Are you Ensnared by the Greed Gospel

The other day I saw a fundraising letter for one of the biggest names in Christian television. And it was the most abomination thing I've ever seen. A picture of a hand. Put your hand on this. Take your offering to the bottom of the hand and claim your victory. And at the bottom of it was a seed, a little seed. Now take this seed and plant it and that's going to represent your harvest. That's a lie. That's manipulation. When the preacher writes, God put you on my heart last night. Never mind he's writing to 300,000 people. And he doesn't even know who you are. He doesn't even know where you exist. Wake up church. It is a gimmick. And let me tell you, the church and those preachers, they're worse than the secular world when it comes to their marketing promotions. I was sitting in a Christian television station 14 years ago. A station that would not allow us to be on. And I don't know why the guy invited me to be there and I wish I hadn't have gone. I had to repent afterwards. I looked at the monitor, at the program that was running at that time and the man was saying, I have in my hand a bottle of holy water from Israel. Send me $100. Smear this oil over your body, your house, your car, and your pocketbook and God will bless you. Now listen, they would let that on but they would not let us on to preach salvation. He said, man of God, flee these things. And you know what the word flee means? Run. Run. Don't talk about it. Don't think about it. But kick it into high gear and run from it because it will lead to your destruction. And he said, flee these things and follow after righteousness. Now let me tell you what prosperity is. Prosperity is godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. That's the prosperity that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings. Singers, come back. Musicians, come back please. As I was preparing this message and I'm not exaggerating, I was sitting at my desk and the spirit of the Lord came on me and I actually got up and went and closed my door. And I sat at my desk and I laid my head down and I began to weep. I said, Lord, do you really want me to say this? And I said, Lord, how do you give an altar call after a message like this? And the spirit of the Lord came on me and he took me back to these past 14 years. And at times during that time, and I don't want your sympathy and I'm not exaggerating, but I thought I'd lose my mind. And all I had was my family and Jesus. But I like what Martin Luther King said. He said, God plus you is a majority. This is what the Lord told me in how to close this service. He brought back a story. In the early 1930s, a young man who was the son of a minister was born with a gift and a talent to sing. His name was George Beverly Shea. As he grew into adulthood, he began to sing on radio and one day a talent scout heard him and asked him if he would like to have a tryout to sing on the biggest radio program in that area that covered... And back in those days, there were so few radio stations that a 100,000-watt radio station would go for miles. He tried out for them. He laid a contract on the table offering to pay him more money than he'd ever could imagine, but it was to sing secular songs. He said, I can't give you an answer right now. And he went, laid before the Lord, came back a few days later and said, no, I can't do it. But out of that experience came a song that's my testimony. Tabitha, please. I'd rather have Jesus Than silver or gold I'd rather have peace Than have riches untold And I'd rather have my Jesus Than houses of gold Under his name Than to be a decent dressmaker Yes, I'd rather have Jesus Listen to me. I have nothing in my heart against anyone. But I love you enough to tell you the truth. Come back to the cross. Come back to the cross. A world is dying and going to hell. Our nation is being destroyed from within. We need preachers to preach the blood. We need preachers to preach the cross. We need preachers to preach the atonement. And I'm begging you, come back to the cross. Come back to the cross. Come back to the cross. Sing that second verse. Oh, I would rather Make this your testimony tonight. Have my Jesus Than men's applause Yes. I would rather Be faithful To his dear cause Faithful to him. I'd rather Have Jesus Than worldwide fame. I would rather Be true To his holy name. Take us home, Tabitha. Sing it. To be