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A Preacher of God is Prohibited from Enriching
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continuation...
Does your pastor read this verse? Just what is your understanding of “(do) not”? Does it not convey “prohibition”? If you had been prohibited from doing something, you are, in effect, being commanded not to do it. And our Lord Jesus Christ himself said, do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth. He was talking to His apostles – the preachers. Let me complete the verse: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal.”
But here comes your pastors telling you that if you will give tithes, you will surely amass riches. The members are being given false hopes. That is why they blindly give them their money. But have they really grown any richer? No! There are members who have been giving their pastor tithes for the last fifteen years, yet, until now, they are still as financially hard up as ever that they would not be able to eat anything if they fail to avail a sack of rice on credit. And how come it still takes him sometime before he is able to pay that sack of rice? What does that mean? It is only their pastors that have become very rich. The money that they give them is deposited in their bank accounts. They have built mansions and rest houses, and they have bought expensive luxury cars for themselves, at the expense of their members. They have, indeed, become very rich out of fooling their members. They do not tell their members what the Bible really teaches. They are not reading to them this particular verse: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth …”
I have instilled this verse in my mind. I do not save money for myself. In fact, if I happen to make money out of my labors, I share it with others. Actually, most of the time, even before I receive the money, it has already been allocated for the needs of others. I do not keep money in a bank, nor in a vault. Perhaps, I am the only preacher who does not have any savings in a bank. What I have are loans from different banks, but not saving deposits because laying up treasures for oneself is prohibited by Christ to a preacher. What God wants is for these treasures to be shared with others. Psalms 112:9 says, “He hath dispersed, he hath to the poor, his righteousness endureth for ever …”
That is the work of a preacher who is true to God. He does not pile up riches for himself, instead, he shares what he has to the needs of the poor. I, for instance, buy some copies of the Bible, if I happen to earn something. And I distribute these bibles to other people for them to learn the way to salvation. I always see to it that my earnings are not just kept in a bank; they are spent for the salvation of man. Actually, the greater part of my earnings goes to the television network where we air our program, “Ang Dating Daan” (The Old Path). We are spending millions and millions of pesos for the propagation of our faith – the faith of Jesus Christ in the Bible. I do not capitalize on religion to enrich myself. Until now, I am still financially hard up. I have so many loans in different lending and financing institutions.
Actually, I can also make lots of money, like what many preachers do, if I want to. Those pastors know only two verses of the Bible – John 3:16 and Acts 16:31 – but they have amassed great riches. Modesty aside, I know more than that. In fact, other people say that I have mastery of the contents of the Bible. But why have I not grown any richer? It is because I abide by what the Bible teaches, and one of them is, “Lay not up for yourselves riches on earth.” That is a law of God to the preachers. Unfortunately, many preachers take that law for granted that is why they have made themselves very rich. They do not obey Christ’s commandment, otherwise, they would not have piled up riches for themselves. And because they refuse to obey Christ, they are against Christ. And being against Christ makes them an anti-Christ. This is what the “Pasion” of the Catholics says about the anti-Christ:
“Ito’y pagkakalooban (He will be given)
Ng Dios at kapasyahan (judgment by God)
Gumawa ng kababalaghan (He performed wonders)
At kanyang makakamtan (and he will obtain)
Ang yaman sa karagatan (riches in the seas)
Ang kanyang mga aral (His doctrines)
Masama’t di katwiran (were wicked and unrighteous)
Madlang ugali’y mahalay (all his ways are vile)
Ipagbabantog sa tanan (He will make known to all)
Siya ang Kristiyanong tunay (that he is the real Christian).”
He will proclaim to all that he is a real Christian, but the truth is, he is not, because he is simply making himself rich. But how did he obtain riches?
“Ang mga pagmimilagro (the miracles he will perform)
Tutulungan ng demonyo (will be helped by the devil)
They claim to perform miracles. But how come, the ones seated in the front rows who were on wheelchairs would still go home on those wheelchairs? If they truly perform miracles, they should have made those people stand up and walk! You see, when our Lord Jesus Christ preached, he healed all of those who were afflicted with all kinds of infirmities. He made the lame walk; He cured all the sick. This is what Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about going good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with them.”
So, He healed ALL. But these pastors today simply fool people. They make other people believe that they could heal them of their afflictions, but that is not true. Actually, the Apostles of Christ even resurrected the dead. But granting that the “miracles” of these pastors were real, I still am inclined not to believe it. Why? There are miracles that happen thru the help of the devil. Matthew 24:24 says, “For there shall arise false Christ, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Those so-called miracle-workers will mislead a lot of people. Many false Christs and false prophets shall arise; they shall show great signs and wonders, and if possible they will deceive even the very elect of God. And it is because of their “miracles” that they are able to amass great riches.
There was once a Judge of a Regional Trial Court who remarked sarcastically that I am in deep financial indebtedness. That is true! I do not deny that. And that is a proof that I have not made myself rich. If a pastor keeps on getting richer and richer, that is a manifestation that he is a deceiver, and his religion is a false religion. Nobody among the preachers of God – from Christ to the Apostles – made them rich in religion. Nobody! Peter was a fisherman, and he died poor. The same with John the Baptist, he was not even able to study because of extreme poverty. Some Catholic priests mock me by saying that people shouldn’t believe me because I did not even finish schooling. Why? Did all the Apostles of Christ finish schooling? Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men …”
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Bible
Apostleship
and the Rightful
