The master huckster is at it again...

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But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. -- 2Peter 2: 1-3 (NLT)

The poster child of false prophets, Benny Hinn, claims God wants to give us all an opportunity to give 2.5 million dollars to Hinn's ministries. Normally I do not spend much time on Benny because he is such an obvious liar but I often forget how many people fall for his shtick. I believe in these end times we have two types of false prophets and teachers. The first kind does not believe they are false teachers. They believe they are being sincere. Yet their teaching is filled with poisonous doctrinal errors which they turn a blind eye to or excuse away with trite sayings like they are trying to "reach as many for Jesus" as they can. You can find these across this land, even in seemingly successful mega churches. We must understand things on a spiritual level. When you treat God like a product to sell, you can have carnal success if you are a good salesperson. You can convince people to come back and sit in your pews and even turn over their money to you. There is a stark difference however between carnal success and spiritual success. There is a stark difference between building a church and building the Kingdom of God.

The other types of false prophets are those who know full well that they are charlatans. People who use the Gospel for their own gain, usually financial. People who shameless hock their wares and make a mockery of God and His Word. Of these, Benny Hinn is the leader. If you go to Hinn's website you will find his latest plea. He claims to have a mysterious donor who is willing to give 2.5 million dollars into his ministry but only if Hinn can get his "partners" to match the amount in 90 days. His partners of course are the poor saps who watch his nonsense on television and have been duped by the prosperity doctrine that is contributing to the ruination of modern American Christianity. The master of deception, Hinn explains the alleged selfless rationale from his anonymous donor by claiming that he wants to provide the opportunity for Christians to take part in " the wealth transfer" that God intends to bestow upon believers around the world. As if this is not shameless enough, the letter sent to his followers tries to convince them that this is their opportunity to get out of debt because God intends to double their investment!

"Your Double Harvest Miracle - Are you ready for God to do the "impossible" in your life! Are you ready to see your harvest doubled? Are you ready to see your debt cancelled in the next 90 days? Imagine not dreading going to the mailbox, no bills piling up on your counter, and no calls from collectors coming to your home. God wants to wipe your debt out! Every bit of it"and in the next 90 days! This is an appointed hour. Imagine: Your $100 gift immediately doubles to $200. Your $500 seed literally becomes $1,000. If God leads you to plant $10,000, it instantly grows into a $20,000 seed! And your double seed, sown bountifully, will reap bountifully through the supernatural law of multiplication! Only God could provide something like this--a double harvest for you. And the more you plant, the more you will reap! The anointing for biblical abundance is being released. As you step into this miracle by faith, it will be poured out upon you, too! Your giving is literally the weapon that breaks the bondage of debt in this ministry and in your home during the next 90 days. Plant your seed-gift now, then begin confessing over every bill, every debt, and every area of financial struggle in your life: "With God I'm coming out of debt in 90 days!!!" These repeated confessions will be constant reminders of the financial breakthrough that is coming to you.

This seed talk heresy is usually at the heart of prosperity hucksters who are seeking your money and do not care about your relationship with God. The implicit claim is that God wants to bless you but can't until you plant a seed, which is always money. There is no supernatural law of multiplication. There is no seed doctrine in the Bible. Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. Our blessings are what God has already given us -- not what we think we want materially.

"Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.   Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.   Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. -- Matthew 6: 19-21 (NLT)

Can this teaching be any clearer? Money is only a treasure here on earth. I have yet to see a hearse with a luggage rack. He who dies with the most toys is still dead and facing the judgment of Almighty God. The key here however is that this reveals where our heart is. A heart cannot be divided. The heart that seeks after the material blessings on earth is not heavenly minded. The key verses today seem to be written specifically to warn us about Benny Hinn. He is clearly teaching destructive heresies, preying on people in financial need and using God as his insurance for them. Heresy? He only tried using one Scripture reference:

"God's Word proclaims that His grace is "sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Because of God's grace, He wants to restore your home, your favor, your protection, your fellowship with Him, and so much more. And I truly believe that as you take part in this great challenge as we match this $2.5 million gift together, you will see a miraculous breakthrough in breaking the bondages of debt during the next 90 days."

Yes, God's Word does indeed say that His grace is sufficient for thee but this was in response to the Apostle Paul asking for the removal of the thorn that was tormenting him and the answer from God was -- NO. So not only is he making an obvious shill for money but he cannot even correctly cite Scripture. The key verses state that many will follow the evil teaching and shameful immorality. Many follow Hinn and his compadres of prosperity heresy. The next part of the key verses is what is often overlooked. It is because of these teachers that the way of truth will be slandered! What do you think the world sees when they see Benny Hinn? They see a snake oil salesman who is only after their money and you know what? They are right! But because he wraps up his thievery in the name of Jesus, it is the name of Jesus that suffers the blemishes. When I speak to unbelievers the number one reason they do not go to church, after the perception of hypocrisy, is that they think all they want is your money. What happens to all those people that send in their seed and the money doesn't double? What happens to their faith? Benny Hinn still has his private jet but they are left out in the cold. Christians lose any moral authority when the people with the loudest microphones are in the business of fleecing the flock. If you are unsure about what I am saying, just look at the next sentence from the key verses:

In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. -- 2Peter 2: 3 (NLT)

Clever lies to get a hold of your money. That may as well be the slogan for Benny Hinn Ministries. How clever is it to use God to convince people to send you money? To promise a double return from God? It may be very clever in the carnal but there will be an eternal consequence. This sort of behavior is not new beloved; not at all:

You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us. -- 2Corinthians 2: 17 (NLT)

This is Paul explaining the difference between real teachers and false teachers. We do not preach for personal profit. This is not to say that a workman is not worth his wages but you cross a decency line somewhere between poverty and riding in a private jet between your million dollars mansions while you have the audacity to ask people in debt to send you more money. You cross over into huckster when your motivation is no longer pure. Paul said woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel! We preach because we have been called by God, not for personal profit. That does not mean God may not add a personal profit to the preaching but once that profit becomes the motivation you have moved from preacher to huckster. The first difference we see here is one of sincerity.

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity--the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. And I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I'm not exaggerating--just telling the truth. -- 1Timothy 2: 5-7 (NLT)

As preachers we must be sincere with the Gospel message entrusted to us. The message that Jesus Christ died for. Hucksters such as Hinn do not pass the smell test. I often hear people defend the other type of false teacher, the one who may be sincere, by saying you have to get to know him/her. No we do not. We are to judge people by their fruits. If you tell 45,000 people that this is their year for supernatural blessing your personal sincerity of belief is irrelevant because the statement is not sincere to the Gospel. If the preaching you are hearing is not sincere to the Gospel -- run! If the focus is on Jesus and not your money -- stay.

The second difference between the real and false is the authority of Christ. If as a leader you do not have the funds to match the vision then you must consider the possibility that the vision is not from God. The God we serve is not short on cash. He also does not require your seed, your paycheck, or anything monetarily in order to bless you. Authority in Christ is seen in the movement of the Spirit of God in the church, which is manifested with true signs and wonders. This can be a tricky area because a lot of the hucksters fake signs and wonders to convince people that the Spirit is moving; hallelujah pass the offering plate! The first caveat for signs and wonders is that they need to be Biblical. There are no examples in Scripture where gemstones, gold dust, or angel feathers accompanied the preaching of the Word of God. Silly fanciful testimonies of being in the throne room of God without Biblical reverence are simply untrue. The authority of Christ respects the Word of God. The second caveat deals with connecting the signs and wonders to an offering. God does not heal on an hourly rate. We should be wary of any preacher who claims to be healing people and is tying it directly to money in any form.

The third difference is a reverent awe -- we must behave as if we are aware that God is watching us. The Bible says those who bring the Word of God will be held to a higher standard. Is there humility in the man of God? Where is the humility in begging people in debt for 2.5 million dollars?   Benny Hinn once said on television that he wished he could find the verse that would allow him to kill his critics. We are losing whatever reverence is left in the church. The seeker friendly and purpose driven agendas have reduced God to a fluffy God who is just dying to bless us. We hear worship music today sounding more like we are worshipping ourselves. Singing to God how much He loves us is not worship beloved. Petulantly drawing circles in the sand when God says no is not prayer. Abusing the people of God for monetary gain is not reverent.

Benny Hinn once said, "God will not move unless I say it. Why? Because He has made us coworkers with Him. He set things up that way. " Wow. God moves whenever God wants to move. God does whatever God wants to do. As for Benny Hinn, he is not a co-worker of God. He is a worker of iniquity. We have to develop better discernment. Beloved, do not fall for charlatans who are only after your money and who seek to make you temporal promises when the eternal promises of God are guaranteed and completely free of charge.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- May 8, 2013

Authors Bio:
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 His purpose.