Posted on 06/15/2018 9:20:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
As followers of Jesus, how should we react to the news that Jesse Duplantis claims that God told him to buy a $54 million jet for his ministry?
Should we condemn him for taking the prosperity message to its logical extreme?
Should we say, "Well, He had a message from God, That's between him and God?"
Or should we say, "How do I help the man of God travel in style? Where do I give?"
According to Duplantis, he wasn't asking his followers for money. Rather, he wanted to inform them so they could believe God with him for the jet. And, he said, "I'm not asking you to pay for my plane."
Regardless of why he made the initial announcement (I'll leave that between him and God), let's look at four unhealthy reactions to his announcement. Then, I'll suggest the real questions we need to ask.
The first unhealthy reaction is based on hyper-gullibility. "We dare not question the man of God. If he says God told him, then it must be so. We don't want to touch the anointed."
In my newest book, "Playing with Holy Fire", I noted that gullibility was one of the hallmark weaknesses of the Pentecostal-Charismatic church. (I say this as an insider, not an outsider.) It's the flip side of one of our hallmark strengths, which is faith. But it is a dangerous flip side.
God calls us to discernment, to mature faith. Everything must be tested by the Word of God.
If we believe whatever our leaders tell us, no matter how outlandish, we could end up in a Jim Jones-type personality cult. If we test things by the Word of God (and by other practical tools the Lord gives us), we will save ourselves a lot of trouble.
The second unhealthy reaction is based on hyper-criticism. Some Christian critics have already damned Duplantis to hell. To paraphrase, "This is proof he's a wolf in sheep's clothing! We always knew he was a deceiver."
Actually, unless we can show that he himself is not a true Christian leader – either by his doctrine or by his life – then this one announcement does not prove that he is a false teacher. Let his ministry (along with all of our ministries) be evaluated fairly, biblically, and comprehensively.
For critics to jump to sweeping conclusions about a leader based on this one announcement is no better than for charismatics to believe everything that leader says.
The third unhealthy reaction is based on hyper-prosperity. "God wants the best for His children," some say. "So, if you're going to get a private jet for your ministry, get the best. God is not a pauper!"
This appears to be a principle Paul and his colleagues failed to master. He wrote, "Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; we labor, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world's garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals" (1 Cor. 4:11-13).
I address this hyper-prosperity mentality (along with the "superstar leaders" syndrome) in "Playing with Holy Fire" as well.
The fourth unhealthy reaction is based on hyper-poverty. By this I mean the attitude that the less you have, the holier you are.
This mindset does not produce generosity. It does not increase faith. And it does not advance the cause of the gospel.
I was speaking with a ministry colleague who heads up a massive evangelistic work. He mentioned a famous prosperity preacher to me and said, "This guy has probably given $50 million to our ministry over the years. He practices what he preaches."
In stark contrast, those who embrace a poverty mentality, who have a hard time receiving financial blessings from God, give very little to the work of the gospel. They feel guilty for every good thing they have, forgetting that Paul knew how to have a little as well as to have a lot (see Phil 4:12).
Because of their restrictive, guilt-ridden mindset, they are constantly in need, always looking to receive and rarely able to give. They are the polar opposite of hyper-prosperity.
That being said, the fact that a prosperity preacher gives away millions of dollars does not justify his message. It simply indicates that he preaches generosity and practices generosity.
On the flip side, the idea that we need to make life difficult for ministers of the gospel is absurd. Better to have a car that runs than a car that breaks down. Better to spend an extra $250 on a direct flight than to save the money and spend the night sleeping on the airport floor.
And that leads me to the two questions I have regarding Jesse Duplantis's announcement.
I don't know him personally and I only heard him preach in person one time, several decades ago. And I'm not here to present a critique (or defense) of his ministry.
I simply want to ask two questions.
First, is it good stewardship of his ministry funds to spend $54 million on a private jet, plus the millions of dollars it will cost every year to maintain and use it?
If a private jet is legitimately needed due to his travel schedule (God and his board know; I don't), does it have to be this expensive? As servants of the Lord, do we need to travel in such luxury?
It's true that God's funds are unlimited. But our own ministry funds are not.
Choices must be made, and by saving an unnecessary expense, we can free up funds for other gospel work (like providing full-time support for some Indian tribal pastors at $50 a month).
When I go overseas to speak, my assistant shops for the best business class fares available, or we use miles for upgrades.
At present, I've been overseas more than 160 times, sometimes with consecutive trips just days apart. Such travel is quite grueling, regardless of where on the plane you sit.
The first 50-60 trips, I virtually always flew economy. The last 100 or so, I've virtually always flown business, often at the expense of those inviting me.
But with the intensity of my schedule (which I wouldn't wish on others) and with my height, it's a good investment to make. Yet it would not be a good investment for us to own a private plane, even an old one.
The point is that every ministry and organization has to evaluate how to disperse the funds it receives. Stewardship is the key word here.
My second question is this: Does Jesse Duplantis's announcement bring reproach to the gospel? Does it make it more difficult for other Christian leaders to raise funds for their work? Does it play into the image of the self-serving, manipulative televangelist?
In the end, if God told Jesse to believe Him for a $54 million jet, and if the Lord gives him that jet in response to his faith, so be it.
My recommendation is that, in such cases, we follow Paul's guidelines set forth in Romans 14 (in a different context): "The faith you have, keep to yourself before God" (Rom. 14:22). There's no reason to announce it to the world.
When someone tells me that God told them that I should do something, I respond that God told me that they are full of sh*t and that they should mind their own business. (Just joking)
If “what God told you” doesn’t accord with the Scripture, then God didn’t tell you.
RE: When someone tells me that God told them that I should do something, I respond that God told me that they are full of sh*t and that they should mind their own business. (Just joking)
Well, you both can’t be right about this... (Unless you believe in a God who contradicts Himself :)
Does a bear evacuate his bowels in the woods?
Should we say, “Well, He had a message from God, That’s between him and God?”
Well, then why is he shooting off his mouth publicly about something supposedly ‘between him and God’??
RE: Well, then why is he shooting off his mouth publicly about something supposedly ‘between him and God’??
Because he’s buying a $54 Million private jet and the money has to come from somewhere.... Guess from where and who pays?
I grew up in the ‘faith message’.
The ‘logical extreme’ of the prosperity part relies on cherry picking and even twisting certain scriptures. It does not mesh with the totality of the new covenant. It does not mesh with the lives of the apostles.
It also doesn’t work. God is not a cosmic piggy bank who you can push around by quoting ‘promises’.
Does God care about your finances? I think so. But I also think it is about at the bottom of his priority list. What God does care about is what decisions you will make in the midst of difficult circumstances and obscured understanding.
From an experienced traveler and pilot, a perspective: Remember, the 54 million isn't "thrown away." The ministry still as an asset, minus depreciation.
A properly maintained executive jet is fungible; you can sell it, trade it, rent it out, sub-lease it; all on a very active, public market.
If you have ever been afforded professional travel on a private jet as I have been lucky to use, you can see the value it returns to your enterprise. They say it is the "last thing that goes!"
Well, back in the good old days, Jim Bakker told his congregation that God wanted him to buy a theme park with a water slide. And Oral Roberts said that God was going to kill him if he didn’t raise $8 million for his university. Everything old is new again!!
You run away quickly and give your $ to a ministry that is using term to further the spread of the Gospel not take care of the personal comfort of a preacher
That is the whole point, Seek. Those who claim that they are conversing with and directed by God should be mighty careful. If not, then they will receive a curse that they really won’t understand. Deuteronomy 18:18-20; 1 John 4:1, to name a few. You should challenge anyone that proclaims a special knowledge, particularly when it relates to you, and the way to do that is through the Word of God. Do not trust your soul to any person, but only to God himself. That is my opinion. Otherwise, if you trust others, you are a candidate for a cult - like the name it and claim it folks. They have to have jets because God is not fast enough?
I’ve always said the same.
At a certain point, private air travel makes sense.
But it would make a whole lot more sense to go with fractional ownership or with a less luxurious aircraft.
Is it necessary?
We helped buy a very expensive piece of equipment for a missionary but the reason he was asking for it was logical and it would reduce the cost of building churches in the area by over 50%.
I am suspicious of "God told me..." from anyone. We can get our own wants and desires mixed up with the voice of God.
So unless I can see a sound business plan that will show that the jet is necessary I am not only going to not give but I am not going to include it in my prayers.
Just my personal opinion, your millage may vary.
The refuge of scoundrels. I think it makes Him very angry. At least it would me.
No one is holding a gun to the head if donors
If you don’t like it don’t give
RE: You should challenge anyone that proclaims a special knowledge, particularly when it relates to you, and the way to do that is through the Word of God.
I understand your point. What I find difficult to challenge and discern, are SUBJECTIVE feelings such as “inner voices”.
For instance, Someone would say, God told me in a dream that I should take this job, I did and now I am quite satisfied, or God told me based on a strong internal voice that I should move to Hawaii, or God told me that there would be good weather in Boston after 2 days of snow and lo and behold, there was good weather.... Therefore, God spoke to me.
I once spoke to a very devout young Bible school grad who was having a dilemma on whether he should go serve in the mountain tribes of the Philippines, or the refugee camps in South Africa. He said he was praying that God would speak to him...
Guess what? A few weeks later, he told me that God spoke to him by his word... He was going to server in the mountain tribes of the Philippines. I was curious as to how God “spoke to him”.
He told me that one Bible verse spoke to him especially -— Psalms 121:1-2 “ I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
So there you go -— Hills/Mountains. That’s the sign that God gave him. He served there for 4 years and came back for further studies.
My question till today is this -— DID HE RIGHTLY UNDERSTAND AND APPLY THIS PASSAGE?
Like a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
Why can’t they just fly commercial, and stop using the donations of others to live high on the hog? How many of these “preachers” would have reached a comparable standard of living with comparable salary and perks in the business or entrepreneurial world? My guess is few to none.
Jesse has other jets, maybe 3 or 4. Is he going to sell them?
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