The False Prosperity

The False Prosperity
The Prosperity Gospel, a false gospel proclaimed though the walls of American Christianity. What is the Prosperity Gospel, and how is it false? What are the dangers of following this gospel? These questions are questions that are not asked. The Prosperity gospel is like eating a wedding cake after a great steak dinner. Why would anyone question it? The Prosperity gospel is one of the most attractive gospels known to Christian America and one of the most destructive gospels ever preached.
What is the Prosperity Gospel? The Prosperity Gospel is a system of ask God and He will give. It’s a preaching of God gives health and wealth and nothing bad will happen to us if we believe in Christ. This sounds great, why would a loving God not give us health and wealth? Its questions like those that make Christians think about themselves and it’s all about me and what God can give to me. Here is the problem with this mode of thinking.
Satan is right if we follow the prosperity gospel. Job 1:9- 11 ,”9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. “
In this passage Satan is telling God, Job only loves you out of lust not true love. God blessed Job with everything, so therefore Job only loves God when Job gets what Job wants. So God knowing Job who was a God fearing man, said to Satan,
“ 12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”
God is now giving Satan permission to take everything away from Job accept his life; Proving to Satan that Job loves God even in the most broken times not because of health and wealth. Job through the battle proves God right. That Job loves God not out of lust but out of true love.
The dangers of the Prosperity Gospel is this; the Christian living in the Prosperity Gospel first holds to the values of its all about what God gives me. “It’s all about me, not about you” This becomes a danger because the Christian will lose focus on God but that is to say it was on God in the first place. God becomes the passenger of the car whose only job is to give gas money when the driver runs out of gas. In this Prosperity Gospel movement God becomes god and things become God. The Prosperity Christian will no longer follow God when things get tough because the Christian only loved God out of lust.
Looking into the lives of Christian Martyrs who do not live in America they truly understand Gods glory and sovereignty. Muslims who convert to Christianity will be killed by their own family, for their profession of Christ is Lord. These Christians do not have health and wealth they have faith and true love. They put God before things, before family, before health. God becomes the focus and they become the passenger. In the word of John the Apostle,” He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” John 3:30
The Prosperity Gospel does not teach Gods glory and sovereignty, they teach what God gives, and when it’s going to be given. It’s a very self centered gospel. Self centeredness leads to pride and that is what got Lucifer kicked out heaven. Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28. If it was pride and self centeredness that got Lucifer (Satan) kicked out of heaven, and the Prosperity Gospel preaches on the all about me type doctrine, that is proving that the Prosperity Gospel is not of God, for God, or by God. It is a man made doctrine.
The Prosperity Gospel is a self centered health and wealth all about me type doctrine. It is not the truth, it is not the Gospel, and it is not Christ centered. Many follow the Prosperity Gospel, many preach on its nature, and it’s not a message of truth. There are blessings from God, and there will be rewards in the New Heaven all thou not deserved. Blessings from God, rewards from God are for Gods glory. God must be first and we must be last, if a gospel preaches in contradiction to scripture it is a false doctrine.
Written by Christopher Lee 08/17/2009