Let's face it folks modern media Christianity is all about the money. How much proof do you need? All one has to do to verify this truth is to turn on your TV any Sunday morning to any of the Christian channels and programs. and I do mean any of them. The majority of all Christian television programming today teaches you that the way to sure blessings is based upon how much money you send them. It is gotten way out of hand. Whether it be Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, (why anyone would trust a preacher with the last name of "Dollar" is beyond me) Joyce Meyer, Rod Parsley, or any one of a number of TV hucksters it really doesn't matter. They all have the same theme " send me the money". And as they are begging or prodding you for your money they are telling you that it is so that they may continue to weekly and sometimes daily keep prodding you for your money under the guise of preaching the gospel. While I don't hear a lot of gospel I do hear a lot of solicitations for the green stuff. It is my personal feeling that most of these would not know the Gospel message if it bit them you know where. I've yet to hear one of them preach or teach any clear Christian doctrine.
And this problem is not restricted to television. It could be one of the Internet prophets seeking to sell you a prophecy, or the local church pastor extorting money out of you from the pulpit to build a new church building which I am sure that is all what we need as Christians; another church building; like we don't have enough buildings empty as it is. I even heard one pastor teach that the largest problem Christianity had is that not enough people tithed. He informed the people in his congregation and on television that God had told him this was the biggest problem Christians had and why they were not blessed. It wasn't a sin, it wasn't adultery it wasn't a hard heart, it wasn't ignorance of what the gospel message is, It all come down to whether or not the church was going to get money from them. Ludicrous!
The simple fact is most of the works that we are called to do as Christians doesn't cost a whole lot. We simply show the Love of Jesus. Our resources are pooled to feed and clothe people in order that that we may preach the gospel to them. Maybe together we rent a place where we can meet all altogether. And again maybe we pool our resources to help some needy family of the congregation that's a bad predicament financially. And when it comes down to supporting a ministry outside of our congregations it should be one that teaches the truth of the gospel and the people who work in that ministry should make every effort to live modestly so as not to be a burden to the congregation. As the Bible says the man of God is worthy of his hire but it was never God's intention that preachers live better than their congregations or that ministers gain so much fame it out shadows Christ , the one for whom they claim they are slave. The Golden rule still applies even for ministers: It is God first, others second, and us last. Just compare that idea to the current opulence of many so-called Christian ministries. As I said this is gotten way out of hand and if we truly are the people of God it's time the Reformation in this area began. In the coming war of words let mine be the first shot. And Lord let it strike true. Amen.
And this problem is not restricted to television. It could be one of the Internet prophets seeking to sell you a prophecy, or the local church pastor extorting money out of you from the pulpit to build a new church building which I am sure that is all what we need as Christians; another church building; like we don't have enough buildings empty as it is. I even heard one pastor teach that the largest problem Christianity had is that not enough people tithed. He informed the people in his congregation and on television that God had told him this was the biggest problem Christians had and why they were not blessed. It wasn't a sin, it wasn't adultery it wasn't a hard heart, it wasn't ignorance of what the gospel message is, It all come down to whether or not the church was going to get money from them. Ludicrous!
The simple fact is most of the works that we are called to do as Christians doesn't cost a whole lot. We simply show the Love of Jesus. Our resources are pooled to feed and clothe people in order that that we may preach the gospel to them. Maybe together we rent a place where we can meet all altogether. And again maybe we pool our resources to help some needy family of the congregation that's a bad predicament financially. And when it comes down to supporting a ministry outside of our congregations it should be one that teaches the truth of the gospel and the people who work in that ministry should make every effort to live modestly so as not to be a burden to the congregation. As the Bible says the man of God is worthy of his hire but it was never God's intention that preachers live better than their congregations or that ministers gain so much fame it out shadows Christ , the one for whom they claim they are slave. The Golden rule still applies even for ministers: It is God first, others second, and us last. Just compare that idea to the current opulence of many so-called Christian ministries. As I said this is gotten way out of hand and if we truly are the people of God it's time the Reformation in this area began. In the coming war of words let mine be the first shot. And Lord let it strike true. Amen.
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