For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. -- Titus 1: 10-11 (ESV)
https://paulawhite.org/firstfruits
Jesus once looked upon the crowds and was filled with compassion for they were like sheep without a shepherd. I want us to start from that place today. The heart of God is moved by the people who are not led correctly. So often in discernment ministries we hear people defend the wolves at all costs and denounce the sheep as people who "should have known better." That is clearly not the heart of the God we serve. This is why so much has been written in the Bible regarding false teaching. Today you can find so many sheep without a shepherd within the walls of what we call church. People who are being taught wrong. People who never hear the real Gospel of Jesus Christ. People who will raise their hands every Sunday for decades only to stand before the Lord and hear, "I never knew you." How profoundly sad to spend your life thinking you are following Christ only to discover in the end He never even knew you. It all stems from false teachers who we allow into the body of Christ as voracious wolves only stand back and watch them devour the sheep over and over again. Sheep without a shepherd moved the heart of Jesus Christ and it should move ours as well.
Today's example for our consideration is Paula White-Cain. Thrice married, Mrs. White has carved out a nice little five million dollar slice of Christianity for herself. She has personally fleeced the flock of God for every mite she has to her name. She has mugged the sheep of the Lord shamelessly. I once wrote about a teaching where she claimed God told her 1Chronicles 22:9 meant God wanted everyone listening to her to send her $229 dollars. I kid you not. As we turned the corner into 2018, White dredged up one of her old favorite tricks for mugging the sheep -- first fruits. Hardly alone, first fruits is a relatively new tactic employed by greedy false teachers who began to realize that the flock was becoming more educated about the falseness of tithing. With the false teaching about first fruits they were able to pretend that God has ordained a "principle" that has always existed and is not bound by which covenant we are in. Beloved, God has ordained no such thing. He did not establish a principle that ordains you must send in your money to hucksters like Paula White. Moreover, because her work is against the Gospel, your sending money to her might accomplish the opposite effect of what you desire. We need to be careful of what we support. Let us walk through the first fruits teaching on Paula's website, which she uses as the source for her renewed call now in 2018 (all caps are hers).
"There is a specific principle that I am deeply convicted about and MUST share with you after years of studying the Word of God. This principle is found from early on, throughout the Bible, and it supernaturally unlocks amazing opportunity, blessing, favor and divine order for your life. It is the basis or underlying support for your success in 2018. It is GOD'S PRINCIPLE OF FIRST FRUITS." -- Paula White
The first thing a huckster must do is establish that what they are selling is of crucial value to the listener. They have to hook them in. Look at what she is essentially saying though. She has uncovered something hidden in the Bible -- gnosis. This would mean God has hidden some special revelation, not even given to John in the final revelation because He was waiting for Paula White to come along and unlock it. How pathetically absurd. That God is now hiding from you amazing opportunity, blessing, favor and divine order. Not only that but you can leverage this apparently to guarantee success in 2018! Will it be some deeper level of prayer? Some revolutionary method of praise? Or will it be sending money to this ridiculous woman.
When you honor this principle it provides the foundation and structure for God's blessings and promises in your life, it unlocks deep dimensions of spiritual truths that literally transform your life! When you apply this everything comes in divine alignment for His plan and promises for you. When you don't honor it, whether through ignorance or direct disobedience there are consequences. Let me explain -- Paula White
