There is absolutely no debate that God’s Word has plenty of promises to bless His child-
ren in this life, and that God blesses a person who is a giver.
2 Tim 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” KJV
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THESE TEACHINGS…
“Jesus was
rich”. John Avanzinni
Jesus wore designer clothes. Jesus had a nice house, a big house. (John Avanzini, Believer's Voice of Victory, (TBN) 1/20/91)
Luke 9:58 “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” KJV
Jesus was handling big money. (John Avanzini, Praise the Lord (TBN), 9/15/88)
“If you have a treasurer, that means you have a lot of money.” (John Avanzini, Praise the Lord (TBN), 9/15/88).
“It takes money to preach the gospel. Jesus Himself knew
that, and contrary to what some people think, His ministry was not a poor one. He had so much money coming
in and going out through His ministry that He had to appoint a treasurer.
His name was Judas." (Kenneth Copeland,
"From Faith to Faith A Daily Guide to Victory," December 5)
The Bible says…2 Cor. 8:9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” KJV
The money that came to Jesus, which was probably substantial, went mainly for the support of the ministry, not to make Him rich personally.
In Matt 11:28-29 Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” KJV
“Paul had the kind of money that could stop up justice”. (John Avanzini, Believer's Voice of Victory, (TBN) 1/20/91)
This is opposite what the Bible says regarding Paul:
2 Cor 11:27-28 “In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” KJV
Phil 4:15-17”Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.” KJV
Acts 9:16 Speaking of Paul, “For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.” KJV
Phil 3:8 Paul said, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ ,” KJV
It is said that the Apostle Paul had to even make tents to help sustain himself. Saying Paul had the money to stop up the justice system of Rome is falsely accusing him of being corrupt, which would mean he was a sinner and had not changed after his encounter with Jesus Christ.
SOWING
AND REAPING
Galatians 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is
not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap,” is the primary scripture that is used
teaching giving and receiving. There is
not question that the Bible teaches in Malachi 3:10 (that) God will bless us
for tithing and giving offerings. There
are also many other scriptures that teach this, but
These
scriptures are primarily talking about that IF YOU LIVE IN SIN YOU WILL REAP
CORRUPTION. ThESE SCRIPTURES ARE talking about salvation!
8 “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” KJV
There is a
principle of sowing and reaping related to giving and receiving.
However, most scriptures that are used to teach about sowing are taken
out of context. They have misapplied these
scriptures.
Many gimmicks have been used by these
prosperity preachers to fleece their flocks:
I heard a TV preacher preaching on the “Law of Sowing and Reaping” tell his viewers that if they wanted to be healed, they need to sow a seed of an offering first. He said, “Everything starts with a seed.” He said that if they want a loved one saved, sow a seed. If they need a miracle, sow a seed. The Bible does say in Malachi 3 that if we give our tithes and offerings, He will pour out a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it, but this is primarily talking about finances. This concept, in the name of revelation, has stretched scriptures to infinitum and has turned the truth into a lie.
Rom 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” KJV.
The truth is that healing and salvation are not
for sale! They are gifts of God! Protestant
preachers are in reality copying THE CATHOLIC CHURCH which tells its people
that if they go to Mass and GIVE MONEY to the church, the priests will pray
their LOVED ONES OUT OF PURGATORY. This
makes the Church and Money our savior and not Jesus Christ.
DID JESUS EVER
TELL SOMEONE TO SOW A SEED BEFORE HE HEALED OR FORGAVE THEM? NEVER! The
only thing that was required was that they had faith in Him.
UNDER THE
DISCIPLES’ MINISTRIES, NO MONEY EVER CHANGED HANDS FOR PEOPLE TO GET A MIRACLE.
Acts 3:6 “Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” KJV
God promises to bless if we obey Him and believe
Him, but many extra-biblical promises are being given to God’s people. God is not bound to honor men’s promises.
|
VOWING A VOW |
Robert Tilton teaches to get a miracle, VOW A
VOW of pledging a big gift.
Is this
scriptural? Matt 5:34-36 “But I say unto
you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's
throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it
is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.” KJV
Some preachers have induced God’s people to
even give the title deed to their house and sometimes to give everything they own
to get God to give them a miracle. Many
saints have been ravaged, and the “so called” man of God got rich.
THIS
GOSPEL OF MONEY AND GREED HAS COME TO AFRICA
One of these “prophets” OF PROSPERITY came to
Uganda. He told the audience that God spoke to him
that whoever would give the biggest gift they could possibly give, God, in
effect, would make them a millionaire. A
woman in the audience went and took the savings out of her joint savings
account she had with her husband. She
gave their life savings built up over many years, $5000, to the prophet. She didn’t become a millionaire like “the
prophet” said. In fact she got no
return. When her husband discovered what she had done, he divorced her. The woman backslid and lost her faith in God.
This story is being repeated over and over in
Africa. The poor people want to come out
of poverty and do everything these preachers tell them to do in blind faith. Many American preachers have come to Africa
and have lifted huge offerings off the Africans, promising “the sowers” great riches.
They quote the scripture, “Believe the prophets, so shall you
prosper”. Practically the only thing
many African preachers preach about is sowing your seed and prosperity. They have copied these preachers from the
West. Few preachers in Africa preach about
salvation, heaven, hell or living a godly moral life. Some of these African preachers are driving
luxury cars and living in mansions while most of their precious people are
still living in slums, falling deeper into poverty and disillusionment. Many in Africa have lost their faith because
they have been so ravaged by these preachers who have made outlandish promises
that they will get rich by sowing a big seed.
NAIROBI-One of these gimmicks we saw in Nairobi,
Kenya, was a famous pastor there said he had MIRACLE SOIL. He told the poor people that God had a
miracle for those who didn’t own any land.
He said he was going to give them this miracle soil and in a short time
they would own their own land. But
FIRST, they had to SOW A SEED of a large amount of money to get this harvest of
getting their own land from God. The
desperate poor lined up by the thousands, scraping together the money any way
they could. Of course the people didn’t
get their own land, but the preacher took away a huge haul of money from the
poor. This is destroying the faith of
untold numbers of Africans.
Some say, Sow a Seed, get the ANOINTING.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The anointing is not for sale! The anointing comes by having the Anointed
One, Jesus, dwelling in you; being full of His Word; and being full of the Holy
Ghost. (Acts 1:8) The anointing comes from paying a price and
being consistently obedient to God.
SOW A SEED, GET A PROPHECY
There are unscrupulous preachers who call
themselves prophets, that call for MIRACLE
OFFERINGS. They tell you a big figure to
give and say that everyone that gives this amount, will
receive a personal word. They then give
great prophecies of prosperity, etc. to these. Then they call for those who have a lesser
offering. As the amount goes down, each
group gets a less glowing prophecy. If
you don’t give, you don’t get a prophecy.
THIS IS THE
“BUY A PROPHECY” PROGRAM. These are not
true prophets of God, but FALSE PROPHETS, who prophesy for money.
Kenneth Copeland writes, "...Every man who invests in the Gospel has a right to expect the staggering return of one hundredfold." (Laws of Prosperity, pg.67)
Kenneth Copeland writes, "Do you want a hundredfold return on your money? Give and let God multiply it back to you. He urges his supporters, "Invest heavily in God; the returns are staggering... "Every man who invests in the Gospel has a right to expect the staggering return of ONE HUNDREDFOLD." (Laws of Prosperity, pg.67)
WHAT ABOUT THE 30, 60, 100 FOLD RETURN?
Matt 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and
brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some
sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. THIS
SCRIPTURE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH AN OFFERING.
READ!
Matt 13:18-23 “Hear ye therefore THE PARABLE
OF THE SOWER. When any one 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 received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed
into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word,
and anon with joy receiveth 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 received seed among the thorns is
he that heareth the word; and the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh
unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is
he that heareth the word, and understandeth
it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth
forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Mt. 13:24-26 “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.”
These scriptures are about preaching the Word to the lost. Some receive it and it benefits them to different degrees; and some reject it. These scriptures are primarily about SALVATION and living a life pleasing to God, and bearing fruit.
SOW UP
A number of years ago my wife and I were in a
meeting where Jerry Savelle was speaking. He was teaching on “SOWING UP”. He explained that the richer ministries were
the most fertile ground to sow into. He
said that if you want the biggest return on your giving and inferred that you
could become rich like them, you need to SOW UP to ministries more prosperous
than you. If you sow to ministries that
don’t have much money, that is SOWING DOWN and you will get only a little
harvest. Poor ministries are not good
ground. When these ministries are
talking about getting a HARVEST, they are not talking about getting a harvest
of souls, but a harvest of MONEY.
Getting money is all that is on their minds.
Prov 22:16 “He
that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely
come to want.” KJV
MONEY IS THE GOD OF THESE PREACHERS. That’s the main thing they preach about.
PREACHING
A “THIS LIFE” GOSPEL
They say little or nothing about heaven or
hell or eternity. These preachers’
mentalities are little different from the atheists in that one’s heaven or hell
is “the here and now”.
The
Bible: 1 Cor
15:19 “If in this life only we
have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” KJV
Heb 11:10 Regarding
Abraham, “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and
maker is God.”
Abraham lived in “this life” with his eyes
set on heaven. That is no longer how
most preach the Gospel.
Some are
teaching we should all be rich. Their gospel is a MATERIALISTIC GOSPEL.
Jesus said, Matt 6:19-20 “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 neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal: But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal.”
KJV
James 2:5
“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?” KJV
Luke 16:13-14 “No servant 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”
Matt 16:24-26 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself , and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” KJV
THEY
TRY TO PROVE HOW MUCH FAITH AND ANOINTING THEY HAVE BY THE AMOUNT OF RICHES
THEY HAVE.
1 Sam 16:7 “for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” KJV
Many get
deeply in debt and live under great financial pressure to maintain a good “faith
image”. To look poor or needy among
these preachers is “the kiss of death”.
They will tell you, “I used my faith to get mine. You use your faith to get yours!” To rise in their ranks, you must look very
prosperous. They will tell you that they
don’t want to hang around people who are struggling financially or who are
having problems, because it hurts their faith. There is no precedent with this
attitude in the New Testament with Jesus or His disciples. Jesus sought out the poor and the
afflicted. He was full of
compassion. Many today show little love
or compassion for people who are having problems. You don’t hear them preaching
about “The Good Samaritan”. Pride and
self righteousness, like the Pharisees, is front and center.
John 13:16 Jesus said, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;
neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” KJV
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY REGARDING
THESE ISSUES
Prov 16:18-19 “Pride
goeth before destruction ,
and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil
with the proud.” KJV
Matt 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
John 2:16 “And
said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my
Father's house an house of merchandise.”
Matt 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Jer 7:8-11 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
In the TEN COMMANDMENTS, Ex. 20:3, God commands, “THOU SHALT NOT STEAL”.
1 Cor 6:10
thieves,
nor covetous, … shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Thieves are not going to heaven!
This applies even to preachers who pervert God’s Word, promising things
the Bible does not promise. They are stealing from God’s people. Many times they do it in the name of the Holy
Ghost when in reality their ideas came from their own corrupt imaginations. Anyway you look at it, thIS is lying! Where
is the fear of God? How could a person
be a real believer in Christ and do such devious things and plunder God’s
people for their own personal gain?
Impossible!
Rev 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars , shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” KJV
To preach or prophesy a lie even in the
name of promoting God’s work is an abomination.
1 John 2:21 “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” KJV
John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:” KJV
A LOT OF PREACHERS ARE MISUSING SCRIPTURES
AND ROBBING GOD’S PEOPLE IN HIS HOUSE. What
is the difference of this and being an armed robber? They
are playing on the gullibility and greed of God’s people who want to get rich
quick.
Prov 1:11-19
“If they say, Come with us,
let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for
the innocent without cause: Let us
swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into
the pit: We shall find all precious
substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one
purse : My son, walk not thou
in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to
shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And
they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily
for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” KJV
Note:
God does give financial miracles for His people. That is without question. But most of the saints
who get caught up in these so called “Miracle Offering” hustles, do so on an
emotional appeal and don’t judge what is being said by rightly dividing the
Word of Truth. One of the major
ministries uses a specialty psychology book to raise offerings, “The Magic
Power of Emotional Appeal”. This is not
the Holy Ghost. It is psychological
manipulation. Most who respond to these
preachers are sowing and giving out of desperation or greed. These
“wanna be” prophets have run a profile on God’s
people and know exactly how to play them like a fiddle. Remember, Satan himself perversely used the
scriptures in his temptation of Jesus.
2 Cor 4:2 “But have
renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not
walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully;”
Matt 24:24 “For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
IT IS
EVIDENT THAT THEIR GOD IS MONEY, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT THE MOST. Watching much of what is called “Christian
TV”, most of the preachers are preaching about PROSPERITY AND SOWING YOUR
SEED. Why? It is because this message brings in the biggest
offerings. They justify this saying they are “king’s kids” so they should live
like kings.
THIS FALSE “GET RICH” TEACHING ignorES and
defiES many warnings from the bible.
Matt 19:23-24 “Then said Jesus unto his
disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man
shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It
is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God.”
1 Tim
3:1-11 “This is a true saying, If a man desire the
office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not
given to wine, no striker, not greedy
of filthy lucre ; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
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 this
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.
v. 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.
But thou, O man of God, flee these
things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith,
love, patience, meekness.”
1 John 2:16-17 “For all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever.” KJV
GOD’S
PEOPLE ARE BEING EATEN ALIVE.
Ezek 34:8 “As I live, saith
the Lord GOD, surely because my flock
became a prey, …but the
shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;”
Ezek 34:19 “And as for my flock, they eat
that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have
fouled with your feet.” KJV
Acts 20:29-31 ‘For I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not
sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise,
speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by
the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with
tears.” KJV
John 10:11-13 Jesus said, “I am
the good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep. But he that is an hireling, and
not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth
them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling,
and careth not for the sheep.” KJV
God’s people are afraid not to obey the self-proclaimed
ANOINTED ONES AND PROPHETS. Some
threaten curses on those who won’t OBEY
THEM. Many of God’s people are literally
terrorized by these tactics and give what is demanded of them so they won’t be
cursed by God. God’s people have become very superstitious.
Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of
Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are
too superstitious .” KJV
THE
EXPLOITATION OF THE SAINTS AND MISUSING SCRIPTURES HAS SHIPWRECKED THE FAITH OF
MILLIONS.
1 Tim 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:” KJV
This Gospel of MONEY OR Greed
has been used by Satan to accomplish several things:
1. It has turned God’s people’s attention on money and away from Christ and the basic teachings of the Bible.
2. It has made the Gospel a farce to the world, turning many away from Christ. It has caused many who attended church to quit going. It has turned our young people away from the church.
3. It has made God’s people primarily THIS WORLD CONSCIOUS instead of preparing for eternity.
4. It diverts money away from the local church
5. It has diverted the funds from the ministries who are actually winning the lost, to sowing only as a business principle to get a return.
6. This is one of the main strategies of the devil to have God’s people exploited so they will completely stop tithing, giving, and supporting God’s work, thus greatly damaging it.
Prov 22:16 “He that oppresseth
the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth
to the rich, shall surely come to want.”
Jer 5:31 “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” KJV
Rev 2:14-15 “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (Balaam, a prophet, sold out Israel for money and caused them to sin).
Most of these preachers don’t want you to judge what they are teaching. My prayer is that God will open His people’s eyes and deliver them from the wolves. I also pray that God will give His people a spirit of discernment. We need to make sure that what is being taught is accurate and scriptural, and to judge the motive of the preacher. These new MONEY CHANGERS OF THE TEMPLE have exploited and ravaged the saints over and over. They have nearly destroyed Christ’s church worldwide. They have made a mockery of the Gospel.
Truly, God’s people have “been like sheep led to the slaughter”.
Matt 7:22-23
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
1 Peter 4:17 “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:” KJV