Prosperity Gospel - Something to Think About

[BeauJangles]

Just now, Blood Bought 1953 said:

I don’t know how to thank you....my $5000 check is in the mail .....hoping he’ll also send a bottle of water from the Jordan River..... cures  everything I hear.....

[turtletwo]

17 minutes ago, BeauJangles said:

'name-it-and-claim-it'.

I've also heard it called 'blab it and grab it.'

I just thought of one now...'stake it and take it.'

As in stake your faith in what they teach ya

and you will be able to take away the 'harvest' from your 'seed faith'

Yeah...right. When pigs fly. 

[turtletwo]

15 minutes ago, Blood Bought 1953 said:

I don’t know how to thank you....my $5000 check is in the mail .....hoping he’ll also send a bottle of water from the Jordan River..... cures  everything I hear.....

@Blood Bought 1953 You know what? They really do crazy stuff like that. They will claim they are sending you dirt from the holy land.

Or what about the handkerchiefs they claim will emit healing power to you? All for a tidy fee, of course. 

Ahem. News flash. They are not  the Apostle Paul.

[turtletwo]

18 minutes ago, maryjayne said:

I find this also to be true the faith healing movement.

@maryjayne With these charlatans, it can be almost funny in that some of the tactics they come up with to get at your money are so ridiculous. 

But thanks for bringing this aspect up, sis. The faith healing movement is a serious matter indeed, in that it can place false condemnation upon those who are the weakest... the elderly, those with incurable diseases, etc. I call that the 'kick them when they're down' syndrome. Scripture calls Satan the accuser of the brethren. Case in point.

Promising healings that do not come is (imo) insensitive at best; reckless and cruel, at worst...Telling folks to throw out their medications and stop seeing doctors (even pregnant women) is dangerous advice.

[Sower]

1 hour ago, jmax said:

"When we as Christians believe that because we are Christians, our life will be smooth sailing without troubles, we are moving very close to the Gospel of Prosperity".  Think Joel Osteen and Crefalo Dollar.

Just throwing this out on a Monday morning to see what others think.

When we signed up in the army of God, we signed up for battle!
But,
We should be careful of reverse discrimination -reverse psychology thinking.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good,
to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

We should not let others influence our own calling upon God for His blessing/favor. Or Help!

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Malachi 3:10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test,
says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Psalm 35:27  Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore,
“Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ...

Matthew 6:33    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God is light. His promises are true. All of them! 

 

 

[Neighbor]

2 hours ago, BeauJangles said:

His continual flailing arm movements are over the top theatrics. Too much. Way too much.  

That was said about king David and his dancing about too. 

..." David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

 And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

 And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.

 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.

 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death."

 

 

 

[Neighbor]

To me nothing is so dead as any preacher behind a 600 pound chunk of wood staring down his nose while elevated above the recipients of his message. 

I much rather be involved in the message presented by a person of such great enthusiasm for my Lord Jesus that he or she can hardly stand still.

[Neighbor]

3 hours ago, jmax said:

Brothers and Sisters,

Heard this in a sermon yesterday and wanted to see what everyone else thought.  The title of the sermon was "What Happens When Things Get Real" and was basically where do you run to when life's issues come about - toward God or toward old habits and sin.  The first line from the pastor was something like this:

"When we as Christians believe that because we are Christians, our life will be smooth sailing without troubles, we are moving very close to the Gospel of Prosperity".  Think Joel Osteen and Crefalo Dollar.

Just throwing this out on a Monday morning to see what others think.

Hi and welcome to the WCF's.

Congratulations you have managed to hit the hot button of many here already! LOL.

Let me share that for me since I have been turned about by God alone to my own repentance of my own sin against Him and been given the Holy Spirit within me by God the Holy Spirit as He awakened me to awareness of Jesus being the Christ which led to my immediate repentance and turning to Him, Life has indeed been smooth sailing!

For no matter how terrible circumstances are all around me, no matter how rough the seas of life no matter how often death visits and I lose loved ones, there is no victory for death, none. All things do indeed work together for good for those that believe on Jesus as Lord God and savior.

 I rejected God. I loved studying sales techniques and so I watched many a preacher and many a character on TV with big puffy sleeves and wild hair. I watched  male and female.  Then when God chose to turn me about, He included use of a a tv preacher's afternoon presentation of the Gospel of Jesus, a terrible  presentation by the way, to  get me to say aloud   about Jesus being Lord and savior that "If that is true I want it!" and I was turned about right then. it was done

 God had used, among years of presentations, a wrap up by one of those prosperity  pastors. Oh my.

God will use what God wills to do His will. No frozen and chosen no prosperity dancer no Bible thumper will prevail over His will. So I have no fear of my Lord Jesus losing a sheep  because of any man's words or motions, or dancing about or waving of arms.

All have been foreknown to God, and all have been predestined that are to be of the flock of Jesus. All have been given to Him by His  Father, andHe does not lose a one. My only limited responsibility is to go as one of many that go- into all the world with the gospel of Jesus so that many may be presented as mature in the Lord. But that maturity is not dependent upon me at all. It is simply duty and privilege for me to  do so. If the disciples do not cry out, God will make even the trees cry out that Jesus is lord. Al of creation does cry out even now of it's creator.

 So I do think it is folly to get very worked up about this messenger or that one, as though God is unable to share of himself without my own personal  presentation being added. God is sovereign over all matters, over all matter, over all spirit, over all things.

God answers prayer. Best to pray for one another. Best to start there each day  and every day forward.

Again, welcome to WCF's 

Edited November 25, 2019 by Neighbor
Corrected many typos -

[Revlori]

2 hours ago, jmax said:

Brothers and Sisters,

Heard this in a sermon yesterday and wanted to see what everyone else thought.  The title of the sermon was "What Happens When Things Get Real" and was basically where do you run to when life's issues come about - toward God or toward old habits and sin.  The first line from the pastor was something like this:

"When we as Christians believe that because we are Christians, our life will be smooth sailing without troubles, we are moving very close to the Gospel of Prosperity".  Think Joel Osteen and Crefalo Dollar.

Just throwing this out on a Monday morning to see what others think.

I believe almost all of us here at worthy would agree : John 16:33 ...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Also we understand that we do suffer, we face trials And tribulations with God at our side.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.1 Peter 5:10

We see that through our trials God is our comfort.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.2 Corinthians 1:3-4

We understand that our trials are working good in our lives

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.Romans 5:3-4

So yes I'd agree that if one believes (our life will be smooth sailing without troubles) they are leaning heavily on another gospel and not the truth of Gods word.

God bless ?

[jmax]

13 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Hi and welcome to the WCF's.

Congratulations you have managed to hit the hot button of many here already! LOL.

 I rejected God. I loved studying sales techniques and so I watched many a preacher and many a character on TV with big puffy sleeves and wild hair. I watched  male and female.  Then when God chose to turn me about, He included use of a a tv preacher's afternoon presentation of the Gospel of Jesus, a terrible  presentation by the way, to  get me to say aloud   about Jesus being Lord and savior that "If that is true I want it!" and I was turned about right then. it was done

 

I guess that I should have checked the archives before posting about the prosperity guys  

What you said about the preacher you saw and got you to say aloud about Jesus being Lord and Savior and "If it is true I want it" really got me to thinking.  If one finds Jesus and accepts Him in to their lives, what would be the follow-up if they only watched that preacher or went to that church?  They would only be taught prosperity - I wonder what would happen when things got tough?  Would they turn to God or back to their own ways since if something bad happened to them, they must be doing something wrong and they might have "fallen out of favor of God".  

When I posted initially, I wasn't really thinking about going this "deep" into the subject of prosperity gospel, but your post really got me thinking how dangerous it could be to a young believer.  Thank you for your thought provoking response!