DAY 1: Today I declare war against the “prosperitygospel”. Why?
1. It has misrepresented scripture, the Kingdom of God and the purpose why Christ died, which was to reconcile man and God and not to make us wealthy or financially prosperous.
2. It has messed up many Christians’ lives, causing them to walk outside the will of God for their lives because their focus is not on Christ but on money, wealth, material gain and self-fulfilment.
3. It has caused churches to become weak because their focus is not on (a) the Gospel of Jesus Christ; (b) the commission (to disciple, evangelise, heal the sick, raise the dead, take care of the poor); (c) serve the community; and (d) worshipping God.
James 4:17 basically says that if I know the good and not do it, I have sinned. I have a responsibility to reveal any potential hazards to the lives of my brothers and sisters. Hosea 4:6 states that God’s people perish because of a lack of knowledge. I have experienced, witnessed, studied and the Lord has spoken to me regarding the fallacies of the prosperity gospel. This knowledge I share with anyone willing to listen because I want them to know the truth, which will set us all free.
The prosperity gospel message hides behind a smokescreen that its doctrine isn’t about only wealth, material gains and money, but that God wants us to prosper in all aspects of life – marriage, health, career and so on. I also believe that God wants us to prosper in all aspects of our life but here is where I differ from the prosperity gospel. My definition of prosperity isn’t the same as that used in the prosperity gospel.
It might just be coincidental but I find it very interesting that although the smokescreen of “prospering in all aspects in life” is communicated, 99 per cent of the time whenever the “prosperity gospel” is preached, it is always linked to money, wealth and material gains. Sadly, this false gospel has also skewed the biblical definition of “blessings”. Blessings is used in the prosperity gospel to represent material gain or affluence; once you have it, “you are blessed”. This is a false representation of blessings from a biblical perspective.
It is important to note that the Bible has 13 translations for the English word “prosper”. Yes, I said 13. But, the “prosperity gospel” I have heard uses the worldly definition, which is – succeed in material terms; be financially successful.
As Christians we are commanded not to think as the world does and our lifestyle and mindset literally contradict the worldly systems – die to live; humility to be exalted; give to receive (Romans 12:2). What we count as reward as Christians is foolishness to the world.
Sufferings and trials are aspects of the Christian walk that produces good characteristics and rewards, and we are encouraged to rejoice in them. Given that the prosperity gospel speaks about prospering in all areas of our lives, why don’t “prosperity preachers” teach about prospering in sufferings and trials? After all, they produce great characteristics and lead to rewards.
The prosperity message doesn’t teach this, but these aren’t my words; these words are actually in the Bible. For example, Romans 4:2-5: And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Also, James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothersand sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
DISCLAIMER: Don’t judge what I have writtenbased on your opinion; judge it based on the Bible.If what I have written isn’t supported in scripture,please don’t hesitate to show me where my error is. I have declared war against a destructive and unbiblical philosophy/doctrine and not against any individual,church or group.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email: [email protected]
