What blasphemous indifference to what Peter must have been going through when Jesus "had to go." Having just betrayed Him three times does anyone who calls themselves a Christian seriously think Peter was mostly upset because "Jesus knew where the money was at?"
3) "They cast lots for His clothes! If Jesus was walking around in rags, why would this idea even show up?"
Perhaps if Mr. Dollar studied his Bible instead of using it to prey on the sheep he would have known this fulfilled a prophecy from Psalm 22:18. On a more practical level, the Gospel of John explains that the garment was a one piece that could not be divided so they cast lots to see who would get it. Yes it was not "rags" but neither was it riches. It speaks more to the poverty of the times than some secret wealth of Jesus.
4) "Then they going to say Jesus was homeless. Foxes have holes. You got to keep reading! He was talking about the village that didn't receive Him!"
It appears Creflo hopes that you do not check his storytelling here. The verse he references is found in the Gospel of Luke and it is NOT about a village that rejected Him. That occurred in the story prior. This verse is part of three short stories about the cost of following Jesus:
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "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."To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesussaid to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Yet another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home."Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9: 57-62 (ESV)
Dollar abuses two more Biblical portions. He cites John 1, where Jesus invites Peter to spend a couple of days with Him as some proof text that Jesus lived in a palatial mansion. Completely unsupported by the Bible. Lastly in this section he gleefully brags that the donkey Jesus rode on Palm Sunday was not a "used donkey" - referencing back to his insistence that Christians should not have to buy used cars. As bad as all of this has been, the next quote is even worse:
"You giving money proves that you trust God. People say all the time, how do I get healed? Trust God! How do I get blessed? Trust God! How do I get delivered? Trust God! How do I know that I am trusting God? Give money!"
That Bible says a preacher ought not teach for shameful gain but I guess that part Mr. Dollar has not got up to yet in his reading. Then the man who is worth 27 million dollars launches into a sheep beating over allowing money to master you. The man who asked other people to fund his luxury Learjet to the tune of 65 million dollars, berates the people about allowing money to be their master. The man who lives in million dollar homes actually says the following:
"You talk about a pastor who speaks about tithing but you are the ones who love money because you refuse to give it!"
"Here I am anointed to rightly divide the Scripture and you can barely read a book and you won't even trust what I am saying!"
Wow. Besides the sheer arrogance of this sermon the entire point is he has NOT rightly divided the Scripture at all! He has used it and done so deceptively. If it were one Scripture here or there maybe the jury could be out regarding intent but this is simply to pervasive. He has not handled one verse correctly! As if to further cement this point he cites the Amplified Bible for the following verse:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. - 2Corinthians 8: 9 (ESV)
For the unaware, never use the amplified Bible because it uses every possible definition for a word instead of what the author intended. Dollar uses it here because the word rich becomes "abundantly supplied." He then uses this to prove that we have a divine birthright to be abundantly supplied and that it is actually part of the redemptive work of the cross! This is where he teaches that if you are not seeing abundant supply in your life it is because you have not believed and received. Please beloved keep in mind that he has never wavered from his original premise. When he speaks of supply he means material wealth. So the argument from Creflo Dollar is that Jesus died on the cross to make you rich and if you are not rich then, like those who are unsaved, it is because you have failed to believe it and receive it. How staggeringly immoral is this teaching? How dangerous is it for the sheep who sit under it? It is clear that not everyone is destined to be rich but now you can be led to believe that it is your fault if you are poor! All of those Christians being martyred in Iraq? I guess they just didn't believe enough. What heretical nonsense is this? Unfortunately, he was still not done:
"You have to change your thinking. It is not God's will for me to live in lack. I have a blood bought right to be abundantly supplied. It is a redemptive work of Jesus on the cross."
Beloved. We do not have a blood bought right to be abundantly supplied. This sermon is absolute and pure heresy. Jesus did not die on the cross so we do not have to buy a used car. He did not have a crown of thorns crushed into His head until His blood ran into His eyes so we could petulantly declare we are a "king's kid." The Bible says we must give up our lives and pick up our cross daily. The Bible specifically warns against this type of greed mongering. It might just be the will of God for you to live a life of lack, especially if it means you will get into heaven. There are Christians suffering all around this world in a life of lack, including in this country. For Creflo Dollar to make the argument that it is their fault is tantamount to a slap in the face with the very Bible he clearly does not understand. All to drive home a narrative of tithing that does not even fit his premise to begin with. He never addresses this disconnect at all. He still refers to tithing even though it is clearly nailed to the cross with the rest of the law. He still finishes this sermon by citing Malachi 3 and threatening people with being cursed by God if they do not tithe. Never mind that Malachi is written to the priests and not the people. Why bother correctly handling Malachi when he has not handled any other Scripture correctly? What we end up with is a big sloppy mess of Jesus actually being rich, His teachings secretly being about wealth, and His death on the cross as a guarantee for material prosperity. Oh and if it aint happening for you, you are to blame. And if you dare to point out that Creflo Dollar is a heretic, you are just ignorant. Beloved, people will end up in hell because of this man. It is time to stop playing games with the Gospel.
