The Folly/Blind Spot of the Prosperity Preachers...

The Folly/Blind Spot of Prosperity Preachers:

I really wonder if these popular prosperity preachers would ever read and contemplate with a pinch of sincere heart the life of many men and women of God (such as David Brianerd) and their Biblical approach to the reality of life and God's sovereignty in their sufferings for Kingdom, over agains ones own "positive thinking," "prosperity seeking", "name-n-claim" "personal desires" and "materials wishes"????!!!!

John Piper comments in his book on David Brainerd,"But the struggle with external hardships, as great as they were, was not his worst struggle. He had an amazing resignation and even rest it seems in many of these circumstances. He knew where they fit in his Biblical approach to life:

"Such fatigues and hardship as these serve to wean me more from the earth; and, I trust, will make heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold, rain, etc., I was ready to please myself with the thoughts of enjoying a comfortable house, a warm fire, and other outward.  Such fatigues and hardship as these serve to wean me more from the earth; and, I trust, will make heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold, rain, etc., I was ready to please myself with the thoughts of enjoying a comfortable house, a warm fire, and other outward comforts; but now these have less place in my heart (through the grace of God) and my eye is more to God for comfort. In this world I expect tribulation; and it does not now, as formerly, appear strange to me; I don 't in such seasons of difficulty flatter myself that it will be better hereafter; but rather think how much worse it might be; how much greater trials others of God's children have endured; and how much greater are yet perhaps reserved for me. Blessed be God that he makes (=is) the comfort to me, under my sharpest trials; and scarce ever lets these thoughts be attended with terror or melancholy; but they are attended frequently with great joy" ("The Life of David Brainerd," ed. Norman Pettit, "The Works of Jonathan Edwards," Vol. 7, (New Haven:Yale University Press, 1985, p.274)

Many children of God, great ministers of the gospel have learned from the life of David Brainerd.  Have we learned anything?

Should the Prophecies Be Discerned and How?

Should Prophecies Be Discerned and How?

This writer’s mentor in his D.Min program and an authority in (toward) the Biblical Theology and OT Theology, Dr. Walter C. Kaiser Jr., strikes broad strokes on the interpretation of Biblical Prophecies in his succinct, but profound book, Back Toward the Future:  Hints for Interpreting Biblical Prophecy. ( Eugene, Oregen: Wipf & Stock, 1989). Reading this book for a fresh body of work of the intention statement of the Author/authors of the NT books, this writer is motivated to write this article, which may also serve as biblical base to Bro. Vijaykumar’s Tamil article in satirical genre, 2011 Prophecy.

Discern Everything: 

While Paul sets the functioning of the puffed-up Corinthian church in order on spiritual gifts and ministries, he prefers all to “speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (2 Cor. 14:8).  Prophetic ministry should be limited to two or three people, and when one speaks, “... the others should weigh carefully what is said” (verse 29).  Though Paul exhorts to “eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy, he equally warns that “The utterance of prophet is not to be given uncritical acceptance, but to be tested by those qualified.” (Leon Morris:1983 p.200).  The Greek term, diakrinetsan  means, “to judge, pass judgment, discriminate, evaluate, recognize, discern, make a distinction between, and criticize.”

To establish the Thessalonians church, Paul writes about those who walked “out of step” (disorderly) due to wrong teachings on the second coming, political activism to become busybodies, and holiness which are contrary to the gospel he preached.  Paul admonishes the church, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Testeverything.  Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22).  Paul’s concern is obvious that “the gift (of prophecy) was easily counterfeited, and called for discernment (test everything), especially on the part of the leaders” (NBC, p.1160). 

John makes stronger case for exercising spiritual discernment on prophecies: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).  Please note that Paul and John use the same Greek word (dokimazete), which means, “ to test, examine; interpret, discern, discover; approve; prove, demonstrate.”  Christians should not remain babes, living on milk alone.  Instead, they should grow matured enough with solid food and constant exercise of their senses trained, so that they are able to distinguish (diakrisin) between good and evil (Hebrews 5:11-14).

Four Signs to Discern Prophecies:

Sympathising on our “helplessness in assessing the predictions in the Bible as we are those which we encounter in everyday life,” Dr. Kaiser assures in the chapter 2, ‘Don’t Believe Everything Everyone Says About the Future’ (pp 29-40), that “Apparently it is possible to distinguish between true and false prophecy,” (p.29) and to identify the false prophets, who are ferocious wolves coming in the costumes of sheep’s hides to whom all should be very alert (Mathew 7:15).

This writer finds the list of tests that Dr. Kaiser suggests is handy to distinguish between true and false prophecies, based on two sets of biblical texts – Jeremiah 23 and Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:14-22.  It is a try to internalize the thoughts in own words, while lavishly quoting from Dr. Kaiser’s work.  The readers are encouraged to supplement this sketch quoting with more biblical verses without distorting the contexts they were written.

Let us see first from Jeremiah 23, the four signs of False, Lying Prophets.   Dr. Kaiser's list of issues (page number is quoted) is reflected further by this writer.

1.     Strange Lifestyle: “First of all, the false prophets can be detected by their immoral lifestyle” (p.30).  Do you feel the agony of Jeremiah, a true prophet of the LORD (Jeremiah 23: 9 -10)?  The reason is the tell-tale-story of the false prophets:  “The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly...Both prophets and priest are godless; even in my temple I found their wickedness,” declares the LORD” (23:10b-11).  Their acquaintance with Baal (23:13a), the fertility and prosperity god, had brought an adversarial influence on the people to licentiousness:  “The land is full of adulterers” (23:10a); they led the people to astray; “I have seen something horrible; They commit adultery and live a lie.  They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness" (v 13-14).  Jeremiah implies here the spiritual (worshipping other gods and goddesses), ideological (subscribing to other gospels of materialism, secularism etc.) and physical (Baalism) adulteries.  Compare Romans 1:29-32, “…they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1: 32b).

When setting the church at Ephesus in order, Paul urges Timothy to safeguard the church from false teachers by teaching the sound teachings.  False teachers’ lifestyle stands contrary to the words and works of the apostles (1Timothy 5:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-5).  Titus should muzzle the mouth of Cretans pseudo-prophets "who are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons" (Titus 1:10-12, 16).

The exhortation of the author of the Hebrews is quote-worthy:  “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.  Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:7).   The Hebrews Christians are expected to watch closely and reflect upon the way of life – the lifestyle.  Jesus gives us a solid clue in Mathew 7:16, “By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Who is a pseudo-prophet?  It is he/she whose lifestyle is incompatible to the biblical teachings and lives of Heroes of faith. When he/she prophesies on the coming of famines, draughts, human miseries, floods, Tsunamis, earthquakes, wars, caste clashes, persecutions, sicknesses, epidemic outbreaks and so on, but he/she continues to accumulate money and properties, build luxurious buildings, buy costly cars and things, enjoy over eating, spend on look-at-me costumes, juggle with 2-3 high end cell phones.  the mark of Immorality (spiritual, physical and ideological) is self-explanatory.

2.       Crowd Pleasers: “The second characteristic is the fact that false prophets are crowd pleasers” (p.30).  It is customer-friendly prophetic ministry – to preach what people like to hear.   “If the people want to hear, “Peace, peace” (when there is no peace), they will be sure to acquiesce and to say what will grant them favor in the eyes of the masses” (p.30).  Jeremiah brings God’s words, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes... They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’   And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you’" (Jeremiah 23:16-17).  Their blessings prophecies are unconditional – ‘peace’ to those who despise God; ‘no-harm’ to those who are stubborn-hearted.  They fill the ears, minds, hearts and souls of the people with false hopes.  “...prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.  They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  “Peace, peace,” they say when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:10b-11). 

  

“The majority of the prophecies in the Old Testament, however, were of the conditional type.  The great teaching texts that they rested on were Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28” (p.36).  Unconditional promises and prophecies should be discerned carefully. 

An eye-opening point here is, cyclically, these crowd pleasers should be pleased for further blessings.  Micah 3:5 identifies the false prophets.  “This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one feeds them, they proclaim “peace”, if he does not, they prepare to wage war against him.”  Look at the logic they operate:  If you feed them, you get blessings; if you don’t feed them, it is not just you have no-blessings, rather, proclamation of war is against you!   Good food brings good prophecy and long blessing prayers.  Where is the role of revelation of God here?  Dr. Kaiser is known for his sense of humors: “False prophets are like after-dinner speakers who know how to humor their audience” (p.30). Is this the reason some prefer to pray after having 'good' dinner?

               

400 crowd-pleasers led by Zedekiah confronting Micaiah in 1 Kings 22, popular Hanainiah openly challenging Jeremiah in Jeremiah 28 are some incidents which illustrate this point.  The readers may find many illustrations in the Bible, and many more in their life-experiences. 

  

3.        Messing up God’s Word with their own Imaginations:  “In addition to their moral failures and their seeking popularity, false prophets fail to distinguish their own thoughts from God’s revelation” (p.30).  The source of their revelation is either Baal, “They prophesied by Baal” (Jeremiah 23:13b), and or by their own, but claiming it is from the Lord.  “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name.  They say, ‘I had a dream!  I had a dream!’ “(23:25). They talk from their own minds (23:26).  Building one’s foundation on personal dreams, visions, personal revelations  and so on, will never become solid; but the LORD’s word, which is faithfully preached, is like fire and like a hammer (23:28-29).  Though God did not send them, but they came on their own and prophesy their prophecies (23:21).   “How dare these religious buffoons claim, “This is the oracle of the LORD” (v.34) or say, “I had a dream! I had a dream!” (v.25)?” (p.31).

Paul identifies, “Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.  They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm” (1 Timothy 1:6-7).   Their teachings are doctrine of demons from insensitive consciousness, hypocritical hearts, and human regulations (1Timothy 4:1-3).

They understand neither the Word of God .   Though revealed in different specific periods of time in different historical contexts, all the prophecies are integrated in the mega-narrative of salvation history.  The Biblical events are one big story of salvation.  When Jesus showed a panoramic view of salvation history to the dull-headed Emmaus disciples, Luke writes,   “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27).  Further, before the accession, Jesus integrates the mega-story: “This is what I told you while I was still with you:  Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).  Paul establishes the Ephesians Elders by giving them the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).   All prophecies are part and parcel of the mega-story of salvation.               

As matured Christians, we should exercise our discernment, which is shaped on the Word of God and sharpened by the Spirit of God, whenever people’s preaching is based on their visions, dreams, and personal revelations, or unfaithful handling of the Word.             

4.       Thieves of God’s Truth and Glory:  Dr. Kaiser’s angry is understandable: “Clearly related to this negative criterion is the fourth: plagiarism.   These rascals steal God’s true words and use them as to their own ends” (p.31).   “Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me” (Jeremiah 23:30).   They distort the word of the living God; copy from one another without understanding; quote from one another out of context; steal from one another without acknowledging – all these amount to stealing that deserves God’s punishment (23: 32-40).  Notice the LORD’s repeated warning “I am against the prophets…” in verses 30, 31, and 32. 

The crucial sign of true prophesy is to bring people to the LORD and glorify His name.   What is the purpose of the prophecy?  As noted above, prophecies are integral parts of the mega-story of the salvation history of God.  God's acts and words (revelation) are toward one goal - to serve and glorify the one true and living God.

After predicting the things to come, Jesus concludes, “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He” (John 13:10).  The result of any prophecy should bring glory to “I am He”.   Joshua reiterates to Israelites God’s presence among them when prophecies come true: “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.  This is how you will know that the living God is among you…” (Joshua 3:9-10).  All glory of the fulfillment of the prophecies is to the LORD alone.  But the false prophets steal the glory of God claiming for themselves on their media – TV, printing, internet, plastic arts and so on.  True prophets in the Bible had never prophesied commercially for their glory, name, money, power, politics and popularity. 

The study will continue on other two sets of texts from Deuteronomy (13:1-5; 18:14-22) and principles of interpretation, which may help to study any book.    

"Next to God, Money is Important for Ministry" ?

"Next to God, money is important for ministry”

Is this statement right?



My Context:

I was part of the leadership team, attending committee (business) meetings of the para-church organisation I worked for more than two decades.  Whenever the presiding leader stressed this statement, the ignorant, or pretending majority applauded; the silent minority nodded; but a thinking-few withheld subscribing to it.  I thought over it often, discussed it with others, and still continue my conversations.  Worked in two para-church organizations for 28 years, it was difficult to even think sitting at the other side of the table.  The quick, safe and easy answer to the statement was big affirmative, because most of the ministries are pressed on the colonial, corporal business models imported from West.  We are "colonial cousins."  



My Case:

When I commented in one of my responses in the Facebook pat, stating “It is subtle,”  I did not mean that “money” is subtle.  I tried to shed light on the ambiguity of the statement, exposing its true colour.


Let me try to express myself from the philosophical point of view, rather than talking some pragmatic issues:

1. The phrase “Next to God,” cannot be understood otherwise, but it communicates neat the  classification of hierarchies, step of priorities, ladder of choices, list of relatives.  Though I acknowledge that God is “the Absolute absolute," this statement ascribes Him as “Relative absolute."  Logically, when the primary premise of a statement is itself wrong – i.e. God cannot be compared with/to anything or anybody,  I cannot build my argument on the secondary premise – i.e. money is next important for ministry.

2.  By comparing God with money, this statement, eventually, limits the Attributes of God to perishable, worldly thing – money, the mammon.   Keeping God, money, etc, in common and comparable, is deliberate offence against His separateness (Holiness).  “With whom do you compare me?  With what do you like me?”   

3. It is shocking to look below the blanket of this statement.  Whose ministry is this?   Who is the Author/ Master  of the ministry?  Who does use who/what for the ministry?   When I say, “Next to God, money is important for ministry”  I am proud of communicating that God and money are MY instruments, MY equipments, MY raw-materials for MY ministry.  I use money for ministry, likewise, I use God for Ministry.  However, I use God first and then money.  Isn’t the statement ridiculous?

Have you read about a business man who prioritised between God, Family and Business, by flip flopping  the three according to the place?  In the church, he puts God first, family in second and business in third; At home -  Family is first, God is next, and business is third; And at his office -  Business is first, family is next, and God is third.

5.  Let us play “True or False” game and try to understand the subtle nature of the statement:   (1) “Without God, no ministry happens"  True or False?    (2) “Without money, no ministry happens” True or False?  My answer to the first statement is positive  - if there is no God, you cannot have ministry at all.   My reflection to the second statement is that if there is no money can’t you have any ministry at all? Will nothing move without money?
 
6.  The phrase “Next to God” is euphemism, which is very close to blasphemy.  We hear people saying, “God Willing”  and even in shorter form, “D.V.” (without knowing the full form of it)  though we don’t use it literally, and whole heartedly.  Such phrases are used to smoothing the arrogance of humanness.  After we have well planed and ready to executive meticulously, we insert, “God willing,” with the intent that no one should be offended or no one should blame us.  Reading this statement plainly, it means, “Money is important for ministry.”  And when eye brows raise with exclamations and questions, “WHAT DO YOU SAY???!!!!” the euphemism plays its role, “Oh yeah, eventually, "Next to God.”  And the more frequent one uses this statement, the more emphasis is given on the important thing, that is, "money and nothing but money."


7.  Even the construction/syntax of the sentence is ironic.  The primary and complete sentence is “Money is important for ministry” and the auxiliary phrase is “Next to God.”                  

My Clarification:

Please, understand me.   I do not say, money is evil and not at all needed for any ministry.  My questions are:  What is our philosophy/concept of ministry?  The word “important” signifies that something without which nothing will work.  Is money the deciding factor, the master to the ministry or a subservient, a servant to the ministry?

I heard a man of God saying:  Based on money, you will start business;  Depending on God (in Faith), you will start ministry.

Also, I do not buy the argument that money should be given to churches , to support the pastors and church ministries and to global ministries to support the ministers of the gospel.  Giving to  local churches is to support ministry of charity (please note the NT pattern that there was no NGO but the local churches took care of the widows and poor), edification, leadership development etc.   Giving to global ministries for church planting,  church establishing and leadership development.  (Please note that there was no Para-Church Missionary Organization and Theological Seminary in the NT time, but churches and Pauline Teams were ministering). 

Wherever I conduct workshop, I come across the standardizing attempts, by quoting Paul’s Tent Making, that pastors and ministers of the gospel should work and earn their living as well ministry, rather than they are being supported by believers.  Reading the Scriptures without preconception,  we can see that there are plenty of direct instructions and sufficient apostolic precedence for supporting the local church leaders and global ministers of the gospel, financially,  besides their prayer support and supplying  of work forces.  Of above 100 names, there were 1/3 of Paul’s associates were benefactors, who generously supplied his needs in ministry.  I love to study with those who are interested to search the word on this theme. 

Wherever the churches posed issues, Paul did not hesitate to work with his own hands not only to support himself, but also to feed his entire team.  So there is no rigidity but flexibility between being supported and raising one’s own support.

My Concern:

However, my great concern is that Indian believers, particularly middle and rich classes, should be discipled in biblical giving.   Without which,  the evil of pouring to wrong and or rich pastors and wealthy organizations and ignoring (even disgusting)  the sincere, needy pastors and small ministers of the gospel will continue.

My Conclusion:

“Next to God, Money is important for ministry.”  --  I do not agree with the statement for the statement is itself a flaw.

A man of God said it well, "Based on Money, you can start a business, depending on God you do ministry."


Please do not think that without money, no ministry can happen.  Any thought?

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Two Mindsets: Missions Verses Local Churches

Two Mindsets:  Missions Verses Local Church

Reading again again the book, Spontaneous Expansion by Roland Allen for the 4th time is worthy.  He assesses my 28 years mission field experiences.

Even at the outset of the book, he prophesies, " If the Church is to be indigenous it must spring up in the soil from the very first seeds planted...They would be obviously and without question Native Churches. But if we establish Missions rather than Churches, two evil consequences, which we now see in greater or less degree everywhere, sterility and antagonism, inevitably arise." (p.2).  

1. The church will become impotent.  The local church believers remain largely inactive.  They are given understanding that they can do nothing of their own in the church, because, first, it is not their and second, it is too huge for them to carry over. The native belivers are castrated from the beginning to remain passive listeners to whatever the paid worker (Missionary, Evangelist (Suwartik), Pastor), though he may be a native, received instructions from his headquarters.

The church understand that without the Mission's elaborate assistance for the payment of the pastor, evangelist, and helpers, for the projects, church building, church programs, for their church polity, liturgy, ordination and appointment of elders, it cannot even survive, let alone talking about any growth.  "Control" is the mantra in every move and project.

You import from door to alter glass, from mat to ceiling fan.  You conduct communion service following the prayer book.  Even you sing worship songs translated from your mother tongue.  You cassock them up as presbyters in Westminster Abbey.  You name the church as the branch to your traditional one. You decide the candidates for baptism, you appoint an elder (not elders), you select the pastor, ordain him and appoint over local churches.  You transfer worker, take disciplinary action without local consensus even for courtesy sake. So it is not the local church, rather it is a branch office of your Missions for administration.  

2.  The church will resent bitterly and revolt.  When a group believers read the Word with fresh understanding of the way of Christ and His apostles, the Holy Spirit enlightens their hearts and minds, they start questioning the extra-biblical strategies and package of the Missions.  They will resent, that too, bitterly.  "Why do the board of assorted directors and administrators (Executive Director, General Secretary, Finance Director, Mission Director, Promotion Director...etc) remotely make policies and decisions for us? For they do not have relationship with our community living; they have very limited and prejudiced knowledge of the ground reality; their knowing us is largely biased on sympathy (as illiterates, backward, primitive, evil practitioners, loose morality) or on hierarchy (as their object of giving to poor, sick, impotent). Can't we take care of our faith community which we did well when we were non-Christians?  Why don't you believe us that we are also led of the Holy Spirit?  Do you really believe the Holy Spirit that He would minister though us too?  Can't we select our church elders and ordain/appoint them?  Can't we pay our pastors well enough to live as one among us? Can't we gather in homes and common places that we could offered?"   "Missionaries, go home" will be their natural expression of bitter resent which will never be a sweet separation.

Do we learn anything from the history?