Years ago, I attended a conference with a well known preacher, known for prosperity teaching. In his first sentences he said "Preachers, you don't need more God, you just need more money". My stomach turned but most everyone else enthusiastically shouted "amen". Recently, I heard another fellow preach from Ecclesiastes that "money answers all" or in his words "money is the answer for everything". He didn't seem to know he was quoting Solomon describing his own back-slidden folly and vain thoughts. And, my stomach turned.
I am all for the prosperity message. I am against people making a mess of it and this is one message that gets messed up often. Jesus said riches had deceitfulness in them, but the attitude some have is "who cares?". It seems that the promise of wealth will cause some people to overlook about anything. They will ignore context, meaning, greed, pride and arrogance when the promise of wealth grabs hold of them. In the Bible God said He would give the people the power to get wealth in order to establish the work of God, not to accumulate for the sake of having more. Jesus actually warned us not to lay up treasures here on earth, a warning unheeded by some prosperity types. I have heard some of these characters openly boast of their accumalated wealth and measure their spirituality by their accumulations. Jesus did promise us "abundant life" and no matter how often people try to equate that promise to money, the key word in that promise is life, not money. Life is about God, not money. Money does not equate to life nor has it ever, nor will it ever. If it did, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet would be running over with LIFE...but they are not.
Paul said he knew how to be abased (dirt poor) and how to abound (rolling in cash) and either state, he said he had learned to be content. You too just may have to attend both those same classes. Will you pass the test, being able to say it made no difference whether you had little or had plenty? Some leave God when the going gets tough and they fail the abased class. Some fail the abounding class. Their riches capture their heart. They began to rejoice over their mammon instead of their God. They make a mess!
I believe God wants His people to prosper and that He raises up people to teach us how to prosper. I also believe religion and the devil raises up those who will bring ruin to the message. For me, I love to pay my tithes and give my offerings. I have found I can not out give God. However, I will not be manipulated into giving by pity emotions or promises of great wealth. I heard one preacher say we should make friends with rich people and hang out with them more because they would give us more money. I would rather go hungry. I will not give to the crazy, flaky schemes seen so often often on religious television. When a man wants my money and brags about how much he already has, my cash stays with me. When a man ridicules those who have little, who can't even afford a nice meal at a restaurant, my cash stays with me.
Why write this blog? Because I know God does want us to prosper. That is a true and needful word from Scripture. God does not want us to surrender that truth. He also does not want us to be deceived by those who make a mess of the message. Be a giver but better yet, be a Spirit led giver. Don't be manipulated into giving by the glitter, gold, vain promises and crazy schemes. Don't let emotions or greed direct your giving. Let God direct it. Decide to sow and reap as a way of life, not as a way of getting rich quick.
