THE GOSPEL OF GREED – Part III
Christ commands us
to exercise sound scriptural stewardship. (Luke 16:1-2 – I Corinthians 4:1-2) In fact, He
commissions, commends and ultimately confers compensatory crowns upon all
believers who do so. (Matthew 25:14-40) To wit, the scriptures suggest a
strong causal connection between funds garnered through tithes and offerings
and tangible opportunities to harvest lost souls for the Kingdom of
God. That being the case, the following question is begged: ‘Since there is a direct connection between
funds the church receives and the ability to finance its soul-winning mission,
is it reasonable or right to spend even the smallest sum on self-gratifying or
frivolous endeavors?’ Indeed, this is the mission-critical
question that we must ask
ourselves as we systematically raise and appropriate funds within the
institutional church.
Time Magazine published a relevant article on Sunday, 10 September
2006, which implicitly highlights the foregoing question. That
article – entitled Does God Want You To Be Rich? – was
authored by David Van Biema and Jeff Chu. Key excerpts of the
article are/will be reprinted here (today and tomorrow) for your prayerful
consideration:
“In three of the Gospels, Jesus warns that each of his
disciples may have to “deny himself” and even “take up his Cross.” In support
of this alarming prediction, he forcefully contrasts the fleeting pleasures of
today with the promise of eternity: “For what profit is it to a man,” he asks,
“if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” It is one of the New
Testament's most challenging teachings, yet generations of churchgoers have
understood that being Christian, on some level, means being ready to sacrifice---money,
autonomy or even their lives.
But for a growing number of Christians, the question is better
restated, “Why not gain the whole world plus my soul?” For several decades, a
philosophy has been percolating…that seems to turn the Gospels’ message on its
head. It suggests that Christians should
keep one eye on Heaven. But the ‘new’ good news is that God doesn’t want us to
wait. Known (or vilified) under a variety of names--Word of Faith, Health and
Wealth, Name It and Claim It, Prosperity Theology--its emphasis is on God’s
promised generosity in this life and the ability of believers to claim it for
themselves, here and now. In a nutshell,
it suggests that a God who loves you does not want you to be broke. Its
signature verse could be John 10: 10: “I have come that they may have life, and
that they may have it more abundantly.” In a TIME poll, 17% of Christians
surveyed said they considered themselves part of such a movement, while a full
61% believed that God wants people to be prosperous. And 31% agreed that if you
give your money to God, God will bless you with more money.
“Prosperity” first blazed to public attention as the driveshaft in
the moneymaking machine that was 1980s televangelism. Now, after some key
modifications (which have inspired some to redub it ‘Prosperity-Lite’), it is
booming. Of the four biggest mega-churches in [the USA], three of them--Joel
Osteen’s Lakewood in Houston; T.D. Jakes’ Potter’s House in Dallas; and Creflo
Dollar’s World Changers near Atlanta--are Prosperity or Prosperity-Lite pulpits
(although Jakes’ ministry has many more facets). While they don’t exclusively
teach that God’s riches should be in believers’ wallets, it is a key part of
their doctrine. And propelled by Osteen’s 4 million--selling book, “Your
Best Life Now,” this belief has swept beyond its Pentecostal base
into more buttoned-down evangelical churches, and even into congregations in
the more liberal mainline denominations.
The movement’s renaissance has infuriated a number of prominent
pastors, theologians and commentators. Fellow mega-pastor Rick Warren, whose
book “The Purpose Driven Life” has outsold Osteen’s by a ratio
of 7 to 1, finds the very basis of ‘Prosperity’ laughable. “This idea that God
wants everybody to be wealthy…there is a word for that: baloney. It’s creating
a false idol. You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth. I can show
you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty. Why then isn’t
everyone in the church a millionaire?”
Advocates note Prosperity's racial diversity--a welcome exception
to the American norm--and point out that some Prosperity churches engage in
significant charity. And they see in it a happy corrective for Christians who
are more used to being chastened for their sins than celebrated as God’s
children. “Who would want to embrace something where you’re miserable, poor,
broke and ugly and you just have to muddle through until you get to heaven?”
asks Joyce Meyer, a popular television preacher and author often lumped in the
Prosperity-Lite camp. “I believe God wants to give us nice things.” If nothing
else, Meyer and other new-breed preachers broach a neglected topic that should
really be a staple of Sunday messages: Does God want you to be rich?” [This
concludes today’s excerpt from the Time article: “Does God Want You To
Be Rich?”]
In closing, there is a serious question that we must ‘chew on’
while considering the will of God regarding the fiscal affairs of churches and
individuals. That is, “WHAT IS THE
LITMUS TEST FOR DETERMINING WHETHER (OR NOT) WE ARE UTILIZING CHURCH OR
PERSONAL FUNDS APPROPRIATELY?” We will
engage this key question in tomorrow’s devotional. But here are four ‘teasers’ for your critical
thinking and prayerful reflection: 1) Are our financial decisions Kingdom-driven
or ego driven? 2) Do our financial decisions serve US or THE MISSION OF
SOUL-WINNING? 3) Since our primary focus is on eternity, how much money or
material goods do we need (personally) in this present world? 4) If even one
soul is lost because the gospel is not fully extended due to misuse or
misappropriation of funds for self-serving ends, what will GOD have to say
about that situation when we stand before Him in judgment?
Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow.
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