The Danger of Transactional Faith: A Critical Analysis of Prosperity Theology

• Tithing and Giving [00:01:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that God notices everyone's giving and that believers should give 10% and then 'over and above' to receive blessings.
• Prosperity Theology / Financial Blessing [00:06:04 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares personal anecdotes of financial breakthrough after giving, asserting that God blesses those who give.
• Spiritual Authority and Anointing [00:08:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor claims to have a specific 'anointing of increase' and asserts that this anointing can be transferred to others who listen to him.
• Divine Provision and Generosity [00:10:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about giving $100,000, $500,000, and a million dollars, claiming God asked for these amounts and that God will honor those who give.
• Spiritual Authority vs. Human Influence [00:11:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to be moved by the Spirit of God speaking to them, rather than following the example of other people like 'Jesse' or 'Jonathan'.
• Seed Faith and Financial Giving [00:11:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages the congregation to 'Name your seed' and pay off their mothers' or grandmas' houses, asserting that God will draw finance to them.

• Sermon Illustration [00:01:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts his past as a Catholic rock musician who gave away all his money, thinking it was required for salvation, before becoming a Christian and learning about tithing.
• Sermon Illustration [00:02:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor tells a story about his wife Kathy knowing more about the Bible (Malachi) than he did, correcting his misunderstanding of 'tithe' as 'tires' for a bus.
• Sermon Illustration [00:08:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his Catholic upbringing, specifically the 'poles' used to remove people from the back of the church, and how God asked him for increasing amounts of money ($100, $1,000, $10,000, etc.) which he gave.
• Sermon Illustration [00:07:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references a friend whose portfolio increased by $1.2 million after giving, and mentions a story about a 'goose in the fog' (likely a metaphor or cultural reference) regarding people who come to see how the ministry works.
• Sermon Illustration [00:10:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a story about giving $100,000, $500,000, and a million dollars to 'Frank Bailey's church' (Victory Church), claiming God asked for these amounts and that he had more than requested.
• Sermon Illustration [00:11:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor mentions a prayer answered in less than a day and a collection of $1.2 million, using this as evidence of God's honor.

• Pastoral Charge [00:07:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > Give your best financial offering.
• Pastoral Charge [00:11:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > Come to the front to give an offering.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] You know, ladies and gentlemen, I'm doing something tonight I hadn't done in all these years.
[00:00:06] You know, normally they give you, if you get a night slot, that's pretty nice, you know.
[00:00:10] And I mean, I've had my night slots from day one since I started here.
[00:00:15] But I'm doing two night slots this week. I thought, you gotta be kidding me.
[00:00:20] I said, you know, so I've been telling Courtney, when you get somebody else, Lord Jesus, my God, you know, and she said, No, no, we'll do it. So anyway, it's such an honor.
[00:00:29] I have the honor of receiving an offering.
[00:00:32] And I want to say this before.
[00:00:34] We used to have something called the Glory Riders.
[00:00:36] We would ride motorcycles and stuff like me, Kenneth, and, of course, Kathy and Gloria and Dennis and Vicki Burke and Happy and Jeannie Caldwell, Jerry and Carolyn Savelle.
[00:00:48] And how many times we would drive and drive.
[00:00:50] All of a sudden, Brother Copeland was just going to do this.
[00:00:52] We'd pull over on the side of the road, have no idea what he was stopping for.
[00:00:55] He says, it's time to pray for my partners.
[00:00:59] So here we are on the road, locking hands to pray for you.
[00:01:03] So you will never, ever will be a day without prayer.
[00:01:07] And I know he used to like to pray for the party when we eat.
[00:01:10] And I used to think, Lord, don't let him go too long for God's sake, man.
[00:01:15] But you're totally being prayed and saturated with prayer, all of you.
[00:01:22] And I mean that sincerely.
[00:01:23] And I'm not just saying that.
[00:01:24] I have seen it and seen it and seen it all these years.
[00:01:28] I want the ushers to get ready.
[00:01:30] And let me just tell you something about offerings.
[00:01:32] God notices everyone.
[00:01:35] And you may have thought, well, man, I have given a lot.
[00:01:37] I'm just about to play it out.
[00:01:39] Yeah, well, you're just about ready to receive something you ain't never received.
[00:01:43] And I'm going to tell you something.
[00:01:44] God will do whatever you're willing to believe for.
[00:01:47] And before I was born again, I made a lot of money in my life as a young man, being in the rock world.
[00:01:54] And I gave all of it away because I thought being Catholic that I had to be poor.
[00:01:58] So me and Kathy gave all our money away.
[00:01:59] and we were glad. We were just glad, you know, so we could go to, you know, just go to heaven or something. I didn't know much, you know, but I began to read the Bible. Kathy never read the
[00:02:09] Bible until we got born again. We were told it was Latin. Anybody been Catholic? You know, everything, any service was in Latin and things of that nature, and so we didn't know too much of anything, but I'll never forget, and it's kind of a funny story, I didn't know what tithe was.
[00:02:26] I'd never heard of that in my life.
[00:02:28] So we got born again.
[00:02:29] It took four months to get me out of the music business.
[00:02:31] You just don't walk away.
[00:02:32] When you're in that level, you know what I mean, that private, you're on a contract, baby.
[00:02:36] You just got to do it or whatever.
[00:02:38] Well, anyway, then we went to that church, and I was sitting next to Kathy.
[00:02:42] And when we went to that little church, I saw a big bus, you know, like a used, looked like Greyhound bus, something like that.
[00:02:51] I never thought of that.
[00:02:51] mighty. So the pastor got up and said, it's time to receive the morning tithe and offering. I thought he said tires. As I thought about that bus, I leaned over to Kathy and I said, does the church
[00:03:05] need some tires? She goes, no, I don't need it. It's tithe. Now she knew more because she was studying the word of God. I didn't know nothing. And I said, what is that? And she said, I said,
[00:03:18] first I said, is that in the Bible? And she went to Malachi, but in my neighborhood, it was Malachi. It was Italiano, you understand what I'm saying? Sicilian, you know? And he said, will a man rob God? And I said to myself, not in my neighborhood, but boom, you pop that and go,
[00:03:35] what about this? But I'm serious. I'm not playing games with that stuff. I said, you said you give 10% of your income. And I said, okay. See, I never minded spending money on the devil,
[00:03:51] giving him money. Why would I mind giving God money? You know what I'm saying? Because I was very, I was very truthful to Satan when I was a good sinner. Don't laugh. So were you. But when
[00:04:04] I became a Christian, I said, I'm going to be a good Christian. So we started tithing from that day forward, you know, and blessed beyond our wildest dreams, tithing and giving and in every which way, shape or form. And I heard this man say, give over and above. And I said, okay. You
[00:04:24] know, because I was so innocent, I guess you could say, I just wanted what God, what will you have me do, Lord? I don't know. And of course we had given all our money away. And, and, and then two
[00:04:35] and a half, three years later, the Lord said, give me all your money again. I'm saying this for a reason. We're going to save the orphan. And now at the first time, that was a ton of money. Good
[00:04:44] Lord. But this time it was not that much the second time, because I had mortgaged the house and finance the car. And some of you may have heard me say this and I didn't, I didn't say it,
[00:04:55] but I thought it, well, how I'm going to pay for this, um, this house and how I'm going to pay for this car. But, but I didn't say nothing because the Bible says, take no thought saying. And I
[00:05:08] said, okay, Lord, I'm going to do that. So I walked into the house and I never, and Kathy was, and she said, I said, Kathy, the Lord said for us to give all our money away. And she said, okay.
[00:05:18] and what I wanted to say was we can't do that Jesse then I would tell God it's that woman thou gave us me but she didn't I said we'll do it and that's when I got my Abraham moment many of you
[00:05:32] heard me say when I walked back out that house and God said because thou he did it in King James because thou has done this and not withheld from me and when I said give all we had that includes
[00:05:43] Jody's piggy bank quarters and nickels I'm telling you and I told Kath I said Kath there's no way we can go any lower the only way we can go is up and God said because thou has done this now I'm not
[00:05:55] telling you to do that because I did you have to pray ask what God have you to do he said I'll bless you beyond your wildest dreams and ladies and gentlemen I'm telling within nine months I
[00:06:04] was completely out of debt I don't know how I know I did some extra work but I don't think it was ever enough to pay that house we had but I mean and from then on it has been like this financially
[00:06:15] in every area of my life and it's a blessing because I know how to sow in good ground and I and I know and I look forward to things and I don't let people take advantage of me
[00:06:25] and things of that nature I won't do that you know but I say and God will bless you and the Lord told me to tell that story to you because see some of you have done some pretty big things
[00:06:34] financially this week because you've been here and some of you are withholding you know because I know you got stuff next week you got to do I got I understand that I mean I'm I don't live in
[00:06:46] deniable. You watch what God will do if you honor him. You know, like the brother Shutterworth was saying, you honor him in these next five months, some unbelievable things are happening. One of my friends told me that they gave and, and, and they looked at their portfolio and 1.2 million more was
[00:07:03] added. If I'm correct, just, I don't want to tell nobody, but, and I went, look at that. That's exactly what Jonathan was saying. This happened yesterday. You see what I'm saying? And so God wants you to be blessed beyond your wildest dreams. And for God's sake and my sake, don't
[00:07:17] let no church person talk you out of this stuff. Because there's so many people, you know, there are people in here, and I don't doubt it tonight, there's losses, a goose in the fog. They come here
[00:07:27] to see how we do these things. How can them guys get that kind of money? And then they wind up getting born again and saved. And I'm going to tell you something, when you give, I'm going to
[00:07:39] 100% goes into where they, where you give it to. And I've seen it for many, many years that I've been on that board. So I want you to do your best tonight. I know you've done your best,
[00:07:50] but you can do your best, best. And I mean that and God will honor you. Okay. Thank you. Holy God. Hey, Oh, thank you. And this may sound arrogant. I have the anointing of increase on me.
[00:08:01] Oh, you have no idea. I mean, I got to watch what I say. Cause I get it. I'm talking tons.
[00:08:07] and the Lord said if they'll listen to you because you're speaking because I told you to speak I'll put your anointing on them too and I won't tell you something you better get ready I've seen
[00:08:20] people that couldn't do nothing my anointing came on me and in two months had a house over a million and a half dollars and within three months from after they bought it it was debt free and it's
[00:08:30] the Lord Jesus I'm telling you and so people get mad they always want to jump on my case and all that kind of stuff, you know, all that prosperity stuff. No, you got to understand. I just preached
[00:08:40] the Bible. So I'm going to ask you to do your best. And if you hadn't, then I want you to do your best. And if you want to do whatever God tells you to do even more. And I, you know,
[00:08:49] I never get, I'll say this and then we'll receive the offering. You know, when you're born, when you're raised Catholic, you give a dollar. Anybody ever been raised Catholic? Hold your hand up.
[00:08:58] Do you remember those long poles with the, with the thing? Well, Catholic church, if you was in the back. They had a pole that could just swing over and get you off it. Anybody know what I'm
[00:09:09] talking about? Remember the poles? And they could get it. And I remember the Lord, the first time he asked me, he said, I want you to give me a hundred dollars. I said, a hundred dollars?
[00:09:23] Are you serious? A hundred dollars. And I remember I had given all my money away. I said, Lord, that's all I got. He said, that's all I asked for. That's true. So I did never think he'd ever give
[00:09:36] me, asked me to ask me for a thousand dollars. And Lord, I said, a thousand dollars. I said, Jesus, come here. That's all I got. He said, that's all I asked for. Never thinking to ask
[00:09:50] me to more. Then he asked me for $10,000. First time I ever gave that amount of money was to Kenneth Hagan ministry in Tulsa. Remember that, Kathy? You can come up here and shake his hand.
[00:10:00] I said, he can shake his own hand, Jack. I ain't paying no $10,000 to shake the guy's hand.
[00:10:04] I'm serious.
[00:10:07] Kathy goes, oh, that's not too loud, not too loud.
[00:10:10] But I did it.
[00:10:12] I did it.
[00:10:12] And I thought, you've got to be kidding me.
[00:10:14] And it was all I had.
[00:10:15] And he goes, that's all I got.
[00:10:16] Never thinking he would ask me for more.
[00:10:19] He asked me for $100,000.
[00:10:24] And that was at the Victory Church there, Frank Bailey's church, 100 grand.
[00:10:30] I said, that's all I got, Lord.
[00:10:31] He said, that's all I asked for.
[00:10:32] And I was going to use that for television time.
[00:10:34] This was many years ago.
[00:10:36] Then he asked me for $500,000.
[00:10:41] And I said, that's all I got, Lord.
[00:10:43] He said, that's all I asked for.
[00:10:46] And then he asked me for a million dollars.
[00:10:49] And you know what he said?
[00:10:50] Hey, Jesse, you got more than that.
[00:10:53] I said, that's right.
[00:10:56] I got more than that.
[00:10:57] And it's just climbed and climbed and climbed.
[00:11:01] That's a true story.
[00:11:02] So you go, don't be moved by what I say.
[00:11:05] Be moved by what you're hearing in your spirit from God.
[00:11:09] So a lot of people say, I'm going to do that because Jesse did it or Jonathan did it.
[00:11:13] No, you do that because Spirit of God speaks you to do that, and God will honor you.
[00:11:17] So are you going to come up here to do this, Oscar?
[00:11:20] Come on up here, Oscar.
[00:11:21] Praise God.
[00:11:21] This is Brother Tim Fox, and I want you to do your best because I want to tell you something.
[00:11:31] Well, your prayer was answered in less than a day.
[00:11:33] Am I correct?
[00:11:35] Now, I don't know what y'all gave, but that ain't none of my business, but that ain't too bad to get a little chunk of change like that, $1.2 million.
[00:11:41] What?
[00:11:43] I'm going to tell you.
[00:11:44] God will honor you. He'll give you insights, concepts, ideas like you've never seen before in your life. And don't let nobody talk you out of it. How many of you want to pay your mama's
[00:11:52] house off? Grandma? Hold your hand up. Be honest. Name your seed. Name your seed. I preached that in 1991 here. Remember that? Hey, that's my harvest. That thing went all over the world.
[00:12:06] Name your seed. Because if you don't know what you're sowing, how are you going to know your harvest? And God will honor you. Listen to Brother Tim as he tells you the instructions. And let's
[00:12:16] just obey God and don't wait for tomorrow morning. Just start looking. Don't walk up to people and say, would you give me something? No, no. And watch how God will draw finance to you in every
[00:12:29] which way, shape or form. You ready to give? Brother Tim, take it here. Thank you, sir.