$65,000,000 Jet

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves." 2 Peter 2:1

Recently, I was involved in a brief discussion with another Christian regarding a pastor who was seeking to purchase a $65,000,000 jet for his ministry. Without prompting, the gentleman I was talking with started to defend this pastor's desire to purchase this jet. He said, "He needs the jet to do ministry because the commercial airlines can't accommodate his schedule." I could see where this discussion was headed; it would turn into a debate about prosperity teachers, Christians being rich or poor, believing God for things, etc. It would have been a fruitless discussion. However, before it went that route I said, "I could care less about his desire for a plane or what the justification is for needing it is. My problem is that the pastor is a false teacher and shame on his congregation for supporting him." I was adamant about saying this because another Christian was listening to us and I didn't want them to be swayed into listening to this pastor and be led astray. We were abruptly interrupted and so the conversation had to end. However, I came back later to the Christian that was listening and gave them the evidence regarding why I made such a bold statement about this pastor.

I let them listen to a couple of audio recordings of this pastor. First, he talked about what he would do to attendees of his church who didn't tithe. He said, "...but, if they were non-tithers, the bar would lock up (preventing entrance into the church), the red and blue lights would start going, the siren would go off and a voice would go throughout the entire dome, 'Crook, crook, crook, crook!' Security would go and apprehend them. Once we got them all together we would line them up in the front and pass out oozies by the ushers... and point our oozies right at all those non-tithing members, because we want God to come to church, and at the count of three Jesus' we'd shoot them all dead! I would certainly try it." Secondly, and even worse, is that this pastor denied the deity of Christ. He said, "...and somebody said, "Well, Jesus came as God!" You know the Bible says God never sleeps nor slumbers and yet in the book of Mark we see Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. You all please listen to me. This ain't no heresy. I'm not some false prophet. I'm just reading this thing [out of the Bible]. I'm just telling you all these fantasy preachers have been preaching all of this stuff for all these years and we bought the package!" 

Who cares about a jet when the man using it denies the deity of Jesus Christ, denigrates those who do teach His deity and suggests taking the lives of those who don't give to his church? Despite what he says, he is a false prophet and false teacher just like the scripture says. He is the real "fantasy preacher." We need to keep our eyes open and know the truth so we can spot these people and those who support them. Because, ultimately, it isn't the pastor who is the problem it is those who sit under his teaching. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3)." The time has come when people gather teachers around them to say what their itching ears want to hear!