What Does The Scripture Say Regarding The Prosperity Gospel?
By Abraham Israel
"Using the scale of prosperity preaching and teaching of health, wealth and success to use it as the standard for measuring our spirituality is not only injurious and detrimental to the growth and health of our spiritual life, it also leads us in to deception of covetousness and greediness which pierces those who are deceived by it with many sorrows, and even has the potential to cause ship wreck in ones faith. The gospel of the Kingdom is in itself is a prosperous good news both for rich but poor in spirit and poor but rich in faith. To make this heavenly gospel of faith, hope and love to become a earthly one, is to misinterpret it for one's own and their followers destruction. So be wise saints to avoid all extremes of twisted deceptive doctrines of the end time, because God has given us a responsibility to grow spiritually and rightly divide the word of truth as His sons and daughters of God, and believe it to live in the true unadulterated doctrine that accords with godliness that further leads to contentment in this life based on the promise of the life to come for the Glory of God! Gospel is good news for spiritual construction when it is witnessed correctly, or it becomes a dead news for destruction when the motives behind it becomes adulterated." — Abraham Israel
BRO. BENNY HINN has been a blessing to me greatly in the initial days when I started to learn deeply from the Bible. He is a BLESSING. I love him, but the doctrine of prosperity he expounds to raise funds for ministry I have found it to be injurious to spiritual health, which must be done by faith. I pray that he might use the rest of his time on earth to use it to spread the true Gospel. My Prayers.....!
Question: In Heaven are streets of Gold... mansions.. waiting for us...God owns a lot..we are in... His image....bringing Heaven to Earth. Why not prosper here on earth like it will be in heaven? Yes sometimes we need improvement in our walk....Praise God.
Pastor Benny Hinn is a very giving man... gave up ALL to just help the lost, hurting, suffering ...with salvation as man of God ...his agenda is millions of people ALWAY's... ALWAY's.. not to go home to family like most ... and not many could do this ...at all ...he is Not greedy, quite the opposite I believe ... When miracles happens through him ..people believe.
If you have something against your Brother ...go to him in person if you feel he is making a mistake...if he does'nt change take a witness ....meet directly with your Brother Benny ...with Him all things are possible ...instead of talking about him ....in certain areas.
Sometimes... people have different personalities to minister to different people in the many branches grafted in Christ .....one friend reaches the motorcycle people ...one the rich ...while another single moms...
One shall know them by their fruits....great commission...and whether they love God above all and neighbor as themselves ...not many give up ...their own agenda for years ...this man has ...just to touch hurt souls ...pray for healing of broken hearts ...Praise God! He is...favored like Kings in days gone by ...not for lusty greed ...greed does mean you give your whole life for it ...greedy men would not do this work of the gospel ...only a caring loving man Of God ... can do this.
I'm gonna get blessed here on Earth ...even though I'm poor ...love Gods best blessings. Benny happen to have more than me ...but also more blessed ...but Jesus is greatly to be praised ..SOMEONE got to help with the worldly lusty greedy rich ...He does. Sorry ...my neighbor Jim Crick was just such the person ....he is a little country man ...but had rich job ...which could be used a LOT for ...God's work. God works in mysterious ways ..RIGHT? ....EVEN a prostitute lied to help the men of Israel live ...so that she just got saved from death... which shows the spirit of God is ABOVE law.
Benny does not have much free time ...for golf...family normal events ...he gave everything to always help others ...he is loving ..kind and sweet ...actually a quiet man in real life. My friend whom I mentioned earlier is a rich man ... but knows him personally ...it was he who helped him better walk in Christ ...after which he chose to understand blessings are from God and therefore not adore worldly riches ...my friend could of made a lot of money as a saleman ...but finally chose to help Benny with sick ...Lost... and hurting.
Ask Benny about what you feel is a wrong thing Scripturally. Personally ...God can allow you to be Ok if you ...DON'T blast him publically ...Or else God will allow all that you ...speak of that good man.. to come back to you. He is uplifting and encouraging ...he brings many to Faith in Jesus. Dear God he does....ask God why mansions and streets of Gold ...Lord cattle on a thousand hills ...why my rich friend got help through Bennys (Gods ministries) ...its all true and all is in the Bible ...some like him truly gave up all to help the lost..sick..suffering ...again friend Jim knows him ...he is not about lusting after $ at all ...just really blessed. Bringing Heaven to Earth is Bible too ...Jim said he started out with nothing ...the gift of healing was his gift.. and caring..sharing..teaching on faith as well. Satan tried to pull his soul out... to kill Benny in his sleep ...it took so much fasting prayer to live with his power.
He has seen a lot ...sacrificed a lot, when people witnessed his prayer life and healing miracles, they wanted to help this man and tithe. He is truly blessed ...favored ...King David slept with virgins to keep warms ...Solomon had wealth ...was King ...lost it all cause he lusted on it. Gained it back and used WISELY ...ALL he does is deal with hundreds of thousands of people ...and someone has to be chosen or called To help the rich...especially, though we are not to favor a rich or poor man. Favor none but act justly... I understand, but the rich are hard to witness too. But they need Jesus too...but Benny can bring the Gospel to them!!!! ...Amen. From different men Chosen...of God..he has learned spiritual things, like Kathryn Kuhlman ...she was a known adulterer ...but washed in Jesus blood ...it takes the foolish things to confound the wise.
What is your take on it?
Answer: Greetings in Jesus wonderful name!
The Bible says that in the Garden of Eden, "11 The name of the first [river created for human pleasure] is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there." (Gen 2:11-12). So from the above passages we can see that God Himself felt that gold on earth was good before sin infected the heart of humans on earth. But once we through our forefather took a wrong choice to follow our own way by being rebellious and disobedient to bring sin to earth (Gen 3:1-19; Rom 5:12), the same gold on earth have become a snare to humans to replace the God of all the earth with gods of silver and gold (Isa 40:19; 41:7; 46:6). That is why God has made a claim of all the gold and silver on earth as His by rights of creation and rulership (Hag 2:8; 1 Kings 20:3-4), so that humans may not be deceived by their sinful heart to covet the things of this earth which will never satisfy them, and make a god for themselves which leads them to hell fire which is a place where God restrains himself from his goodness and grace for eternity, so that the wishes of people to remain without God to live in their own will and wishes may be fulfilled by their own choice made in this life. So mammon is in itself is a test of God to make people trust the God of all things for eternity for all those who are willing to abide by His will and ways (Jer 17:9-10; 2 Thess 1:9; Matt 19:23-26; Luke 16:12-13). The bottom line of God is that this life on earth is a ground of God to test us humans (Deut 8:2; 2 Chron 32:31; Psa 14:2; Prov 17:3). God need to test us and we need to trust God in order to experience the gift of eternal life of friendship with Him (John 17:3, 17), through it God needs to sanctify us from our sinful and natural heart inclinations to trust money and passing pleasures (Heb 11:25), and only then at the end of it all He can use us for eternity to live for His Glory in His Presence and in His Kingdom on the new earth which is being prepared for all the new creation (2 Cor 5:17; John 14:1-4), who are being transformed in to the image of His Son day by day as they depend upon Him in this old earth daily through their prayer and meditation of His word, so that we can reeducate ourselves to obey God by loving Him and humans alike (1 Pet 3:13-17; 5:10; 1 John 3:16; Matt 6:9-13).
To call a spade a spade is not wrong or sinful when the motive behind it is not to destroy people's faith but rather to build it. God has called me to be a apostle to His Church. In fact the apostles are called to restore the purity of faith and build people of God with a strong foundation of faith to plant and build it strong, so that it can withstand every wind of deceptive and demonic doctrines that the evil one is bringing in our generation to deceive even the elect of God to make them lose their reward and keep the unsaved flock within the Church who live a name sake life of tradition to be a bad example and keep those who are outside from being saved through believing in Christ Jesus because of the poor behavior and lifestyle exhibited form within the Church (1 Cor 3:11-12, 6-8; Matt 7:24-28; 24:24; Gal 4:19; Acts 2:42). Woe unto me if I do not preach the true Gospel of grace willingly and without charge which the Lord My God has revealed to me through His Word and His Spirit (1 Cor 9:16-18).
As for the verse which you have said regarding going to our Brother and trying to restore him in faith is not regarding the doctrine within the Church, but rather it speaks about known transgression done personally by a saint of God that becomes a hindrance to others in the Church. It does not even speak about a leader of the Church, but rather to the leader of the Church, so that they can be able to deal with a sinning Brother in their midst who is stubborn enough not to turn away from open sin and shame that puts a stumbling block to other brethren within the Church (Matt 18:15-20, 6-14; 1 Cor 5:1-13). Think about it, when the shepherd himself gets misled, the sheeps are scattered for slaughter by the evil one and that is what is happening all around the world through deceptive doctrines such as the 'prosperity gospel' in our generation of the end of end time before the second coming of the Lord (Matt 26:31; Mark 14:27; Ezek 34:5). When shepherds are attacked from within by evil forces of the enemy through lies, slander and gossip, they are smitten and fall without strength to stand against it unless they are wise enough to stand against it with the armor of God to overcome it for the Glory of God (Zec 13:7; Eph 6:11).
When shepherds slumber because of dereliction of their duties and thus are not watchful for enemies deception and attack, sheep scatter due to such negligence (Nah 3:18). When shepherds are selfish to make themselves fat at the cost of the sheep's health and protection, the sheep scatter when the enemy comes to pick them up because he will have a open gate to attack them because of the same attitude of selfish indulgence in them which has been promoted by the shepherd through the prosperity gospel (John 14:30; Ezek 34:2-8). The hirelings preserve themselves at the cost of the sheep, but the true shepherds do not seek what the sheep has, but rather they seek their spiritual life promotion and good health to lead them to experience the eternal life of God (John 10:12-13; 2 Cor 12:14). Shepherds who are senseless themselves, choose themselves and their own promotion over the well being of the sheep of saints in the Church, thus they become a tool in the hands of the enemy to scatter the saints through wrong doctrines of demons like preaching and teaching the prosperity gospel of deception and death (Prov 27:23; Jer 48:10; 23:1-2; 10:21; Isa 56:11; 1 Tim 4:1; Rev 3:17-18).
Should A Ministry Appeal And Run By Raising Funds, Or Run By Faith?
The motivation given to the saints to support the ministry should be like what apostle Paul did in his ministry and Jesus did in his ministry, that is, allow the believers to thankfully give to God for what He has already done for them, and also systematically learn to give without asking or appealing for more, that is, allow them to give what they want to give to the Lord without coercion or fleshly tatics as they are blessed through the ministry for the extension of the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:1-3; Php 4:15; Gal 6:6; 1 Cor 16:2; 2 Cor 9:7). To operate in such a ministry, the preacher and teacher of the Word needs to operate in a radical faith of being content with both to be full and also hungry and not angry against God for lack which is only a test of faith and not a lack of provision in the Kingdom (Php 4:11-12; Matt 17:24-27). So I understand when it is not there, there comes manipulation to raise funds for a good cause of spreading the Kingdom message of prosperity that they themselves actually lack in their own lives unlike the lifestyle of Jesus and Paul the foremost practitioners of faith living, who LIVED FAITH AND SPOKE FAITH to stand out as an example to emulate until today (Php 4:19; 1 Cor 11:1; 2 Cor 4:13). A Christian saint is prosperous only as long as he lives in the God-sufficiency of heaven, the moment he lacks that attitude, it shows that he lacks the true prosperity of God which is the ability to live by faith in the provision for our day to day need from the Kingdom of heaven which is so much more concerned about it rather than just our survival on earth (Psa 23:1;Matt 6:8, 11; Luke 11:30-31, 32; 15:7).
You see, God knows all our needs in this regard, not only we need improvement in our walk in the financial area as ministers of God, but more importantly God is more concerned about our improvement in our soul life and its eternal reward of being conformed to His image to inherit His Glory as his dear children (Rom 8:29-30, 31), and thus wants to provide us supernaturally in His way and in His time by faith which is more important to develop through this earthly life, so that we could be rewarded fully for eternity in our heavenly life (Psa 35:27; 3 John 1:2; 2 Tim 4:6-8; Acts 20:27, 33-35; 2 Cor 6:3-10; 11:23-30; 1 Cor 4:9; Gal 2:20). God has never promised to supply our greed in our own way, but surely He has promised to supply all our need in his own way, his will and time (Php 4:19).
Benny Hinn A Man of God Or Not?
I only point to the mistakes so that we may learn to educate ourselves and be watchful so that we may not be deceived of our eternal reward (Col 2:18). Otherwise, Benny Hinn is a fantastic man of God and I love Him. He has inspired me and there are thousands of good things that I have learned from Him and still do. HE IS MIGHTY SERVANT OF GOD WHOM I RESPECT.
I say what I say, not because of my personal opinion or preference, but based on the Word of God. I say what I say, so that edification might cause growth and maturity in the Body of Christ (Eph 4:12-14). TRUTH HURTS BUT ALSO HEALS AND CAUSES GROWTH (Eph 4:15-16). So check every man and woman of God, whether what they teach is according to the Bible which is the scale of measurement for all of us, and most important of all whether the whole counsel of God is taught or partial truth are repeated causing overdose and diseased soul (Acts 20:27).
The Holy Spirit was so impressed by the passion of the Bereans to search the Scriptures by not even accepting the Greatest apostolic teacher of all times next only to Jesus, (i.e.) apostle Paul, so that He chose to commend them in the Scripture by saying that they were "fair and noble minded than in Thessalonica", out of which true belief that pleased God settled in to their heart and revealed the Kingdom of heaven within them all (Acts 17:10-12). I want all the saints to become like this in these end times of deception that is rampant all over the world, and I am here to facilitate and help the saints grow in this attitude of pleasing God through searching the Scriptures, so that graciously we may experience heaven in our hearts like the Bereans did (Matt 24:4).
We cannot just say, 'If it is in the Bible, we are Ok.' Every one use the same Bible, then why so many denominations and divisions exist in Christianity? It is because each one divides the truth in the way they want, and not in the way it is there to be seen. So we need to "rightly" divide the word of truth, so that we may not be deceived or else we might end up ashamed as a failed worker when good fruit does not come out of our lives and also be ashamed mainly in the day of Christ when He rewards us according to our works (2 Tim 2:15; Matt 7:15-20; 2 Cor 11:13-15; 1 Cor 3:13-17). God has given the responsibility to every saint in the Church to test the deception and overcome it by faith, which is a very essential part of our spiritual life which He commends without fail (Rev 2:2-3). In other words, every deception like the "prosperity gospel" which you fail to recognize because of the great name of any preacher or a teacher of the Word of God, will make you responsible before God and be accountable for allowing deception rather than stand in the truth of the Word of God. Watch and Pray!
Any truth that is overemphasized and repeated partially without expressing the whole counsel of God becomes a lie (Rom 11:22). Remember, every half truth, quarter truth, every three fourth truth and even more so is still a lie, until truth is revealed by the whole counsel of God taken in to consideration by context (Acts 20:27, 31, 32-33). May the Lord open the eyes of the saints so that we may not just love but speak the turth, and abound in love more and more "in knowledge and all discernment", so that we may approve all things that are excellent, and not just be sincere but rather without offense till the day of Christ to the glory of and praise of God (Php 1:9-11).
Praise the Lord!
All are servants of God with different paths and gifts, but God has given the same Bible both to preach and teach, and also walk godly to set an example for all believers. So I agree to disagree especially in this matter relating to 'prosperity gospel' that is at loose all over the world in our times to deceive even the saints (2 Tim 3:16-17).
See Jesus And Look To Him Only To Emulate!!
There is no pure or impure sin, all sin is sin. We must repent of all sins. God never justified the sin of the sinners in the Bible, but rather judged it all through sacrificing His only begotten sinless Son, and only through faith in Him which showed to God that they were willingly repentant who are ready to let God change them were justified and cleansed by God from their impure behavior. So we cannot justify the impure behavior of the Old Testament saints, and try to indulge in sin freely in the New Testament because they did not have the strength of grace to overcome sin by the Holy Spirit living in them, but only with them and upon them many times to do God's assignment and fulfill His purpose. But we have the Holy Spirit as a comforter and stand by to help in the time of need when sin comes against us in full force to try to make us fall in to its trap-net of temptation (John 14:17). So as we are given much, much will be required from the New Testament saints from the Lord on the day of Judgment (Luke 12:47-48). The great promise, "Sin shall not have dominion over us," (Rom 6:14) was not given to the Old Testament saints, but we have it from the Lord and should live a worthy life for His Glory. The Old Testaments saints were promised only physical blessing of land, gold, progeny, food and safety for their obedience to the Law (Deut 28:1-14), but we are given all the spiritual blessing of God in the heavenly places to fight the giants of sin in our soul, and the spiritual blessings also includes the provision to fulfill His vision for our life and generation, to live and spread the Gospel of the Kingdom in all the world (Eph 1:3; Matt 6:33-34). So I would tell, it is better to live in the New Testament capacity and receive the eternal reward for it, rather than live in a underutilized capacity of the Old Testament times which we were never called to live (Luke 16:12-13; Matt 25:24-30).
So never see a man of God or a woman of God in their failings and weaknesses, and try to fit in and make a theology that will justify you, because at the end of it all, he or she will be judged by Jesus Christ on the day of Bema Judgment and will be rewarded according to their works which will be very less when their motives behind doing the work of God has not been perfect like Jesus (2 Cor 4:1-6; 1 Cor 3:14-15; 4:5). Christ is our only example and we should follow Him and be like Him in our earthly life (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus warned his hearers not to see the example of Pharisees and Sadducee's and be misled or be deceived from the reward that God has for us in eternity, how much more the warning fits the Church which is trying to go in to the same mode of law keeping for reward which disqualifies a saints from his eternal reward according to Jesus (Matt 23:1-5; Rev 3:10-11). Jesus pointed to the works of these people and said, "Verily I say unto you, They have their reward" (Matthew 6:2) which means the praise of men and the comfort of earthly life is the only reward they will receive and no more eternal reward for them (Rev 22:12).
So make sure you see Jesus and none else to walk in His way with the right motive and be rewarded for eternity. Praise the Lord!
Love Of Money And The Gospel Stands Opposite To Each Other
Do you know that the love of Money is the leprosy of the New Testament times (Luke 16:12-13)? Every body should set an example to follow, only then we are told to follow a person who displays great power of God (Heb 13:7; 1 Cor 11:1).
Gehazi witnessed a miracle, an undeniable display of God’s power that involved the redemption of a man’s health, life, and soul. But all he could think about was money. Naaman needed to see the grace of God in the free and abundant blessing he received; Gehazi destroyed grace by demanding payment.
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), and “you cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13). After years of seemingly faithful service, Gehazi fell. His sin began in the heart, as he coveted what Naaman was offering. Other sins soon followed in a series of lies. Gehazi would have been wise to heed Moses’ warning of long ago, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).
That is why we should ask ourselves as the minister of God in the New Testament times, "Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes--or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves to enjoy the pleasures of this world?" (2 Kings 5:26; Jam 5:1-6).
I am inspired by the power of God displayed through the life of dear Brother Benny Hinn, but when his niece testifies of the indulgent lifestyle as a first hand testimony, I am not impressed by it. I am not judging him, neither do I follow him in this regard. But other good things in Him which the Lord works through, I have the highest regard for it (Mark 9:39). Jesus clearly told that we should hear what the leaders say, but not follow their life many times because many do say one thing but do another thing, that is why none should desire to become a teacher and preacher of the Word of God except those who are compelled by the Lord through His calling, as the judgment for them will be stricter than for a saint in the Church (Matt 23:1-3; Jam 3:1). Every leader should emulate the life of Jesus, so that the saints of the Church may be edified to excel in their spiritual life and follow their lives (1 Cor 11:1).
Much Blessings....
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