GOSPEL MINISTERS AND THE LOVE OF MONEY
1 Timothy 6:10-12 (AMPC)
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.”
Dear people of God, the Lord Jesus Christ once told the late pastor Kenneth E. Hagin while he was alive here on earth that he (Kenneth) should be careful with money because many pastors who started well in their ministry of the gospel have gone astray because of love of money.
Indeed, we see today the number of comments some people make concerning pastors about their love of money even though a number of such comments are borne out of ignorance because those who give them cannot substantiate their claims.
Today’s lead Holy Bible text tells us clearly that the LOVE OF MONEY is a root of all evils. Some people ignorantly say money is the root of all evils but God’s Word says it is the LOVE OF MONEY that is a root of all evils.
Ministers of the Gospel are specifically warned to flee from the love of money and focus and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness of heart.
Even with this warning, it is most unfortunate that so many gospel ministers today ignore it and go to any length just to acquire money. Some deceive their congregations with sweet stories, some engage in occultism and ritual killings to attract members, some steal outrightly from the contributions made by Church members towards projects aimed at propagating the Gospel.
No doubt, money is required for the work of the Gospel, which is why God’s command to Christians to pay tithes is irrevocable and compulsory.
I just pity anyone who claims to be a Christian and refuses to pay tithes with the excuse that the pastors are stealing the money or that they would rather use the 10% tithe money to help the poor.
Not only is such person denying himself or herself God’s blessings, he has placed a curse on himself (Malachi 3:9) and cannot enter heaven at the end of life here on earth unless he repents to obey God’s directive.
Money is required to pay for fellowship centres for church meetings, to organize Gospel crusades, pay for advertisement for church programs, to help the poor and needy, to buy church equipment and furniture, to maintain the church property, pay pastors, maintain church vehicles, pay electricity and other utility bills, and so on and so forth.
Using these sacrosanct projects as a premise, some ministers of the Gospel engage in many ungodly and sinful practises to raise funds and help themselves to church funds for their personal use.
They accept money from armed robbers, prostitutes, narcotics sellers, casino owners, alcohol sellers, and business people of questionable character and businesses. As a consequence, even when they know that such people engage in questionable businesses, these ministers of the Gospel cannot accost them with the Truth and warning in God’s Word because they have compromised for their love of money.
These ministers forget that God is the owner of the Church and God is able to meet all their needs without their having to divert and steal church funds for their personal use.
Has God not made it clear that He would never abandon His children? – Hebrews 13:5. Has God not made an irrevocable covenant with Christians (followers of Christ Jesus and seed of Abraham) to bless and multiply them forever? – Galatians 3:29
So what is the desperation all about concerning money? What kind of financial problem would you have that would drive you to commit fraud in God’s House?
When it comes to receiving Divine blessing and financial help from God Almighty and Father of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, this is what God commands:
• Engage ONLY in righteous labour in business or paid employment.
• Pay first fruits (any first business profit or new increase from promotion or salary increase in paid employment) – Proverbs 3:9
• Pay tithes (10% of business profit or 10% of salary in paid employment)- Malachi 3:9
• Pay offerings – any amount – Malachi 3:9
• Make donations to Projects to propagate the Gospel – any amount – 2 Corinthians 9:7
• Give generously and give cheerfully – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.
There is nobody, a Christian, who does these things that would not receive abundant blessing from God Almighty in return because you can NEVER out give God.
The reason many Christians and pastors are struggling financially is because they disobey God’s commands to pay tithes, to give generously and to give cheerfully to kingdom projects.
This is why they are desperate and engage in ungodly acts to raise money. How sad!
How do you as a minster of the gospel want unbelievers or non-Christians to take your preaching of the Gospel seriously to accept Christ and amend their ways when they see that you are behaving exactly as the unbelievers you claim you are different from?
In what way are you different from them? When you defraud the house of God, do you expect God to overlook it and grant you access to heaven because you claim to be working for Him?
Does God need only you to propagate the Gospel message? Are there no other serious minded and sincere ministers of the Gospel who are living and leading a righteous and godly lifestyle and prospering because they obey God?
Dear minister of the gospel reading this message, if you are engaged in fraud of any kind in the work of the Gospel, you had better retrace your steps and repent now, ask God to forgive you and begin to obey Him sincerely by your word and deed so that God can bless you and free you from the love of money, a root of all evils.
It is in your own interest to do this before it is too late.
Remember, Jesus Christ is coming and it is imminent. Do not say nobody warned you because Jesus has warned you in Matthew 7:21-27.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Righteous Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.
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