(By Joseph Mattera) I believe very strongly that God wants to bless His people and give them an abundant life (John 10:10). I also believe poverty is a curse and something the gospel reverses when biblical principles are applied properly. Furthermore, I do not believe pastors and church ministers should take a vow of poverty and that churches should give ample compensation to their lead pastors. That being said, I have been appalled by what I am calling in this article “prosperity pimps”—which are those who use the word of God primarily as a means of personal profit (1 Tim. 6: 5). The following are seven signs of prosperity pimps:
1. When the focus of the ministry is always raising money
I have no issue with churches and ministries taking large segments of a service at times to raise money. After all, without money ministry cannot continue. What I am referring to in this point is the fact that some preachers use their platform to be purveyors of “prosperity” every time they minister. When raising money is the primary focus of a minister every time they have a platform—that is a red flag to me (and a sign they may be a prosperity pimp!). READ MORE
