Megachurch Pastor Keion Henderson recently drew backlash from pastors and Christians over a resurfaced clip from one of his 2023 sermons where he told congregants that they receive "wealth" or blessing from God by giving to the poor but only when they tithe to church. In the sermon, titled "It's All About The Benjamins," Henderson, the founder and CEO of The Lighthouse Church & Ministries in Houston, Texas, said he finds it problematic that the church donates to someone whenever they are in need.
"Let me tell you something: the poor will be with you always, and there is no blessing connected to blessing the poor other than getting back what you gave to them, but no multiplication," Henderson said.
"Multiplication is segregated for tithes and offerings. When you give to the poor, the only thing you do is help them, but you don't help yourself," he insisted.
"So when you give a dollar to somebody on the street talking about 'I did my job, God.' Like thank you, but it ain't going to help you," Henderson said. "Read your Bible. Charity does not bring wealth; only the tithe does that."
In a statement to The Christian Post, Brian Smith, a spokesperson for The Light House Church & Ministries, explained that Henderson's message was taken out of context.
"Unfortunately, the few seconds shown are completely without the context of the entire message, which is that one should not wholly substitute tithing with giving to individuals. It is absolutely not true that the sermon was meant to discourage individual, reasonable service," Smith said.
"Rather, in addition to this reasonable service, one should also give to God because it is He who can provide the multiplication, thereby allowing one to use His blessings to aid their brothers and sisters."
The spokesperson also listed the church's own history of charitable giving.
"The Church's benevolence program has provided more than $451,000 this year in charitable giving, including to neighbors in need, local students, and scholarships to graduating high school seniors. In August, our Lightfest back-to-school event gave free school supplies to 700 local kids. We have 30 different ministries that bring hope, strength, and love to anyone seeking God's Grace and Salvation," Smith said while arguing that Malachi 3:10 requires Christians to tithe.
Henderson's message drew criticism online, with some believing that the pastor was attempting to manipulate his followers to give him as much money as possible.
"What Keion Henderson is preaching is not of God. This is blasphemy," wrote Dallas Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. on X. "Preaching well and being true to God are not one and the same. This man wants your money. He is not trying to save souls."
What Keion Henderson is preaching is not of God. This is blasphemy....
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 9, 2024
Preaching well and being true to God are not one and the same.
This man wants your money. He is not trying to save souls@Myron_Hardy https://t.co/BNzJUl3EW0
Meanwhile, John Wesley of Truth Unveiling Ministries contended that Henderson's message contradicts Scripture.
"He was better off saying just give me your money than coming up with something that does not coincide with the text," Wesley said while citing Acts 20:35.
The Scripture states: "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Wesley noted that Henderson was hypocritical in his teachings since he recently claimed that God told him his followers would give him $4.4 million in three weeks. Henderson also claimed that after Hurricane Beryl caused $20 million in damage to three of his church's four campuses this summer, God told him He damaged the churches so he could rebuild facilities twice as big.
"God gave me a vision, and He said we can do it in 21 days. I'm asking 2,100 people to give $2,100 in the next 21 days, and what we're calling it is 'Out of the Harbor,'" Henderson said. "I call you from California. I call you from New York. I call you from Florida. I call you from the U.K. I call you from Africa to join us in our call to action: 2,100 people, $2,100, 21 days, to kickstart our efforts to get back into our building."
When asked whether God delivered the $4.4 million in three weeks, Smith replied that the church "received a generous outpouring."
"After the launch of the Out of the Harbor campaign, we received a generous outpouring from our members, as well as friends around the world. We are grateful for their love and support in our seasons of resilience, revival, and rejoicing," Smith said.
Wesley said it would be outrageous for Henderson to preach this kind of a message now, especially that so many people are suffering from storm damage around the country.
"The truth of the matter is, it's all about the money. There's people right now who are suffering due to the storms. Why would you tell people that there's no blessing in giving to the poor? Who do you think the Gospel was preached to throughout the text? Our Lord, He helped the poor people," Wesley argued.
"When He blessed them, He [didn't] look for anything in return. The Lord said, 'When I was hungry, you didn't feed Me.' He was speaking to the goats, the people who pretended like they had love, but they didn't show any compassion towards the poor."
Wesley quoted from Proverbs 19:17 to criticize Henderson's message, which states: "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Keion Henderson
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.