When Grace Becomes a Commodity: The Merchandisation of the Gospel

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was never intended to be a commodity to be traded, priced, or exploited for personal gain. From its earliest proclamation, the message of salvation was offered freely, anchored in grace and truth. Yet, in many contemporary Christian spaces, particularly within charismatic and prophetic movements, there is growing concern that the grace of God is being abused, manipulated, and turned into a tool for covetousness, exploitation, and even criminal misconduct.

A recent reflection by a preacher captures the danger vividly. He recounts joking with a friend who had bought a Toyota Hilux and remarking that he liked the vehicle. The friend immediately offered to hand over the keys. In that moment, the preacher says he “heard in his heart covetousness.” He admitted that there are more than ten people who, if he asked for such a car, would give it without hesitation. Yet, he described this not as a blessing, but as an “abuse of grace.”

“If I come here today and say it is hard,” he continued, “before this service is over, more than a hundred people will look for my account number and credit it.” But he insisted that this would still be wrong. “I was not sent here to announce to the world that it is hard. I was sent here to preach Christ,” he stated.

This confession exposes a troubling reality. The spiritual authority granted to ministers can easily be weaponised to stir emotional giving, not by divine instruction, but by subtle manipulation.

The line between generosity inspired by love and generosity induced by pressure is often deliberately blurred. When preachers repeatedly declare, “If God is laying it on your heart,” while simultaneously emphasising their own needs, they are not hearing from God; they are, in the preacher’s words, “just merchandising the gospel.”

Scripture speaks clearly against this. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17, KJV). To corrupt the word of God is to dilute it with personal interests and to preach for gain rather than for transformation.

Even fasting, a sacred spiritual discipline, has not been spared this distortion. The preacher lamented sarcastically, “Prophet has not eaten. Be fasting now until food comes. That’s why fasting is part of the menu.”

What should be an act of humility and devotion becomes a manipulative spectacle, subtly compelling followers to provide material relief for the prophet under the guise of spiritual exercise.

At the heart of this problem is covetousness and a lack of maturity in handling grace. “We don’t have maturity to handle grace,” the preacher said bluntly. “There are people that they are masters in the abuse of grace.” Grace, when misunderstood, becomes license. Instead of producing holiness, it produces entitlement; instead of humility, it breeds greed.

The Epistle of Jude addresses this danger with alarming clarity. “For there are certain men crept in unawares… ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (Jude 1:4, KJV). Lasciviousness here refers not only to sexual immorality but to unrestrained self-indulgence. Jude’s warning is not about outsiders attacking the faith; it is about insiders exploiting it.

One of the most disturbing manifestations of this abuse is the monetisation of prophetic ministry. The preacher described a scenario where a word of knowledge is given publicly, only for the recipient to be told privately, “Raise the sacrifice… you need to drop at least GH¢1,000 so that God can see your faith.” He did not mince words: “That’s a thief.”

This practice contradicts the very foundation of the Gospel. Jesus Himself instructed His disciples, “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8, KJV). When divine intervention is placed behind a paywall, faith is replaced with transaction, and God is misrepresented as a merchant rather than a Father.

Even more grievous are cases where vulnerable individuals are exploited under the pretext of deliverance. The preacher spoke of desperate women being instructed to come at midnight for “special prayers” to remove curses, only for these encounters to end in rape and immorality, followed by threats of silence. Such acts are not merely moral failures; they are criminal abuses clothed in religious language. “Why won’t such a ministry be destroyed?” he asked pointedly. “Is that a ministry?”

Jesus reserved His harshest words for religious leaders who exploited the weak. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer” (Matthew 23:14, KJV). The judgment of God, Scripture assures, does not overlook spiritual abuse.

This backdrop makes recent reports about Prophet Stephen Adom Kyei-Duah, leader of the Philadelphia Movement, particularly troubling. He has reportedly encouraged followers to sell their properties and purchase what he calls “Adom Nyame,” claiming it will usher them into divine favour and glory.

Such instructions, given during a New Year service before a massive congregation, raise serious theological and ethical questions. When spiritual advancement is tied to the sale of personal assets and the purchase of specific items, the Gospel risks being reduced to a spiritual marketplace.

True growth in grace, as the preacher emphasised, is not measured by how much one can extract from followers but by restraint. “Those who grow in grace, they refuse to turn it to lasciviousness. You don’t merchandise it. You don’t take undue advantage of it.” Grace matures believers to say no to exploitation, even when they have the power to demand yes.

The Apostle Peter echoed this standard for leadership: “Feed the flock of God which is among you… not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:2, KJV). When ministry becomes a pathway to luxury rather than service, it has departed from its biblical mandate.

The Gospel remains the power of God unto salvation, not a product to be sold. Any version of Christianity that thrives on fear, desperation, or financial coercion is a distortion of Christ’s message.

As the Church confronts these abuses, believers must return to discernment, Scripture, and the simplicity of Christ, lest grace, meant to save, becomes the very tool through which many are harmed.