Discussion on Prosperity Theology

[Landon Caeli]

Anyone who has any information, please offer. I'm thinking of delving into financial prosperity, so naturally, I would like to learn more about this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Annie Proclivite]

Anyone who has any information, please offer. I'm thinking of delving into financial prosperity, so naturally, I would like to learn more about this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The term "prosperity theology" is a misnomer. It's a way to describe a style of preaching that places emphasis on living a good, prosperous life under Christ and shies away from sin and hellfire. I don't see a problem with such a style of preaching.

 

[Dave-W]

One bible teacher calls it "the gospel of opulent living."

 

[Dave-W]

I don't see a problem with such a style of preaching.

I do. It makes God into our task-boy. He is there to do our will instead of the other way around.

I am very familiar as I was in a WOF congregation for the 1990s.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I do think there is a Scriptural basis for prosperity, otherwise not many would be drawn to prosperity theology, however the problem is, those Scriptures are twisted, misinterpreted, and applied in non-Scriptural ways. I think prosperity in general falls within the scope of non-salvic "common" grace. How I recall from the Psalms David crying out along the lines of "why do the wicked prosper?" We see much of the same today, for example, the money generated from the inappropriate content industry which accounts for a large portion of the whole of the internet. Why do these wicked people prosper, why does God allow it? The same could be said of the global drug cartels. Their time is fleeting and a time of justice will come, their wealth adds to their judgement and shame.

 

[usexpat97]

Prosperity gospel is, to put it bluntly, infantile. It's okay to pray to God to make you rich, but such prayer comes from our own lack of perspective. And God (who is King of kings and Lord of lords--not Santa Claus) may not answer it in the way you would like.

This earth is a training ground. A brief shadow of things to come. It is the next life that is the real deal, and you can't take all your things with you. You take YOU with you, and that is what God is concerned about. If financial prosperity comes at the detriment of YOU, and hardship makes you a better you, then a good God will give you hardship. Try asking your drill sergeant at boot camp sometime to put you up in a Cancun resort, and see how that works out. Let alone what would happen if he actually did it and you later got sent to Vietnam.

Our immature selves simply lack God's perspective, of Lord over Heaven *AND* Earth.

 

[Landon Caeli]

I do. It makes God into our task-boy. He is there to do our will instead of the other way around.

I am very familiar as I was in a WOF congregation for the 1990s.

I've never cared about money much, personally. I'm pretty loose with it, and don't give it much thought.

...But lately, I've been thinking about using it to my advantage. Just wondering if there are any scriptural references to being wise with money, growing it, and putting energy into that -but I Don't want to walk into any evil traps either.

 

[Landon Caeli]

I make about 200,000 a year, and have for 10 years now, and i live in an apartment, and I have nothing to show for it. No nest egg. No property. No investments. No businesses... Nothing.

 

[Landon Caeli]

In fact, I care so little about money and finances, I'm actually in debt somehow...

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Just wondering if there are any scriptural references to being wise with money, growing it, and putting energy into that -but I Don't want to walk into any evil traps either.

1 Timothy 6:6
Proverbs 13:22
Proverbs 22:7

What you describe is not prosperity doctrine. You're talking about good stewardship. Dave Ramsey is currently the top name in that subject. Unfortunately, his website is a convoluted mess, but his radio show is pretty good.

I make about 200,000 a year, and have for 10 years now, and i live in an apartment, and I have nothing to show for it.

No matter how much you make, the world will always invent a way to get it from you. Managing money requires diligence, which is why Proverbs 21:20 was written. The battle between income and expenditure is always heavily lopsided in favor of expenditure.

Anyway, look into Dave Ramsey. It's a good place to start.

 

[Greg J.]

I've never cared about money much, personally. I'm pretty loose with it, and don't give it much thought.

...But lately, I've been thinking about using it to my advantage. Just wondering if there are any scriptural references to being wise with money, growing it, and putting energy into that -but I Don't want to walk into any evil traps either.

You're already in a trap.

Anyone who has any information, please offer. I'm thinking of delving into financial prosperity, so naturally, I would like to learn more about this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Money is one of the most covered topics in the Bible. There's no shortage at all. Have you studied it much?

If God granted you prosperity right now, it could be for discipline, not a blessing. God's blessings come to those he has prepared to receive them, and his preparation is generally full and complete (which is why it takes decades to receive some things).

The "prosperity gospel" in the Bible is that if you give yourself wholly to Jesus, he will take care of all your needs. Not that it is a good measure but in case a reader has no idea what I'm talking about, I'd expect a stark, bare minimum of an hour a day for the combined effort of personal Bible study, prayer, and worshiping Jesus—on top of stopping all sinning and doing the good deeds that God has created for you to do.

At some point in maturing spiritually, you would would come to view money as God's property and not your own, which he has given you to support yourself and so you can help others in the ways he desires. If you want to prosper financially as a gift from God, having your heart in the right place would have the symptoms of: a willingness to give all your money away, including most of your current income, if that's what God wanted; and, had already been giving generously to help others for some years.

Having said all that, God does as he pleases, and he makes some people wealthy for inscrutable reasons.

I suggest you talk to someone who helps people get out of debt professionally, because they will have a lot to say that would be to your benefit. Also, many Christian churches offer classes on financial issues at one time or another.

For personal Bible study, I suggest examining the wisdom for investing money as well as what he means when he requires a person to be a good steward of money.

 

[Landon Caeli]

You're already in a trap.

Money is one of the most covered topics in the Bible. There's no shortage at all. Have you studied it much?

If God granted you prosperity right now, it could be for discipline, not a blessing. God's blessings come to those he has prepared to receive them, and his preparation is generally full and complete (which is why it takes decades to receive some things).

The "prosperity gospel" in the Bible is that if you give yourself wholly to Jesus, he will take care of all your needs. Not that it is a good measure but in case a reader has no idea what I'm talking about, I'd expect a stark, bare minimum of an hour a day for the combined effort of personal Bible study, prayer, and worshiping Jesus—on top of stopping all sinning and doing the good deeds that God has created for you to do.

At some point in maturing spiritually, you would would come to view money as God's property and not your own, which he has given you to support yourself and so you can help others in the ways he desires. If you want to prosper financially as a gift from God, having your heart in the right place would have the symptoms of: a willingness to give all your money away, including most of your current income, if that's what God wanted; and, had already been giving generously to help others for some years.

Having said all that, God does as he pleases, and he makes some people wealthy for inscrutable reasons.

I suggest you talk to someone who helps people get out of debt professionally, because they will have a lot to say that would be to your benefit. Also, many Christian churches offer classes on financial issues at one time or another.

For personal Bible study, I suggest examining the wisdom for investing money as well as what he means when he requires a person to be a good steward of money.

Really, I just want to have a house with a backyard. Maybe some animals like horses and a few cattle. Maybe an orchard. Then a nice stockpile in the bank for backup, or to pass off to the kids.

My plan is to maybe open a bagel shop in town and start producing Kumquat marmalade and selling it in my store. This would be as an aside to my current job.

...If I get smart enough, maybe I can find other side sources to invest money as well.

 

[Greg J.]

What does the Lord want?

 

[Landon Caeli]

What does the Lord want?

I feel like He wants me to do something more with myself for my family. I guess I should find out for sure. I'll ask Him.

 

[Richard T]

It is good to reach out to all the things of God has for every Christian including your finances and good stewardship of the resources we have. Here is one story from one of the best teachers on this subject. I personally, would not overemphasize prosperity but maintaining a good confession and expectation so that you can be more of a blessing for others. https://rhema.org/index.php?option=...rosperity&catid=173:2012-june-july&Itemid=574

 

[Landon Caeli]

It is good to reach out to all the things of God has for every Christian including your finances and good stewardship of the resources we have. Here is one story from one of the best teachers on this subject. I personally, would not overemphasize prosperity but maintaining a good confession and expectation so that you can be more of a blessing for others. https://rhema.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1848:how-god-taught-me-about-prosperity&catid=173:2012-june-july&Itemid=574

What a great article. Thanks for the link.

 

[RDKirk]

I make about 200,000 a year, and have for 10 years now, and i live in an apartment, and I have nothing to show for it. No nest egg. No property. No investments. No businesses... Nothing.

That will be the case for every single person with regard to whatever earthly gains he's made.

I'm old enough to grok Ecclesiastes, and it's put a fire under my butt. Here is the thing to understand:

There is absolutely no earthly gain you can make that will carry over into Heaven.

Richest man in the world? Nobody in Heaven will care. Fifty years after you're dead, nobody on earth will even care.

Designed the highest building in the world? Nobody in Heaven will care. A hundred years from now, nobody on earth will even care.

The Great Pyramid still stands, but nobody today knows the name of the designer.

People today say, "Howard Hughes, who?"

Nothing you do in this life will count in Heaven....

....except what you have done for those who have salvation in Jesus. Only what you have done for those souls will still count into eternity.

"I remember you...you gave me a sandwich when I hadn't anything to eat in three days. You said Jesus told you to do it, and I went to church for the first time that Sunday."

"I remember you...you told me about the time the Lord gave you strength in a hard time, and that made me start to believe in Him too."

"I remember you...you told me that in Christ, I would be a new creation, and all the old things would pass away. Nobody had ever said that to me before."

"I remember you...you supported my missionary ministry."

That is what building up treasure in Heaven is about.

This earth is a training ground. A brief shadow of things to come. It is the next life that is the real deal, and you can't take all your things with you. You take YOU with you, and that is what God is concerned about. If financial prosperity comes at the detriment of YOU, and hardship makes you a better you, then a good God will give you hardship. Try asking your drill sergeant at boot camp sometime to put you up in a Cancun resort, and see how that works out. Let alone what would happen if he actually did it and you later got sent to Vietnam.

Our immature selves simply lack God's perspective, of Lord over Heaven *AND* Earth.

This is true.

All we need are three hots and a cot each day (Luke 12). Everything more than that is a stewardship intended for distribution to someone else.

The intent is equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality -- 2 Corinthians 8

And this is the scary thing about the prosperity that everyone wants:

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. -- Luke 12

This should be a terrifying verse for all of us who have been blessed to be stewards of the Lord (and that's practically everyone who can see this on a computer).

 

[Shempster]

The Prosperity theology is yet another paradox.
It says you shall obtain wealth if you follow a certain path of belief.
Yet the bible says you cannot love both God and money. You will only give lip service to one of them. Spending much time and effort on obtaining wealth and possessions is idolatry and is not pleasing to God.
Yet if you love God MORE than money and possessions, he will often bless you with many blessings.

 

[now faith]

It is good to reach out to all the things of God has for every Christian including your finances and good stewardship of the resources we have. Here is one story from one of the best teachers on this subject. I personally, would not overemphasize prosperity but maintaining a good confession and expectation so that you can be more of a blessing for others. https://rhema.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1848:how-god-taught-me-about-prosperity&catid=173:2012-june-july&Itemid=574

And the winner is...
Only critics consider the term prosperity Gospel.
Believing for needs wants and desires , are all taught in God's Word.
One person said you cannot serve God and money.
What in the world other than money can you serve above God?
The love of anything above God is idolatry.
People who say they deny prosperity are liars.
No matter how humble your works are ,your Church shakes the offering plates in every service.
Stand on the Word of God and the promises therein.
God serches the hearts of all from greedy to good.
Possesion of enough resourses to complete the work of God is not a sin.
Living below your ability to fulfill your calling is false pride.
You want just enough to get by?
Read the parable of the talents, God called the one who buried his money a wicked servant.
You think maybe God wants us to prosper in order to spread the Gospel?
So to the humble poor your vain works is a stench to God.
You are so worthy and hate filthy money, your truly worthless to God.
You are proud to be humble and pride goeth before a fall.
Critics of prosperity are hyprocritics, because they themselves have homes and cars.
But they rather than God want to judge others for what they have.
I guess they want to play God ,and have no idea the power of a ministry reaching 2.9 billion people for Christ.
If you recieve money and are against prosperity you are a liar.
If you critize what you do not have a clue about you are a idiot.
If you simply repete what you hear you are a Parrott.
If you want wisdom ask God.
If you want knowlage of God's kingdom read God's Word.

 

[now faith]

For any other info on Solomon.
He did not fall from the lust of money He fell from bringing women into his kingdom with false idols.
King David was wealthy but sinned by way of adultery and murder.
I guess Bathsheba was more attractive than the love of money.
For the critics take notice, sin is not one dimensional,and one sin God hates is spreading discord among the breathern.
Otherwise gossips who out of their own lust attack the ministers of God.