Church Shift - Happening Now
April 7th, 2008 | Michael Q. Pink
I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me and my family. I do not take that lightly. We need prayer cover as the battle is intense. My wife and I deeply appreciate your care and love for us. We returned safely from Costa Rica and I am pleased to inform you that the manuscript for The Best Business Model on the Planet, based on the rainforest as a business model, is now in the publisher’s hands. It is scheduled for release October 7th.
While I was away, I heard from Pastor Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian born, Russian trained, Ukrainian pastor who now pastors the largest church in Europe. He shared this with me, “There are a lot of opportunities that God is giving to the Body of Christ these days; it is not the time anymore when we only give and then wait for elevation. He is opening people’s eyes, and we are training them to become champions in the market place.”
Pastor Sunday knows a little about training folks to be champions in the marketplace. He told me they have something they call Club 1000 which is, “…a practical club that encourages and opens doors of business for it members. We have a goal to make people millionaires between 2 - 5 years, and in one year over 200 members of the club have already accomplished this goal.”
I believe we could all benefit from what this man has to share and he has agreed to make himself available for a teleseminar when he comes to the States later this month. Keep watching for details. In the meantime, find a bookstore that has his book, Church Shift, and order it today. Then read it.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Praise Yahweh, I have seen Pastor Sunday on TBN several times. Thank God for the “divine connection” that was made. We are to help and strengthen one another and this is wonderful so that the body can be coming up together. We are to not just get for ourselves, but to bring others up as we come up. I am looking forward to hearing more. Be blessed. SF
April 7th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
We thank God for willing vessels like Pastor Sunday Adelaja. Not only have I had an opportunity to interact with him when he came into the States last year but I’ve also read a couple of his books as well as heard him preach on several occasion and seeing what God is using him to do in the Ukraine is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. GOD IS GREAT!!! Apart from training folks to be champions in the market place, we see that part of God’s call upon his life is raising up men to be the MEN and LEADERS that God have called them to be in our generation where men have lost their true identity in Christ and there is an identity crisis going on. I believe he is the leadership of the Christian Men’s Network that was formed by the late Edwin Louis Cole (their website is http://www.cmnworld.com/) and the testimonies that flow from helping men know their true identity in Christ is just outstanding.
It is so glaring now than ever before that the wealth of the wicked is being transferred to the uncompromisingly righteous especially for the propagation of the Kingdom and I guess us learning to first of all be faithful in whatever God has placed in our hands and the fact that we are his financial stewards is what makes the difference and it is also amazing how God is raising more and more people to stand out and for their light to shine brighter even as the world gets darker so that those in darkness will be able to tell the TRUE LIGHT and will be drawn to Jesus as our lights continue to shine brighter and brighter. I guess now is the time when the wheat is getting separated from the tares and those that are truly hungry for God, or change and for the harvesting of lost souls can now tell the difference between those who are really God’s sent ones from those who are just in ministry for their personal gain. God help us all.
Thank you as always for sharing Michael and we are looking forward to more of the Godly wisdom that flows within this group. I see it changing my mentality from the poverty mentality I once had to THE KINGDOM MENTALITY. We can only get better and wisdom is indeed profitable to direct.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Michael, I could not disagree with you more.
No, No, a thousand times no. Millionaires, we do not need more millionaires, we need people sold our to Christ. People that are willing to suffer for him. People that ae willing to beg to give, beg to go and teach others about the hope in God.
My way of remedying this lack of witness is to identify that the prosperity gospel is wrong. Don’t go that direction! Don’t believe that prosperity is our evidence to the world that we belong to the King. It doesn’t work that way. In fact, if you look in the New Testament you’ll see that the things that bear the clearest witness to our faith are the occasions when we’re willing to suffer for him.
A little child can understand that. Something is valuable to you to the degree that you’re willing to suffer in order to have it, not to the degree that it gives you other things that you really like. God is not shown to be valuable because he gives us other things that we like more than God. God is shown to be valuable when we’re willing, for God’s sake, to let certain things go which we wouldn’t let go if he wasn’t so precious to us.
Our testimony to the world works precisely opposite to what the prosperity gospel says. When Christians are willing to suffer for the cause of the unborn, for racial justice, and for spreading the gospel, then the world is going to say–just like it does in 1 Peter 3:15–”Where is your hope?”
Our answer will not be, “In houses, cars, and lands.” Rather, we will say, “My hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to take me to himself. To live is Christ and to die is gain. I’m here on earth to spread the gospel. I’m going to keep my life as wartime as I can in order to maximize my effect for showing Jesus as valuable, not things as valuable.”
Kern
April 8th, 2008 at 10:06 am
One more thing. The world is not impressed by the prosperity of Christians. What the prosperity of Christians says to the world is nothing redemptive.
I’m not saying that all prosperity is necessarily wrong. I’m just making the point that the prosperity of a Christian says absolutely zero about Christ to the world. Christians who simply follow the American trend of “moving up” financially and materially causes the world to simply say, “They’re just like us! They love the same things we love and do the same things we do.” This has zero witness to the world.
The person who follows the prosperity track must find other ways to testify to the world about Jesus, because their wealth, health, and prosperity are not saying anything redemptive.
April 8th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I have to admit, I am a little more than a lot confused about this whole “prosperity” thing that is taking over churches, coast to coast…. I do understand that it gives the Lord pleasure to see His servants prosper. He delights in His servant’s prosperity… I get that, really I do. I go to a church where we believe in prosperity. My pastor says he was called to 2 lanes, miracles and prosperity. All he talks about is prosperity, though. I understand the church needs to make a budget in order to survive… but my thought is, if we seek the Kingdom FIRST all the rest will naturally be added to us. The Kingdom is, miracles, healings, raising the dead, deliverance, restoration… etc. I have grown to almost despise the whole prosperity message. I’m sick of it….. sick of everyone talking about money and getting wealthy in church. YES, I agree we need to get out of the poverty mentality, but we also soooo totally have to stop seeking first money and start seeking first His Kingdom. If there was a church that really put His Kingdom FIRST you wouldn’t be able to stop the church from growing and you wouldn’t be able to stop the people from giving. WHY? Because it is Kingdom nature to give! God the Father is a giver… He is the biggest giver ever! He gave His own Son. And, as the church members take on God’s nature and grow in intimacy with Him and learn and experience His Kingdom they will naturally become givers.
I come on here every day and read your blog. I do like what you have to say… but I have to admit I am perplexed with the “prosperity” message the church has adopted. I don’t know what to do with myself…….
April 8th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
un as faat u can away.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Simon. I was trying to type and drive. The prosperity gospel is a false gospel. You need to find a church that teaches what the bible says. I would recommend a book by Randy Alcorn, it is Money, Possessions and Eternity.
Kern
April 8th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I can only speak from my experience. God provides liberally to me when I have died to my own ways of doing things. Not always monetarily though. And to be quite honest, at this point in time in time I feel as though I am on a sinking ship financially speaking. I have never been further in debt in my life and I don’t have a clue how to get out of it. Everything that I attempt to do turns out wrong and digs the hole deeper. However I seem to see a little hope everytime that I excercise my spiritial gifts. Money and debt seem to be at the root of all my problems but somehow they seem to be the thing that makes me rely on Jesus. Is it possible to have something that seperates you from Christ just as much as it makes you rely on him. I am at the end of myself and I am not sure if I can do this anymore. Pray for me and give me any advice that you can.
Kenny
April 9th, 2008 at 7:07 am
What is it about Christians that makes them the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It is not wealth. The desire for wealth and the pursuit of wealth tastes and looks just like the world. It does not offer the world anything different from what it already believes in. The great tragedy of prosperity-preaching is that a person does not have to be spiritually awakened in order to embrace it; one needs only to be greedy. Getting rich in the name of Jesus is not the salt of the earth or the light of the world. In this, the world simply sees a reflection of itself. And if it works, they will buy it.
The context of Jesus’ saying shows us what the salt and light are. They are the joyful willingness to suffering for Christ. Here is what Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:11-14).
What will make the world taste (the salt) and see (the light) of Christ in us is not that we love wealth the same way they do. Rather, it will be the willingness and the ability of Christians to love others through suffering, all the while rejoicing because their reward is in heaven with Jesus. This is inexplicable on human terms. This is supernatural. But to attract people with promises of prosperity is simply natural. It is not the message of Jesus. It is not what he died to achieve.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Kenny,
Your post moved me. I understand what you are saying. I feel your heart. Let me encourage you with this: His light shines best in the darkness. It’s okay that you don’t have it all together… In Genesis, when God looked at what He had created He said it was “good”. He wasn’t done creating the world and all the animals or even the people… He had just gotten started and it wasn’t done, but still it was GOOD to Him. He has only just begun His work in you. He sees you and He says you are good! It’s okay. Don’t give up. Don’t doubt your faith. Doubt your doubts! God has a way of turning a mess into something beautiful that affects MANY people… he will turn your mess into a “message” of hope for other people. Just don’t give up. Let Him carry you through this. He can handle your situation.
Take care,
Rebecca
April 9th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Kenny, make a plan to get out of debt. Stop using debt. Get on a budget and dedicate it to the Lord. It will not be easy but remember all things are possible with God. Man makes the plans but God directs our steps. Contact your church and find someone that will hold you accountable. Contact Crown Financial Ministries for a budget counselor. www.crown.org. Great Christian group use to be run by Larry Burkett. Search the scriptures on what God says about money. Resolve to obey it, even when it will hurt. Most of all pray for God’s mercy and grace.
Kern
April 9th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I absolutely must take issue with the comments here by Kern. First of all, Kern, you managed to have written 3x as much as the author of this blog post. It seems that he is quite gracious to continue to allow you to post, just given the sheer volume of words you use. (915 so far in your comments, as compared to 290 in the original blog post).
This is to say nothing of the fact that one of your posts advises other readers to “Run as fast as you can away.” This is hardly polite. I’m not even going to comment on the fact that you typed (mistyped?) that post while attempting to drive.
The bigger issue to me, however, is that you fundamentally misunderstand. Your religious brainwashing has trapped you in a mental darkness that, for whatever reason, no light seems to be able to penetrate. This is not intended as a personal affront to you. It is merely an observation.
As I read Michael’s post for today, he says nothing of a prosperity gospel at all. Michael is merely pointing out that the Body of Christ is raising up well-equipped persons who have tools at their disposal which are precisely the sort of tools necessary to function in the earth. In other words, when I need a carpenter, I want one who not only has a hammer, but also a table saw and any other specialized equipment that will cause him to be effective in his task. To fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28, which can be summarized by saying we are here to disciple nations, we need not just people who are — as you pointed out — sold out to Christ, but who also possess the tools necessary to be effective.
Personal evangelism and one-on-one ministry is good. But the Body of Christ has focused on the “good” and sacrificed the “critical.” Discipling nations will not occur when we have taken the hard-won authority that Jesus purchased for the Church and neglected it so badly that people of evil intent now pull the levers of society.
The early Church was referred to as, “those who have turned the world upside down.” People who developed the “leave the Earth to whoever wants it” / “poverty = piety” belief that you espouse have turned the Church upside down instead of the world.
Another perception you seem to hold is that Michael is promoting the idea that we should be wealthy to “impress the world.” I didn’t read that at all. My understanding of what he is saying is that we must have significant resources and make wise use of them in order to regain lost ground and recapture the levers that influence culture.
I would add that the “American trend” of moving up financially (one which, by the way, I would argue hardly exists at all in today’s economy, given the extent of consumer debt, the negative savings rate, and the overwhelming national debt) is American only in the sense that moving up financially is the automatic result of diligence, hard work, creating value, Biblical ethics, and God-given insight — the very traits that characterized the formative years of this nation. Why did America rise to prominence in the world? Godliness. Why have we lost it? The Church abdicated nearly all positions of influence and power, leaving the nation to rot and decay — not just morally but economically as well. This, I would argue, is exactly the sort of Godliness that Jesus was referring to when he said, “It would be more profitable for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea than that he should cause to sin or be a snare to one of these little ones [lowly in rank or influence].” (Luke 17:2)
Following your line of reasoning will, unfortunately, continue that very trend. Sickening. May God deliver us from unscriptural religious indoctrination!
Carl Emerson
April 9th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Kern,
Thank you for saying exactly what has been on my mind for weeks regarding this prosperity teaching. I guess it’s possible that I don’t see the whole picture that Michael Pink is trying to relay with this Rainforest teaching, it just seems way too similar to the health ‘n wealth gospel.
I am greatly concerned that the church today has confused “happiness with holiness”. As you so aptly stated “I’m not saying that all prosperity is necessarily wrong. I’m just making the point that the prosperity of a Christian says absolutely zero about Christ to the world”…..I know we need to be so careful to preach holiness, if God brings prosperity, we need to pray even harder for God to conform us to the image of Christ.
God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him………
April 9th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
WOW!
I have listened to every teaching series that Michael Pink has put out. I have done this because God has called me to the ministry - in business. I bring Kingdom principles through my business affecting the lives of people in a redemptive fashion. God pays for what he orders. If your calling in life requires billions of dollars and your calling is building His Kingdom, then God will supply. If you are hoping to use God as a heavenly slot machine then you are deceived. That is NOT what Michael Pink is doing, saying or writing.
With regards to most of Michael’s post, my wife and I have been attending the History Makers Bible School put on by Ukranian missionaries to the United States. We have spent 100+ hours face to face with Pastor Sunday and dozens of people from the church in Kiev. Their testimony of what God has done is undeniable. Pastor Sunday’s clear message is “Christ in us..” Jesus told us to pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. When we KNOW Jesus and understand that we are to seek first His Kingdom and rightousness, then He will live through us to establish His Kingdom principles which will disciple the nations. Read Pastor Sunday’s book, Churchshift, and you will see this isn’t about “the prosperity message” or church growth. It is about sending forth the SONS OF THE KINGDOM into the world to be used by Him to redeem those that would be saved. Read Mathew 13:23-43 paying particular attention to verse 38.
September 18th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Did anyone learn anything from the PTL scandels…prosperity gospels were all over his network and some guest ‘preachers’ in the 70’s and 80’s. this county is about to go into a depression and a war. We need to be concerned about saving souls and reading the Bible forourselves. Don’t listen to ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’. I was one of the millions who got suckered…. Read the Bible and let God lead you. Don’t buy books like Christians did who were ‘born again’. and left mainline denominations to follow Jesus. Many books were ‘new age’ covered over with ‘Christian’ bookcover and scriptures not used properly or used in context of the page. If you want to follow Jesus? Read the Word and don’t get hooked on other mens ‘ideas’.If you don’t read the Bible for yourselves you won’t know the truth from a lie. It could screw you. Ask God for discernment of the Holy Ghost. God will lead us. Most of our kids left God and got turned off by these so called ‘churches’. Drugs, crime and everything else are the bad fruits. look at the Bible belt! Does the devil attack Christians? yes, he certainly did us. Be led of the Holy Spirit not the unholy spirit. Dont let hype drag you into lies of satan. the devil is out to kill and destroy.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Hi Alice…
Thank you for caring enough to share. I couldn’t agree with you more about the abuse of Scripture by wolves in sheep’s clothing to fashion something known as the prosperity gospel.
I also agree that folks need to spend much more time in the Word and learn to hear God for themselves.
Having said that, it is foolish to think that we can’t learn from others and I hope you understand that not every Christian in business is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Wishing you the best, Michael Q. Pink