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SWEET SMELLING MONEY I Samuel 16:14 says, "Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul..." When the Holy Spirit of God leaves or is leaving, there is always one thing that will be very evident in the Visible Church. The Church will begin to cry out for something to give her power. She will look for something to help as the Holy Spirit formerly helped. And a Church, such as the Saul Church of the last fifty years, which has already chosen to be like the world, has depended greatly on the world’s ways of gaining influence. The Saul Church will cry out for this power as if its life depended on it. The power giver they desire is the power giver that the world has known about and sought after for centuries. The power giver is MONEY. In the past generation, as the anointing of the Lord has been steadily disappearing, we have been hearing the cry for money increase steadily. From virtually every t.v. ministry this cry has become almost deafening. These great men and women of Faith seem to put their whole trust in their ability to collect money for their respective works. The George Mueller spirit, which cried out to God to meet every need, and saw God mightily and abundantly provide, is all but gone. George Mueller’s faith, which primarily addressed God regarding the need, is declared impractical by the ruling kingdom builders of the Saul Church. They need, cry out for, and seek Big Money from men because they have LITTLE faith in God: they have little faith in the Spirit of God to accomplish the works of God without money. When a man or (ministry) starts to cry out for money, in many cases, it is because he has so busied himself with Saul's work that he has really forgotten how to cry out to God with a single heart. He may still cry out for God's Holy Spirit to touch his heart to love God more and also to touch his ministry that it might truly be anointed, but he is double-minded. He is still worried about failure. He is still worried about having sufficient funds to build the kingdom, the work or the denomination. His heart is not right and his cry to God is muffled by his anxiety for mammon. Many cry out for their t.v. audience to send in money as if God was not in charge but the TV audience was in charge. TV evangelists say things like, “The very future of World Evangelism and our ministry is in your hands. Do your best!” This may be a sincere appeal for money but they DO NOT understand! God's ministries will survive and flourish, as He desires and when a man is willing to trust in Him plus NOTHING and NO ONE! The tragedy is you cannot serve both God and mammon. You will finally choose one or the other. If you are double-minded, eventually mammon will be what you seek and what you fear losing. You will even have good reasons for getting more, and you may never use a penny for your own comfort, but you will essentially be depending on it for your ministry. You will feel "without money, this work of God will fail", whereas at one time you would have said, with a single-minded heart, "Without His anointing and direction this work will fail.” When the Spirit of the Lord begins to depart men get desperate. More and more church growth seminars must be attended. More and flashier entertainment must be found. More people must attend the church and be taught to give. The church must look respectable so respectable people will attend. No loud messages in tongues, no unusual manifestations can be tolerated. No negative prophecies can be delivered. More and more secularized education must be obtained. More degrees, more Ph.D.'s, more psychological counseling, more sports, more movies, more bands, more specials, more humor, more activity, more radio ministry, more television ministry is necessary. And we must not forget the most important principle of all, WHEN THE ANOINTING GOES, WE CAN ALWAYS BUILD THE KINGDOM WITH MONEY. The Saul Church's lifeblood is money. Whether Charismatic or Evangelical, MONEY becomes a KEY issue when the anointing leaves. The Church becomes “practical”, materialistic and money conscious. The continued cry for money is a sure sign that a ministry has begun to lose or has lost the anointing of God. Previously in Chapter 8, I spoke of a denomination that had some leadership difficulties and eventually lost $15,000,000 to religious con men. They were able to solve their $15,000,000 loss with one simple act. They sold the denominational radio station that they had used for ministry for 75 years. They sold the property at a phenomenal profit. It first transmitted the gospel in the 1920’s and was purchased for a small fraction of its selling price in the 21st century. It sold for a quarter of a BILLION dollars. With this money they easily covered the $15,000,000 loss to the scam artists and they put money back into other denominational programs. It is likely not merely a coincidence that this sale was made after the $15,000,000 debacle. I am sure that they legitimately helped many ministries that were in the red and needed a transfusion of money. And I am in NO WAY looking upon the sale itself as an evil venture. BUT, it must be noted that the money gathered from that sale took care of a large number of financial problems and left them with a very healthy bank balance. It may have been a sound financial decision, but it is sad that the difficulties that were overcome and the problems that were solved were essentially financial. They completely ignored the spiritual problems. They felt that if they just got another leader that was more honest, the problem would go away. The problem was that the previous President of the denomination was also dismissed for financial indiscretions. The problem with the denomination was found- ational. They had a wrong view of the value of money and how to use it for the kingdom. This denomination greatly valued men and ministers who were able to raise large amounts of money and build churches that raised large amounts of money. They valued money gatherers more than they valued men who preached a pure and powerful Word. But men that greatly value money will cry, "You don't understand! Times are different now! The modern kingdom of God NEEDS money and lots of it!” That’s true, the Saul Church DOES need lots of money; especially lately, because the Anointing is going and soon will be completely gone. We can see in the Church today how our appeals for money have become much more sophisticated and much stronger. At first, the appeal was usually based on guilt, "If you don't give, many will be lost forever and you will bear the responsibility of not having given to this ministry.” Greed has now become one of the best methods of gathering money. Modern Christian psychology has taught us that positive motivation is better than negative motivation. “If you give...you’ll get…” We even have doctrines which encourage greed, such as seed faith; prosperity doctrines, etc. Misrepresentation is also extremely effective. We SELL tapes for a "DONATION"! That is a contradiction in terms; it is either a gift or a donation that you give from your heart to the ministry, or it is a sales transaction (you PURCHASE the tape or you PURCHASE the book). Of course, they call it a “gift” so they don’t need to pay taxes on the profit received as a non-profit organization. This is scripturally wrong: we must render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and render unto God, that which is God’s. Our part in this is uncomplicated obedience in representing a purchase as a purchase and not as a gift or donation. It is a serious thing to cheat the government out of their rightful taxes and the Lord speaks clearly about those who handle money properly. He says in Luke 16:10-11, “He who is faithful in that which is least is also faithful in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon (the least), who will commit to your trust the true riches (spiritual riches).” Another way of putting it is if you don’t know how to deal correctly with unrighteous mammon (the least), how can you be expected to be given the responsibility of dealing with godly or spiritual matters (the true riches)? This Scripture clearly indicates the importance of handling money with integrity and godly wisdom. Possibly the reason God is so concerned about the way we handle money is because money is to the world as faith is to the Christian. The world believes that the more money you have the more influence, pleasure, power and important things you will be able to get. The world also knows that without money it is impossible to please the people. The Bible makes it clear that selfless faith is the way to apprehend the true riches of the kingdom and without faith it is impossible to please God. When we deal deceitfully in the realm of offerings or donations, which the Bible indicates is a form of worship; we are perverting one of our most sacred and fundamental ways of relating to God. When we give from the heart to Him and His work, we are worshipping Him and showing our love, our trust and our thankful hearts for taking care of us and loving us so much. When ministries demand a “freewill offering” but are actually selling something, the ministry perverts and/or erases the worship aspect of giving and we grieve the heart of God. Gifts and donations certainly can be solicited for concerts, church services or special meetings either for the visiting speaker or any other need. But they must be free-will offerings and not mandatory payments. If it is mandatory payment, then these are purchases and must be considered as profit for the sponsoring organization and also must be considered payment (not donations) by the payee. You can deduct a donation or offering from your taxes but you cannot deduct a non-business related purchase. The Early Church of the first generation of Christians as represented in Scripture gave no notice that any of their ministers charged money for any of their ministry. Paul requested donations and gifts for some of the churches, but never charged money for any ministry. Even the Didichae (one of the earliest Christian writings) warned that if a prophet asked for money for his ministry he was to be considered a false prophet. We see then that there were people who charged for their ministry, but they were looked down upon. From at least the middle ages on, the Catholic Church has charged her people for services rendered. One of their most grievous practices was discussed in length by Martin Luther in his 91 Thesis which he hammered on the Wittenberg Door in 1517. Indulgences were purchased from the Church for either great sums of money or smaller sums of money dependent upon the need of the church or the ability of the giver. These indulgences would grant extended periods of relief from the pains of purgatory to relatives or friends of the purchaser. Also, the people could purchase letters that would forgive them for specific sins. The purchase of relics for obtaining special powers against Satan or special ability in prayer was also wide spread. These relics were represented as anything from John the Baptist’s toe bone to small pieces of the True Cross. Luther made it clear that the purchase of indulgences and relics never enriched the purchaser, only the seller (the Catholic Church). These practices ceased entirely in the Reformation Church that protested the heresies of the Roman Catholic Church. However, in the 20th century these practices under different guises began to emerge again. The Protestant Evangelicals began to negotiate payments with major speakers and singers. Then (probably in the 1950’s or 1960’s) a new phenomenon appeared: the Christian concert. The Church noted that secular concerts not only drew large crowds but also large amounts of money. Ticket prices of Christian concerts were fairly consistent with concerts of mildly successful secular groups. There have been some groups or singers that only took a donation to cover operational expenses, but most charged money for their services. To be fair if these were merely entertainments that represented themselves as having no spiritual value, perhaps this would be fine. Some of these groups however; represented their groups as being there for the purpose of either reviving God’s people or reaching out to the unsaved. They justified their charges on the basis of a need to cover advertising expenses, hall rentals and general wear and tear. In all likelihood they really did not believe that God would provide for their needs as ministers of His Gospel. How different this is from the ministry of men like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon. Whitfield did solicit donat- ions for the care of orphans but spent his life for the gospel and never established any wealth for himself. The other three men likewise made the world and the Church a much better place but ministered freely and with great faith and power. One may argue that musicians and singers are different than revivalists and evangelists. However, if they really consider themselves as those who bring God’s people into worship of the Lord or desire to bring the unsaved into His kingdom, then they are ministers of the Lord. Because they are His ministers, they can expect God to provide for their needs. He may never make them famous. He may never give them “Rock Star” status, but He will save souls and lift God’s people into the heavenly realm to love Him more purely and more passionately. Both ministers that preach and ministers that play music and sing must have a single mind and trust God to lead them into His will and provide for them as they do His will and His work. I believe this Saul mentality that charges for ministry is changing and we are seeing more and more singers and musicians involved in leading WORSHIP without charge and not merely entertaining for money. Especially in the field of music, we are beginning to see a division of the David Church from the Saul Church. Those who trust that God will provide are being divided from those who trust in ticket sales. Those leaders who want people to enter into God’s presence are being divided from those who want entertain people. Another group of people that feel it is important to charge money, particularly in a crisis situation, is the Christian counseling ministry. Their rationale is that it cost money for their education and they need to be paid on an hourly basis in order to continue to perform their duties. For some reason, unlike most pastoral ministry, they feel that an offering either directly to them or through a church facility as a monthly income is not enough. It is inconceivable that Paul or John or Peter or Jesus would EVER charge money to a desperate person to help him or her grow in grace or be set free from some trap set by the Enemy. The ministry of the Biblical counselor should either be through the local church and paid for by the offerings of the local church or it should be gifts and offerings that are not demanded by him or even suggested by him from those to whom he ministers. No TRUE Christian should EVER turn away someone who came to be ministered to in a time of need because he could not afford the ministry. Indulgences are still bought by desperate Catholics and there will probably be, till Jesus comes, men and women who demand or strongly suggest that they should receive money for prayer cloths, anointing oil or counseling fees. Because the Anointing of God has slowly but steadily been going away over the last 50 years or more, these unscriptural practices of gathering money have continued and even increased. Perhaps, however, it is because we ask for or demand money for services rendered that the anointing is leaving. Money has been the mortar that has held the bricks of our house of ministry together. Money has brought us comfort and money has allow- ed ministry to continue and even flourish. Unfortunately, when judgment hits the people of God (please see Chapter 24 under the heading “The Reason for the Shaking: When The Tall Buildings Fall”, the ministries whose mortar is money will collapse. The only ministries that will stand are the ministries that selflessly trust God to provide for their needs and to provide the Anointing of His Holy Spirit. The Charismatic Church will have NO REVIVAL until she renounces her dependence upon and love of MONEY. If she will not, God will take away her candlestick of godly authority. He removed the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations such as the Methodists, Congregationalists and others. Very possibly we will not again be able to say with any degree of Real faith and Real expectancy, "such as I have (healing for the man at the Gate Beautiful) I give unto you", until we can say with equal conviction, "Silver and gold have I none!" We want to minister like Peter and John but we don’t want to live like them. Many of us have become infected with the LAODICEAN spirit of the Saul Church. God is not against honest requests to fill real needs. He is not against men and women being paid a decent salary. The workman IS worthy of his hire. But He IS against any so-called ministry that is motivated by any other reason than to glorify God and to feed His sheep. But He does ask the preacher and the teacher to exercise mercy and faith in God's provision as they respond to needs and requests for ministry. He does not even mind if a man gets blessed financially, but it is AN ABOMINATION the way we plead for money; especially while the pleader has a $500,000 home, a $3,000 a month housing allowance, an ample expense account, and a $l00, 000 a year salary. Sell your home - get a smaller one - take a cut in pay, especially that expense account and housing allowance; and THEN ask for money. OR SHUT UP and trust God to supply. But He probably will not allow you to move into truly spiritual teaching and ministry of the Holy Spirit until you deny yourself a bit of that financial security, and start trusting Him more on a day-to-day basis. Remember "Not by might (Money), not by power (What Money Supposedly Enables), but by My Spirit says the Lord", Zech. 4:6. Can you imagine Paul, Peter, John or Jesus crying for money like we do? We Charismatics are particularly guilty. On the one hand we all cry for a return to New Testament Book of Acts Christianity, but on the other hand we feel we need lots of money to spread the Gospel. We do not merely ask for money but we beg, plead, lie, con, mislead and entice for money. On radio and TV sometimes we steal offering money from the local churches. The Saul Church does whatever it takes to get as much as it can to fulfill their destiny. Oral Roberts, the man who made one of the most outrageous appeals for money in the history of the Church, has been the almost perfect example of the Saul Church attitude regarding money. Oral Roberts started ministering in the mid-to-late 1940's with one of the most amazing healing anointings of the last several generations. Many blind eyes and deaf ears were opened, many lame walked, many growths disappeared. Then, several decades later, the anointing of God started to dry up, so Oral, as the years went by, became interested in television as a way to reach the people. He preached about seed faith and brought us some of the first televised Christian entertainment. Oral taught us to give to his ministry and people began to give and give a lot. Later he started massive building programs. He built a school and he built a hospital. The cost was tremend- ous but he raised hundreds of millions to build and support Oral Roberts University and The City of Faith hospital. The Anointing of God to heal for the most part had left him, but he was very busy on great projects and gathered millions for his kingdom. Money became not merely a means to an end, but something to seek after with a passion. About twenty-five years ago at a denominational pastor’s conference in California, Oral told the assembled pastors that it took half a million dollars a day or a week or a month to finance his ministry. After this confession, he gave a rousing sermon on the value of money; a ludicrous misrepresentation of Scripture from Philippians 4. He even went as far as to lead at least a thousand pastors in a chant of, "Sweet smelling money.” Then with a "Louder! For the Lord!” they repeated it. Then with a "One more time" the cries were deafening: "SWEET SMELLING MONEY!” The leader of the conference assured us that Oral’s teaching on money from Philippians 4 was the most balanced teaching on money or prosperity that he had ever heard, and we were all encouraged to clap for Oral. This was followed by Oral’s insistence that the pastors “claim from God what they deserved.” He said that many of us made $18,000 a year ($1,500 a month) and we should rightly claim $80,000 a year ($7,500 a month). After this confession of faith, we would receive this great blessing and we could then live and minister in a manner befitting our efforts. As a body, the ministers stood to their feet crying out to God to get what they deserved. And, to God's great despair, many probably did. When the anointing goes.... Get all the money you can…. You'll need it. |
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