I am not sure how familiar you are with the prosperity “gospel” movement. I put gospel in quotes for the prosperity “gospel” is, in truth, no gospel at all. The prosperity “gospel” teaches that true Christian faith results in material wealth and physical well-being. It teaches that God wants only for you to be happy and “financially stable.” Doesn’t sound too bad right? I mean who wouldn’t want a God who would want me to be happy, healthy, and wealthy? Is there a problem? You bet.
The problem is the god of the prosperity teachers is not the God of the Bible. Does God want us to be happy? Sure. In fact, Psalm 1 teaches a lot about the “blessed” or “happy” man. However, do you believe God is more concerned with our temporal happiness or our holiness? You see, there are times when our temporary happiness is put aside for the sake of our holiness (Make sure you know what I mean by holiness. What I mean by holiness is Christlikeness. Put simply, God is more concerned about our Christlikeness than our wealth, health, and happiness. Are you willing to sacrifice these things for the sake of holiness? I encourage you to read of the life of Christ in the Gospels and Paul’s short bio in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27. Does this add up to prosperity teaching?
The people who teach this false gospel are as those Peter warned of saying, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” These are wolves in sheep’s’ clothing. Do not be deceived, friends. This subject hits closer to home than you may expect. There are prosperity teachers very near. You may have received a letter from one of them in the mail. In fact, some of you may even have the mindset that if we please God then He will bless us with riches or good health. You may have believed if you just do the right thing then God will return the favor. Do not be deceived. There are real blessings from God, including blessings of money and good health. But to God, these are not primary concerns. “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16).
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.” Billy Graham
It is my hope that you become familiar with the prosperity gospel, so that you may avoid it, rebuke those who teach it, and guard you hearts from falling into its pitfall. There are two videos I would like you to see. The first is to get you familiar with what the prosperity “gospel” is all about. The second is a grand rebuke against the prosperity “gospel” by Pastor John Piper.
