Advocates of The Gospel of Prosperity

Written on 06 December 2005

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine invited me to a Creflo Dollar church service in Madison square gardens. He flies out to New York every week to preach to an audience of about 5000. He is a popular teacher, preacher and businessman. He is also a self confessed prosperity preacher and does not hide this fact. He is regarded as a word of faith preacher which has a line of many other well known names. Many of us know him, have heard him on God TV and are vaguely familiar with him. He is an advocate of the gospel of wealth, health and prosperity.

My good friend who invited me knows very well how i feel about this and we have had many discussions about this ever frequent topic. Both views in stark opposition. He has been brought up in prosperity churches and therefore wanted me to see it in a positive light, thus the invitation.

Well, i went along to see it for myself and hopefully end any speculation or doubt. In my heart i really wanted myself to be wrong. However, i wasn’t greatly surprised when i got there. As people entered the arena, ushers stood by the doors handing out tithing envelopes and payment details. I and my friend laughed, but i said i was still optimistic.

The sermon began after the praise and worship and there it began. I prayed to the Lord to show me once and for all so that i don’t bring up the issue in my heart and mind again. Lo and behold, the message was about sowing the seed to reap the harvest of material goods. If you drive a rubbish car he said, sow into his ministry and you’ll get a bigger, better flashier car. If you wear rubbish suits, sow into the ministry and you’ll get better, tailor made suits.

A few months before this service, a friend of mine went to Creflo’s service. He told me how Creflo told his congregation that the day was coming when they would ride in their Mercedes Benz down Broadway new York, with alloy wheels, blasting gospel music with the windows down and people would stop and say ‘there must be a god’.

I left the place not with condemnation for Creflo, but an answer from God which i so desired to know. My friend and i no longer really discuss the matter anymore.

This morning a newspaper article was going around the office. A prosperity preacher arrogantly had the following words written in his church: ‘the lack of money is the root of all evil’. He was also interviewed and openly admitted ‘yes, i love money’.

If you have read this post correctly, this post is NOT a raging at creflo. Instead it is a weeping of the heart of what is going on in the name of our Lord Jesus. Robbery of the poor is fuelling the ambition and greed of such men.

Pastor David Wilkerson shared with the church how pastors all across South America, who are struggling for food and daily life, are confused and dumbfounded after hearing the sensual message of the prosperity preachers. They come and ask from them instead of giving. The pastors now think God is mad at them because they are not financially blessed and driving huge cars, with designer suits and lots of money.

The heathen world looks at this and mocks the most High God. God raise up your prophets in the Church and send a mighty revival.

With much sadness in my heart

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