MONEY-MAKING BIBLE HUCKSTERS AND MAMMON : PART 2

Copyright 1994 - 2009 Endtime Prophecy Net

Published On : December 3, 1997

Last Updated : May 22, 2009

Paul's Counsel In 1 Corinthians, Phony Donations, Charity And
Supporting God's Workers, Seek First The Kingdom And God Will
Provide Your Needs, The Cheerful Giver, Suffer All Things For
The Gospel, Apostle Paul's Example, Lords Over God's Heritage,
1st Century Church Financial Plan, Christian Communal Living,
Not For Personal Gain Or Filthy Lucre, Greedy False Shepherds,
Modern Commercialized Christianity And Superficial Preachers,
Modern Christianity's Dandy Bad Example, Hindering The Gospel,
The Antichrist Jewish Leaders, Judged According To Our Works,
Church Of Laodicea, Danger Of Materialism, Babylon The Great



I would have been interested in reading some of the material
which this man, and others like him, offer; however, I'm not
about to encourage any of these money-making Bible hucksters
to continue in their practices by sending them money. It is
my firm belief that those who preach the Gospel should find
some other means of supporting themselves, so that they can
deliver the truth of God's Word freely to the spiritually
destitute of the world. The Apostle Paul had to deal with
this very same problem, and wrote the following in his first
Epistle to the brethren at Corinth:

"Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, Have we not
power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a
sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the
brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas,
have not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare
any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and
eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and
eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a
man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written
in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the
ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no
doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in
hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker
of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is
it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If
others be partakers of this power over you, are not we
rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer
all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do
ye not know that they which minister about holy things live
of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the
altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord
ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of
the gospel."
1 Corinthians 9:3-14, KJV

Some people have used the previous verses as a means to try
to justify commercializing our Christian faith. There is an
old saying some of them use which says something like "The
Gospel am free, but it cost somethin' to pipe it to ya!" It
does cost money to preach the Gospel of Christ; there is no
doubt about that; however, I am by no means convinced that
the Apostle Paul was advocating that we should commercialize
our faith, such as by selling books, videos, music CD's and
the like, or by charging money for speaking engagements. It
also really irks me when some of these Bible hucksters claim
that they will give you their book or CD in exchange for a
generous "donation". When these hucksters refuse to give you
their product unless you "donate", then it really isn't a
donation, is it? They are in fact selling you something, and
it is hypocritical to try to pretend that it is a donation.

My understanding is that if we faithfully preach the Gospel,
then those people to whom we are ministering, who gladly
receive the Word, should feel an obligation to help support
us in return. In other words, I am talking about good old
charity; and I believe that this is what Paul is referring
to as well. If we, as preachers of God's Word, provide their
spiritual needs, then in return, they should be willing to
provide our physical needs. Perhaps someone can offer you a
rent-free place to live, or food to eat, or clothes to wear.
That is basically all that any of us really needs to survive
happily, and of course a computer, if you happen to have an
electronic ministry as I do. If you happen to be a traveling
missionary, a car or truck with a trailer or camper would
take the place of a stationary home. Folks can also donate
monetary gifts as well to help pay for utilities, gasoline,
etc.

As I point out in "Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God", all I
know is that if we faithfully preach the Gospel of Salvation
as we've been called to do, God will provide our every need.
He will take care of us, somehow, in some way, even if that
means subsisting on donations and charity. He may not provide
everything that we want, but He will most certainly provide
everything that we really need, and we won't have to sell His
Word in order to obtain it either. Jesus promised us this,
and other writers in the Bible promised it as well, as we see
by the following verses:

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart . . . I have been young, and now am
old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread."
Psalms 37:4, 25, KJV

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore
no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof."
Matthew 6:33-34, KJV

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened . . . If ye then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things to them that ask him?"
Matthew 7:7-8, 11, KJV

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive."
Matthew 21:22, KJV

"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of
them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more
value than many sparrows."
Luke 12:6-7, KJV

"And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you,
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for
the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat,
and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for
they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor
barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than
the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to
his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that
thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin
not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the
grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast
into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of
little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye
shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these
things do the nations of the world seek after: and your
Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather
seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be
added unto you."
Luke 12:22-31, KJV

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?"
Romans 8:32, KJV

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19, KJV

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we
ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we
know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desired of him."
1 John 5:14-15, KJV

Please notice that in the previous verses, it is emphasized
that we should direct our prayers, concerns and needs to God
the Father, and then He will provide accordingly. Nowhere in
those verses do we find anyone suggesting that we should sell
God's Word, or other Christian-related materials, for money,
in order to provide our own needs. In short, God will provide
for us through those people to whom we preach the Gospel.

Furthermore, as I also point out in the article "The Cheerful
Giver: Supporting God's Work", if Christian believers support
those who preach the Gospel to them, God will bless them in
return; because as the Apostle Paul also tells us, God loves
a cheerful giver. In other words, God loves those people who
freely give from their hearts, because they want to give, and
not because they are forced to give, or feel pressured to
give; and they don't grumble about it either, as we see here:

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let
him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV


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