Motivated By Money (March 28, 2013)

The problem with most churches and ministries, as we on numerous occasions have indicated in our teachings and blogs, is that they see the Gospel as a way to make money and are motivated to do anything to get it.

They will sell you their books, music, teaching DVD's and CD's, even the Sunday preaching fresh from the recording on the spot. They will also charge you for their conferences, worship seminars, Bible schools, fellowship meals, childcare, you name it! They will tell you that the Bible obligates you to at least pay a 10% tithe of your income to them. They will make you sow financial seeds in exchange for receiving prophetic promises of all sorts of breakthroughs in your personal life. They will stop at nothing, using deceit and trickery and try to win you with flattery, pretending to be your friend, just to get your money. Yes, they will do anything to make a buck!

It’s no wonder that there is so much favoritism and discrimination in the church. Those, who are rich and well to do and are dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, get the special attention and the good front seats. Visiting ministers and church VIP’s get ushered to the front seats, or get offered to sit in the big, comfy chairs on stage. The poor, dressed in dirty work clothes, is summoned to stand in the back or sit on the floor. The Bible clearly warns us against being guided by evil motives:

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? James 2:1-4 NLT

On a personal note: It has not always been easy for us to expose these wrongdoings in the body of Christ. Many church leaders and ministers do not like what we are putting out, but they have a hard time contradicting it, because these are nothing but the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, promoting a godly life! We always find much encouragement and comfort in the following Bible passages, that tells us how not to conduct ourselves, and how to live a godly life.

Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1. Timothy 6:3-10 NLT

Last, but not least, our prayer is that, “you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery. For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!” (1. Thessalonians 2:3-5 NLT)