church had a powerful witness, and
they weren’t rich financially, yet they did reach their world for Christ. How?
Through great sacrificial living, through miraculous signs and wonders, through
the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and through a bold proclamation of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Not one sermon in the book of acts focused on anything
else than Jesus Christ and his great work for us. Their hearts and lips flowed
with the message of Christ, not money!
I
find it troubling that many of the ministries who teach the prosperity gospel
usually do receive extreme amounts of money, not to proclaim the message of
Jesus [speaking about him], but to simply propagate a money making gospel! You
can tune into some of these ministries and find them talking about money all
the time. What if a lost person tuned in? Would he hear about Jesus or money?
What about when Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks?
[MATT. 12:34]. If someone is always talking about money where is his heart,
what’s his treasure?
We
need to shift our focus back to the pure N.T. message of Christ, and understand
that his gospel is the power of God unto salvation! Jesus said the world would
be saved when the truth is preached in all nations by a united church, not when
we all become millionaires so we can finance our own ministries!
CHAPTER 6 '1 TIMOTHY 6'
I
have often heard it said 'if you’re happy with just enough money to get by,
you’re selfish and living in sin, you need to believe God and have faith for
increased wealth so you can finance the gospel'. Is this a biblical concept?
Should we teach people that being content with what you have is a sin?
Lets
look at the word of God HEBREWS 13:5-6 'LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE WITHOUT
COVEOUSNESS; AND BE CONTENT WITH SUCH
THINGS AS YE HAVE: FOR HE HATH
SAID, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, OR FORSAKE THEE. SO THAT WE MAY BOLDLY SAY, THE
LORD IS MY HELPER, AND I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME. This
scripture plainly teaches us to be content with what we have! I even heard a
prosperity preacher teach that this means to be happy with what you have now,
while using your faith to obtain more. WHAT! When will we stop distorting the
plain meaning of scripture?
1
TIMOTHY 6:1-12,17-19 'LET AS MANY SERVANTS WHO ARE UNDER THE YOKE COUNT THIER
OWN MASTERS WORTHY OF ALL HONOUR, THAT THE NAME OF GOD AND HIS DOCTRINE BE NOT
BLASPHEMED....... IF ANY MAN TEACH OTHERWISE, AND CONSENT NOT TO WHOLESOME
WORDS, EVEN THE WORDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND TO THE DOCTRINE WHICH IS
ACCORDING TO GODLINESS; HE IS PROUD KNOWING NOTHING, BUT DOTING ABOUT QUESTIONS
AND STRIFES OF WORDS, WHEREOF COMETH ENVY, STRIFE, RAILINGS, EVIL SURMISINGS,
PERVERSE DISPUTINGS OF MEN OF CORRUPT MINDS, AND DESTITUTE OF THE TRUTH, SUPPOSING THAT GAIN IS GODLINESS: FROM
SUCH WITHDRAW THYSELF. BUT GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN. FOR WE BROUGHT NOTHING INTO THE WORLD, AND
IT IS CERTAIN WE CAN CARRY NOTHING OUT. AND HAVING FOOD AND RAIMENT LET US BE
THEREWITH CONTENT. BUT THEY THAT WILL BE RICH FALL INTO TEMPTATION AND A
SNARE, AND INTO MANY FOOLISH AND HURTFUL LUSTS, WHICH DROWN MEN IN DESTRUCTION
AND PERDITION. FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS
THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL: WHICH WHILE SOME COVETED AFTER, THEY HAVE ERRED FROM THE
FAITH, AND PIERCED THEMSELVES THROUGH
WITH MANY SORROWS. BUT THOU O MAN OF GOD FLEE THESE THINGS.........CHARGE
THEM THAT ARE RICH IN THIS WORLD, THAT THEY BE NOT HIGHMINDED, NOR TRUST IN
UNCERTAIN RICHES, BUT IN THE LIVING GOD, WHO GIVETH US RICHLY ALL THINGS TO
ENJOY; THAT THEY DO GOOD, THAT THEY BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS, READY TO DISTRIBUTE,
WILLING TO COMMUNICATE; LAYING UP IN STORE FOR THEMSELVES A GOOD FOUNDATION
AGAINST THE TIME TO COME, THAT THEY MAY LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE. Paul is
clearly teaching the concept of 'you came into this world with nothing, you
cant take it with you when you die, so be content with what you have'. I have
heard prosperity preachers say that this type of mindset is a religious spirit,
and has no foundation in the word of God. This passage of scripture teaches
plainly against the mindset of the prosperity gospel. The entire theme and
thought of the apostle goes 100 percent against the grain of the prosperity
movement. Paul clearly says that some will equate gain with godliness, if he is
not dealing with the distortions of the modern prosperity movement, then who is
he speaking about? He says that some will equate godly living with financial
gain, or they will teach if you’re godly you will gain much money. This is
exactly what the modern prosperity movement teaches!
He
says that those who want to become rich will fall into many foolish and hurtful
lusts. The craving [coveting] to become rich can either be through confessing
scripture, through meditating on abundance, through the sowing of seed into
good soil or any other means imaginable. The scripture simply says that if the
acquiring of money, for whatever purpose [even godly purposes], has become your
goal, then your motivation is wrong and you have been sidetracked.
Now
the 'love of money' verse. 1 TIMOTHY 6:10
'FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL: WHICH WHILE SOME COVETED AFTER,
THEY HAVE ERRED FROM THE FAITH, AND PIERCED THEMSELVES THROUGH WITH MANY
SORROWS'. I have heard it said 'brother,
this says the love of money, not money' and then the preacher will go right
past the warning and talk all about money, not even giving a second thought to
the warning! These passages, read in their entirety, give a powerful rebuke
against the prosperity movement. They teach us to' be content with what we
have,' they tell us' don’t desire to be rich', they plainly state that the
pursuit of material wealth will sidetrack you, and they even state that 'you
came into the world with nothing, when you die you cant take it with you, so be
happy with what you have!' I would exhort any person who is having difficulty
breaking away from this movement to read 1 timothy 6 every day for a year and
allow your mind to be renewed to the word of God!
One more thing before we leave this
chapter, in verse 12 Paul exhorts Timothy to 'lay hold on eternal life'. He
says this in the context of comparing eternal life against materialistic
living. He is saying in essence 'live for eternal things, not temporary rewards
[or money!]'. I just finished watching a minister on T.V. spend 30 minutes
explaining how the eternal life that Paul is referring to deals with the
abundance of God in the area of finances. He flatly said that Paul was teaching
us to lay hold of an abundance of money! This type of extreme distorting of
scripture actually takes the warnings in the word of God that speak against
materialism and turns them around to teach the exact opposite! When our own
interpretations of scripture go against the plain flow of the text of
scripture, then we have usurped the word of God in order to teach our own traditions!
CHAPTER 7 'WERE JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES RICH?'
One
day while listening to a preacher trying to prove that Jesus and the disciples
were extremely wealthy, he used the common ‘proof texts’ to prove his point. He
then went on to explain that religious tradition portrayed Jesus and the
disciples as being poor [or average], and that the word of God teaches us that
they were really rich. He also explained how important it was for us to know
this 'truth', because if Jesus and the disciples were rich, and Jesus wants us
to be like him, then we are in disobedience if we are not striving to become
wealthy!
A
simple plain reading of the N.T. portrays Jesus as someone who came with a
radical message of forsaking all to follow him. He often approached people who
were in business [fishermen], or were rich, and challenged them to leave all
and follow him. He would reassure these followers if they forsook all for his
cause and the gospel, that they would be taken care of. This same type of
radical call continued into the book of acts, where the early followers of
Jesus also told the people that to be a follower of Christ they had to forsake
all to follow him.
If
you look at the overall picture [not the prooftexts!], you see the early
Christian community as a people who forsook all for the gospel. You find them
living and sharing as a corporate community who took care of each-others needs
[ACTS 2:44 -47]. You find
those who were wealthy [not all of the church, but certain individuals, ACTS 4:32 -37] sharing their wealth for
the needs of the Christian community. You can even trace the ministries of some
of the early apostles and still find them many years later proclaiming Christ
through much suffering and persecution. Not only does the N.T. portray the early
Christian community in this light, but also church history confirms it. You
find the apostles still learning to deal with financial lack many years later
well into their ministries [PHIL 4:11-12, 2 COR. 11:27]. You see a beautiful
picture of a people willing to suffer for the cause of Christ cheerfully. You
also see a gracious Lord who met all their needs according to his abundant
grace. You find stories where the material needs of people were supernaturally
met [not by extreme wealth, but by Gods miraculous intervention [MATT. 14:17 -19, 15:34 -36].
Now
what about the promise Jesus made to Peter in MARK 10:28-31 'THEN PETER BEGAN
TO SAY UNTO HIM, LO, WE HAVE LEFT ALL, AND HAVE FOLLOWED THEE. AND JESUS
ANSWERED AND SAID, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THERE IS NO MAN THAT HATH LEFT HOUSE,
OR BRETHREN, OR SISTERS, OR FATHER, OR MOTHER, OR WIFE, OR CHILDREN, OR LANDS,
FOR MY SAKE AND THE GOSPELS, BUT HE
SHALL RECIEVE AN HUNDREDFOLD NOW IN THIS TIME, HOUSES, AND BRETHREN, AND
SISTERS, AND MOTHERS, AND CHILDREN, AND LANDS, WITH PERSECUTIONS; AND IN
THE WORLD TO COME ETERNAL LIFE. Did Peter personally posses [inherit] more
houses, lands, sisters and mothers? How was this promise fulfilled in Peter’s
life? In the book of acts Peter became a part of the 'Christian family' who had
all things common, they shared everything and had no lack [ACTS 4:32 -34, 2:44 -47]. They had no lack because of their
membership in the family of God. The fulfilling of the law of love in their
sharing of material things was the fulfillment of Jesus promise to Peter, not
making him financially rich!
Look
at all the apostolic ministries in the book of acts. Wherever they went,
whatever city they ministered in, their needs were always met. Why? Because
when they became part of the Christian community, the homes, brothers, sisters,
mothers, lands and all the other resources were SHARED by all the believers.
They ministered to each other’s needs, they supported one another, they truly
fulfilled the law of love by bearing one another’s burdens!
This
picture of Jesus and the apostles as extremely rich 20th century American
evangelists who headed up big budget ministries is absolutely no where to be
found in the plain reading of the N.T.! I just don’t find Jesus and the
disciples as rich evangelists going into the world with extreme wealth, while
at the same time telling rich people to sell all they have to come follow him!
[MATT. 19:23-24,LK. 1:53 , 6:24 , 16:19 -31, 18:18 -25]
CHAPTER 8 'COVENANT THEOLOGY'
The
early settlers [pilgrims] of our nation came by faith in God, believing their
new nation to be a promised land of freedom that the Lord had given to them.
One of the descriptions of the 'belief system' of these puritans is called
covenant theology. They saw themselves as 'new covenant' people who were
inheriting a promised land, much like the old covenant people [Israel ]
inherited their promised land. They claimed and believed the many O.T. promises
of God concerning the inheriting of nations. They took God at his word, and it
worked!
In
a sense all believers are covenant theologians, whether they realize it or not.
It is through our covenant with God [the blood of Jesus], that we are made
right with God [justified], have forgiveness of sins and are made children of
God. As a matter of fact, everything that God does for us, or that 'we do for
him', is based upon the bedrock foundation of the covenant of the blood of
Jesus Christ.
Now,
it has been taught because of our covenant with Christ, we can go through the
bible and find all the promises that are good and by faith hold God to his word
and 'cause the things that are not seen [not manifested] to become seen
[manifested]', or to put it simple, to get the things that God has promised us
by putting our faith into action. I believe this principle is both scriptural
and profitable. But the covenant cuts both ways.
When people enter into covenant, the
2 parties have complete access to each-others rights and privileges. There are
times were the Lord will require of the believer all that he has [leave your
nets and follow me mentality]. There are even times where the Lord called
people to lay down their lives in martyrdom in order to receive a better
resurrection [HEB 11:35 ,
ACTS 7]. As a matter of fact there are many examples of people of faith who have
endured great sufferings even though they had great faith [HEB. 11].
So
what does it mean to be a covenant believer? It not only implies going
throughout the bible and claiming all the good promises and quoting them by
faith [sowing], it also carries with it the meaning of laying down all that we
have [in this world] for the cause of Christ [HEB. 10:34].
While
the early puritans did claim and receive the promises of God by faith
concerning their 'promised land', they also endured tremendous suffering and
loss [many died in their pursuit!] in order to obtain a noble goal. The N.T.
commands us not only to believe and teach the good parts [or the parts we like
the most!], but also to heed the warnings [LUKE 12:15 , ACTS 20:27 ].
If we reduce covenant theology to a belief system that only reads and quotes
the 'good' promises, but never heeds the warnings, then we are failing to
proclaim the full gospel and are presenting a distorted view of the Christian
life [ACTS 14:22]. A simple overview of the N.T. shows us how the principles of
the N.T. are supposed to work. For example, you never find Jesus or the
disciples going around quoting the money verses in order to receive a harvest!
As a matter of fact, if we teach people to 'quote, meditate, memorize and only think
on the money scriptures', we would be doing the exact opposite of what Jesus
said in MATT. 6:31-34. He specifically told us to take no thought [meditate,
focus our minds, etc.] of what we shall eat, drink or wear [material things],
the whole point of this passage was to teach the Christian NOT to focus on
these things!
You
also never find any of the suffering Christians acting like they 'fell short'
of their covenant rights. Instead they counted it a privilege to suffer for his
names sake [ACTS 5:41 ].
The entire flow of the N.T. goes contrary to the 'picture painted' by
unbalanced prosperity preaching. The focus of the N.T. was Gods advancing
kingdom throughout the nations! Their own lives and the things they could get
to make themselves more comfortable ran 100% contrary to the fulfilling of
their mission [2 TIM. 4:10 ,
1 JOHN 2:15 ]. A simple
plain reading of the N.T. in context teaches us that the character of N.T.
Christianity is one of self-sacrificial living, not a 'get all you can by
faith' mentality.
CHAPTER 9 'SOWING INTO GOOD SOIL'
A
simple reading of the N.T. gives us a broad picture of the life of the
believer, which includes giving and receiving, Gods promises of funding the
work of the ministry, the Christian concept of charity, and a basic overall
view of finances and the kingdom
of God . One of the most
basic reasons of giving money in the N.T. is to share what we have with those
who are less fortunate [JAMES 2:15-16, 1 JOHN 3:17]. As a matter of fact Jesus
rebuked the religious leaders of his day for their willingness to tithe to the
temple while neglecting to use their finances to meet the needs of people in
need [MARK 7:6-13]. One of the most recognized passages of scripture used to
describe the character of Christ is found in Luke 10:30-37, an example of
someone ministering to the needs of ‘the down and out’.
Even
in the book of acts the main focus on giving was to meet the needs of people
[ACTS 2:44 -46, 4:32 -37, 6:1]. The very scripture
that we use to exhort saints to put in their offerings on ‘Sunday’, is really
speaking about a collection being taken to meet the needs of the ‘poor saints’
who lived in Jerusalem
[1COR. 16:1-3].
This
basic Christian principle of charity is a well-established Christian doctrine
that most people would agree with, except for certain teachers in the
prosperity movement! I remember listening to a certain teacher actually teach
that in order to receive a good financial harvest, you must plant your seed
[money] into good soil. He then went on to teach that good soil meant
ministries, or individuals, who taught prosperity and were financially rich! He
even implied that giving to prosperity ministries would make you rich, while
giving to ‘poverty mentality’ ministries would make you poor [because you reap
the same anointing from the ministries you so into]. The problem with this is
that the bible teaches that giving to poor people [people with a poverty
mentality] is good, and that the Lord will reward you for it [PRVB. 22:9,16,19:17 ,28:27, PSALMS 112:9].
While
the N.T. does deal with Gods provisions for ministry [PHIL. 4:14 -19,1COR. 9:1-14], this
certainly in no way justifies perverting the gospel into a mindset of giving
into wealthy ministries in order to receive a financial harvest!
Jesus,
Paul and all the other N.T. ministers did receive finances and provisions from
God in order to fulfill their callings, but at the same time they also warned
the people emphatically against materialism. They spoke out against
covetousness/idolatry, while at the same time believing God to meet their needs
[LUKE 12:15, EPH. 5:3, COL. 3:5, 1 THESS. 2:5, HEB. 13:5, 2 PETER 2:3]. Were
they being hypocrites? NO! They understood the difference between using the
things of this world without abusing them [1 COR. 7:31 ]. There is a big difference between
believing God to meet our needs, and twisting the entire character of N.T.
Christianity into a money focused mentality! The Christian should have a proper
understanding of finances, as well as physical exercise, balance in family life
and relationships, dealing with the practical concerns of life. But to exalt
anyone of these areas of life and to make it the message of Christianity, and
then to reshape the entire image of Christianity in order to make it fit our
‘peculiar’ style of belief would be wrong.
The
very fact that there are in existence today million dollar ministries [which in
itself is not wrong!], that teach people to give into their ministries with the
promise of a sure return, and even appeal to poor saints to give out of their
lack [social security checks, etc.], while all the while propagating a false
gospel, is wrong!
These
same ministries use the funds collected by false pretense and then preach the
gospel of money, instead of a clear presentation of the gospel of Christ! Many
of these ministries sincerely believe that it is a witness for Christ to have
extravagant salaries, wear Rolex watches, drive a Cadillac and be a
millionaire. They actually justify this by their own belief in the message they
preach. They do not see it as wrong in the sight of God to finance this type of
lifestyle/ministry from the offerings sent in by poor saints and widows! Many
of their supporters are average, or struggling financially, and they give out
of a sincere desire to better their own lives while at the same time furthering
the work of God.
I
know some of these precious believers who are struggling financially while
sending in their ‘widow’s mite’ with hope and faith that things will turn
around for them. No where in the N.T. do you find rich preachers appealing to
poor saints to give into their ministries in order to receive a harvest! This
is 100% against the character of N.T. Christianity. The bible actually condemns
the idea of ‘shepherds’ taking advantage of their flocks for personal/financial
gain [EZEKIEL 34, MATT. 23:14 ,
1 PETER 5:1-2].
The very fact that we have poor Christians
sending in sacrificial offerings to millionaire ministries, often times because
the preacher is appealing by the ‘word of the Lord’ to them, is wrong! Many of
these ministries are using these funds to propagate a false view of
Christianity to the world. They are preaching an unbalanced gospel while they
themselves are bringing in large amounts of money. I appeal to the church at
large to finance worthy ministries who are actually meeting the real needs of
people around the world [good soil!], and to stop financing a false gospel!
CHAPTER 10 ‘IS THERE HOPE FOR FALSE PROPHETS?’
Why write this book? Over the years
of struggling with these issues I would often come across an article, book or
some type of testimonial that would expose many of the errors that are dealt
with in this book. Some of the books I
read seemed to leave little or no room for repentance and restoration of the
‘prosperity preachers’. I not only believe that Gods ultimate purpose in
exposing sin is for the restoration of the individual, but there are examples
of former prosperity preachers who have seen some of these gross errors and
have returned to a balanced presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What constitutes a false prophet? While
there are many characteristics that we can mention, I would like to deal with
one specific area relevant to our study. That area is motivation. In 2 Peter
chapter 2, the apostle deals with covetousness as a motive for teaching heresy
[2 PETER 2:1-3]. He states that Balaam was a false prophet who ‘loved the wages
of unrighteousness’ [2 PETER 2:14 -16].
Although balaam's gift was legitimate, it was his motivation [the love of
money] that caused him to use his gift in a wrong way. So you can have a true
prophetic gift, and yet be a false prophet because of a covetous motivation
[JUDE 11]. The early church even went so far as to brand someone a false
prophet if they hung around more than a few days and charged for their
ministry! [Read the Didache].
As mentioned earlier, Paul and Peter
warned against being in ministry for financial gain [1 TIM.6, 2 PETER 5:2,
TITUS 1:11 ]. Jesus himself
laid down a strong warning against the hireling mentality [JOHN 10:12 -13].
It is clear from these warnings [and
the many others in the N.T.], that the early Christians were very aware of the
dangers of the love of money. I have heard it taught that this ‘fear ‘ or
‘scared’ attitude towards money is just a ‘religious mindset’ that has no
foundation in the word of God. This just isn’t true! The bible contains many
warnings against materialistic living and covetousness that were the foundation
of the ‘healthy fear’ that the early church had towards money.
Now the scripture teaches that there
will be a time when certain teachers [false prophets] who are motivated by
money, will teach false doctrines [Jesus and the disciples being rich, etc.]
and that these teachers would connect faith and money [gain and godliness], as
going hand in hand. Now if the current abuses of the prosperity movement do not
fall into this category, then who does? We just can’t deny all the evidence
pointing to this movement as one of the fulfillments of the ‘false prophets’
who teach that gain is godliness! We as a church must see this before there can
be any true restoration of those involved, or more importantly a preventing of
this false gospel from being taught to a whole new generation of believers!
The scripture says to rebuke false
prophets sharply so THEY MAY BE SOUND IN THE FAITH [TITUS 1:13 ]. Even the false shepherds of Ezekiels day
were promised restoration and usefulness in their latter years [EZEKIEL
44:10-14].
If we begin to renounce our errors
and return to the Lord [repentance], there will be true renewal in the church.
Jesus warned the church to repent because she had within her those that held to
the ‘doctrine of balsam’ [REV. 2:14-16]. It is possible for those who have
taught these errors to repent and be restored to a pure gospel of Christ.
Jesus dealt with the ‘money changers’
of his day just prior to the establishing of Gods kingdom. MARK 11:15 -17
AND THEY COME TO JERUSALEM :
AND JESUS WENT INTO THE TEMPLE ,
AND BEGAN TO CAST OUT THEM THAT SOLD AND BOUGHT IN THE TEMPLE , AND
OVERTHREW THE TABLES OF THE MONEYCHANGERS, AND THE SEATS OF THEM THAT SOLD
DOVES; AND WOULD NOT SUFFER THAT ANY MAN SHOULD CARRY ANY VESSEL THROUGH
THE TEMPLE . AND
HE TAUGHT, SAYING UNTO THEM, IS IT NOT WRITTEN, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED OF ALL NATIONS THE HOUSE OF PRAYER? BUT YE HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF
THIEVES. The moneychangers served as a sort of currency exchange for anyone
wanting to bring any offerings or do any legitimate worship at Jerusalem , but needed to exchange their type
of currency for the official currency that was accepted at Jerusalem . I find this interesting, because
the function of the moneychangers themselves was a legitimate business
function. But their business itself brought a type of merchandising to the
temple that Jesus himself found highly offensive. I find a present day
application to the moneychanger mentality in the modern prosperity movement.
The movement teaches Christians to focus their attention on the return they
will get on their investment into the kingdom. It causes Christians to give
their offerings with the expectation of some type of return on their money.
While this in itself is not wrong, for we know that God does reward his
children [HEB. 11:6], the tendency of the prosperity message actually appeals
to the covetous nature of people in order to make disciples of Christ! Jesus
told people to forsake all to follow him, while the movement tells people if
you follow him he will make you rich! I have heard it taught that as you sow
your seed [money] into the offering basket that you need to 'picture' your
harvest of what you are believing for in your mind [whether healing, a new car or house, the
salvation of a loved one, etc.] and then your seed [money] will produce your
harvest! The very idea of exchanging your money [or changing it!] into the visualized
harvest of your own expectation is just as off base as the money mentality of
the first century moneychangers. This is the only recorded incident in the N.T.
where Jesus was visibly angry.
REVELATION 4:14-22 ‘AND UNTO THE
ANGEL OF THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS WRITE; THESE THINGS SAYETH THE AMEN, THE
FAITHFULL AND TRUE WITNESS, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD; I KNOW THY
WORKS, THAT THOU ART NEITHER COLD NOR HOT. SO THEN BECAUSE THOU ART LUKEWARM,
AND NEITHER COLD NOR HOT, I WILL SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH. BECAUSE THOU SAYEST, I AM RICH AND
INCREASED WITH GOODS, AND HAVE NEED OF NOTHING; AND KNOWEST NOT THAT THOU ART
WRETCHED, AND MISERABLE, AND POOR, AND BLIND, AND NAKED: I COUNSEL THEE TO
BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE,
THAT THOU MAYEST BE RICH; AND WHITE RAIMENT, THAT THOU MAYEST BE CLOTHED, AND
THAT THE SHAME OF THY NAKEDNESS DO NOT APPEAR; AND ANOINT THY EYES WITH
EYESALVE, THAT THOU MAYEST SEE. AS MANY
AS I LOVE, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN: BE
ZEALOUS THEREFORE, AND REPENT. BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR, AND KNOCK: IF
ANY MAN HEAR MY VOICE, AND OPEN THE DOOR, I WILL COME INTO HIM, AND WILL SUP
WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME. TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH WILL I GRANT TO SIT WITH ME IN
MY THRONE, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, AND AM SET DOWN WITH MY FATHER IN HIS
THRONE. HE THAT HATH AN EAR, LET HIM
HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH UNTO THE CHURCHES.
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