“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap” (Galatians 6:7 MKJV).
Eddie Long, the prosperity-preaching megachurch “pastor” died of cancer at age 63 in January of this year, 2017.
Are his lifestyle, example, and end the fruits of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are they indicative of just another of a long list of scumbags coming in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, taking upon themselves His Name in vain and deceiving many? Unequivocally, we can declare Long has been the latter.
Let’s list some of the fruits witnessed by many that declare this fellow has had absolutely nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Christ except to use Him for his own wicked purposes.
Long was very wealthy, extravagantly, flagrantly, ostentatiously so. Yes, he would be the very first to tell you that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, David, Solomon, and Joseph of Arimathea were wealthy believers. And it’s true that wealth is not an evil. What is evil is how Long got his money and what he did with it – that’s the difference. None of the above examples went soliciting for money; none shepherded congregants and charged them for ministry. None were flamboyant in lifestyle. The fact they were wealthy men is no excuse for Eddie Long and those of similar ilk.
Long was reported by many to be sexually promiscuous and licentious; he was sued by several young men in his congregation (to whom Long granted financial settlement). He was a fornicator and a Sodomite. The Bible teaches to put away all sexual wickedness. Adulterers and homosexuals were stoned to death. The Bible taught that these things were an abomination to the Lord. It says to “flee fornication.”
None of these vices is one to find in a holy congregation of God and if it is, the fellowship is to deal with it in no uncertain terms, as Paul commanded the church at Corinth to do. The adulterer was expelled and compelled to repent before being received back. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump,” warned Paul. Consider the powerful influence a pastor or any leader has on his followers and how they flock to lawlessness when their leader lives that way.
Long preached the egregious financial prosperity and “word of faith” or “name it and claim it” gospel, teaching people to usurp God’s power and authority for their own selfish ends. This is the very opposite of taking up and preaching the cross, our only hope of salvation. It is pure Satan worship. Here’s a visual display of the abomination of desolation – from which we’re told to flee for our lives:
http://gnli.christianpost.com/video/eddie-long-crowned-king-during-new-birth-service.html
Here is the end of prosperity gospel for those like Long who use it to enrich themselves and for those who likewise believe the lie and give to such wolves:
“Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty” (Proverbs 22:16 WEB).
Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ aren’t given to the lusts of the flesh. They don’t live for this world, but for the Kingdom of God that is not of this world.
“For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (Hebrews 13:14 MKJV).
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2-3 KJV).
“But they who will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which plunge men into destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all evils, of which some having lusted after, they were seduced from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:9-10 MKJV).
Victor Hafichuk
May 28, 2017