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It never ceases to amaze me how much money has become a part and parcel of so much of the church today. While it is understandable that money is of much importance to governments (a whole other topic), the reason to exist for corporations and a major concern to secular society at large, the fact that the accumulation of it is the core doctrine of so many evangelical churches is a cause for great concern. That Christians are being taught that the poor among us are poor because they lack faith, that poverty is of the devil or, even worse, that giving you last dollar to a fast talking ‘tele-evangelist’ will guarantee getting 100 fold back is not only a grave and present danger to the Church, it is a heretical doctrine that has shaken, and continues to shake the very foundations of the Christian message. It is an issue that every God fearing Christian needs be aware of and every minister who is right with God needs to fight against.
Interestingly the idea of "supply" or "prosperity consciousness" did not originate with today’s tele-evangelists but was a major innovation of New Thought writers. Charles Fillmore, founder of the Unity School of Christianity, brashly adapted the Twenty-Third Psalm to express this principle:
The Lord is my banker; my credit is good.
He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of omnipresent abundance....
Thy silver and thy gold, they secure me.
Thou preparest a way before me in the presence of the collector;
Thou fillest my wallet with plenty ... (Martin A. Larson, New Thought Religion, p. 352).
The Word Of Faith movement, which goes hand in hand with the Prosperity Doctrine, has much going for it in the realm of marketability. After all everyone desires financial freedom, prosperity, health and success. What better way could there possibly be to get all these wonderful things that we want than by evoking the power of the Living God to obtain them. How easy it is to fall into the age-old trap of seeking to satisfy our own lusts using ‘Biblical’ precepts and finding ways to prove that, in fact, God supports our desires.
"Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." (Phil. 3:19)
This is in no way to subscribe to the theory that God wants his people to be poor and needy. Jesus Himself demonstrates the great understanding God has for our needs, pointing out that we need not worry about worldly requirements because God in His graciousness will provide...
“Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you”. (Mat. 6:31-33)
However Jesus focuses on the three things that are essential to human existence … food, drink and clothing. Nowhere does He mention riches or wealth. It would seem the Lord is telling us is not to worry about the things we require to sustain life, for God in His infinite wisdom knows exactly what we need and will provide in adequate quantity. Our focus rather should be on God and His righteousness and the essentials will be added on..
So then what does one make of so-called evangelist Kenneth Copeland’s statement
"Well, now, you need balance in this, get out there in that hyper faith. That name-it-and-claim-it- that blab-it-and-grab-it." YEAH! We named it and claimed it and got it. We blabbed it and grabbed it and still got it! Hallelujah! And our bills are paid"? (1)
Evidently Copeland would have us name and claim anything our heart desires, indirectly taking God completely out of the equation. Somehow this doesn’t concur with Jesus’ teachings since nowhere in the Bible does Jesus encourage us to “claim” the desires and lusts of our heart with the guarantee that we will get that which we claim. In fact when they hold that the words have hidden power in themselves they are saying that the words have occultic powers, that anyone who can use the word has the force... because it is the word that has the power.
What Copeland and the others do is camp on their pet verses and tell their gullible audiences ‘There it is in black and white, so don’t listen to those prophets of doom who want to keep you poor and miserable’. However none of them take the time (or do not have the inclination) to integrate all the verses in the Bible pertaining to the issue. Anyone who doesn’t deal with contrary verses and making sense of the Bible ‘as a whole’ is not interested in the truth. I’ve said it before and I will say it again... Isolated verses taken out of context can be made to prove anything you want including there is no God. So Jesus does say “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing you will receive” (Matthew 21:22). So lets all sit outside the local Lexus dealer and believe.... and guess what we will be driving the rest of the year. Sound ridiculous? It is. (Have you ever noticed that all Christians aren’t driving a Mercedes?) What people totally forget is that such faith reposes in the will of God and nowhere in the Bible does the Lord promise prosperity. On the contrary there are simply too many verses in the Bible that clearly warn against the dangers of riches.
See Never Read A Bible Verse and What is/Isn’t Faith
Prosperity/financial advancement are two of the greatest selling points of the ‘evangelical’ ministers today. And while (on the surface) they seem to be living proof of the power of living by faith, what they hope people will not see is the constant begging for money, the massive fund-raisers, the barrage of direct mailing and advertising campaigns allow them to live their lavish life styles. What is really scary is that they would have people believe that God blessed them with this prosperity for merely living in the faith, and that the average common man is guaranteed this kind of life by the Bible. Only those with insufficient faith are living in poverty. Only those who are willing to go the extra mile, by throwing their last dollar onto the already huge ‘love offering’ pile, will be blessed by God and find the prosperity they seek.
Jesse Duplantis says that the very first thing on Jesus’ agenda was to get rid of poverty!
“Would you like to know why some people, including ministries, never get out of poverty? Its not because they aren’t smart; It’s not because they don’t have windows of opportunity. It’s because they’re not anointed. If you’re not anointed, poverty will follow you all the days of your life. His first objective was to get rid of poverty” (2)
InPlainSite.org Note The word ‘Anointed’ has become the most overused, overworked, misunderstood, misinterpreted term in the Pentecostal and Charismatic arenas. Who are really the Lord’s anointed? See related article Touch Not Mine Anointed.
According to this kind of teaching those who are poor, or choose to give up their wealth for a life of service stand no chance of being anointed, let alone getting into the kingdom of heaven. A doctrine that is so ludicrous it would be amusing if it wasn’t such a serious issue, considering that Jesus says exactly the opposite in His book …
“Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:24b-25)
And from Book of Job … “Yet He is not partial to princes, nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands (Job 34:19)”
In fact Jesus goes a step further, when approached by a well to do young man; Jesus tells him that besides keeping all the commandments he must sell all his possessions, give his wealth to the poor and follow Jesus. It would seem that for this particular young man, Jesus forgot His own agenda of getting rid of poverty for believers. In fact He specifically encourages the young man to take up a life without wealth and then he would have treasures in heaven. It is interesting to note that the Bible mentions that Jesus “loved” this young man for all that he had done (in keeping the commandments) but still demands a sacrifice of wealth. How would our wealthy evangelists respond to a similar request from the Lord?
‘Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow Me”. (Mark 10:21)
So the average man in the pew is not guaranteed (with enough faith) a shot at being a multimillionaire. The Christian walk is not about what we can get out of it; rather it is what we can put into it, just as the great commission is a demanding challenge un-cushioned by fancy cars, houses and the most expensive hotel suites. Those blessed with wealth are more than welcome to it; those who preach it as an irrefutable part of faith are preaching a lie. Which raises the question of the preachers themselves.
Is it right for preachers and teachers to drive a Rolls Royce while demanding more money from a parishioner who has to scrap together the bus fare (and offering) to make it to church on Sunday?
"Financial prosperity is just as much a part of the Gospel as anything else. …And I'm going to tell you something right now. I'm with the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter one: I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; …I'm not ashamed of prosperity. I'm not ashamed that Jesus bought and paid for me to be wealthy.... Let me just tell you from the heart of God, preachers are supposed to be rich." (3)
Fred Price agrees and boldly says, "That’s the reason why I drive a Rolls Royce." (4)
Says Jesse Duplantis “Watch me! You watch me and this Mr. Cessna man here, I'll be the first preacher to buy a brand new, spankin' new, brand new jet that will fire all over this world. Get that sucker out of that glass hanger! ...You can say all you want, Jack. I'll fly by your house and tip the wing. I'm gonna get something for Jesus. I'm gonna do something for God.” (5)
It is exactly the same reason why these ministers live in multimillion dollar dream houses, own boats, private jets, works of art worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, wear the most expensive suits and deck themselves liberally with gold and jewellery. After all, according to their own theology, if they weren’t rich and prosperous, they would not be blessed. Paul, Matthew, Peter and even the Son of Man Himself had it all wrong. They could have and should have been living in the lap of luxury, decked in the finest robes, eating the finest food and being pampered by over-made up wives. An oft overlooked fact about Jesus is that when He came to earth He gave up the throne of heaven. What did He have here on earth? His words speak for themselves…
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Mat. 8:20b)
What about John the Baptist? The one called the “Greatest of Men” by Jesus, (6) a voice calling in the wilderness proclaiming the coming of Christ? Surely if any man were blessed it would be this one who had the honor of declaring the day of the Messiah to the people of Israel. So what does the Bible tell us about John the Baptist? …
“Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around is waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey” (Mat. 3:4)
As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?" But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts."
And Paul, who received his commission from the Lord and was personally responsible for the majority of the books in the New Testament …
"To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands." (1 Cor. 4:11-12)
"As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; (spiritual riches) as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." (2 Cor. 6:9-10)
When Jesus sent His disciples into the world to preach the good news, He gave them very specific instructions on the do’s and don’ts of their ministry. It is a part of the Bible that many would be happy to ignore because of its specific focus on the finances of those who are sent to preach the gospel. When Jesus sends out the twelve the first issue He addresses is what they are to take with them on their mission.
‘He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them “Take nothing for the journey, neither staff’s nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece”.’ (Luke 9:2-3)
And later when sending out seventy to preach the gospel …
‘Then He said to them. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road”.’ (Luke 10:2-4)
One would suppose that Jesus knew what He was talking about when He spoke of sending the disciple out as “lambs among the wolves” and yet He specifically tells them not to carry money. Could it possibly be that a rich, prosperous disciple would find it that much harder to sit down and break bread at a poor mans house and that his poor host would find hospitality just a little awkward if the disciple was carrying enough money to feed the whole town at the local inn?
Even a cursory glance at the great servants of God will reveal that none of them were rich. A.W. Tozer is one of the most quoted and respected Christians in Christendom today but money was extremely tight in the early days of his ministry. The Tozers made a pact to trust God for all their needs regardless of the circumstances. "We are convinced that God can send money to His believing children—but it becomes a pretty cheap thing to get excited about the money and fail to give the glory to Him who is the Giver!" Tozer never swayed from this principle. Material things were never an issue. Many have said if Tozer had food, clothing, and his books, he was content. The family never owned a car. Tozer, instead, opted for the bus and train for travel. Even after becoming a well-known Christian author, Tozer signed away much of his royalties to those who were in need.
George Muller lived by prayer and faith alone, feeding and housing thousands of homeless children in England. Yet he advertised his financial needs to no one but God. His prayers were answered in seemingly impossible situations. In fact in 1856 he wrote to a man who had sent him 100 pounds for the maintenance of Muller and his family. Muller turned down this offer saying “ I have no property whatsoever, nor has my dear wife; nor have I had one single shilling regular salary as a Minister of the Gospel for the last twenty-six years, nor as the director of the orphan house... ” He added that any provision for himself and his family “I think would be displeasing to my Heavenly Father who has so bountifully given me my daily bread hitherto.”
Who can doubt that David Wilkerson was and is a great man of God, yet, while he was not rich, he gave up what was probably a reasonably comfortable pastorate to heed the call of God, and in doing so exposed himself to considerable physical danger from the gangs he worked with. Does anyone imagine he is a rich man even today? He isn’t! There is not enough space nor time to go in to the lives of other wonderful servants of God.. men like Hudson-Taylor, but the reader would do well to research it for themselves. None of them sought wealth, money or prestige and many died almost penniless. They knew the Word of God through and through and never 'claimed the promises' that God should make them wealthy. The only prosperity they sought was the prosperity of seeing many souls converted to Christ. Perhaps they, like Paul, had it all wrong.
The bottom line is the prosperity doctrine is for the rich, for those who have no compunction in feeding off the gullibility of those in need and using the Word of God to further their own ends; They are those shepherds talked about by the Prophet Zechariah …
Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt; for those who sell them say ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do not pity them.” (Zech. 11:4-5)
The Lord makes it perfectly clear that there is nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself. Riches are merely a neutral tool that can be used for good or can be used for evil. However as the Word warns, money has one very dangerous quality, namely … the ease with which people fall in love with it. While we need money to pay our bills, put food on the table and live a moderately comfortable life; money and all it buys is not the be all and end all of our existence. Jesus makes it very clear when He talks about us ‘accumulating treasures’ that He is speaking of the greater reward that waits His people in heaven. Again He specifically warns against storing up treasures on this earth.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mat. 6:19-20)
Laying out the danger of gathering riches on this earth the Lords says that they are always in danger of being stolen or destroyed, where as the treasures in heaven are eternally kept waiting for us to partake in them. But Jesus wasn’t done, He goes on to add in Matthew 6:21 that where our treasure is, there also will our heart be. The warning could not be more clear if it was a flashing neon sign on a dark winters night.. Where your wealth is there your heart is... where your heart is that is where you are.
With all the wealth floating around the evangelical circles and With the constant barrage of messages telling people how to obtain (earthly) wealth, one has to assume [if one is to take the words of Jesus seriously] that the hearts of these “prosperity teachers” is firmly set on their their hoarded treasures on this physically and morally corrupt earth.
Had Martin Luther, considered to be the father of the reformation movement, been alive in today’s day and age, he would probably have been posting a second thesis on the doors of The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in protest of the principle of salvation for a buck. What the Catholic Church was doing in the 16th century is exactly what the tele-evangelical community is doing today… running a business in the name of God and His blessings. R.W. Shambach prophesied that if people make the $2000 faith pledge to TBN, not only will God give them the $2000 before the year 2000 but he will also make them totally debt free AND their WHOLE family will be saved before the year 2000. (TBN. Wed, 03-Nov-1999 16:50:58 GMT) All this without ever having to go through a messy admission that you are a sinner, and without even having to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Just put your faith in your faith and in TBN. They'll do all the work for you.
This community runs a $2.5 billion dollar industry that focuses on selling books, tapes and magazines, selling ‘love gifts’, financing massive mailing campaigns and buying more airtime to send their message to wider audience. And what happens to all the money that is collected? One example (Besides Jesse’s new jet and Price’s Rolls Royce) is the 5 million dollar, three-storied, nearly 9,500-square-foot house that boasts an elevator, a tennis court, six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a billiard room, a climate-controlled wine cellar, a sweeping staircase and a pool with a fountain. Who owns this ‘palatial estate with ocean and city views’? Paul and Jan Crouch, the owners of the same TBN that begs viewers to continue sending money so that they can keep doing their “evangelical work”. Benny Hinn stayed at the Kahala Mandarin in the presidential suite that costs $3,700-$5,000 a night during his ‘Miracle Crusade’ in Hawaii in Jan 2002. When He goes to Maui (he speaks at First Assembly headed by Pastor Morocco) he stays at the Grand Wailea in the $10,000 suite. (Whoops! Did I forget to mention Jesse’s Salvador Dali Menorah and other works of art at his headquarters in Louisiana?)
See Lifestyles of the Tele-Evangelists
How far we have strayed from the Apostle Peter who, when asked for a coin, simply replied “Silver and gold have I none” (Acts 3:6).
These are the dangers that are imminent when prosperity becomes the weighing scale of spiritual Christian success. As Paul said in his letter to Timothy …
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness...” (1 Timothy 6:10)
The Bible does not condemn the accumulation of wealth nor does it condemn those who have it and use it for righteous purposes. (Abraham, among a few others, was a man of substance) It does however condemn fraud and taking a false oath. When these tele-evangelists make extravagant promises about God repaying the “offerings” 100 fold, not only are they making fraudulent claims but they are also signing a promissory note on God’s behalf; a promissory note, incidentally, that neither they nor any man have the right to sign. Let me be very clear, no one has the right to make promises on the Lords behalf, other than those He makes himself in His word.
A much used Scripture used to back up the concept of receiving tenfold back from the Lord is Malachi 3:10.
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it"
The tithing system of the Old Testament was very complicated and there was not one, but three tithes. However these tithes were inextricably bound up with meeting the needs of the poor! Not to make the wealthy even wealthier. Additionally neither the apostle Paul nor the early Church said a word about paying tithes, which only evolved post-Constantine when a means was sought to finance huge 'church' and cathedral buildings. Financing this, that and the other project remains the main purpose of the constant begging that goes on today.
(See related article on Tithing for an in-depth look at this subject)
Over and over again the Bible cautions us against the greed and gluttony that seem to spring from an excess of wealth.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1 Tim. 6:7-11) Emphasis added.
‘Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.’ (James 5:1-6)
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5)
‘He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.’ (Luke 1:52-53)
"But woe to you who are rich; for you have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:24)
“..a man’s life does consist in the abundance of his possesions” (Luke 12:15)
Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
"As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days; and at his end he will be a fool." (Jeremiah 17:11)
"A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous" (Psalm 37: 16-17)
There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches. (Proverbs 13:7)
‘The sleep of a laboring man is sweet; whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.’ (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
The bottom line, no matter how much “word of faith” or “prosperity by faith” teachers want to tell congregations otherwise, is that prosperity is not a demonstration of how much faith (or lack there of) a person has or how much favor they have collected in God’s eyes. On the contrary the Bible warns us of excessive wealth leading to destruction, calls on us to serve and warns us against collecting wealth here on earth. Jesus (and somehow I get the feeling He knew what He was talking about) warned that if we collect treasure here on earth, our heart would be in those treasures instead of where it should be i.e. serving God and spreading the word. Regrettably, in the case of many of these evangelists, Jesus’ words have come to pass with pinpoint accuracy.
Notes
- At John Hagee’s Church, LeSea on Aug. 18,1999
- Voice of the Covenant magazine p.5 Nov. 1997
- Marcus Bishop, Praise The Lord Telethon, November 2, 1998
- Ever Increasing Faith program, TBN Dec.9, 1990
- Jesse Duplantis Show, Trinity Broadcasting Network, October 8, 1997
- Mat. 11:7-8, LK. 7:25
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