There are
two
different
types of
“prosperity
gospels,”
one being
espoused by
many
television
evangelists
who are all
competing
for your
hard earned
money. And
then there
is God’s
prosperity
gospel. They
are not the
same! It is
important
that you
understand
the
difference
between the
two.
The
prosperity
gospel as
taught by
the TV
evangelists
is also
sometimes
called,
“plant a
seed”
doctrine.
Both are a
means of
getting you
to send them
and their
organizations
money for
which they
claim you
will receive
in return,
many times
over what
you send
them. They
are very
good to
always back
up their
claims by
quoting
Scripture
passages
which are
all taken
out of
context, or
conditional
quotes based
on another
passage that
they
conveniently
leave out.
For example,
a highly
abused
biblical
passage is
this one:
“And you
shall know
the truth,
and the
truth shall
set you
free” (John
8:32).
The
conditional
phrase is
left out:
“If you
abide in My
word, you
are My
disciples
indeed”
(John 8:31).
Verse 32 is
conditional
in that
there is a
condition in
knowing what
the truth
is.
Knowing the
truth means
that we are
His
disciples
and we
follow Him
and His
Word. In
other words,
the “truth”
isn’t just
floating
around for
anyone to
find; it
must be
found in the
light of
Christ. So
what we see
is a text
taken out of
context
becoming a
pretext. The
paragraph
quoted can
have a
completely
different
meaning
unless it is
read in
context with
the
surrounding
passages.
Applying
this false
ideology to
the “plant a
seed”
doctrine,
money hungry
evangelists
often quote
these
biblical
passages:
“The sower
sows
the Word of
God….and
these are
they by the
wayside,
where the
seed is
sown; but
when they
have heard,
Satan comes
immediately
and takes
away the
word that
was sown in
their
hearts…and
these are
they
likewise
which are
sown on a
stony
ground; who,
when they
have heard
the word,
immediately
receive it
with
gladness.
And have no
root within
themselves,
and so
endure but
for a time:
afterward,
when
affliction
or
persecution
arises
because of
the word
that was
sown,
immediately
they are
offended and
these are
they which
are sown
among
thorns; such
as hear the
word and the
cares of
this world,
the
deceitfulness
of riches,
and the
lusts of
other things
entering in,
choke the
word, and it
becomes
unfruitful
and these
are they
which are
sown on good
ground, such
as hear the
word, and
receive it,
and bring
forth fruit,
some
thirty fold,
some sixty,
and some an
hundred”
(Mark
4:14-20,
emphasis
added).
So, in
context,
it is clear
that the
seed is the
Word of God,
not money!
Another very
popular
biblical
passage
quoted out
of context:
“Bring ye
all the
tithes into
the
storehouse,
that there
may be meat
in mine
house, and
prove me now
herewith,
saith the
LORD of
hosts, if I
will not
open you the
windows of
heaven, and
pour you out
a blessing,
that there
shall not be
room enough to
receive it”
(Malachi
3:10).
By reading
the passages
from Malachi
BEFORE this,
we find that
Malachi was
referring to
“livestock”
as the tithe
and not
money. The
Lord was not
accepting
the people’s
offerings
because the
livestock
was of poor
quality.
They had
visible
defects, and
thus, were
not fit to
be
sacrificed
before the
Lord. The
dishonesty
of the
people had
brought a
curse in the
failure of
their crops
and the
suffering
which
necessarily
followed.
Malachi was
reminding
the people
to repent,
and bring
the full
tithe into
the
storehouse,
and God,
would in
return, send
rain from
heaven to
sustain
their crops
and fields.
Now does all
this mean we
should NOT
tithe our
money? Of
course not,
tithing is
but ONE
means of
honoring God
and obeying
Him. One
cannot
merely tithe
his money,
faithfully
even, and
expect God
to grant him
health,
wealth, and
happiness in
return IF in
his heart he
is still
harboring or
actually
committing
other
grievous
sins. God
expects us
to give Him
our best
effort.
Notice, I
said
“effort.” We
are still
human, and
no matter
how hard we
try to
follow God
and keep His
commandments,
we still
fall short
of that
goal. But,
we must
try to
do our best,
and be quick
to ask Him
for His
forgiveness
when we do
fail, which
will happen.
Let me try
to bring
this thought
“home” so to
speak. Let’s
say that you
faithfully
tithe your
money…give
God the
first ten
percent of
everything
you
make…faithfully
attend
church as
often as
possible,
treat
everyone
with
kindness and
generosity,
etc., but
you are not
married to
the one you
are living
with. In
other words,
you are
committing
fornication
in God’s
eyes. Or
perhaps, you
just refuse
to quit
cheating a
tad in your
business
ethics, or
you are a
reckless
drunkard, or
you curse
like
Barnacle
Bill, the
sailor…the
list goes
on. You get
the point:
One cannot
hold back on
God IF he is
a true
Christian,
and expect
God to bless
his life in
every way.
You must
make every
effort to
Give God
your best.
Now having
said this,
what is
God’s
prosperity
gospel? To
find the
answer we
must go to
Deuteronomy,
the fifth
book of the
Bible. But
first, I
want the
reader to
understand
that God is
the same
today as He
was 4000
years ago,
and if we’re
still around
another 4000
years from
now, He’ll
be the same
then as
well.
“Jesus
Christ is
the same
today,
yesterday,
and forever”
(Hebrews
13:8).
Meaning, if
God said it
yesterday,
He still
means it
today. Now,
let us see
what
Deuteronomy
teaches.
The truth is
that
obedience to
God brings
blessings to
us. That is
a primary
principle in
what it
means to be
a child of
God. Failure
to
understand
this basic
principle
and
implement it
is to
forfeit
God’s BEST
in your
life. If you
obey the
Lord, you
show your
love for
Him. It is
often the
case that
Christian’s
get out of
fellowship
with God and
no longer
fully trust
Him. If you
have trust
and faith in
God, you
will obey
Him.
ILLUSTRATION:
I have a
sweet, old
aunt who has
this kind of
trust and
faith. For a
short time,
I lived in
her
basement.
She lived
near the
Gulf of
Mexico in
Florida and
I remember
the time a
very bad
hurricane
was headed
our way. The
wind outside
was
screaming,
the huge
pine trees
in her yard
were swaying
to and fro,
and the rain
was pouring
down so hard
you could
barely see.
I
knew that
any minute a
giant tree
was going to
fall on the
house and
crush us or
we’d just
get blown
away.
I was
running
around like
a chicken
with its
head cut
off,
worrying
myself sick,
and what was
my dear
sweet aunt
doing?
She
was calmly
reading a
book. I
asked her
how she was
able to be
so calm and
relaxed in
the midst of
such a
terrible
storm? And
she merely
smiled and
replied,
“God knows
where I am.
Everything
will be
okay.”
We never
even lost
our power
that day and
night. The
next morning
I went out
expecting a
massive
clean-up job
of downed
trees and
limbs, and
bless my
soul, there
was almost
nothing on
the ground
needing
cleaning up.
A miracle?
You better
believe it!
If you go to
the doctor
and he tells
you that you
have a
particular
medical
problem and
prescribes
some
medicine for
you, you
take it.
That is
proof you
have faith
in him
because you
are willing
to do what
he tells
you. God is
our Creator.
He created
us and the
entire
universe. He
SPOKE it
into
existence.
Do you
really
believe
that? Proof
of that
would be to
trust Him
and do what
He says.
We say we
believe that
the Bible is
God’s Word,
but if we do
not live by
what God has
said, then
do we really
believe the
Bible is
God’s Word?
You can
believe that
God exists
with head
knowledge,
but that’s
not what I’m
saying here.
If you don’t
follow your
doctor’s
instructions,
you don’t
believe him
and you have
no trust in
him and no
faith
either.
Likewise,
you have no
faith or
trust in God
until you do
what He
tells you.
Another
illustration:
General
George
Patton was
once asked
what he
thought of
the Bible.
He replied,
“I read it
every”
(BLANKY,
BLANK DAY).
There is no
magic in
just reading
the Bible.
A lot
of folks
read the
Bible, and
are totally
lost in sin,
and will go
to hell when
they die.
God’s
blessings
come when we
apply His
Word to our
lives.
Knowing the
principles
of the Bible
does not
bring God’s
blessings.
If we do not
apply them,
it is simply
a mental
exercise.
Yet, if we,
with our
hearts,
truly trust
the Lord,
then we will
apply the
Word to our
lives, and
then the
Holy Spirit
blesses and
guides us.
But do not
expect God
to bless you
if you don’t
live as He
says—which
means to
live a
decent
respectable
abundant and
happy life.
He will
allow you
live as you
want to.
However,
don’t expect
to live a
happy and
productive
life. Don’t
expect to
win over to
Christ your
family and
friends who
are lost and
on their way
to hell.
Don’t expect
God to
answer your
prayers, and
don’t be
alarmed when
God begins
to chasten
you to
correct your
sin.
In
Deuteronomy
11:8-15, God
promised the
early
Israelites a
blessing. In
verse 8, He
told them to
keep God’s
commandments,
and they
would be
strong. In
verse 9, He
told them
keep God’s
commandments,
and their
days would
be
prolonged.
In verse 13,
He told them
to
diligently
obey God.
That means
with great
attention
and energy.
What then,
was God’s
promise?
(1) I
will send
you rain.
(2) I
will send
you grass in
your fields.
God says our material prosperity is tied to our obedience to Him.
If you do
not do what
God says,
then do not
be upset by
the trouble
that will
come your
way.
God
loves us too
much to let
us continue
on in
disobedience
to Him. Just
as loving
earthly
fathers
punish their
children in
order to
teach them
to behave
correctly
our loving
heavenly
Father does
likewise to
His
children.
So, what is
the
conclusion?
God is still
the same
today as He
was in
ancient
Israel’s
day. He
promised to
bless them
IF they
obeyed Him.
And, He will
bless us
today IF we
obey Him.
Obedience
brings
blessings.
Disobedience
brings a
loss of
fellowship
with God and
trouble down
on you. What
will it be
for you? A
blessing or
God’s
chastisement?
It is
entirely up
to YOU. God
wants to
bless you,
but you have
to let Him.
Now this
will not
work for you
if you are
not a true
born-again
Christian.
You must
trust God to
save you
from your
sins, repent
of them,
believe on
His son,
Jesus, who
died for
you, and
turn to Him
for
salvation.
“For God so
loved the
World, that
He gave His
only
begotten Son
that
whosoever
believes on
Him, should
not perish,
but have
everlasting
life” (John
3:16).
Choose
today,
tomorrow is
not promised
to anyone.
Bill Cruce
BillCruce@outlook.com