Midas Touch, Kenneth Hagin's Forgotten Warning

Kenneth Hagin’s Forgotten Warning
J. Lee Grady

Before he died in 2003, the revered father of the Word-Faith movement corrected his spiritual sons for going to extremes with their message of prosperity.

Charismatic Bible teacher Kenneth Hagin Sr. is considered the father of the so-called prosperity gospel. The folksy, self-trained “Dad Hagin” started a grass-roots movement in Oklahoma that produced a Bible college and a crop of famous preachers including Kenneth Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Charles Capps, Jesse DuPlantis, Creflo Dollar and dozens of others—all of whom teach that Christians who give generously should expect financial rewards on this side of heaven.

Hagin taught that God was not glorified by poverty and that preachers do not have to be poor. But before he died in 2003 and left his Rhema Bible Training Center in the hands of his son, Kenneth Hagin Jr., he summoned many of his colleagues to Tulsa to rebuke them for distorting his message. He was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence.

Those who were close to Hagin Sr. say he was passionate about correcting these abuses before he died. In fact, he wrote a brutally honest book to address his concerns. The Midas Touch was published in 2000, a year after the infamous Tulsa meeting.

Many Word-Faith ministers ignored the book. But in light of the recent controversy over prosperity doctrines, it might be a good idea to dust it off and read it again.

Here are a few of the points Hagin made in The Midas Touch:

1. Financial prosperity is not a sign of God’s blessing. Hagin wrote: “If wealth alone were a sign of spirituality, then drug traffickers and crime bosses would be spiritual giants. Material wealth can be connected to the blessings of God or it can be totally disconnected from the blessings of God.”

2. People should never give in order to get. Hagin was critical of those who “try to make the offering plate some kind of heavenly vending machine.” He denounced those who link giving to getting, especially those who give cars to get new cars or who give suits to get new suits. He wrote: “There is no spiritual formula to sow a Ford and reap a Mercedes.”

3. It is not biblical to “name your seed” in an offering. Hagin was horrified by this practice, which was popularized in faith conferences during the 1980s. Faith preachers sometimes tell donors that when they give in an offering they should claim a specific benefit to get a blessing in return. Hagin rejected this idea and said that focusing on what you are going to receive “corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature.”

4. The “hundredfold return” is not a biblical concept. Hagin did the math and figured out that if this bizarre notion were true, “we would have Christians walking around with not billions or trillions of dollars, but quadrillions of dollars!” He rejected the popular teaching that a believer should claim a specific monetary payback rate.

5. Preachers who claim to have a “debt-breaking” anointing should not be trusted. Hagin was perplexed by ministers who promise “supernatural debt cancellation” to those who give in certain offerings. He wrote in The Midas Touch: “There is not one bit of Scripture I know about that validates such a practice. I’m afraid it is simply a scheme to raise money for the preacher, and ultimately it can turn out to be dangerous and destructive for all involved.”

(Many evangelists who appear on Christian television today use this bogus claim. Usually they insist that the miraculous debt cancellation will occur only if a person “gives right now,” as if the anointing for this miracle suddenly evaporates after the prime time viewing hour. This manipulative claim is more akin to witchcraft than Christian belief.)

Hagin condemned other harebrained gimmicks designed to trick audiences into emptying their wallets. He was especially incensed when a preacher told his radio listeners that he would take their prayer requests to Jesus’ empty tomb in Jerusalem and pray over them there—if donors included a special love gift. “What that radio preacher really wanted was more people to send in offerings,” Hagin wrote.

Thanks to the recent resurgence in bizarre donation schemes promoted by American Charismatics, the prosperity gospel is back under the nation’s microscope. It’s time to revisit Hagin’s concerns and find a biblical balance.

Hagin told his followers: “Overemphasizing or adding to what the Bible actually teaches invariably does more harm than good.” If the man who pioneered the modern concept of biblical prosperity blew the whistle on his own movement, wouldn’t it make sense for us to listen to his admonition?

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. The Midas Touch is available from Amazon.com, The Midas Touch: A Balanced Approach to Biblical Prosperity

Kingdom Business Journal

Once in a while, I come across a site or blog that really catches my attention. Today was no different, while I was surfing about Kingdom principles and business, I came upon Kingdom Business Journal. According to founder Rich Forster, Kingdom Business Journal's purpose is to promote, teach and share Kingdom principles for success and ministry in the Marketplace.

I couldn't agree more with Forster's purpose, more emphasis should be placed upon practical Christianty and how that fleshes out in the marketplace. Afterall, according to Forster, only 2% of North American Christians are in a paid position at a church.

With more than 20 contributing authors, Kingdom Business Journal will certainly have articles and resources to help you and your day-to-day life in the marketplace. I'm adding KBJ to my list of favorites, I believe this site will be a hit in the long run.

More Thoughts on Abraham's Tithe

Pastor's who are erroneously teaching their flocks that they are required to tithe to the church typically cite the fact Abraham tithed before the Law was given. They tell their people, "If you will tithe your income, you will be blessed." Some go so far as saying those who do not tithe will be cursed.

Let's look closer at the scripture in Genesis 14 where Abram tithed the spoils of a battle to king/priest Melchizedek:

Genesis 14:18-20
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

I want you to notice that Melchizedek first "blessed" Abram, then Abram gave a tithe. This is a small, but critical point. The pastors, though, teach this exactly opposite: first you tithe, then you will be blessed.

I was speaking about this to a close friend the other day. He said, "Of course, this is the way it should be. We give because we're blessed of God. We don't give in order to get because that would be a wrong motive."

If you're giving or tithing in order to please God, or worse yet, trying to obtain the blessing of God, give it up! Stop! You're already blessed of God because you're in Christ. (See Galatians 3:9-14 and Ephesians 1:3-4.) You don't have to work to obtain God's favor and blessing! If you're in Christ, you're redeemed from the curse, there is nothing else you have to do! (See Galatians 3:13). Don't allow yourself to be motivated by fear to give, that is not the way God does it.

Give liberally and cheerfully, give however your heart dictates to you. Let no one make you give under compulsion. (See II Corinthians 9:6-11). This is way we're to give according to the New Testament.

Click this link to read more about Abraham's tithe.

Tithing According to Abraham's Example

It was an ancient custom of many nations in the Middle East to give a tenth, (tithe means tenth), of one's income as an offering to a god or to a king. The first mention of tithing in the Bible occurs in Genesis chapter 14 where Abram (later known as Abraham) gave a tithe to Melchizedek of the spoils of war.

A war had broke out between 4 kings and five others. Abram's brother, Lot was caught in the crossfire and was taken captive by one of the armies. A survivor of the battle made his way to Abram and told the news of Lot's capture. Abram quickly oraganized his own war party of 318 men and pursued the army into Dan. Abram and his small army caught up with them, attacked by night and slaughtered the enemy, freeing Lot, his women, the goods and everyone else who had been taken captive.

Upon Abram's return, several king's met him, probably to collect their tithe. Two king's are mentioned specifically, the king of Sodom and Melchizedek, king of Salem. Melchizedek, also a priest, blesses Abram and he in return gives the tithe to Melchizedek. The king of Sodom asks Abram for the people and suggests Abram keep the goods. Abram responds saying, "I'm not keeping anything, lest you could say, 'I've made Abram rich', the only thing we're keeping is the food we've eaten and the portion my 3 captains have rightfully earned."

So Abram himself kept nothing. He tithed of the spoils to Melchizedek, according to the custom of the day and gave the rest away. In the entire life of Abraham, this is the only recorded instance of him giving a tithe. His tithe wasn't from his income or even his own possessions.

There is no New Testament command to tithe based on Abram's example than there are to be circumcised, to offer animal sacrifices, to have concubines or to practice polygamy. In the more than 70 New Testament references to Abraham, the only practice of his that we are admonished to follow is his faith.

There is no way a pastor today can use this incident to justify teaching that a NT believer owes the church 10% of his earned income.

Many years ago, a wise teacher told me if you teach tithing for any other reason than to enroll believers in God's plan of prosperity, you're teaching with the wrong motive. Barna Research Group studies indicate the rank and file in the churches see through the teaching about the tithe. Their study show only 8% of American Christians tithe their income to a local church or religious institution.

Pastors today teach tithing to fund their church, their visions, their programs and their pesonal income. There's nothing wrong with you supporting these activities, but you owe God no tithe because Christ fulfilled the Law and you are no longer under it. If you don't tithe, you are not cursed, because Christ became a curse for you. And you owe no tithe based on Abraham's example either.

Kingdom blessings

Catherine Marshall writes:

"If we are to believe Jesus, his Father and our Father is the God of all life and his caring and provision include a sheepherder's lost lamb, a falling sparrow, a sick child, the hunger pangs of a crowd of four thousand, the need for wine at a wedding feast, and the plight of professional fishermen who toiled all night and caught nothing. These vignettes, scattered through the Gospels like little patches of gold dust, say to us, 'No creaturely need is outside the scope or range of prayer.'"

You don't have to go very deep into Scripture to discover that God loves to provide for his creation. The Garden of Eden was a place of abundance, and it was said, "the gold of that land is good" (Gen. 2:11). Consider the description given at the end of the Bible of our eternal home: "The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass" (Rev. 21:21).

Many teach that God's provision is for "spiritual things" and not the physical. Not so. The abundance of scripture plainly show God provides both the spiritual and physical alike.

Of course, we must keep our priorities right, for the love of money is the root of all evil, 1 Timothy 6:10. No one in their right mind disputes that. But it's just as wrong to throw out any physical blessings from God because a few abuse the doctrine.

There is a good and dark side to money. Being generous and under His Lordship will protect you from the dark side of money.

Follow The Pattern

The book of Exodus is full of patterns that the Lord ordained for Godly people and a Godly nation. Details laid out specifically for the Tabernacle and all that pertained to it. Here is a small pattern that we might meditate upon to walk in the Light:

Exodus 31:2-3

See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship

"called by name.."

"filled with the spirit of God.."

"in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in understanding.."

"workmanship.."

This is the pattern that the Lord executes even yet today. Calls you, fills you with His spirit, and puts you to work. Many have misunderstood what the calling of God and the infilling of His spirit is for. They get turned on to the reality of being born again, their spirit is alive and enthused with the knowledge of God, and they think it is time to quit their vocation, put on the priestly garments and preach from the pulpit. Is that really the "calling"? Should everyone be in "ministry"? Yes and no.

Yes in the sense that we can serve(minister) right where we are called. It may not be recognized as a ministry in the traditionally thought of way, but nonetheless, it is ministry. Workmanship.

Col 3:23

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

It might be as a salesman, soldier, doctor, trucker, factory worker, engineer, farmer, scientist, singer, waiter or waitress, whatever the work is that we do. Right in the marketplace, the wisdom, understanding and knowledge of the Holy Spirit of God can thrive and prosper the people all around us.

No, in the sense of quitting and giving up on the talents that we have for the pursuit of theology and the clergy. We minister to one another in the gathering of the saints, and we minister to those who walk, work and live around us in our daily life. We are the salt in their otherwise dull tasteless, hum drum life.(only because of the Spirit of God in us) I am not saying that everyone's life is hum drum, but there is a sense of "something more, something better". Everyone is looking for peace, joy, assurance, acceptance and challenge to higher ground. Jesus did minister in the synagogues(church setting), but he touched a lot of lives walking on the beaches and in the marketplaces. He demonstrated the love of God in his speech and the way He lived. He "walked the walk, and talked the talk". He was and is real LIFE!

This post courtesy of Bro Hurd

God and Your Business

What might God want to accomplish through you in your lifetime? As a workplace believer, you may yet have your greatest contribution to society. Such was the case of Cyrus McCormick, born in 1809. Raised on a farm by an inventor father, Cyrus McCormick sought to invent a mechanical reaper to harvest wheat. His father's attempts at inventing a successful machine had failed until Cyrus, at 22, created one that worked.

McCormick had to overcome many setbacks including the loss of his patent 14 years after his first invention. This opened up competition. Then, in 1837 he went bankrupt due to the bank panic of 1837. However, these setbacks did not prevent McCormick from achieving his goals.

He expanded his market by trying to sell his machine to European farmers in 1851. A long series of honors compensated for the lack of recognition and praise from his American compatriots. By 1856, he was not only a world figure but his factory produced more than 4,000 reapers a year.

McCormick was a committed believer. He lived during the time of D.L. Moody and gave $10,000 to Moody to start the Chicago YMCA in 1869. That building burned along with his Chicago factory in 1871. By this time, McCormick was over 60 and wealthy enough to retire. Before his death in 1884, he had given $100,000 to help open Moody Bible Institute.

His son, Cyrus Jr., was to become the first chairman of the school's board. Cyrus McCormick was a devoted Christian who passed his faith on to his son who later met up with J. Pierpoint Morgan to become the first president of a combined reaper firm, the famed International Harvester Corporation. [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 328-331.]

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13

Faith and Business

"Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil." - 2 Kings 4:2b

The woman had no husband, he had died. There was no way to pay her debts. Her creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the only man of God she knew.

"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.

"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."

Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.

When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left" 2 Kings 4:7b.

Often, God requires us to mix faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no resources to meet her need. She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a resource until it was mixed with faith. When she took the practical step of going into the workplace to sell the oil, her need was met.

God uses commerce to provide for our needs. He does not have a printing press in heaven that prints money for payday. God blesses the work of our hands, Deut. 28:8.

Trust God to bless, increase and multiply what your hands are doing. Release faith to believe He prospers you in the marketplace.