Benny Hinn Admits he went too far with prosperity message

Popular Israeli televangelist, Benny Hinn, has faulted pastors, whose sermons only focus on prosperity and living ostentatiously.

Benny Hinn, while reflecting on Billy Graham’s death in a Facebook Live broadcast, called on preachers of the gospel to stop living extravagant lives and start living according to God’s instruction.

According to him, everything should be about Jesus not other extravagant things, adding that he has never flown a private jet in his life.

“We get attacked for preaching prosperity, well it’s in the Bible, but I think some have gone to the extreme with it sadly, and it’s not God’s word what is taught and I think I’m as guilty as others. Sometimes you go a little farther than you really need to go and then God brings you back to normality and reality,” Hinn, 65, said

He admitted that as he has grown older and come to understand the Bible more, he now realizes that some of the things he learned from preachers when he was growing up weren’t biblical and the popular interpretation of the prosperity gospel — the teaching that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the “sowing of seeds” through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings is one of those things.

“The more you know the Bible the more you become biblically based and more balanced in your opinions and your thoughts because we are influenced. When I was younger I was influenced by the preachers who taught whatever they taught. But as I’ve lived longer I’m thinking wait a minute, you know this doesn’t fit totally with the Bible and it doesn’t fit with the reality. So what is prosperity? No lack. I’ve said this before.

“Did Elijah the prophet have a car? No. Did not even have a bicycle. He had no lack … Did Jesus drive a car or live in a mansion? No. He had no lack. How about the apostles? None lacked among them.

“Today, the idea is abundance and palatial homes and cars and bank accounts. The focus is wrong … It’s so wrong.”

“I mean forgive me. People have accused me of things that aren’t even real. One guy wrote a comment ‘Oh he’s worth 40 million.’ Oh how I wish. I would give it all to the Kingdom before God Almighty.

“‘Well he flies private jets,'” he continued mimicking criticism. “No, I don’t. I have not flown private in dear God years. I fly commercial just like anyone else.

“We all sadly make the mistake of thinking that this is what God wants and God says ‘No, that’s not what I want.’ It’s time to live biblically. You know it all comes down to one thing. Do we love Jesus, yes or no? If we love Jesus then it’s all about Jesus. If we don’t love Jesus then it’s about other things.

Hinn was one of six televangelists, who were part of a 2007 Senate inquiry that raised questions about the personal use of church-owned airplanes, luxury homes and credit cards by pastors and their families, and expressed concerns about the lack of oversight of finances by boards often packed with the televangelists’ relatives and friends. No definitive findings of wrongdoing were made. (Naija.ng)