"The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life."
This is just the reason why we are facing an attempt by Uncle Sam to circumvent an American economic meltdown by providing a $700 billion bailout plan to Wall Street.
This is a mess caused by greed and the LOVE OF MONEY.
There I said it: THE LOVE OF MONEY. Take that prosperity preachers!
And you remember what the LOVE OF MONEY is right?
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10
Many griefs. That's nice. As a nation, we are now looking down the shotgun barrell of many griefs.
What's up with the greed, anyhow? Why is there a bailout now? Didn't ANYBODY see this coming?
Of course they did, but since their pockets were being lined with dirty money, they turned their cheeks away from the financial disaster looming on the horizon.
Where was the church during all this?
Some cried to the people to get out of debt. Some obliged.
Others followed the world's lead in its lust for things and money.
Preachers became the poster children of wealth and affluence.
Congregants gave beyond their means to supply celebrity ministries life changing amounts of cash.
Money and the things money could buy became the measure of spirituality.
Poverty became the worst sin a person could fall into.
This is sick.
The church has raised a generation of people that believe true prosperity is found in the amount of stuff they have.
Prosperity is not linked to stuff.
If you have alot of stuff and are in debt over your butt, YOU ARE NOT PROSPERING.
Its like losing weight due to a tape worm. The pounds may come off but your body is sick.
Our god has become money.
Our trust is in the cheap stuff we buy on the market.
That's right: CHEAP! I don't care how much it costs.
Your Bentley and your mansion are CHEAP compared to the wealth of godly character.
A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1
But where is our character?
We are a nation and a church without character.
But we won't be that way for long.
The fires of adversity have a way of forging strong character.
And there's a $700 billion fire being stoked right now.
7 comments:
This is so right. What a world I live in.
It could not have been said any better.
Throughout church history there has been many injustices, and abuses. Discipleship & submission are two of them, as well as many more, but it doesn't negate the truth. 2 Cor. 8:9 says "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." Psalm 35:27b "Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant."
Prosperity is part of what was provided for us through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross. Prosperity should be taught just as much as healing, deliverance, abundant life, and all the covenant promises that have been given us. If this truth is not taught, the enemy's lies of lack and destruction will have preeminence, but Jesus said "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly" - John 10:10.
It cost $$ to proclaim the gospel. Would you, as a minister, turn down a million $ check donated to your church? Money itself is not evil, but the love or lust after money is the root of all evil. We will not need money in heaven, but we do need it now on earth to do the work of the ministry. If the prosperity message is not taught correctly, God's people will remain in want, because their lack of faith and understanding of the Word of God in this area will prevent them from becoming able to prosper. If the body of Christ does not prosper, the church will not prosper either. If the church does not prosper, it remains ineffective to obey Jesus command to go and teach all nations.
There may be issues with some of the messengers, but the message of prosperity still remains true.
Hi Chuck,
By prosperity, I assume you mean being rich and affluent. If that is the case, I find it hard to reconcile that the Jesus who said in Matthew 19:24 that is is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a RICH man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the Jesus who told us in Matthew 6:19-20 to not lay up for ourselves TREASURES on earth, is the same Jesus who died on the cross for us to have lots and lots of money (your version of prosperity).
All in all you are justifying the pursuit of riches with noble (yet unrealistic) aspirations ('get rich to fund the work of the church').
The scriptures do not tell us to get rich to fund the gospel.
It tells us to give what we have.
Getting rich to give is a sham; a carrot in the proverbial stick.
We need money, yes. I did not say money was evil. I said the love of money was evil.
Prosperity is not evil. Greed is evil. No one should live in poverty and squalor.
You closed by mentioning that if the church does not 'prosper' (have lots of money) then it will be ineffective to obey the command of Jesus for us to go and teach all nations.
In reality, Jesus said to wait for power from on high in order to fulfill the great commision. He did not tell us to wait for 'money and riches' from on high.
No, I don't mean being rich and affluent,but being able to meet your obligations, to give to every good work and to leave an inheritance for your family. The Bible does say seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things that you will need to prosper on earth will be added.
I just think that you need to teach people that God wants them to prosper and be in health even as their soul prospers.
My parents raised me with a
proverty mentality. Just a little cabin over in Glory Land is all I could hope for or expect. It took the revelation of God's Word in this area for me to even believe that Jesus came to give me life and life more abundantly.
His power was given on the day of Pentacost. I am not waiting for the power or the anointing, because it is already here. But in the society that we live in, it takes $$ to be able to travel, go on TV, have teaching materials, meeting places, outreach & ministry to the poor, etc.
There does need to be balance. It is okay to have riches, as long as the riches don't have you. We just don't need to "throw out the baby with the bath water".
When we search our heart and motives and they line up with the word of God; then we will understand true prosperity. Money will not be a problem nor will debt.
When our motives are based on word of God and our heart desire to obey the word; then we will not have a problem with money or debt.
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