Have Mercy On Those of Us Who Have Mammonized Christ Jesus' Gospel....
Have Mercy On Those of Us Who Have Mammonized Christ Jesus' Gospel...
In the Bible, one of the names for wealth then was Mammon and just like how the Christ, the Son of the living God, warned about 'the idol-like love of money' and how it corrupts and jeopardizes the soul, so it has taken root in much of the modern homilies coming from many of the Christian pulpits, which is pejoratively known as the Prosperity Gospels. I am of the biased, humble opinion that no investment is more lucrative than investing in the spreading of the Gospel to the four corners of the world, as commanded by the Christ in the 'Great Commission.' I am one of many who have given to some of those preachers who pervert the word of God by positing the attributes of the Prosperity Gospels - but I do so hoping that those who have not heard Christ' teachings would be exposed to them and secure their Salvation... for no one who dies without knowing the Christ - as Lord and Savior - will enter God's Heaven, notwithstanding that many are believing and hearing 'doctrine-of-demons' like the concept of purgatory and praying for the dead or that all religions represent the God who sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ for Human-kind's Salvation.
It is disturbing, to say the least, that little old ladies are sending in what little they have, in the form of money, to secure a windfall from the Lord because of those who pervert the word of God. You need no prayer cloths or the need to anoint yourself with so called blessed water/oil or repeat some mantra for Jesus' blessings. My brethren, read your Bible... especially the Book of Malachi or Psalms 41 and other scriptures to secure your blessings, instead of listening, and moreover, giving these televangelist con-men your hard earned money. I tell you a mystery... this is how you know if a Tele-preacher is about preaching the true Gospel of Christ Jesus: if he tells you to take care of your own church first and then if you have anything left over that you could afford to then send it to him. I say this with the begging question - do not your local churches need your tithes and gift offerings to operate?
Now to those who say that Christians aren't to be wealthy - this too is a lie. We know Father Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Job, Boaz, and Joseph of Arimathea, among others were rich, yet they served the Lord without mammon being a detriment to their respective souls. It is the wealthy Christians who have the mammon means to spread the Gospel to the world because non believers aren't going to do it and so it is impractical to say that Christians should not have means. It was the Lord who inspire John to write that above all... that we prosper.... I must say to the Prosperity Gospel that all those pillars of the Christian Faith I named above secured their wealth by business pursuits and not bilking the poor out of their money.
There are mega-churches that do not solicit money from the poor like the prosperity Gospel preachers - but I bet you that were the money fonts to be turned off, then many of these mega-church preachers would compromise the Word of God by sanctioning demonic doctrines like same-sex marriages or positing the ecumenical nonsense that the God of the Muslims is the same God of Christ' Gospel, so as to continue getting what is tantamount to filthy lucre. Some of these mega-churches even go as far to embrace perversions of the Word because they want to be a friend of the world; the situation is akin to why the successful rappers who once shunned the gay lifestyle is all of sudden supporting the homosexuals because not doing so would affect them from continuing to make a lucrative living. It is an apt time to ask: "For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world only to lose his soul (Mark 8:36)."
If many of us would take the time out to read our Bible then no one would be able to fool us and pervert the Word of God. It is why, from a broader perspective, that there are preachers and fame seekers on You Tube who can say to so called Christians that they - the former - can tell you the exact time when the Lord is coming back or when The Rapture will take place or one of my favorites that says that President Obama is The Anti-Christ... when the man has a wife and children and the Scriptures plainly tell you the Anti Christ will have no use for a wife (Daniel 11:37). To get back on the main theme of this blog, pay your tithes to your local churches and render your gifts to the Lord, remembering that your blessings are not only going to be manifested in money - but the manifold gifts of the Spirit. As it is my wont when I write a blog concerning some aspect of Christ' Gospel, I have no ego to be bruised concerning the Word of God, and therefore, I look forward to hearing responses. I end by asking the Holy Spirit to permit me to be ready for the Lord's appearing... Maranatha!