THE ORIGINAL PROSPERITY PREACHER

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak.  (Numbers 22:7)

Creflo Dollar—what a name!  It is so fitting for a prosperity preacher whose doctrine consists of telling you that God wants everybody healthy and wealthy—and that if you have enough faith to send the TV evangelist a lot of loot, you will be blessed accordingly.  It is certain that Dollar and his fellow celebrity preachers—too numerous to name—are enjoying a lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Balaam was the original prosperity preacher—willing to sell his services for financial gain.  He was a false prophet.  The thing that often makes false prophets effective is how right their message sounds—enough truth presented to mask the error.  Certainly, Balaam was a false prophet who was capable of speaking the truth—and he did—what a bundle of contradictions!  Yet, that was true of Judas Iscariot also—a man who walked with Christ, worked in ministry, had even his fellow disciples fooled, yet in the end was exposed for the counterfeit he was.  Their numbers are legion today—living in mansions, flying around the globe in personal jets, basking in luxury as they prey upon the widows and take advantage of the desperate by selling twisted truth—as prophets of profits.

Balaam knew about God, without knowing God.  He had the vocabulary of Scripture and yet did not have a personal relationship with the Author.  He was very religious without being righteous.  The Lord Jesus described such as being wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt.7:15).

Three New Testament passages expose the flaws in this phony.

• There is, “the way of Balaam,” (2 Pet.2:15).  The way of Balaam is the way of monetary motives driving spiritual service.  The mouth may sometimes—even often—say the right things, but the heart is not in the way of Christ, but the way of carnality.  The false prophet is exposed by his motive.
• There is, “the error of Balaam,” (Jude 11).  The error of Balaam is to package deception in the wrappings of truth.  The listener may fail to recognize that what is preached is true so far as it goes, but on one hand may not go far enough and on the other hand goes beyond it—a baited hook to catch the unsuspecting.  The false prophet is exposed by his message.
• There is, “the doctrine of Balaam,” (Rev.2:14).  The doctrine of Balaam was that the end justifies the means.  He was fine with compromising with the culture in order to advance his cause.  Balaam was all about success in ministry even if he had to sell-out to gain it.  The false prophet is exposed by his methodology.

This Old Testament example—and Balaam’s eventual evil that he caused and execution that he suffered—is a spiritual signpost set to warn us to be discerning of those who claim to speak for God.  The New Testament exposition of this false teacher’s motive, message, and method offers further alarm—do not drink the Kool-Aid!  It may taste sweet, but it will poison your soul and kill a church.