Prosperity theology teaches that those who follow God are automatically blessed with abundance. Like there is a contract with God that will pay dividends. There are few more popular…or for that matter evil…heresies that have infected the mind of the modern seeker. Often, those who teach such heresy use the teachings as a smokescreen to be able to do all sorts of evil…i.e. I’m blessed and therefore anointed by God and therefore can do whatever I want…which of course is why we keep seeing scandal after scandal come out of their churches. One such scandalous teacher is an Oklahoma pastor (and now member of the Oklahoma’s Pardon and Parole Board) that I’d like to introduce you to through a little story (which of course contains repeated references to the pastor’s teachings)…
There was a murderer sitting in an Oklahoma prison cell. Desperate for some good news, he turned on his radio. Coming across the airwaves, the man heard a powerful communicator out of a megachurch in Oklahoma City talk about grace and forgiveness from even the vilest of sins. Based on the message, the man asked Jesus Christ into his life at that very moment. Everything changed. From that day forward, the man was a new creation. He changed from a murderer to a seeker of God. Whenever he was able, the seeker returned to the powerful communicator’s sermons.
There was a message about walking on water. The seeker of God prayed about having a deep faith in Jesus Christ that would allow for him to trust God for all his needs. The words helped him through some difficult hours in prison. The seeker kept his eyes on Jesus. When other inmates needed help, the seeker was able to share what the powerful communicator had taught him…if you are willing to step out of the boat…we serve a God that can sustain you through even the most violent of storms.
There was a message about staying connected to Jesus. The seeker prayed without ceasing for Jesus to forgive him of all that was behind…to sustain him in the present…and to prepare him for all that was to come. Even though there were times that he felt alone, the powerful communicator assured him that things are always looking up.
There was the message about the feeding of the five thousand. When the seeker was struggling with the fact that all of his needs were not being met in prison, the powerful communicator reminded him that God would provide for all of his needs. The seeker believed that all that he needed was coming…and that he was being prepared to hand out the abundance to others.
There was the message about the power of proximity. The seeker learned about the power of growing closer and closer to Jesus. As he practiced the words of the powerful communicator, he felt himself being raised up to higher paths. The seeker shared the message with all who were struggling to get up.
There was the message about doing it God’s way. The seeker did exactly what he was told. He gave every second to serving God. The powerful communicator had changed the way that he regularly functioned.
There was the message about loving God.
There was the message about loving your neighbor.
There was the message…
Countless volumes could be filled with the powerful lessons that the seeker had learned from the powerful communicator.
In spite of a looming sentence of death, the seeker kept his focus on living for Jesus…and trusted God to handle the rest. The night before he was to plead his case for mercy. The seeker repeatedly read some words that he’d managed to transcribe from one of the powerful communicator’s messages in December of 2019,
“Whatever that giant is in front of you. If you choose to trust God…because that’s when things begin to shake. I’m here to tell you. That when you begin to have the courage about what God says…. There are some things that man…that doctors…that experts are going to say is impossible. But with God all things are possible. As a matter of fact, if you take the word IMPOSSIBLE and give it a little space it simple says IM POSSIBLE…and that is what God is trying to tell you. If you will choose to trust me…I’m telling you all things are possible.”
When he awoke the next day, the words kept repeating in his head as he prepared to face his clemency hearing. Sitting with his attorney, the seeker nervously prayed. Keeping his head down in shame, he let everyone else speak. When it was his turn, he looked up. In complete shock, the seeker realized that the person sitting before him…chairing the Oklahoma Board of Pardons and Parole …was none other than the powerful communicator that he’d been listening to for years, Pastor Scott Williams.
Immediately, the seeker began to recount what he’d learned from Pastor Williams. I have repented. I have asked for forgiveness. I have given my life to Jesus. I am a new creation. I have learned to trust God. I am teaching others how to trust God. I stay connected to Jesus. I trust God for all of my needs. I stay close to Jesus. I am standing up to walk on higher paths. I am doing it God’s way. I am loving God. I am loving my neighbor. I am facing the giants right now. I have the courage that what God says is true. I believe that all things are possible. I’ve taken the word IMPOSSIBLE and turned it into IM POSSIBLE. I’ve been listening to you for years. I trusted your words. I believe that all things are possible. The seeker went so fast that he never stopped to look at Pastor Williams face. When he finally did, he saw a scowl devoid of any compassion. He couldn’t understand what was going on. He’d done everything that Pastor Williams had said to do. It didn’t matter.
When the final vote was taken, Pastor Scott Williams loudly declared, “No clemency.”
The seeker was spiritually devastated. You see, he’d believed all of the fancy words and mesmerizing word illustrations…he’d believed that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love your neighbor as your self. He just assumed that the person preaching the words believed all of it too.
If there’s anything that Pastor Scott William’s service on the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board…including repeatedly signing off on executions…has taught us…it is that this man isn’t full of God…he’s full of shit.
BEWARE…there is a snake loose in Oklahoma…teaching prosperity and inflicting death.
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