John Avanzini - All Preachers Want is Your Money

... believe his [Gods] prophets, so shall ye prosper.

2 Chronicles 20:20

"All preachers want is your money!" I am sure you have heard these faith-destroying words before. You may have even said them.

Think about it. Have you ever heard anyone say, "All the breakfast cereal companies want is your money"? You probably haven't. Yet, if you perform the following test, you will soon find out what cereal manufacturers really want. Pick up a box of your favorite cereal at the grocery store, and tell the clerk at the checkout counter you are not going to pay for it, because all the cereal makers really want is for you to have a wholesome breakfast.

If you try this test, you will find out that all they really want is your money!

With that thought in mind, let me pose a few interesting questions. Why don't we ever hear people say, "All grocers want is your money"? "All automobile dealers want is your money"? "All insurance agents, theater owners, gas station attendants, and fast-food clerks want is your money"?

All of these organizations have one primary purpose. They want to get your money! Everyone knows this is true, so why do we continue to hear that it's the preachers who want our money?

If you think about it, you will have to conclude there is a sinister plot at work against preachers. It is a devilish plan to break your confidence in godly ministers.

Christians must wake up to the fact that the devil is interfering with the way they think about preachers and their reason for being in the ministry. Satan knows if he can trick you into believing that all preachers really want is your money, it will block you from receiving God's best. The Bible tells us there is a vital link between your ability to believe God's ministers and your ongoing prosperity.

... Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

2 Chronicles 20:20

When the devil tries to hinder the plan of God for our lives, he has limited ability. He has only three primary weaponsthe ability to tempt, accuse , and deceive. The power to deceive often proves to be his weapon of choice.

... the Devil... deceiveth the whole world....

Revelation 12:9

You might say that "deception is the oldest trick in the Book," because the first mention of Satan in the Bible tells how he deceived Adam and Eve. He tricked them into believing that God was keeping something good from them.

By deception, Satan has convinced millions of Christians not to trust their spiritual leaders. He has done this with a masterstroke of advertising geniusa crisp, clear one-liner that simply says all preachers really want is your money. There is a reason he attacks our covenant right to a prosperous life. The devil knows the longer it takes for believers to come into the prosperity of God, the longer it will take to evangelize the world.

... how shall they preach, except they be sent?...

Romans 10:15

When the Apostle Paul uses the word sent in the above verse, he is speaking of the finances it takes to send workers to the fields of ministry. Money to send laborers into the harvest is an essential part of evangelizing the world. That is the reason the Bible talks so much about finances.

It is impossible to study the Word of God without realizing that it has a tremendous amount to say about money.

Approximately one out of every six verses in the Bible relates to money or something that can be turned into money.

Since so much Scripture relates to financial wealth, you would expect most Christians to insist that their pastors teach them about money on a regular basis. However, because Satan constantly sows a lie into the minds of God's children, most preachers seldom mention finances. This lie all preachers really want is your money is a demonic slogan that creates a negative attitude toward anything pastors say about it.

Pastors Are Valuable Assets

Do you really think your pastor is only after your money? Do you really believe he is making more money at your church than he could make in the secular field? Because of my extensive travel, I know hundreds of pastors, evangelists, and Bible teachers. I can honestly say most of them could easily find employment in the secular realm. The majority would make excellent salespeople, as well as good managers. Many could begin in upper management positions, receiving top pay and benefits. If all your pastor really wanted was money, he would go where the really big money is. He would head for Wall Street or the boardroom of a Fortune 500 company.

Anyone who stops to think about it will immediately realize that the reason most preachers choose to serve God is much greater than money. They serve God because He has graciously called them into His ministry.

Unfortunately, the damage Satan is causing goes far beyond merely casting suspicion on the reputation of ministers. Those seven words, "All preachers really want is your money," have all but stopped the abundant financial flow that God wants His children to experience. Because most Christians are unable to fully trust their ministers, they have disqualified the greater part of the Church from the prosperity of God. The Bible confirms this fact by telling us that believing the men and women of God is essential to achieving financial success.

... believe his [Gods] prophets, so shall ye prosper.

Since the Bible establishes clearly that we must believe the prophets to prosper, the opposite must also be true. If we do not believe the prophets, we will not prosper.

It is important for you to understand that Satan is the father of all lies, and everything he speaks is a lie.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:44

I hope you can see that Satan is the one who wants you to believe you can't trust the ministers of God. He promotes this lie to stop you from prospering.

Government statistics prove the statement, "all preachers want is your money," is not true. They show over 700,000 non-profit religious organizations in the USA. In the last few years, there has been only one nationwide scandal involving a preacher illegally taking people's money.

With this statistic in mind, let's consider the scandals involving the secular lending industry. In comparison to preachers of the gospel, these money handlers look like a reincarnation of Al Capon and his gang of thugs. In spite of this fact, even as you are reading, people are entrusting more money than ever before to the secular lending institutions of our nation.

It is obvious that we cannot attribute the universal mistrust of God's ministers to the few rogue preachers who are out to get people's money. There is something much bigger behind this hellish attack on Christian ministers.

Let me give you an example to show you how ridiculous it really is to make a blanket statement that all preachers want is your money. Suppose you came to me and said, "Brother John, I want you to meet a friend of mine." What would you think if I quickly responded, "I don't want to meet any of your friends"? No doubt, you would want to know why I would make such a rude statement.

What would you think if I told you I make it a strict rule never to meet anyone's friends, because a fellow once introduced me to a friend? Then his friend asked me for some money. So now I never meet anyone's friend because all friends really want is your money.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know this kind of reasoning is flawed. After hearing my answer, you would probably have serious doubts about my ability to make proper decisions. If I were ignorant enough to believe that all friends really want is your money, I probably wouldn't be able to make good judgments about the more important issues of life.