Preaching for Dollars

[dqhall]

Is it a sin to preach in order to become super rich? One televangelist is worth about 760 million dollars. He has a large 18,000 sq ft mansion, square miles of land, a private airport and jet planes. Preachers have amassed fortunes encouraging poor people to contribute all they could. Is this not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked or visiting the sick and imprisoned Christians (Matthew 25:31-46)?

15 richest preachers list:
https://www.etinside.com/?p=539

 

[RaymondG]

I find no fault in it. They arent stealing, murdering..... I'd say it is a dream job...... Who wouldnt want to get rich doing something they love to do? If the poor what to give there money, let them give......the more they give, the more they will receive.

I prefer to give to the poor, rather than the rich...but I'm no better than those who do the opposite.

I find it more profitable to dwell on the saving of souls than counting the dollars in bank accounts.

 

[Hazelelponi]

2 Corinthians 2:17

"For we are not, like so many, peddlers (merchants) of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ."

If you notice, those who sell God's Word for profit also teach contrary to scripture. They are more likely to be prosperity doctrine preachers, in short, their doctrine is usually cherry picking what people want to hear..

I believe through multiple scriptures we can see that these people do not represent Christ, and yes, it's a sin to peddle God's Word.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Is it a sin to preach in order to become super rich?

Yes.
It is a sin to not trust Yahweh for each and every need, even just ONE DOLLAR/ A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER.....

Preaching for "filthy lucre" is always a sin.

 

[Uber Genius]

one has to just catalog there pleas for people to be saved next to their pleas for money!

They are a disgrace to the gospel.

They preach a false gospel of prosperity not found anywhere in the NT.

Imagine the answer if Jesus were to meet anyone of them and ask them to give up everything they owned and follow him.

They create false doctrine that scuttles their followers faith when they encounter suffering.

They are the poster (strawmen) Christian to the media and stumble non-believers who would have long-since been Christian disciples but for these imposters hypocrisy!

May they do the work of their father the devil and get their reward full here on Earth. They will be ashamed and cast out on the Day of judgement.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Is it a sin to preach in order to become super rich?

Key words: "in order to become." Answer: yes.

 

[RaymondG]

Whose to say they arent depending on God for their every need and God is, in turn, supplying their needs.....100 times over!

-do these preachers require that members pay to enter the building, like a concert? If not, how are they charging for the word?

 

[JCFantasy23]

Prosperity gospels can be downright embarrassing and has chased a lot of people away. If a pastor gets wealthy from his preaching, there must be another point to that other than making the message about sending them more money from the vulnerable.

 

[RaymondG]

Prosperity gospels can be downright embarrassing and has chased a lot of people away. If a pastor gets wealthy from his preaching, there must be another point to that other than making the message about sending them more money from the vulnerable.

If they are chasing a lot of people away, how come there churches are the biggest and largest? how come people gift them enough money to live in mansions? And what would that say about us to be embarrass when we see a christian living in a mansion? Dont we too look for mansions......in the sky?

 

[Phil 1:21]

If they are chasing a lot of people away, how come there churches are the biggest and largest? how come people gift them enough money to live in mansions?

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2 Timothy 4:3

 

[JCFantasy23]

If they are chasing a lot of people away, how come there churches are the biggest and largest? how come people gift them enough money to live in mansions? And what would that say about us to be embarrass when we see a christian living in a mansion? Dont we too look for mansions......in the sky?

Some are luring people in with con phrasing and convincing people to give them their money. Some tell the people this is how they will get rewarded. Some tell that this is the way the believer will become rich themselves, similar to a pyramid scheme model. It is much the same way that psychics lure desperate people in. You cannot go by the wealth a pastor has to gauge his honesty or intent.

And when I say embarrassing, I mean some of the mixed up preaching and messages that is clearly corrupt will give them a bad taste about Christianity and make them stay away. Some of the TV or radio sermons are clearly cons and people using Christianity to try and make a buck off those who don't realize its being used in a negative way (as a money scheme). Yes, this is embarrassing.

With these examples I am not pointing fingers at all wealthy pastors or mega-churches, but I am saying to use caution and weigh what they say with scripture.

 

[dreadnought]

Is it a sin to preach in order to become super rich? One televangelist is worth about 760 million dollars. He has a large 18,000 sq ft mansion, square miles of land, a private airport and jet planes. Preachers have amassed fortunes encouraging poor people to contribute all they could. Is this not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked or visiting the sick and imprisoned Christians (Matthew 25:31-46)?

15 richest preachers list:
https://www.etinside.com/?p=539

It would be a sin to preach to become super rich, but it wouldn't be a sin to become super rich because you preach.

 

[dqhall]

Whose to say they arent depending on God for their every need and God is, in turn, supplying their needs.....100 times over!

-do these preachers require that members pay to enter the building, like a concert? If not, how are they charging for the word?

Some of these preachers promised TV audiences, if they invested in their ministry, God would greatly increase their prosperity. Another sales pitch was that funding them was funding God's work. More than one widow gambled on sending funds. I recently met someone whose mother passed away. He found his mother had spent most of her fortune writing checks to televangelists. He is working at the age of 69 instead of living a prosperous retirement.

Luke 14:12-14 World English Bible
12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. 13 But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; 14 and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 12:15 He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses."
Other translations ask the reader to avoid greed.

 

[dqhall]

It would be a sin to preach to become super rich, but it wouldn't be a sin to become super rich because you preach.

It is not a sin to own a large farm. It is a sin to mismanage a large farm.

 

[dreadnought]

It is not a sin to own a large farm. It is a sin to mismanage a large farm.

Suddenly everything is a sin.

 

[Chinchilla]

I find it more profitable to dwell on the saving of souls than counting the dollars in bank accounts.

How do you save soul with money...
You can't save somebody by moving some atoms from your pocket to homeless man cup .
Gospel saves not money .

 

[Chinchilla]

Is it a sin to preach in order to become super rich? One televangelist is worth about 760 million dollars. He has a large 18,000 sq ft mansion, square miles of land, a private airport and jet planes. Preachers have amassed fortunes encouraging poor people to contribute all they could. Is this not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked or visiting the sick and imprisoned Christians (Matthew 25:31-46)?

15 richest preachers list:
https://www.etinside.com/?p=539

Prosperity gospel =/= the gospel

Giving to ministry is good thing but if you get much you should use much for the ministry and not for self gains that's my opinion.

 

[Hazelelponi]

1 Corinthians 9:17-19

In this passage, Paul is saying that if he preaches the Gospel voluntarily then He can ask some reward, but if he preaches under Godly compulsion then he's just discharging a trust or responsibility given to him.. he goes on to explain that his reward in preaching without a reward so, is to win more people for Christ.

And that's the crux of the matter, if we stopped allowing preachers a (financial) reward for their preaching, we'd have a far better caliber of preacher, and we'd find ourselves closer to hearing the Gospel as God intended us to, instead of how we would like to. Which would in turn cause more people to be saved.

So in effect, money - or in this case a lack thereof - does = to salvation for people.

 

[RaymondG]

How do you save soul with money...
You can't save somebody by moving some atoms from your pocket to homeless man cup .
Gospel saves not money .

So why the thread about the money a preacher has? how is this saving souls?

 

[RaymondG]

Prosperity gospel =/= the gospel

Giving to ministry is good thing but if you get much you should use much for the ministry and not for self gains that's my opinion.

If you give to a ministry from your heart, you should not follow the money to its end destination. if you wish not to give....you dont have to.

There is no such thing as a prosperity Gospel....Just a term made up by those wanting to cause more separation and less Oneness. Now because we caused this separation...it is now a sin to be rich and we can no longer use verses in the bible that implies that we should prosper r else we get thrown into that new group you created and called prosperity gospel preachers. this is not helpful.