Prosperity Preaching

I'm curious to know what my Brothers and Sisters thoughts are on 'Prosperity preaching'.

I have often heard it said that if one does not drive a certain car, or own expensive items they have no faith. I believe they call it 'making God visible'

My view is that the things worthwhile are treasures that are stored up where nothing can corrupt them. Material items will not be passing through the fire, and well, we can't take them with us!!.

The Lord has been exceedingly generous with my family, and never let us down. I am so thankful that He cares about even the smallest thing that may concern us. What an honour!
Indeed let the poor say I am rich!

Blessings

Basically, I believe it's a bunch of junk.

Imagine preaching the "Properity Message" in Third World Countries. Imagine, standing in front of homeless, starving people, telling them that God wants them to drive nice cars and have big houses...and have lots of money.

Sorry, doesn't cut it. The gospel, and any true Word of God, should be able to be preached anywhere.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

God Bless!

The prosperity churches in America are the epicenter of a great delusion. Have nothing to do with them except rebuking them. Surely in the near future their vanity will become clear even to the believers caught in their delusion.

In the second century Aristides wrote to the Roman emperor about the Christians...a people who were known to fast 2-3 days to provide food for those who had no food at all.

How patient God is with the modern church...millions of people starve to death, or dies from lack of basic health provisions while hundreds of millions of dollars go to provide media empires for a few powerful ministers.

Do not share in their denial of the Gospel, except to rebuke them out of concern for their souls. And to the saints that are in their churches I think it is appropriate to plead with them to repent of their vanity and come out from among them.

We should call one another to be sober, to walk worthy of the Lord, to be fruitful in every good work. Living accordingly by faith is incompatible with obsession over wealth and self-preservation. The prosperity preachers boast of faith and indeed the just shall live by faith...but not for abiding in earthly comfort while others suffer but abiding in Christ's rich mercy even while the mountains of this world be cast into the sea!

Blessings,

MC

joyinjesus8 wrote:

I have often heard it said that if one does not drive a certain car, or own expensive items they have no faith. I believe they call it 'making God visible'

When I hear things like this I think "Well then I guess John the Baptist missed it"
It's such a shallow unbiblical teaching. I am right now reading "Our Sufficiency in Christ" By MacArthur....good stuff

Scripture does not line up with their teaching. They are for the most part heretical in their teachings and besmirch the name of Christ. Their gospel is "another gospel" that will not bring hope to most people in the world but will bring condemnation to most seeking a relationship with Christ because they are poor and destitute. The words of Christ are not spoken by these people.
Mark 10:21

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

and Luke 18:22

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

and James 5:3 is a harsh rebuke

Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Rev 3:17-18 is also appropriate

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

God I pray you give me your Gold, your white garments and eye salve that I may see your will for my life.

I believe Sentry said it just right. I have a friend who says " how does it preach on the streets of Calcutta or in the Sudan?". Very good questions. If it doesn't preach there it doesn't preach.

I don't want to say however that rich people are exempt from the Kingdom. I believe that there are some (a few) people who God allows to have money so they can be conduits to those in need. In that case the money doesn't have them, God does. These people won't be living in extravagence when other people in the body are suffering. They give out of their abundance so nobody has too much or nobody has too little.

I will tell you one. My brother-in-law is a doctor. He raised his children and adopted three from south america. He gives and gives and lives a modest lifestyle. Nothing fancy. He is a man with abundance that distributes that abundance. He is a true man of God.

Scripture does not line up with their teaching

Seeing that scripture is the Authority on everything, lets turn this around... and say their teaching doesnt line up with Scripture.

Point taken and I agree. Hastily put together, thanks for the correction.

Sentry wrote:
Imagine preaching the "Properity Message" in Third World Countries. Imagine, standing in front of homeless, starving people, telling them that God wants them to drive nice cars and have big houses...and have lots of money.

Mike

1 Timothy 6
"Teach and urge these things. 3If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9But 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. 10For 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."

I would love for a prosperity teacher to deliver a sermon on these verses.

I think that "prosperity preachers" need to read the book of Hebrews over, and over, and over, and over, and over. Well ya'll get the point.

I have heard preachers use Hebrews "better" to mean...better health, car, job, etc...

it's sick and angering
I even tell people who love this preaching that I don't agree that poverty is God's will or even that Christians have been "tricked" into being poor or a necessity of poverty...but we need to preach the truth and prosperity preaching is far from truth it's a message that Satan loves...and God fearing Christians will have no part in such a message

Goldminer wrote:

I don't want to say however that rich people are exempt from the Kingdom. I believe that there are some (a few) people who God allows to have money so they can be conduits to those in need.

I agree 100%.

I know a few people that are blessed, and are yet givers, and sacrifice their time and money toward the Kingdom of God.

What a blessing you sweet souls are. Being a little nervous in posting the subject, I was not sure what to expect. Thank you for your wonderful replies.

When we bought our car we did pray over what we needed. The Lord provided that right down to the last small detail. No it's not a BMW :-P but a simple vehicle for the conditions we live in. I posted this because my doctor (and a wonderful brother in the Lord)keeps asking us when we are going to buy a decent car. The funny thing is that he comes from the Congo - but unfortunately has got all caught up with the prosperity thing. We sponser children in Ethiopia and Uganda so understand their living conditions a little.

It is thrilling to be amongst such likeminded souls, and I once again thank the Lord for finding this place.

Blessings