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Bethel Church Believes the Prodigal Son is About Not Having a "Poverty Mentality"

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Paul said it best, "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Did you get that? He said, "God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory!" He is not supplying according to my need but according to His riches. -- Kris Vallotton

Yeah, I got it. Too bad Kris didn't. The riches this text is referring to are spiritual riches. The needs God is referring to are our spiritual needs. We also should remember that very often God has a different opinion regarding what our needs are. What Vallotton does is confusing wants and needs and conflating temporal riches with eternal blessings. Once again, this is quite common amongst people who preach this brand of false doctrine. Kris wants the wealth of this earth but what he needs is a better understanding of Scripture. This is not to say that God wants us poor beloved. That is not the point. When people ask me if I think God wants them poor my answer is simple. If that is your question, then the answer is yes. If your primary focus is material prosperity then it has become an idol for you as it was for the rich young ruler.

What is worth more than money? Spiritual riches! To be able to have peace during the most trying times of our lives. To be able to forgive someone who has done the unthinkable to us. To endure all things with joy in a world that sells false happiness. Knowing that we are secure in our salvation. To have the hope of glory. Beloved, these are the very things Paul is writing about here when he says that God will supply us according to His riches in glory. Not a new car and a hefty bank account. How badly does Kris Vallotton miss the bigger picture here? Sadly however, he was not quite done. He has one more set of Scriptures to eviscerate:

The promised land of princehood is filled with the Father's blessings. He wants to lavish His love on us, pour out His blessings in us, and give more than we can contain. The Psalms put it best, "How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever" (Ps. 112:1-3). -- Kris Vallotton

The promised land of princehood? Say what? This of course is nowhere in the Bible and comes to us straight out of Vallotton's wickedly deceptive heart. Notice the skewed thinking. That God always wants to lavish us, pour out His blessings, and give us more than we can contain. If that is not happening then we just must not be thinking the right way. I guess when Peter was crucified upside down he was just suffering from a "poverty mentality." I guess all of the Christians in poverty stricken countries or being martyred today in other lands just need to straighten out how they view themselves. I am sure once they realize they are princes that will stop their persecutors from killing them. How patently absurd.

What about his usage of Psalm 112? Well this is the prototypical example of proof texting. Vallotton had a premise he wanted to make appear biblical. That God wants us all rich. So he combed through the Bible to find any verses that when standing out of context, can be misconstrued to support his premise. Psalm 112 is a Psalm about righteousness, not money. Even the one verse he quoted is not referring to material wealth. It is again referring to spiritual blessings. Here is an excerpt from Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible regarding this verse:

Wealth and riches shall be in his house,.... In his family; if not possessed by him, yet by his posterity: though rather this signifies spiritual riches, the riches of grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ, durable riches and righteousness; seeing it is connected with an everlasting righteousness, as in the next clause. -- Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Riches of grace. The unsearchable riches of Christ. Riches in righteousness; yet Kris Vallotton wants us to believe that what is more important is thinking like a prince so you can break a poverty mentality. What can we expect from the author of "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty?"

Beloved, I present this not just as an exercise in proper biblical exegesis but as a warning. Bethel Church and their heresies are growing each day in popularity. We have to start discerning better when people use the Bible for shameful gain and teach the things that they ought not. That is what our key verses today warns us specifically about. The circumcision party referred to is regarding those Jews who tried to distort the Gospel by claiming that you needed works and grace for salvation. Similarly today we have many different sects infiltrating the true Gospel and distorting it. Kris Vallotton represents just one. He is however insubordinate to the Gospel. He is an empty talker, spewing his personal greed and desires rather than properly handling God's Word. He is a deceiver of the highest order who thinks he can teach the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that we can all be rich if we just think of ourselves as royalty.

Jesus teaches the opposite of this narcissistic selfie gospel. It is all about humility and servant-hood to Jesus. He teaches that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. That anything we idolize must be sacrificed to put God first. That our inheritance is a spiritual one. That our blessings are spiritual in nature. Kris Vallotton is a used car salesman leveraging God to sell trinkets and baubles. The prodigal son is about the enormous grace and mercy of our loving Father. Let no man corrupt it into a ponzi scheme as Bethel Church tries to do. As so many others today try to do. Discern beloved. Discern.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- March 26, 2016

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Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to (more...)
 
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