Are most mega-churches preaching prosperity?

QuestionQuest74 said:

Are most Mega Churches preaching the false gospel ?

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Not sure never been to one but is it wrong to ask God for wealth?

I follow a few and most do seem to be prosperity friendly. Is it false? I think it is how it is presented and how the leaders steward the churches money. There are some true mega churches that are definitely doing God's will. If you are going to examine them, look at the whole package and the real fruit. One thing I learned too that works well is to remember that economics and money is not a zero sum scenario with God. When a church or person is blessed by God, it does not really subtract from others because God is a multiplier that avoids the tradition of modern economics where everyone competes for scarce resources.

Laodicean60 said:

Not sure never been to one but is it wrong to ask God for wealth?

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That isn’t prosperity gospel.

In the forefront is the doctrine of the assurance of “divine” physical health and prosperity through faith. In short, this means that “health and wealth” are the automatic divine right of all Bible-believing Christians and may be procreated by faith as part of the package of salvation, since the Atonement of Christ includes not just the removal of sin, but also the removal of sickness and poverty.

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WolfGate said:

That isn’t prosperity gospel.

What You Should Know About the Prosperity Gospel

The Gospel Coalition is a fellowship of evangelical churches deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ

www.thegospelcoalition.org

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I think the body of Christ has a problem. God wants us to be of one mind and yet here we are tearing down other's beliefs or preaching. The Church is just as tribalistic as the secular world. If they preach Jesus what's wrong with it? God is my Father and I'm a father myself I would be awfully upset if my kids bickered among themselves continuously. Peace

QuestionQuest74 said:

Are most Mega Churches preaching the false gospel ?

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I would expect any Bible Based Church to preach these things:

3 John 1:2 RV
2 Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Psalms 1:3 RV
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also doth not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Proverbs 10:21-22 RV
21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but the foolish die for lack of understanding.
22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow therewith.

Most prosperity believers only want to feed their families, put clothes and shoes on the kid's feet, and be able to pay their power and water bills on time. Technically, "prosper" means that you reap the good seed that you have sown. It is not evil. It is not selfish. I have also found discussing it with the nay-sayers is a waste of time. The scripture says what it says. It is just sad that so many people who need to believe in God for their finances are made to feel guilty and selfish for doing it. I have also found that many who attack prosperity are themselves more prosperous than the NT saints and many of those who teach it today.

Laodicean60 said:

I think the body of Christ has a problem. God wants us to be of one mind and yet here we are tearing down other's beliefs or preaching. The Church is just as tribalistic as the secular world. If they preach Jesus what's wrong with it? God is my Father and I'm a father myself I would be awfully upset if my kids bickered among themselves continuously. Peace

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God wants us of one mind based on His Truth. 2 Thes 2:12-13 Coveting which is a bowing to another god breaking at least two of the commandments of God found in Exodus 20 is not built on the pillar of Truth. Psa 119:151 If our values are not based on God’s Righteousness Psa 119:172 and His Word we are not in the body of Christ. Isa 8:20 John 3:19-21 Mat 15:3-9 There is no compromise in God’s Truth. We are to conform to His Truth not have our truth conform to Him. Which is why Jesus in His own Words gave us this warning Mat 7:21-23 not to scare us, but so we can hopefully make better decisions based on all of His Word.

SabbathBlessings said:

God wants us of one mind based on His Truth. Coveting which is a bowing to another god breaking at least two of the commandments of God found in Exodus 20 is not built on the pillar of Truth. Psa 119:151 If our values are not based on God’s Righteousness Psa 119:172 and His Word we are not in the body of Christ. Isa 8:20 John 3:19-21 Mat 15:3-9 There is no compromise in God’s Truth. We are to conform to His Truth not have our truth conform to Him. Which is why Jesus in His own Words gave us this warning Mat 7:21-23 not to scare us, but so we can hopefully make better decisions based on all of His Word.

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God wants us of one mind on the greatest commandment. As you can see in the arguments between Christians in this forum that truth is in the eye of the beholder. I covet wealth, health, and also for my soul to prosper. If I acquire these things ultimately it's the Lord who gives it to me and I have. Only the Lord knows my heart. If you truly love your neighbor with your heart and mind there won't be sins and this shows your love for the Lord. Peace

Laodicean60 said:

God wants us of one mind on the greatest commandment. As you can see in the arguments between Christians in this forum that truth is in the eye of the beholder. I covet wealth, health, and also for my soul to prosper. If I acquire these things ultimately it's the Lord who gives it to me and I have. Only the Lord knows my heart. If you truly love your neighbor with your heart and mind there won't be sins and this shows your love for the Lord. Peace

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While I agree, we should love each other like the greatest commandment says, but love to God and love to each other does not go undefined in scripture, 1 John 5:2-3 as if we can make up our own version of what love means over God's definition. Just like we can't make up our own version of truth over God's version. Psa 119:151 Our version of truth is not sanctifying and only the Truth of God's Word is sanctifying. John 17:17 so I do not buy in that everyone's truth is saving, only God's Truth saves and I believe we can find God's Truth through His Word, we just have to believe His Word and have an open heart for correction.

While God does want His children to prosper, He is not referring to great wealth. While there is nothing wrong with having money, it becomes problematic when we start placing our great wealth above following God.

We have an example of this in scripture called the rich young ruler...

Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young ruler was following some of the commandments, had the rich young ruler not placed his great wealth above Jesus he could have been another disciple. But as much as he wanted to follow Jesus it was on his terms and while he kept some of the commandments, he was not keeping commandment #1 Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. and commandment #10 “You shall not covet. Scripture tells us we break one of the commandments, we break them all James 2:10-12

A god is anything we place above God and seeking great wealth over earnestly seeking a relationship with Jesus is an example of that. If a church main goal is to get rich and not speaking God's Truth- we are to flee from these types of teachings. 1 Timothy 4


Back to Truth- which we should all be seeking God's Truth- here's a few short videos on how to help us seek God's Truth though His Word.

What is Truth?, Pt. 1 | Bible Talk | Amazing Facts

[AUDIO RECORDING] What is truth? Is there absolute truth? Is truth relative? Does truth change depending on people's opinions? What about Bible truth? Can we agree on some basic concepts in the Bible?

www.amazingfacts.org

What is Truth?, Pt. 2 | Bible Talk | Amazing Facts

[AUDIO RECORDING] Is truth a multiplicity of options out there? Can we know absolute truth? The Bible teaches that God is truth, God's commandments are truth, and Jesus is the truth. Secular humanism has impacted the i

www.amazingfacts.org

What is Truth?, Pt. 3 | Bible Talk | Amazing Facts

[AUDIO RECORDING] What is the point of believing a particular view of truth? How does this impact our view of God? This broadcast continues a series on seeking truth. It is important to realize there are millions who b

www.amazingfacts.org

SabbathBlessings said:

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

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That's the point. We focus on the rich man being rich but not his greed. Which makes me question whether he truly loved his neighbor. I'm willing to give back to God what he has given me. Broke Christians can't be a blessing to others.

The other day I was making a left turn on a green arrow and this dude stopped in the middle of the crosswalk and started messing with his shoe. I almost honked at him but I reminded myself to love my neighbor. Then I broke the law and turned left and pulled over and asked him if he was ok. Then I asked him if he needed a ride when he got in he stunk. On the way to Walmart, he showed me his calf which was bandaged and I could tell it was a burn. I got to Walmart reached into my wallet and pulled out all the cash I had about $15 and when I gave it to him he immediately asked for a ride to his friend's house. Then I told him I used to be addicted to drugs and I quit. He asked how. Then I ministered to him about the Lord. I was able to plant a seed then on the way home, I prayed for him to be delivered.

Be Blessed

Laodicean60 said:

Broke Christians can't be a blessing to others.

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Not sure you will find this in His Word. Not everything is about money.

Jesus came in on a donkey, not a corvette. Which is why many didn't believe Him, they were expecting someone larger than life, not humble Jesus. People make the same mistakes today as they did in His time.

SabbathBlessings said:

Not sure you will find this in His Word. Not everything is about money.

Jesus came in on a donkey, not a corvette. Which is why many didn't believe Him, they were expecting someone larger than life, not humble Jesus.

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Jesus was fulfilling prophecy, I don't mean to offend, your paradigm is about money and praying for it. Mine is about loving my neighbor with what God has given me. I'm blessed but not rich or I'd have more than $15 in my wallet. Several verses in the bible to ask and you shall receive and I'm not shy. God healed me of a heart attack last month. Praise God! Tribleism in Religion keeps us boxed in and makes us think we should wear sackcloths and throw dirt on our heads throughout life. It's all about the heart and I'll always remember this verse.
James 4:3 ~ "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
I'd like to hear your reply but this is the last for me, I don't want to argue. Be Blessed

Laodicean60 said:

I don't mean to offend, your paradigm is about money and praying for it.

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I don't recall ever stating this. My message is we seek God first and not worry about money, He will take care of us, I do not believe in asking for great prosperity, He will give us what we need. The manna story is a good example of this.

Jesus was fulfilling prophecy, but at no time was Jesus living an extravagant life. He lived very humbly, was not seeking earthy riches. He died, not just so we can go to Him for repentance when we sin (break His law 1 John 3:4 Romans 7:7) but lived to be our example to follow. Hebrews 4:15 1 John 2:6 We are told not to conform to this world but be transformed with the renewing of our mind Romans 12:2-3 We are to keep our mind on Christ first.

Laodicean60 said:

Mine is about loving my neighbor with what God has given me. I'm blessed but not rich or I'd have more than $15 in my wallet. Several verses in the bible to ask and you shall receive and I'm not shy.

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Like a lot of scriptures, people only read what they want and not all of the passages, Jesus gives according to His will, not ours. 1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. We are told if we turn away from His law (an example coveting) even our prayer is an abomination Proverbs 28:9

God's will is revealed through His Word- it is the light to our path. Psa 119:105

Nice chatting and take care and hope we are all blessed through His Word.

QuestionQuest74 said:

Are most Mega Churches preaching the false gospel ?

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How would we know? How many megachurches are there? It could take quite a while to get to know each one so we could know about each one. And statistics from some study can have us missing what is true about each unique church and the unique personalities of each member.

We need to love each individual, and not just class people into some group or give a bunch of churches the same label without actually getting to know who we are talking about.

Jesus wants us to love people personally, I have learned. Jesus Himself came here from Heaven and He shared and related personally with men and with women.

So - - I offer - - - if you are concerned about if a church is preaching "the false gospel" > you need to get to know what they really mean and not jump to a final conclusion just because someone says God wants us to prosper.

What does the person mean?

What does "prosper" mean, for that person or church? Let someone speak for oneself, not going by hearsay of people you don't even know.

Jesus guarantees that our prosperity will increase "a hundredfold", if we leave all for His sake, does He not?

"Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or land, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time---houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions---and in the age to come, eternal life." (in Mark 10:29-30)

Here, prosperity is not only about money. But there is the prosperity of "a hundredfold" mothers and fathers and houses and brothers and sisters and children and lands. These hundredfold people are family people > this is very great prosperity, then, to have family caring and sharing love with Jesus Christ's family and not only our own "loved ones" >

"if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" Jesus says in Matthew 5:46.

But, while we have our ever-growing love family in Jesus, note how Jesus says there will be "persecutions". Yes, with our prosperity of family loving comes how Satan is allowed to bring the exact opposite, and only God is able to handle what comes against us, and He proves Himself by keeping the prosperity which He is sharing with us . . . but for His purpose which is all-loving and not only for ourselves.

We need to be strong in Jesus love so we do not break down and fall apart when Satanic stuff comes against us and our dearly loved brothers and sisters in Jesus.

Yes, as we adopt more and more people and dearly love them, we adopt also all their troubles. So, only with God can we handle all this, practically and emotionally. And possibly ones we come to dearly love will die before we do and their loved ones will die. So, we will need to be ready to handle the dying of our adopted loved ones; we will need to grow in Jesus so we can do well and keep on loving and encouraging while our precious loved ones die and have various impossible problems which they share with us.

But in God's love (Romans 5:5) we have Heaven's own pleasantness caressing us in sharing with Him so we can die well and do well while others die before us and share their troubles with us >

"you will find rest for you souls," Jesus guarantees whoever trusts and obeys Him > Matthew 11:28-30.

When you see your fellow pastors wearing suits that costs more than $1000 I do think we have a problem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There is a difference between wanting to be financially stable to feed yourself, your family, etc — and demanding God to prosper your life in every single way when that is not what Jesus nor the disciples taught in scripture, (For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs — 1 Timothy 6:10)

Paul says in Philippians 4 — "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

And in Philippians 3 he says — "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ."

These churches love to focus on the earthly things, when we must seek the heavenly things. In this world we will have suffering, we will go from having everything to having nothing, and we must accept that, we must come to terms with that. It does not mean God does not care about us, or that he will not provide for us, but following Jesus isn't all flowers and butterflies. We will face all kinds of sufferings, the thing is, at the end of it all, God will prevail, so in our suffering we understand there is a greater purpose, and that it doesn't matter wether we loose everything or not, because the things of this world will pass, and our destination is heaven. These mega churches don't teach this, their preachings sound more like motivational speeches rather than scripture. I used to go to a church who's motto was "and everything I do, it will turn out well" and it's like ???? no, it doesn't work like that. Or "the best is yet to come", if you have some spiritual awareness you will realize the best is not yet to come, the world is falling into pieces as Jesus' return approaches, things will get worse... BUT, we have a hope the rest of the world does not have.

My advice is please stay away from these churches, sadly, they are everywhere, and that is prophetic too :/

I haven't heard messages from most megachurches. What I've heard from Willow Creek and Saddleback didn't contain prosperity teaching. I did visit Willow Creek once; while I didn't like everything I saw there, the people I met who were serving seemed to be good people.