SNARES & SCARS OF GREED (PART II)

“When Desire Turns into Greed”

By Akin Ojumu

As I explained in Part 1 of this commentary, what prompted me to write this screed was the inscription on the T-shirt that Emmanuel Olumide was wearing in a video interview I found on one of the social media sites. In the video, the man who calls himself the Guru of Commonsense spotted a T-shirt with the words, “KINGDOM BILLIONAIRE” plastered across the front. In addition, he had on a face cap that had “JESUS” written on it.

Horrified by the blatant greed and the derision of the Name of the Lord, I couldn’t help but comment.

“Kingdom billionaire? Really? Which kingdom exactly? How many of the Apostles of Jesus, the people who actually laid the foundation of the Christian faith, were billionaires? How many of them were millionaires? How many were thousandnaires? How many were hundrednaires? How many were even kobonaires? This shallow and hollow, ear-scratching mammon gospel will only keep you on the broad road that leads to destruction.”

Offended by my comment, the individual, on whose social media platform the video was posted, fired back at me with a tirade meant to set me straight:

“Money is a tool. Being a millionaire doesn’t equal evil. And poverty doesn’t equal righteousness. A million dollars in the hand of an unrighteous man is a weapon of distraction. But the same money in the hands of a righteous man is a weapon to help the poor, the needy, and also spread the gospel. Being rich and being greedy/being ruled by money, the two are not the same. If being rich was a sin, then God will be a sinner, because our God is rich. He is the definition of richness…”

Now, it’s quite easy to be swayed by this individual’s simplistic retort, I must admit. His argument sounds logical, and his point of view definitely comes across as reasonable. And that’s exactly what makes people like Emmanuel Olumide especially dangerous and why they must be silenced.

2 PETER 2:3

“And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.”

TITUS 1:11

“They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.”

In the ears of anyone who doesn’t give more than a cursory reflection on the above argument, it’s easy to fall for the lie. But it’s important to understand that this ear-scratching, people-pleasing assertion that this individual is pushing is not based on Scripture or sound exegesis. 

What you won’t find in that response is a Bible text that supports the man-centered philosophy. As logical as it may sound, there’s really nothing about this deceptively crafted reasoning that resembles the true Gospel.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there’s something inherently wrong or sinful about being materially wealthy. Of course, the lust for money is what the Bible condemns, and not money itself. Most certainly, money can be used for good causes, such as advancing the Gospel, helping the poor, supporting the needy, and all those other charitable things. 

Conversely, poverty doesn’t guarantee eternity and being poor is not a ticket to the afterlife with God. There are poor folks who’ll end up in the flames of hell, just as you’ll find rich people who’ll be seated at wedding supper of the Lamb of God.

Albeit, as legitimate as those may sound, that’s beside the point. These are mere distractions from the billion-dollar gorilla which is the main thrust of my indignation. It’s quite rich to try and use the distinction being rich and being greedy as a means of normalizing Emmanuel Olumide’s inordinate desire to be rich. Being rich is not the issue, wanting to become rich is the problem. And there’s a big difference between the two.

1 TIMOTHY 6:9-10

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

It’s inconceivable that anyone would even want to defend the gospel of mammon against the backdrop of one of the prominent apostles of the mammon gospel wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “KINGDOM BILLIONAIRE.” Irony is not only dead, but the poor thing must also be rolling in its grave.

Considering that greed is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or other material possessions), what does one call Emmanuel Olumide’s craving to become a “kingdom billionaire?” Does that qualify as greed?

Anyone who doesn’t think that a Pastor, whose entire ministry is dedicated to teaching his followers how to become millionaires and billionaires, is not a greedy person ruled by money, must have a different definition of greed in their dictionary.

Teaching people how to become materially rich is not the Gospel of Christ. The reason I know this is because Apostle Paul tells us what the true Gospel really is.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-4

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the GOSPEL I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the WORD I preached to you – unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

When, in 2 Corinthians 11, the same Apostle Paul gives us his résumé of accomplishments, it does not include the material assets he has acquired. You won’t read in there about the billions of shekels he has squared away in several bank accounts all over the ancient Roman world. There’s not the slightest reference to the vast real estate portfolio he has in his name. 

Instead, Paul speaks of toil and hardship. He tells us about his many sleepless nights, days of hunger and thirst. The man shares how frequent he finds himself out in the cold, exposed to the elements. Paul boasts about his numerous imprisonments, countless beatings, several stoning, and incessant near-death experiences.

If Paul, the man credited with authoring at least 13 of the 27 New Testament Books, was a dirt-poor itinerant preacher, where exactly is the source and origin of this gospel of mammon that people like Emmanuel Olumide preach today? How come there’s no record in the Bible of this sort of gospel being preached by the Apostles of our Lord and Savior Jesus?

Ruminate on that till next time.