Yesterday morning I had to get my parents to the airport by 5 am, so I was up earlier than usual. As I was flipping channels, I happened upon a "religious program" and was compelled to stop. On the screen was a man in a very nice suit wearing a flashy watch. Under his image was a number along with a prompting for you to call and sow your "$1000 favor seed". I listened, waiting to hear what the money was to be used for. I thought this must be for orphans or widows, you know, the ones we are called to care for. But they weren't the receipients. I thought well then it must be to keep Christian programing on television, but I was wrong again.
I listened to the last 20 minutes of the program and even visited the website to try and figure it out, but as far as I can tell, these "seeds" weren't ear marked for anything (translation: it wasn't going for anything they wanted the audience to know about). This "minister" made statements such as "if you delay your seed, you delay your harvest" and "if you reach a busy signal, keep calling. Don't let the devil rob you of a blessing!"
Now, as ridiculous as I thought this was, I thought "if people want to send their hard earned money into a preacher who hasn't even said one word about the Gospel, that's their own mistake." But then he said something that infuriated me. He began telling the story of a man who needed a large amount of money, and was going to "sow a seed" knowing that it would yield a return. The man on my screen with the fancy clothes said "The seed was the point of contact, he was going to sow into his OWN CHURCH, but God said 'No, sow into ("minister"'s name here), because he has an anointing for increase."
This man had crossed a line in my book. Call me crazy, but I seriously doubt God would tell someone to take money he was going to put in his own church where actual ministry was taking place and send it to someone who has a national audience and doesn't even mention the Gospel.
"Word of faith" is nothing new to me. Having lived in an area of the country synonnimous with this movement, spending a very short time at the same WOF university the minister claimed as alma mater, and then living 5 minutes from a very opulent and well known Christian Broadcast Center, I'm more familiar with Word of Faith than I'd like to admit. Over the years I've built quite the collection of grievences with the prosperity gospel and they are as follows:
1. If you could buy the favor of God, it wouldn't be favor and He wouldn't be God. By definition, favor is unmerited and undeserved, gracious and kind. There is nothing you can do to earn it. Throughout the bible we are confronted of stories of men and women who were not only covered by God, they were favored and used by Him and DID NOT DESERVE it. Moses had anger management issues. David had an affair with a married woman and subsequently had her husband murdered. Paul spent years persecuting the church, but God delivered him from jail and allowed him to travel the world preaching. The list goes on and on. To say that God can be "bribed" into favoring you is contrary to what we know of His nature.
2. Luke 6:38 is about mercy, not money. One the most misinterpreted scriptures says "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." Sounds like a great selling point for "sowing seeds", doesn't it? But read the verse just prior. This was a discussion of why we shouldn't judge or condemn, but should forgive so that we will be forgiven. Nobody reads verse 37, because then what verse would we pray and sing over the offering?
3. The United States is not the center of the world or the bible. If having a luxury car, $500 suits, and money in the bank is the measure of faith, does that mean the other 95% of the world is lacking faith? And if they don't have enough faith to live like these preachers, how can they have enough faith to make it to heaven? When these ministers reference prosperity it is in regards to the meaning of that term in the United States. They say "God wants you to prosper. So claim that car." How materialistic must these men and women be that the only thing they can consider as prosperity are objects? I have news for you. Some of the most faith-filled people I have known barely had more than the clothes on their back-and they were happy with that. Money is not the measure of your trust in Jesus or His love for you.
4. God is not Santa Claus. The trademark phrase all WOF'ers will use eventually is "what's wrong with letting a kid pray for a bicycle?" Let's think for a moment of another way children will try and get a bike. They ask Santa. Now, what happens when a kid has written letters, begged to see every shopping mall Santa Claus, and been the nicest kid ever all year, but come December 25th there's no bike. How strong is that child's faith in Santa come December 26th? So it is with our Sovreign God. Sometimes He doesn't give us what we think we want because He sees the big picture. And when that happens, the spiritually immature lose their faith in God like a nine year old loses their faith on Christmas morning. I have prayed for and had faith for millions of things over my lifetime, some I got and some I didn't. When I was struggling in my faith and didn't get what I wanted, my faith in God was shattered. That is the reason I rail against this theology, I know how easily this happens.
I love the story of the three Hebrew boys in the fire. They told the king that God would deliver them, but EVEN IF HE DIDN'T, they wouldn't worship the idol. They had faith, but knew that their faith in God was not reliant on their faith for His deliverance. Part of spiritual maturity is understanding that while God is always capable, He will not always give us what we want-regardless of the amount of praying, hoping, and "faithing' we do. If your faith in Him is reliant on what He will do for you, then it is not true faith at all.
My next post will provide what happens when we swing the other way, accepting death and defeat and having NO faith. Please keep your eyes open for part two in the coming days.
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