Objection: Faith Preachers Are Extravagant-Living Money-Grubbers

This objection makes three key blunders.  The first is overgeneralization.  You hear a report that some preacher is doing something that you consider outlandish and wasteful with his money, and you assume that ALL faith preachers are like that.  That isn’t fair.  I could probably point to someone within the objector’s denomination who did something awful, but that doesn’t mean that everyone in the denomination is like that.

I am a faith preacher, but I’m sure that many of you who read this book live in fancier houses and drive fancier cars that I do.  I’m a lot more interested in getting the gospel out than in trying to impress you with my possessions.  So I could “live it up” more than I do.  In Christ, I’m delivered from what you or anyone else thinks and judges me for, to echo Paul’s sentiment on the matter.  Thus, I don’t feel the need to wear the latest tie, watch, shoes, suit jacket or whatever just to let the rest of the world know that I’ve “arrived” as a faith preacher.  (In some circles, there are “faith preacher” status symbols like expensive watches, suits, and alligator shoes; a private jet would prove that you are truly an A-list preacher.  More recently, expensive sneakers have become the hot thing.  It will probably be something else soon.)  On the other hand, I believe that I’m redeemed from the curse of poverty; I’m debt-free and I’m definitely doing all right.

The second blunder is that “extravagant” living is somehow sinful.  Making money and prosperity my primary goal would qualify me as an idolater and Scripture warns me that I could pierce myself through with many sorrows if I became a lover of money (1 Timothy 6:10).  Becoming a lover of money would biblically disqualify me for any ministry position (1 Timothy 3:8, Titus 1:7).  However, as I’ve sought the kingdom first, I’ve prospered, and I’ll never apologize for it to try to convince you that I’m “humble.”  The precise definition of “extravagant” varies, but it always refers to someone who has more than you do, but not to you yourself!  Go to some of the third-world countries I’ve visited and you’ll realize in a hurry that a normal person (possibly you) in a first-world country lives “extravagantly” by third-world standards, even if you’re on public assistance!  That doesn’t mean that you’re in sin.

Prospering in business enabled me to devote a lot of time to writing a free healing book for everyone to read without having to have anyone pay me to do it.  Having the time to do whatever I want is my idea of prosperity even though I don’t plan to buy a fancy yacht.  I’m obviously not using this book to try to get your money, so I don’t know how you could call me a money-grubber even though I preach faith.

The Lord is magnified by our prosperity as long as we don’t make it our god.  (Interestingly, the shalom that Jesus’ punishment bought us in Isaiah 53:5 is the same word used for prosperity in Psalm 35:27: “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”)  Prosperity honors God as long as your heart is right.  It is never right to take jealous pot-shots at preachers who live better than you do.  Before you even say it, let me point out that it’s unfair to assume that their opulence is because of what they’re doing with the offerings that you send them!  I’ve made some good money outside of the ministry, and I have some nice things that I bought with the money I made, not the money that came from offerings and partner donations.  Therefore, I should have the right to enjoy that money any way I want to without criticism, just as any doctor, lawyer, judge or plumber can.  If you didn’t pay for something, you don’t have the right to complain about it!  Besides, some fancy things you see some preachers with were given to them as gifts.  What do you want them to do, turn down the gifts just to please you?  Given that the main thrust of this objection involves ministers who you think did things with people’s offerings, I’d caution you to not reach conclusions when you know nothing about the matter.  Leave that between the preacher and God; it’s none of your business.  If someone’s lifestyle just really annoys you, you can give to a different ministry without getting judgmental (possibly unfairly) about it.

The third blunder is the personal insult part of this objection, namely that there is a character flaw in any minister who lives very well.  You can live very well without being a money-grubber.  I’ve spent some time with a Christian who through the Lord’s help became a billionaire, but he is definitely not a money-grubber – he gives a lot more to the gospel than he keeps for himself, while deliberately maintaining a low public profile.  He’s a big giver and a big receiver.  So if you see someone with a lot of fancy toys living well, it’s unfair to impugn that person’s motives when you know nothing about that person’s giving.  If someone gives money by the hundreds of millions, I won’t get upset if he reaps billions, and neither should you.

Do you think that a certain preacher is excessive?  It’s better to leave that matter between him and God and mind your own business.  There are much bigger concerns you could have, such as the people around you who are on their way to hell without Jesus.  No one appointed you to be a Prosperity Policeman who gets to judge what’s OK and what’s not.

One objection I hear is that faith preachers promise you a 100-fold return in order to get your money, and then you don’t get your 100-fold return after all but they’re not going to refund your money.  I do know preachers (not including me) who preach that any offering you give should get a 100-fold return.  (They usually don’t mention the persecution that goes with that, and the verse in question is about leaving everything for the sake of the gospel, which few people would even qualify for.)  If I could really get a 100-fold return, I’d cycle that through about once a year and I would end up owning the entire planet.  I did the math once.  Ironically, a very famous faith preacher did the math too (though I was saying it long before he said it), and he concluded that the 100-fold return was beyond Scripture, only to have some of his own former students want to lynch him for it (and some did, verbally and publicly).  So let’s be clear that I don’t promise my partners a 100-fold return, DESPITE the fact that I’ve had a couple times in my life where I actually DID get a 100-fold return on my giving almost right away.  I won’t preach it just because I did it a couple times – it hasn’t been ALL the time, and besides, I want to be the first to say that I won’t base my preaching on experience – even mine!  If I can’t be sure that I can back something with the Word, I won’t preach it.

One final thought while I’m at it – if you’re always criticizing people who have a lot of money, you can forget about ever being a person with a lot of money, as you’ll never become what you say you hate.  Usually this kind of “discernment” would more accurately be described as “jealousy.”