There are many great sayings surrounding a good salesman, but my favorite has to be, “he can sell ice to an eskimo”. I still find it quite hilarious. I think this saying best describes pastors who preach the Prosperity Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel is usually defined as a Christian movement that places its emphasis on the physical manifestations of blessing in the Christian life. And I might add, to an abusive extent.
The greatest con on earth!
There are tons of tv evangelists and preachers who have made their bank on selling prosperity. Names such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and T.D. Jakes are among a few who hold to this teaching. This even became more mainstream with the popular Oxygen series, Preachers of LA. I think that the greatest amount of damage their do, is their influence on smaller churches trying to duplicate their success. I have been in many small church gatherings hearing pastors tell their congregation that it was their season, and if they put more money in the offering plate, God would drop a supernatural physical blessing on their front porch. I have even seen Pastors holding the congregation hostage, by not ending service until they reached a certain number of charitable donations in exchange for a blessing from the Lord. You reap what you sow after all.
What is an example of these blessings? Luckily testimony service is here to help! I remember a young single mother of two, telling the church that she qualified for a home that she did not qualify for. In her mind this was the result of her giving at church and without a doubt a blessing from God. But a more reasonable person would see this as a bad investment into a home on a subprime loan. This was 2007 and the housing market would crash not many months later. She lost her home. I remember a young man who received his blessing in the form of a car, but the interest rates were higher than Snoop Dogg at a Bob Marley concert.
The result of this teaching seems to almost always benefit the preacher and impoverish the congregation. Equating blessings to exotic possessions is the way the health and wealth “gospel” perpetuates poverty in their churches. People go out to buy things they cannot afford under the assumption that this is what a blessing looks like. I even recall a couple buying a home they could not afford because a “prophet” (I prefer the spelling “profit”), told them that was what God wanted them to do. This is the basis by which the church keeps its attendees coming back for more. This cycle of poverty ensures that those who had need will once again have need. Those people who have need will return to sow another seed for another “blessing”. And doubting this system will stop your blessing because you lack faith. Checkmate.
What does the bible say?
1. The bible does not guarantee us a safe and happy life. Consider the words of our Lord in John 6:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation”. Life will be difficult at times. We will experience heart break and pain.
2. You cannot buy God. Whether through good behavior or giving there is nothing we can do to gain God’s favor. Consider Isaiah 64:6, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
3. Christians are accountable to God for how we steward our resources. Consider proverbs 3:11, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow”. Or Proverbs 12:11, “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense”.
A word of encouragement
Maybe you are an ex-church goer, and you became hip to the game these types of churches have played. Maybe you are currently in one of these churches now and this post offends you. Maybe you are someone who came out of this and understand what I am talking about. Here is a word of encouragement. This is NOT how God intends for His church to be ran. Christ Himself drove out money changers from the temple for using religious language to further their agendas.
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is that we as people cannot appease God. We cannot offer up a seed large enough to earn God’s favor. We will have our struggles and we will suffer sickness. God may heal us of our pain and bless us to make it out of financial ruin, but it does not have anything to do with us. God Himself is the prize you are looking for. He sent His Son to die on our behalf so that we can have Him. In Him we can have ultimate satisfaction. Though we may struggle with money and struggle with sickness, we have the everlasting adoration of the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. He makes it all worth it.
Comments