Prosperity in Christ
A lot has been said about the evils of the so called “prosperity gospel”, in jesusfreaks ”jesusfreaks” and there are those pastors after the money for sure in some cases, but Christian prosperity in itself is biblical quite frankly.
Just read Deuteronomy 30.
We might be the poorest mice, but actually as Christians we are still very prosperous in that we ALL have provision from the Lord every day.
I firmly believe this principle is sound: Giving to others does beget God's favour. It’s what we are called to do.
But in giving we need to sow wisely. We should sow into ground that will produce fruit: A worthy mission perhaps, a poor widow, a hungry person, or a ministry that you know can benefit from a tithe for example. God forbid a ministry or mission cannot start because people don’t give enough!
Also money is only one thing we are able to give. We can give our time, our compassion, and our love too right?
A personal reflection:
As someone who does tithe regularly, God has blessed me amazingly from a financial perspective. It’s sometimes hard to give 10% or more of what I earn, especially when I didn’t know if I could cover all my bills. When I struggled and begrudgingly tithed, knowing it was the right thing to do, I battled to make ends meet. I eventually learned that it was not my money anyway, and I ought to give, trusting in God to get me and the family through the month. He came through for me, moreover we lacked nothing.
Importantly the act of giving up a big chunk of my income keeps it real for me, even now -I don’t say this to blow my own trumpet, but rather to tell you as a “non-benefitting” Christian, this is the right thing to do -I free myself from the love of money by giving it away- I lose the anxiety of needing to hold onto it for some silly eventuality. I later learned that having insurance too is not trusting in God: If God wants to take my house or possessions away let me not get in His way with me! After all, it is his provision which sustains me. This insurance thing is a trick of the devil.
I believe the Lord has blessed me financially, because I am a responsible steward of His money. The parable of the talents comes to mind. I enjoy making it multiply, this way I can give more away and help even more people.
I seriously believe that people who cannot or are unable to give away at least 10% of their income have an issue with money, I dare say, a love of it. Oddly it is often those with nothing who give more freely because they are not bound by it. These people are rich!
Those who feel they cannot afford it, or commiserate in being poor like Jesus are frankly living a poverty mentality. Jesus was NOT poor, He merely did not show us His riches. Not that He needs to, He is the creator of the universe after all! He identified with the poor so He could make them rich - In Salvation- but also in every way, according to God’s purpose. He identified with the sick so they could be healed; and we should be doing the same, not whining about how bad things are and looking for sympathy and false piousness because of how much we are suffering. The glory of God is real, and everything pales against it.
We need to be like Jesus, who OVERCAME everything, not a bunch of holier than thou people who cannot afford to help people in need because we don’t have enough money to do so or are working too hard to have the time availible.
Who are the real slaves here? Those of us who:
A) Work 18 hours per day, and are too tired and poor and sickly to help others, saying we are suffering like Jesus; or
B) Make the time and resources available to actually do something to help others despite of how we feel or what we may look like in others eyes?
I get so bemused seeing at people blaming others like Benny Hinn or Joyce Meyer (to name two that I have listened to), saying they suck the money from other for their own use. What nonsense! You who are so quick to judge and label ministries as prosperity gospel, take that plank out of your eye, and just look at how much these two have done for other people around the world. How many have come to know Jesus, how many have been financially uplifted by these two people? What other things have we not seen that they have done but not told us because it would take away glory from God and put it on themselves instead if they did so?
I am not saying we will all be healthy, wealthy and happy. But we are already these things in Jesus anyway (aren’t we???), despite everything that happens to us, because we are dead to sin but alive in Christ. We have been born again. Let’s stop nit-picking and move onto the white harvest fields, there are millions who are lost, alone, poor and needy and there are only a few of us to do all this work. Don’t be caught with your pants down playing the blame game, let’s get on with what we have been commanded, The great commission.
Oh, and give away what God has given to you because you can, after all, despite everything you are an ambassador of Christ Jesus and should act like one.
Just read Deuteronomy 30.
We might be the poorest mice, but actually as Christians we are still very prosperous in that we ALL have provision from the Lord every day.
I firmly believe this principle is sound: Giving to others does beget God's favour. It’s what we are called to do.
But in giving we need to sow wisely. We should sow into ground that will produce fruit: A worthy mission perhaps, a poor widow, a hungry person, or a ministry that you know can benefit from a tithe for example. God forbid a ministry or mission cannot start because people don’t give enough!
Also money is only one thing we are able to give. We can give our time, our compassion, and our love too right?
A personal reflection:
As someone who does tithe regularly, God has blessed me amazingly from a financial perspective. It’s sometimes hard to give 10% or more of what I earn, especially when I didn’t know if I could cover all my bills. When I struggled and begrudgingly tithed, knowing it was the right thing to do, I battled to make ends meet. I eventually learned that it was not my money anyway, and I ought to give, trusting in God to get me and the family through the month. He came through for me, moreover we lacked nothing.
Importantly the act of giving up a big chunk of my income keeps it real for me, even now -I don’t say this to blow my own trumpet, but rather to tell you as a “non-benefitting” Christian, this is the right thing to do -I free myself from the love of money by giving it away- I lose the anxiety of needing to hold onto it for some silly eventuality. I later learned that having insurance too is not trusting in God: If God wants to take my house or possessions away let me not get in His way with me! After all, it is his provision which sustains me. This insurance thing is a trick of the devil.
I believe the Lord has blessed me financially, because I am a responsible steward of His money. The parable of the talents comes to mind. I enjoy making it multiply, this way I can give more away and help even more people.
I seriously believe that people who cannot or are unable to give away at least 10% of their income have an issue with money, I dare say, a love of it. Oddly it is often those with nothing who give more freely because they are not bound by it. These people are rich!
Those who feel they cannot afford it, or commiserate in being poor like Jesus are frankly living a poverty mentality. Jesus was NOT poor, He merely did not show us His riches. Not that He needs to, He is the creator of the universe after all! He identified with the poor so He could make them rich - In Salvation- but also in every way, according to God’s purpose. He identified with the sick so they could be healed; and we should be doing the same, not whining about how bad things are and looking for sympathy and false piousness because of how much we are suffering. The glory of God is real, and everything pales against it.
We need to be like Jesus, who OVERCAME everything, not a bunch of holier than thou people who cannot afford to help people in need because we don’t have enough money to do so or are working too hard to have the time availible.
Who are the real slaves here? Those of us who:
A) Work 18 hours per day, and are too tired and poor and sickly to help others, saying we are suffering like Jesus; or
B) Make the time and resources available to actually do something to help others despite of how we feel or what we may look like in others eyes?
I get so bemused seeing at people blaming others like Benny Hinn or Joyce Meyer (to name two that I have listened to), saying they suck the money from other for their own use. What nonsense! You who are so quick to judge and label ministries as prosperity gospel, take that plank out of your eye, and just look at how much these two have done for other people around the world. How many have come to know Jesus, how many have been financially uplifted by these two people? What other things have we not seen that they have done but not told us because it would take away glory from God and put it on themselves instead if they did so?
I am not saying we will all be healthy, wealthy and happy. But we are already these things in Jesus anyway (aren’t we???), despite everything that happens to us, because we are dead to sin but alive in Christ. We have been born again. Let’s stop nit-picking and move onto the white harvest fields, there are millions who are lost, alone, poor and needy and there are only a few of us to do all this work. Don’t be caught with your pants down playing the blame game, let’s get on with what we have been commanded, The great commission.
Oh, and give away what God has given to you because you can, after all, despite everything you are an ambassador of Christ Jesus and should act like one.