God Wants You To Be Rich!

That is why His Son was poor.
The Religious Right are preaching and practicing the belief that God wants Christians to be rich. This Administration is practicing this form of Christianity.The richer you are, the more you are in God’s favor. This Administration will do anything, including passing tax cuts for the very rich, to make sure that they can show just how much God loves them. See, I am richer now and so God supports our tax cuts, our stealing from the middle class, the poor and most importantly, this war which Mr. Bush did call a Crusade.

This Republican Administration and their supporters belief and practice on money is not Biblical. It is this:

Have way too much, but not enough!


Al Franken, The Al Franken Show, Air America Radio

But if wealth was what God wanted for us, why would he send his Son to be born into a very poor family, in a poor country home and with one of the lowest paying jobs. Why would God’s son surround himself with the poor and sick people of the earth? If being poor was a sign of sin, then God’s Son was sinful.

Ted Taggard of the mega church New Life Fellowship in Colorado Springs explained that Spirituality is a “commodity “ to be bought and sold. The writings of Milton Friedman are recommended reading for all new converts. According to a 2003 article in Forbes Magazine big churches are big business. Researchers found that in 2003 there were 740 mega churches each averaging 6,876 participants. The average net income of each was $4.8 million at the time of the study. The Forbes article states, “[the] entrepreneurial approach has contributed to the explosive growth of mega churches“.

What ever happened to the Bible verses which taught us that “The love of money is the root of all evil” and “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into Heaven”? I guess that is just too first century for the modern believer. (Another one of those pick and choose beliefs. We will change the constitution to ban Gay marriage, because the Bible tells us this is what God wants, but throw out anything which might make me actually follow the teachings of Jesus. God promises me that I will be rich, according to my new preacher’s teachings). The millennium church belief system’s are all about Christian capitalism. Their truth is, I am a Me First Christian.

The personal life styles of the pastors of many of these churches are not based on the teachings and practice of their Jesus. The seed faith money, which idea they sell to their followers, has been harvested into private jets, extravagant cars, multi million dollar homes and much more. With this wealth comes power on earth.

The lust for money, dominance, and military power is at the core of America‘s moral decline. It is imperative that church leaders and laity boldly proclaim that violence, torture, hostage taking, conquests of land and resources are actions Christians can never condone. Killing for Christ is an abomination leaving us with blood-stained hands and darkness in our hearts! Every church must be a peace church or it will become a state church and then it will be… no church at all.

~Karen Horst Cobb~

When you believe this false preaching of the Bible, then of course, you have no need to care for the sick, the poor, the downtrodden of this world. Their belief is that if you are poor or sick, you are a sinner and are lost to God and you will never go to heaven. God doesn’t care about you, why should I? Poor people, why should I care? Because God’s Son told us differently.

Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes~

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

~Matthew 5:3-7~

Nowhere in the Sermon on the Mount, or in the Gospels for that matter, do we find these precepts followed by the words: “Except when…”

Many in the word-faith movement treat God as if He is a God simply there only to cater to our every wish as we ask it and that His entire purpose in heaven is simply to do our bidding. Kenneth Hagin has even written a little booklet entitled, “How to write your own ticket with God”. This is the same presupposition that Charles Fillmore of Unity School of Christianity had with regard to prosperity.

“The Lord is may banker; my credit is good. He maketh me to lie down in the consciousness of omnipresent abundance; He giveth me the key to His strong box; He restoreth my faith in His riches; He guideth me in the paths of prosperity for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk in the very shadow of debt, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thou preparest a way for me in the presence of the collector; Thou fillest my wallet with plenty; my measure runneth over. Surely goodness and plenty will follow me all the days of my life, And I shall do business in the name of the Lord forever.”

Charles Fillmore

Mr. Fillmore’s rendition of Psalm 23:
{Source}

Mt. 8:19-20: “Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Avanzini says “Jesus had a big house” (it was Peters mothers house in Capernaum that was often used as a base). Jesus himself he had no place to lay his head, no permanent home, he constantly traveled. He dressed like everyone else, he even said to forsake this world to inherit his kingdom. Was he telling people to do what he was not? His kingdom is not of this world and he made it perfectly clear in his teachings.

So did John the Baptist whom Jesus called the greatest prophet (Matt 11:7-8, LK 7:25) “As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in the kings’ courts
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The apostles were no different than Jesus or John the Baptist. 1 Cor. 4:11-12: “To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands.”

After giving a parable of a rich man in Luke 16:14 Jesus points out “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.”

Jesus said in Mt.6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus heart was on heavenly things and doing his fathers will and so should ours. One day the people who thought it was Gods promise to make them wealthy may be in heaven and find that they did not store up treasures for eternal life but for their luxury living on earth.
Prov. 23:1-5: “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”

One can be so bent on their increase of wealth that they can justify it as part of the gospel. It is true that Jesus spoke about money probably more than any other subject, but it was most often rebukes and warnings, not a promise of blessing for all. Can anyone show one example of Jesus making someone rich by the Gospel? This is proof that they change a gospel of salvation to a gospel of mammon. It was Jesus who said it was harder for a rich man to enter heaven, so he opted to go to those who often had less who were more receptive to his message. Those who had less were able to follow since they had less to give up. I refer anyone with Bible knowledge to the story of the rich young ruler to see what he asked of him. The rich young ruler came to Jesus asking about eternal life. Jesus responded by saying to him to give all his riches to the poor and follow him. Was Jesus telling him to rid himself of riches while he actually had them himself? Would he ask someone to do something he himself would not?

Want to know what someone really believes-watch how they live, their lifestyle. When men live and promote an opulent lifestyle they have ignored the warning of Jesus of loving God or loving money. You cannot serve both! Listen to what they are teaching on. The majority of sermons are on getting money, and their life revolves around it, what more can be said. {Source} and {a href=”http://www.letusreason.org/WFDir.htm” title=”LetUsReason”>Source}

Among those who teach Jesus and the apostles are rich are Oral Roberts, and Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Hagin. John Avanzini attacks and mocks theologians for teaching that Jesus was poor.
Jesus was born in a stable (his parents knew the approximate time of his birth so they could have reserved a place, God could have made sure he had a room) but it was to be in a stable, a cave. Lk.2:22-24 Mary sacrifices two turtle doves which is a poor households sacrifice (Lev.12:2-8).Why did Mary in her praise say “He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.”

When I hear people give praise to God, because they were searching for a parking place at the mall, and they said a prayer to God to find them one, right up close and Lo, there was one, I am offended. They treat God as some sort of cosmic errand boy who needs us to tell Him how to do His job properly.