Beware of False Teaching

[Mark H. Stevens, Th.D]

The Word Of Faith movement, which seems to go 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 God in fact 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
an 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 and
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
isssue, 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.