Peddlers of Prosperity Gospel Are Thieves

By Brilliant Pongo

A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. And thus, my truth though some may think, is with bad intent is simple, an insincere preacher/bishop is more to be feared than a wild beast; for a wild beast may wound your physical body, but a phony bishop will wound your mind and spirit and thereby retard your spiritual growth.

Article after article I have pointed my Bishop friend (Chikosi) to Holy Scripture that is clear and loud about the view Jesus Christ had on money, however bishop Chikosi, still wriggles as he tries to justify his desire to enrich himself materially using his self-appointed position of Bishop and his personal interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.

The sad irony of all this is that, the truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear. In spite of this, we have a duty and responsibility to warn others. (Ezekiel 3.17-21). Consequently I warn my bishop friend that when you stretch the truth, watch out for the snapback because, If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people, the corollary of iniquities will find you, this is an eternal principle which governs the righteousness of God and His judgment which is always fair.

The proponents of the prosperity gospel tell us that Jesus spoke more about money than anything else and this is how they justify the wealth and prosperity doctrines that they teach. But the plain and simple truth of the matter is that while Jesus often spoke about wealth, He never spoke about it in the sense that it was something good to become involved with.

A closer look at Christ will reveal that His teaching on the matter of wealth is the polar opposite of today’s prosperity teachers. Matthew 6:19-21. Jesus tells his disciples,

“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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

To appreciate the difficulty of this statement, we need to understand Jesus’ words in light of the rest of Matthew’s gospel. Throughout Matthew, Jesus repeatedly warns his disciples about the love of money. Money often becomes idol–Mammon.

• In the Parable of the Sower, some of the seed is choked out by the “cares of this world” and “deceitfulness of riches” (Matt 13:22).

• When Jesus asks the rich young ruler to give up his riches and follow him, the rich young ruler “went away grieving, because he had many possessions” (Matt 19:22). Then Jesus tells the disciples that “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom” (Matt 19:23). The expression “treasure in heaven” also occurs in this story (Matt 19:21).

• Jesus condemns the Pharisees because their hearts were full of “greed and self-indulgence” (Matt 23:25-26).

• Judas betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matt 27:3-10).

• The soldiers guarding Jesus’ tomb lied for money. They said that the disciples took the body (Matt 28:12-13).

These passages show that money can be an obstacle to our faith. Some like Judas have walked away from the faith because of money. Others like the rich young ruler have refused to follow Christ because of money.

Money is a neutral thing. It represents resources. It’s a part of God’s good creation. However, it is easy for us to start to worship the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). This is idolatry. Paul says that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Tim 6:10).

In the book of Matthew Jesus warned and counselled:

“Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many . . . . . And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” – Matthew 24:4-5,11-13 (KJV)

Most agree that we are in the last days. We certainly see the “general” predictions of Jesus concerning the last days being fulfilled daily. Surely the excitement that fills so many about the as yet “unfulfilled eschatological prophecies” cannot drown out a very important part of that same prophetic utterance. The word “Christ” means anointed one. It does not take a “Harvard scholar” to see that “many have come” and are saying in our day that they have been “anointed” by God.

Matthew 7:15 (KJV) “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

The scripture from Matthew describes these false prophets as “ravening” or ravenous. The Webster dictionary says that this is a condition of extreme hunger that creates an uncontrollable yearning for gratification.

Driven by hunger for power or wealth, these false prophets will do just about anything to get it. So we must look at their method and their motivation. We know that all aspects of our behaviour as the Children of God must be characterized by the disciplined guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Motivation cannot be rooted in greed or the desire for fame, however cloaked under the guise of fighting the ‘demon of poverty’, many of these prosperity ministers have found a great many undiscerning who they prey on like ravening wolves only to enrich themselves with earthly material.

Jesus’ statement in Matthew 7:15 is a loud and clear warning to those who care to take heed. Jesus is warning us about false prophets for indeed they are looking for prey. But not just any prey, but someone unsuspecting, undefended and unprepared. Will you be the next victim?

How can you avoid such a fate? We must discern truth not by science or logic or higher education or through the famous or scholarly, but by the Spirit.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. -1 Corinthians 2:9-11 (KJV)

We can be protected from the lies of the enemy as we discern the truth through the power of the Holy Spirit. False teachers and false prophets or the spirit of antichrist does not stand a chance against the knowledge of God we have and can attain through the power of the Holy Spirit. This can be accomplished by practicing the presence of God each moment of the day by a faith walk.

The root of prosperity gospel is in the greed where these preachers, whether knowingly or not, has blinded them. Despite the potential reach of their ministries to tell the world about Christ, these prosperity gospel entrepreneurs now blight the work of God which they claim to be promoting.(they are turning every verse about giving into dollars for the self-called prophets and bishops—nana mai bishop)

Prosperity gospel is exactly what it says; it teaches that you need prosperity in your material life. It doesn’t preach that you need prosperity in your ‘spiritual’ life, which the Bible teaches, but in your material worldly life.

I will not shy away from calling these self-appointed bishops frauds, charlatans and thieves, surely how does one justify teaching miracle money? (Call me of little faith, asivakomana if you can command an ATM to give you money that you know you do not have and you get thousands in your account, aah!

That is reaping were you did not sow vakomana) indeed all they are preaching is IDOLATRY, elevating wealth and possessions above God, and elevating created things above the CREATOR. This is ‘another’ gospel which Paul warned about … Galatians 1:6 …’I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.’

These preachers of the prosperity gospel are certainly perverting the true gospel of Christ Jesus. But Paul says there isn’t another gospel, but only one true gospel of Jesus.

John 10:10 …’I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ … Now the false preachers of the prosperity gospel will look at this Bible verse and twist it to their liking. But what did Jesus really mean when He said He came to give life more abundantly?

Was He talking about worldly possessions? Well, if you study through the whole council of God, you will see that to be a true Christian in this world you will go through persecution and tribulation (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; 1 Thess. 3:4; 1 Peter 4:12), and that you are to use what you have to help the poor.

Now does that sound like worldly prosperity and abundance? Of course not! No, Christ was talking about the abundance of His Spirit in your life, giving you peace and joy that no worldly possession can give you. He was also pointing to the abundant life that He will give us in His heavenly kingdom.

Think about this: Did the disciples and apostles receive an abundant life the way the prosperity preachers proclaim? Definitely not! They went through great persecution and tribulation for the gospel of Jesus Christ and they were killed for their faith. BUT, their life more abundant is awaiting them in the heavenly kingdom of God.

Jesus’ ministry was to the poor, the downtrodden, people on the street who could not pay their way. His ministry was to those who needed a physician. Grace is for those who need to receive it because they cannot pay for it. It was for those who were captive and needed to be set free.

Today we see ministers to the rich; preaching in ivory towers to velvet covered pews; and being chauffeured in limousines and salaried in six figures. Is this the fulfilment of the Lord’s command to make disciples?

I say the prosperity gospel peddlers are thieves, abusing God’s name and robbing the unsuspecting and If the truth hurts bishop Chikosi, you ain’t living right.