Prosperity Pimps are Robbing God (By taking from The Poor)

 

 

Mat 6:19-21 (TEB) “Do not save riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, save riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are.”

It is easy enough to “explain away” one or two verses to come to the conclusion we want. But what you are about to read is more than one or two verses: Scriptural teaching about money is clear, consistent, and radical. It is plain and clear that our focus as believers should be on The Lord and His work and not becoming rich. If the Lord blesses you to be rich, then it is His will for you to be rich. Too often preachers have lied and misrepresented the Bible and the Lord by teaching ALL should be rich. If riches was the indication that one is blessed, then Donald Trump and Bill Gates are the most blessed men in America!
Be Content with Your Needs Being Met…. Beware Of Materialism!
Heb 13:5 (RSV) “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.”

Contentment is very rarely preached now days, the primary message today is centered on receiving a blessing. Giving is preached with the purpose of receiving! We are taught to treat God like a Cosmic ATM machine that is at our beck and call. Kenneth Hagin had a book titled, “How to Write Your Ticket with God”. We are so busy trying to BE GOD; we forget that God is in control! The Bible says that God will supply ALL of our NEEDS according to HIS RICHES in Glory! Key word is NEEDS, we don’t call the shots in this life HE DOES! God is a personal God that wants to KNOW us, we need to seek His face and NOT His hands. God wants our hearts on Him and his plans and purpose, not the other way around.

Ps 37:7,16 (NAS) Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way… Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.

One of the lies of Prosperity Preaching is that ABUNDANCE means monetary wealth. The favor of God is not measured by the size of ones bank account. If this were true then Donald Trump and Bill Gates have more favor than anyone. This doesn’t mean a Christian cannot attain wealth, but wealth is NOT the indicator of an abundant or blessed life.

Prov 23:4-5 (NIV) Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Wealth as transitory and can leave faster than it was acquired. Notice the scripture says “Cast a glance at riches…” The message of Prosperity is consumed with the concept of attaining riches. The preachers often convince the hearers that IF you give to THEM God will give to YOU! That is the essence of Prosperity preaching. Back in the 60’s there was a preacher named “Rev. Ike”, he was the Godfather of this preaching and teaching. He used to promise people that they would have “Good Luck” if they gave money to him. Rev. Ike was very obvious and wasn’t very scriptural in his delivery. But today’s false prophets are more skilled in twisting the Word of God.

As time moved on the Prosperity Preachers became much craftier at using scripture to justify their larceny. Oral Roberts coined the phrase, Sowing Seed, He suggested that money is seed to be sown into ministries (his in particular) in order to REAP a harvest. The scripture is very clear when it speaks of SEED and HARVEST, Jesus was speaking of the WORD as the seed, and the harvest is LOST SOULS! The devil has taken the emphasis off of souls and placed it on MONEY! I have seen offerings in churches last longer than altar calls.

 

M. Hamilton Stevens, Th.D.

Only God Can Cure Racism

 

 

 

“If you are a racist, your church will die.”

Dr. Martin Luther King said that Sunday morning was the most segregated day of the week, and sadly enough it still is nearly 40 years later. We have made good strides in the area of race relations in America, but some of the demons still persist. We have two types of racism in America: The racism of superiority and the racism of bitterness. Even though white people don’t own blacks anymore and we aren’t lynched with great frequency anymore, and we don’t have to sit in the back of the bus anymore, many whites still feel superior to blacks! This feeling of superiority played itself out publicly when Kenneth Hagin Jr. said he would not want his daughter to marry outside of her race, yet it is OK for thousands of Black folks to support their ministry with their GREEN dollars! But we aren’t good enough to marry their daughters. This publicity caused quite uproar in the Word of Faith Community. Fredrick K. Price confronted the Hagin’s about this comment, but they did not retract or reject their feelings or comments.

Now black folks are guilty of the sin of racism / bitterness! We allow their actions and attitudes towards us; make us feel justified in our hatred of them. This is equally wrong because we are guilty of unforgiveness and hatred. The real miracle of salvation through Jesus Christ is not just that our sins are forgiven and we go to heaven, but that we are new creatures in Christ, Well let’s start acting like it! God is a spirit, not a skin tone or a nationality! B
oth sides have to repent of these feelings and attitudes. Remember Pentecost? There were people of every race and nation at the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings unity! If there is no racial harmony in your church, I doubt if the Holy Spirit is there either.

M. Hamilton Stevens, Th.D.

The Need for a Reformation in The Black Church

 

 

When Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the church, he did so not to create a denomination, as some believe. Martin Luther wanted to correct anti-biblical practices being promoted in the church. The main theme revolved around the practice of “selling indulgences”. What the church was doing was convincing people that they could “pay” their family members out of purgatory. The church did this primarily to finance the Popes greed and desire to finance the Cistene Chapel in Rome. Now we Protestants read this stuff in Church History books and we gasp, yet how many of us “enlightened” Spirit-filled Protestants that know of Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers in our Protestant churches that “sell blessings” today.

We have condemned Catholics for centuries, yet we have the same skeletons in our closets. From Reverend Ike, Robert Tildon, or to the pastor in the storefront in the inner city, we too have been guilty of “selling blessings”. Every Protestant denomination (and non-denomination) has had it share of “Greedy Popes”. I really admired Martin Luther’s guts, but where are the Martin Luther’s of today? When Oral Roberts said he would die unless he got 80 million dollars in donations, where was the outrage from Christians? Of course the world ridiculed his nonsense, but there was no moral outrage from any Christian leaders. Why? Well I’ll tell you why! It is a very lonely position when you stand on the truth of scripture. We are quick to condemn Catholics trust in traditions and church doctrine, but we are equally guilty! How often have you seen and heard things done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in your church, but in your gut (spirit) you knew it was against the Bible? And why didn’t you say something is the more disturbing question.

Jim Jones was able to take hundreds of lives in Guyana because someone refused to listen to their gut (spirit). I firmly believe in supporting the local church and helping pastors, I want to make that clear. However there is a real epidemic of spiritually stupid “saints” that don’t study their Bibles and try every spirit by the Spirit. We were given the ability to discern so we WON’T end up giving our money to crooks and drinking poison Kool-Aid! Many of today’s most prominent preachers would be labeled heretics hundreds of years ago because MOST clergymen were devout Theologians and serious students of scripture. Today ordination papers and licenses are given to anyone that say’s they are called to preach. I agree that being Spirit-filled and called is the first priority of being a preacher, but ALSO there has to be training…SERIOUS TRAINING! A lack of understanding of just the basic Bible doctrines of the faith can lead to the types of abuses I am talking about. Martin Luther was able to stand up to the lies of Rome because he was filled with the knowledge of the truth. I am a Pentecostal preacher, I believe in the Charismatic Gifts of the Spirit, but that doesn’t negate the fact that we must have a scholarly approach to the scriptures and its teachings.

I have heard PREACHERS say stupid things like, “I don’t know the Bible that well but I am filled-with the Holy Ghost and fire!” This person is a prime candidate for deception and a good whipping from the devil! The Bible say’s in 1st Timothy 4:4 “In the last days some shall DEPART from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and DOCTRINES of devils.” The Devil will fill your head with HIS doctrine (teaching) if your head isn’t filled with sound Bible doctrine. Martin Luther unlike other priest actually studied the Bible for truth and not to support a man made lie. We must as individual believers have reformer’s courage to stand up to the church when it strays from the truth of scripture. I know it sounds crazy to say stand up AGAINST the church, I am of course talking about organized denominational/non-denominational institutions that profess to be of Jesus Christ, yet stray away from the truth of Jesus Christ. I have seen enough heresy in the church in the last 25 years of my life to make ones head spin and the majority of it went unchallenged.

We allow “preachers” to say anything in our pulpits and we say AMEN! We are afraid to be attacked for standing up for the truth. In 1980 I was stationed at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. While there I heard a Baptist preacher (Who was also a Freemason) tell a group in Bible study that “all roads lead to Rome” meaning every religion can get you to heaven. I was a new believer, but I knew this was wrong! I challenged him, because NO ONE else would say a word. He was a popular preacher and I was a new convert so you can imagine whose side everyone lined up on. My point is this, when you hear false preaching or teaching SAY SOMETHING! The Apostle Paul was the new kid on the block (Read Galatians) yet he challenged and corrected the Chief Apostle Peter for treating the Gentile believers wrong.

Ministers are NOT infallible, only the Word of God is! No matter how popular or how powerful a preacher is, they are NOT above reproach!

But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word. (Acts 6:4 Amp)

This is one of the key verses in the Bible to help a novice minister be a successful tool for the Master. Preaching has nothing to do with popularity, titles, or position. The successful minister is the one that realizes that sharing God’s Word is a divine call and privilege that can’t be done in one’s own strength.

The Apostles took this charge so seriously that they knew total devotion to prayer and study was paramount. A preacher that doesn’t devote his life to prayer and study is a potential false prophet. Satan loves preachers that say “I’m to busy to study” or “I don’t think preachers need formal Bible training.”

The gospel preacher must devote his (or her) life to purity of doctrine. Paul warned Timothy to avoid fables and old wives tales. It’s very easy for preachers to get involved in the “flavor of the month” teachings. In last 20 years we have been bombarded with the “faith” message, “prosperity gospel”, “Spiritual Warfare”, and “Prophecy”. Every one is an “Apostle” or “Bishop”; no one is simply a Gospel preacher. Don’t get caught up in trends and hype. Be lead by the Holy Ghost and walk in your calling. I have been preaching 23 years. I have done the work of an evangelist, and served in pastoral capacities, but I am called to teach. My anointing is that of a teacher. It would be foolish to try and be anything else. I live to study and teach the Word of God. We need more “Martin Luther’s” in the church today. Too much of our teaching today is unbalanced. We have churches teaching crazy things like you have to speak in tongues to be saved, Christians should never get sick, or you can only be saved in MY church! Wake up saints and speak out against false teaching! There are churches that teach everyone has a demon, yes some people need demons cast out! However some problems are not demon powered but human error! Teaching the truth can solve more problems in the church than by casting out a “demon”.

(Note: I am not picking on any particular denomination, there is enough heresy in every Protestant denomination)

Chaplain Stevens

I am NOT a Klingon…I am a Black Man!

 

Everyone that knows Mark Stevens knows I am a Trekkie, I love the Star Trek TV shows and movies, my favorite character is Commander Worf the Klingon, a proud warrior from a race of warriors….much like African Americans. The only problem is I think we (Black people) are often identified much like the Klingons. People have stereotyped Black men as violent, thugs, and overly aggressive much like the Klingons. Recently we have seen a Black man choked to death for selling cigarettes on a corner, another black man shot 16 times for Jay-walking, and a black woman died in custody in Texas for not using her turn signal…why? We have also seen white serial killers shoot up schools, movie theaters, churches, and work places and be taken ALIVE…why and how?  My theory is that many white people see us the same way people saw Klingons…savages, warlike, and mean! I am a Black man…NOT a Klingon! But keep in mind because I choose not to be violent doesn’t mean I forgot how to be.

M. Hamilton Stevens, Th.D

Ignorance of Biblical Truth is Destroying The Black Church

 

The gospel preacher must devote his (or her) life to purity of doctrine.  Paul warned Timothy to avoid fables and old wives tales. It’s very easy for preachers to get involved in the “flavor of the month” teachings.  In last 20 years we have been bombarded with the “faith” message, “prosperity gospel”, “Spiritual Warfare”, and “Prophecy”.  Every one is an “Apostle” or “Bishop”; no one is simply a Gospel preacher.  Don’t get caught up in trends and hype.  Be lead by the Holy Ghost and walk in your calling. I have been preaching 23 years. I have done the work of an evangelist, and served in pastoral capacities, but I am called to teach.  My anointing is that of a teacher.  It would be foolish to try and be anything else.  I live to study and teach the Word of God. We need more “Martin Luther’s” in the church today. Too much of our teaching today is unbalanced. We have churches teaching crazy things like you have to speak in tongues to be saved, Christians should never get sick, or you can only be saved in MY church! Wake up saints and speak out against false teaching! There are churches that teach everyone has a demon, yes some people need demons cast out! However some problems are not demon powered but human error! Teaching the truth can solve more problems in the church than by casting out a “demon”.

M. Hamilton stevens

 

As Long as You Refuse to Read…You are a SLAVE!

 

It breaks my heart to see the level of ignorance both naturally and spiritually in the Black Community today. When I was growing up our parents stressed education to us, especially Blacks in the South. Our parents KNEW that education was the ONLY way our people could rise above the grip of poverty and racial inequality was through education and training. Today our youth have been brainwashed by the Hip-Hop Generation to believe education and reading is “corny”, well every other racial group and culture is passing us because of our ignorance. Wake up Black people no one will hold our hands and spoon feed us knowledge and insight, we MUST pick up books and READ….yes OUR people DO perish for the LACK of KNOWLEDGE!

Dr. M. H. Stevens

Black Pastors STOP Preaching Against Education!

 

 

In too many of our churches (I am talking to my fellow Black folks) we have the ancient slave mentality that says, “I don’t need to go to school to be a preacher, I got the anointing!” Well during the days of slavery and Jim Crow we didn’t have an opportunity to go to Seminary or Bible Colleges. My grandfather was a deacon and his brother was a pastor back in the days when folks only got a grade school education and had to quit because they had to help pick tobacco. My forefathers made due the best they could under harsh circumstances. Now there is NO excuse for a preacher not getting formal training! You may not be able to afford Harvard or Princeton Theological Seminary, but every denomination should have a local Bible school. Most churches today have their own Bible Institutes or Schools. When you accepted the call to preach you also accepted the call to discipleship (training).  Jesus spent 3 years training His disciples for ministry. He taught them how to pray, how to cast out devils, how to lay hands on the sick, how to carry themselves, and how to make more disciples.  I am disgusted at how easy it is to be ordained in our churches. Just because a brother or sister can testify loud or run their mouth doesn’t mean they are called to preach! If theyare called they will be willing to be trained BEFORE being given a piece of paper ordaining them. Remember this, if the preacher is ignorant and unlearned, then the people will be too!  The gospel preacher must devote his (or her) life to purity of doctrine.  Paul warned Timothy to avoid fables and old wives tales. It’s very easy for preachers to get involved in the “flavor of the month” teachings.

M. Hamilton Stevens, ThD

The Mis-education of the Black Christian

 

If you spend any amount of time around some of our Bishops and Overseers in the various Protestant denomination you would think you were in the presence of a Pope. Some of our preachers are so pompous and aloof you would think you were in the Vatican. Many preachers today have become celebrities and idols. So often I hear Christians speak of their pastors and bishops with adoration that should be reserved for Jesus Christ. I believe we should respect and support our pastors and clergyman, but they are men! Men are fallible and are prone to make mistakes. We must remember that God uses fallible men to preach an infallible Word! We condemn the Roman Catholics because of their term “Papal infallibility”, yet we will get fighting mad if someone criticizes our favorite celebrity preacher! A good example of this is Kenneth Copeland, many noted and respected Bible scholars and teachers have exposed much of Copeland’s teachings as heretical, yet many Christian blindly and loyally continue to act like he is an “anointed” teacher. It is never popular to criticize or expose false teachers and prophets that are “celebrities”, why? Because we are just as bad as the Catholics, when it comes to how we treat our clergy. I am an ordained Elder in the Church of God in Christ. I love my church, but it is not perfect either. I listen to many of the members of my denomination and it is a sad commentary to hear people that have been saved for years, yet their knowledge of Bible doctrine is very minimal. Many will say “Well I believe what my pastor teaches” or “That may be in the Bible but my church teaches it this way”; The Bible IS ALWAYS the last word! I am appalled at the number of clergy that struggle with basic Bible doctrines that the average Christian should be well acquainted with. According to 1 Corinthians 3:1 all Christians can be divided into the two groups, spiritual and carnal. A spiritual Christian allows the Holy Spirit to guide and govern him to do the perfect will of the Father. A carnal Christian has been born again but has not overcome the sinful nature of his flesh. Instead of being governed by the Spirit he is ruled by feelings, emotions, desires, greed, good or bad intentions, intellectual interpretation etc. etc. Our churches are filled with carnal believers that don’t depend on the Word for their daily guidance. By rejecting the Word they also reject the Holy Spirit that speaks the Word to our spirit and mind. The Catholic Church doesn’t encourage it’s congregates to study for themselves because the priest is the source of revelatory knowledge, but the Bible (John 14:26 and John 15:26) and the Holy Spirit are all the help we need. Yes we need teachers (Spirit-filled teachers) to help us, but we are still responsible to study to show ourselves approved unto God. Pastors and teachers have to take the church from MILK to MEAT, I would be horrified to see an adult wearing diapers in church, but spiritually many saints are wearing diapers in the house of God. The reason we treat our pastors like gods is that we are babies and we are letting them carry us like babies! They should be taking us from milk to MEAT! We have to grow up so we can assist in the ministry and stop being a burden to the church. So many pastors quit because of burnout, but most of the time it is their fault! Imagine a woman trying to care for 20 to 30 babies at one time, she would eventually crack under pressure! We have to GROW UP SPIRITUALLY! We have to pray and study 7 days a week, not just on Sunday in the presence of your pastor. Martin Luther was a great man but we need MORE men and women like him today! Men and women committed to the truth of scripture over tradition, hype, and fluff!

Dr. M. Hamilton Stevens

Cults in The Hood

 

 

One of the most horrible evils in the inner-city is the growth of cultish churches. What is a CULT? A Cult  is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. In laymans terms a cult is a group that focuses it’s attention not to the truth of God’s Word but rather the leader of the group and his or hers teachings. Often Cult leaders hide behind titles like “Bishop” or “Apostle” and they claim to be the ONLY one that really can interpret the scriptures. Usually these people demand 10% of your income and will declare you cursed if you don’t sow a seed into their ministry. The real travesty is God called ministers to be SERVANT and these charlatans demand to be served. They usually claim to be “anointed” and cannot be rebuked or corrected by anyone.

No minister is above reproach, to often today’s “prophets” hide behind “Touch not mine anointed” of course taking the verse totally out of context. Paul rebuked Peter for the way he treated Gentile believers, The Bereans told Paul they would check the scriptures to verify what he said was TRUTH….my point is if Peter and Paul were NOT above reproof and reproach…why are these celebrity preachers today above reproof and reproach? Again the problem is too many Christians don’t study the Bible and are afraid to challenge false teaching. I am NOT afraid to challenge false teaching and I am not arrogant either, I have been rebuked and I continue to study to show MYSELF approved, Too often our people are drinking the Kool Aid of bad teaching and are scared to say anything for fear of being ostracized and shunned. Heaven help us, we need more men like Martin Luther TODAY that are not afraid to call out false teaching.

M Hamilton Stevens, Th.D.

Ignorance is Killing Black People

 

In the horrible days of slavery Blacks were punished if they tried to read or had possession of books. Before the Holocaust the Nazis burned books especially history books. The Bible says it best “My people PERISH because of the lack of knowledge” What type of knowledge are we lacking that is destroying us?

1. Knowledge of Self – Black youth need to know that out history didn’t start when we were herded off of slave-ships like cattle, our history is traced back to Africa where we were Kings, Queens, and warriors. I remember Richard Pryor did a skit on his short lived TV show about a group of Archaeologist that discovered a great cache of Egyptian artifacts, and Pryor played their servant….while they were examining things remarked “Wow all these drawings are of Black people”….when he said that they closed his Black behind in the  tomb with the TRUTH.
2. Knowledge of Finances and Business – Every race seems to understand this better than our people, we are a consumer race, and everyone else knows it. We don’t own a damn thing but we buy everything everyone else produces.
3. Knowledge of God – Yeah we know how to “have church”, but we don’t even know that the people in the Bible we study about were people of color. We also don’t value the power of God IN US. The same God that created the Universe is in YOU…not in a BUILDING…IN YOU!!!!

Dr. M. Hamilton Stevens