Andrew, Are you rich?
Im curious.
Im working class. I am in the class where people cant afford computers except my brother built this one for me and I pay for hookup with ebay sales.
To have someones Christianity connected to their level of wealth is messed up. Reminds me of churches where people are into status and show up wearing the fanciest clothes.
Also, your entire post contradicts yourself. You talk about being poor and in bad health, yet you imply that it is heretical if God wants you to be in good health and not suffer lack. You really need to read your Bible.
No it doesnt. God is not my magic genie on my call; I may ask God for health and more money but God can say Yes or No. It is Gods choice.
You are perfoming witchcraft when you approach God as a genie with endless riches.
You obviously do not understnd the work of the cross and insult it.
I will have endless riches in heaven with Christ. You somehow think thats to happen on earth. Christ lived and died as a poor man.
Taking it a step further, if God indeed does want us to be wealthy, is it our failure to live godly in Christ Jesus that prevents us from becoming wealthy? I'm asking because I want to be sure - because that's what it sounds like to me.
So all Good Christians are rich Christians? Geez I guess my working class church is not keeping up then. They must be doing something wrong :rolleyes
I guess TV evangelists rolling in money must be the holiest of us all!
That's where all the heated arguments arise. ITS NOT A SIN TO BE SICK OR POOR. It does not mean you are not a good Christian. It simply means you dont know what actually belongs to you as a joint heir of Christ and as a child of God, or even if you knew abt it, perhaps you're simply not interested or dont see the need.
Everyone gets called home to the Lord sometime. Christ never promised a $80,000 a dollar year job and a mansion. Theres Christians now living on nothing that make even the poorest Christian in America look rich. How much has the New Age influenced your thinking...you sound like the HUman Potential movement--think and be rich except this time Christ or a false Christ is getting thrown into the mix.
The Prayer of Jabez and all this connection to riches via Christ is using a false Christ in witchcraft. Manipulating God to do your bidding and reward you with wordly blessings. God said do not be of this world. This is being taken up with the riches of this world and worldly success.
Again, as I've said many times, the nature of every father is to bless his children. You want the best for your kids dont you? If you had the means, I'm sure you'd want the best education for them, nice clothes, good food, a nice bed for them, nice toys etc etc. So why do you think God the Father doesnt want to do the same?
Christ never said I will make sure your bank accounts are full, I will give you a graduate education and a cruise to Tahiti. Christ offers riches IN HIMSELF! God will give us everything in heaven. But whatever He gives us will be HIs choice.
Secondly, the reason God blesses people financially is so that we can finance the spread of the Gospel. It's common sense that you need money (while IN THIS WORLD) to print Bibles, rent auditoriums, support ministries, build churches, build Bible Colleges, feed and clothe the poor, etc, etc. Now, wld you be able to do all this more effectively if you had $1000 in your bank or $1 million?
Greed and money actually destroy more ministries, Think Oral Roberts when he told the world hed die without a set amount of donations. Its not about making money. Sure money can help in getting word of God out there, But greed and love of money is something that leads people away from the Lord. Many missionaires and others will live poor so they have more to give others.
. IOW, Christ did not just redeem us from sin but also from sickness and poverty. Until you can see that, you'll always question this topic.
Every Christian dies. How do you explain that. You too will sicken one day. Will you think Christ has abandoned you? Do you expect to live forever in this physical body on this physical earth, then you truly have misunderstood the gospel.
Proverbs says that if you dont work, sleep too much (ie lazy), are drunk often -- it leads to poverty. so yes, in that sense, failing to lead a Godly life (in this case work hard!) leads to poverty. The promises of God are many. Fo eg, honouring your parents leads to the blessing of long life. So if you want to live long, honour your parents. Tithing and offerings are also in God economic system. So if you want to prosper, you have to follow God's principles of sowing and reaping, receiving and giving. Failure to do so may or may not lead to poverty, for there are pagans who are rich who dont do these things.
There are things that can help. But you equate wealth with goodness and that is scary in a society that considers itself a meritocracy and already abuses the poor by saying they are more morally deficient or lesser human beings. This fits more Hinduism and the caste system then Christianity and you still didnt answer my question about my wealthy atheist friend. She makes fun of God, --it hurts me to hear this stuff but she does do it but $200,000 just got added to her accounts.
Proverbs may have advice on taking responsiblity in life but there are many people that become poor through no fault of their own. Many sacrifice wealth to help others. I went for teaching and social work career, when I was healthy I knew there was less money in it but it was a concisous choice at the time.
This prosperity gospel stuff is scary to me. I actually think it is the MOST hereitical thing in Gods church.
You need to realize that earthly riches do not equal spiritual riches.
reading the bible shows that. 
