3 John 2
I spent many of the early years of my ministry attacking while I preached. What I mean by that is that I felt that part of the job of a gospel preacher was to be a sheriff against all of the ills of the pulpit. If someone preached something that I didn’t think was right, I felt that I had an obligation to go after not only the message but in some cases, the man behind the message.
There are so many things wrong with that that I won’t even begin to list them, but I will point out that oftentimes I was attacking things that I did not understand. As well, I was going after things that I had not even studied. I was preaching from the angle of what my circle of influence had taught me was right, and I was interpreting the Bible the same way. This is a dangerous and loose way to live and preach because it has no room for you to change your mind and even less room to be wrong.
I can’t put my finger on the moment that it changed, but I thank God that it did! He brought a revelation of His love to me and I have never been the same. I know now that I know very little and that is more liberating than I ever imagined that it could be.
One of the messages that I hammered hard against, and yet never studied, was the message of the “prosperity gospel”. First of all, I believe that term is misleading. There is no “gospel” (good news), but the “gospel of Jesus Christ”. The prosperity message is not the gospel, only Jesus’ finished work is the gospel. In that case, the question should probably be phrased, “What is the ‘prosperity message’?”
The Bible is decidedly clear that God wants you to prosper. John prayed for the reader of his third epistle to “prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (verse 2). He had a solid confidence that the soul of a believer is prosperous, not because of their works, but because of Jesus’ works. He desired that every other area of their life line up with their souls.
Paul told the church that if we will receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that we should reign in this life through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). This says nothing of reigning in heaven, but rather on this earth. The believer was not saved to simply look forward to dying! We were saved to have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
I shrank away (and still do for that matter), from people placing the emphasis on what we get out of Christianity, rather than on Jesus and His finished work. Much of the prosperity preaching and teaching focuses the believer on the results of the covenant rather than on the Jesus of the covenant. We need not look toward what Jesus can give but rather toward Jesus as the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
God wants you prosperous, and He wants you to reign in this life, but He wants YOU even more! Seek the righteousness that is found only in knowing Christ and all of these other things will be added to you. True, biblical prosperity lies in exposing the believer to a constant stream of the love of God, showing the loveliness of Christ, and glorifying His finished work. Accept this, and ready yourself for God’s prosperity.
I spent many of the early years of my ministry attacking while I preached. What I mean by that is that I felt that part of the job of a gospel preacher was to be a sheriff against all of the ills of the pulpit. If someone preached something that I didn’t think was right, I felt that I had an obligation to go after not only the message but in some cases, the man behind the message.
There are so many things wrong with that that I won’t even begin to list them, but I will point out that oftentimes I was attacking things that I did not understand. As well, I was going after things that I had not even studied. I was preaching from the angle of what my circle of influence had taught me was right, and I was interpreting the Bible the same way. This is a dangerous and loose way to live and preach because it has no room for you to change your mind and even less room to be wrong.
I can’t put my finger on the moment that it changed, but I thank God that it did! He brought a revelation of His love to me and I have never been the same. I know now that I know very little and that is more liberating than I ever imagined that it could be.
One of the messages that I hammered hard against, and yet never studied, was the message of the “prosperity gospel”. First of all, I believe that term is misleading. There is no “gospel” (good news), but the “gospel of Jesus Christ”. The prosperity message is not the gospel, only Jesus’ finished work is the gospel. In that case, the question should probably be phrased, “What is the ‘prosperity message’?”
The Bible is decidedly clear that God wants you to prosper. John prayed for the reader of his third epistle to “prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (verse 2). He had a solid confidence that the soul of a believer is prosperous, not because of their works, but because of Jesus’ works. He desired that every other area of their life line up with their souls.
Paul told the church that if we will receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that we should reign in this life through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). This says nothing of reigning in heaven, but rather on this earth. The believer was not saved to simply look forward to dying! We were saved to have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
I shrank away (and still do for that matter), from people placing the emphasis on what we get out of Christianity, rather than on Jesus and His finished work. Much of the prosperity preaching and teaching focuses the believer on the results of the covenant rather than on the Jesus of the covenant. We need not look toward what Jesus can give but rather toward Jesus as the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
God wants you prosperous, and He wants you to reign in this life, but He wants YOU even more! Seek the righteousness that is found only in knowing Christ and all of these other things will be added to you. True, biblical prosperity lies in exposing the believer to a constant stream of the love of God, showing the loveliness of Christ, and glorifying His finished work. Accept this, and ready yourself for God’s prosperity.
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