Prosperity Preaching

[afrancis777]

I watch Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) often and the reoccuring theme seems to always be Prosperity Preaching. "You have to give to get...Give your $10,000,000,000,000,000 love gift so God can bless you... He will multiply your wealth."
I have been attending a Methodist Church and the pastor preaches agains prosperity preaching, saying that you don't have to do anything to receive God's grace. Is this just preaching of lazy Christians who don't want to give? I know there is scriptural reference for both sides. But what do you think? I agree that we should "sow into the kingdom", but I don't know if I should sow into Binny Hinn's kigdom if you know what I mean. I'm not talking about tything. I'm talking about giving in general to receive the things we want from God.

 

[LegomasterJC]

The truth is that you need to follow the Spirit's lead for what to sow into and what to refraign from. God's grace does not depend on what you do but blessing does come with doing His works. His works are not necessarily any "good thing" that is advertised by Christianities, but what God wants you personally to do.

 

[HumbleBee]

The prosperity gospel is a false gospel, based on giving motivated only by selfish gain and self-righteousness. It is a deceptive misapplication of the Scriptures in 2 Corinthians 9 that exhort, sow bountifully and reap bountifully. False teachers, for their own personal benefit, dupe even sincerely hearted Christians into believing they will reap much more than they sowed in the first place and that they are sowing to advance the kingdom of God.

On the contrary, Jesus taught to give and expect nothing in return. Give cheerfully and humbly without fanfare, because God has enabled you to help meet the needs of others. To Christ, even the amount given wasn't as important as the heart motive behind the gift. It is giving done with love (generously, freely) and in meekness that Jesus will pour back abundantly into one's lap! Furthermore, in the NT mammon and materialism blocked the poor, the blind, and the lame from getting into the temple...those who really need to get to Jesus! Tiz the same in some of today's churches and conferences, selling wares is a megafocus, yet the lack of God's presence to heal goes unnoticed.

Matthew 6:1-4 Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:19-21, 24 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 21:12-14 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.”

Luke 6:32-35 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back...Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor...but have not love, I gain nothing.

Galatians 5:6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

1 Timothy 6:3-10 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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 John 3:18-19 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

 

[abbygirlforever]

I agree with HumbleBee. We are to give because we love God and want to see His work done, not because we want something in return. Amount isn't as important as the thought behind the giving. People who tell you to give so you can get something back are wolves among the sheep.

Of course, that isn't an excuse not to give.

 

[Emiliya]

We cannot to give God anysing that receive His mercy and grace. And aso what we have in our life it is God's. We give God all that we receive from Him.
But truth prosperety is folowing God's commandments, making His words and doing His will.

 

[The Julikenz]

The prosperity gospel is a false gospel, based on giving motivated only by selfish gain and self-righteousness. It is a deceptive misapplication of the Scriptures in 2 Corinthians 9 that exhort, sow bountifully and reap bountifully. False teachers, for their own personal benefit, dupe even sincerely hearted Christians into believing they will reap much more than they sowed in the first place and that they are sowing to advance the kingdom of God.

On the contrary, Jesus taught to give and expect nothing in return. Give cheerfully and humbly without fanfare, because God has enabled you to help meet the needs of others. To Christ, even the amount given wasn't as important as the heart motive behind the gift. It is giving done with love (generously, freely) and in meekness that Jesus will pour back abundantly into one's lap! Furthermore, in the NT mammon and materialism blocked the poor, the blind, and the lame from getting into the temple...those who really need to get to Jesus! Tiz the same in some of today's churches and conferences, selling wares is a megafocus, yet the lack of God's presence to heal goes unnoticed.

Matthew 6:1-4 Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 21:12-14 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
http://globalcasts.net/kairos/videobroadcast.asp
Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.”

Luke 6:32-35 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back...Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor...but have not love, I gain nothing.

Galatians 5:6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

1 Timothy 6:3-10 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 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 John 3:18-19 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

Humble Bee Love you, Sis

 

[Ariella]

I like what Humble Bee has said ........ I also think that, God knows our hearts and motives ...... and when people only give because of what they might get in return He knows this ...... sometimes we see cases where people give out of selfish motives and they appear to reap benefits from it, but these are only worldly and of the flesh ...... far better to sow in the spirit, and to be motivated by love for God and love through Him and then to reap in the spirit.