God is contemptuous of prosperity preachers. He
says: "They give useless medicine for my people's
grievous wounds, for they assure them all is well
when that isn't so at all!" (Jeremiah 8:10-11).
The prosperity gospel maintains the redemption in
Christ Jesus is also redemption from financial
poverty. It says every Christian is called to be rich in
dollars and cents. A favourite scripture in this regard
comes from Paul, who says: "You know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
your sake he became poor, that you through his
poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Enticing words
This so-called gospel appeals to the rich because it
tells them they will become richer. It appeals to the
poor because it promises them they will become
rich. It appeals to pastors because it has proved to be
an effective way to grease money out of Christians by
making them believe if they give to their churches,
God would give them a hundredfold return.
Jesus says those who leave their house or land or
brothers or sisters or father or mother for the sake
of the gospel will receive a hundredfold return.
(Matthew 10:29-30). He is clearly referring here to
spiritual returns, for no man can have 100 physical
mothers and fathers. However, his message has been
distorted on the altar of the prosperity gospel.
Thus, Gloria Copeland says: "You give $1 for the
gospel's sake and $100 belongs to you. Give $10 and
receive $1,000. Give $1,000 and receive $100,000.
Give one house and receive one hundred houses or
one house worth one hundred times as much. Give
one airplane and receive one hundred times the
value of the airplane. Give one car and the return
would furnish you a lifetime of cars."
Fleecing the flock
The prosperity gospel is convenient for justifying the
wealth of pastors who have become rich at the
expense of their congregation. Thus, Marcus Bishop
says unapologetically: "Financial prosperity is just as
much a part of the Gospel as anything else… I'm not
ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm not
ashamed of prosperity. I'm not ashamed that Jesus
bought and paid for me to be wealthy. Let me just tell
you from the heart of God, preachers are supposed
to be rich."
Kenneth Copeland echoes him. He maintains: "You
can draw on heaven like a magnet. We don't have to
wait until we get to heaven to get God's blessings.
Now's when we need them."
The prosperity gospel is also lucrative for selling
books. The Christian book market is full of "get-rich-
quick tipsters" and "one-minute-solution merchants."
For example, Joel Osteen's "Your Best Life Now" sold
millions of copies. It was number one on the New
York Times bestseller list. Osteen tells Christians they
can get their best life now; a far more marketable
proposition than one saying: "Take up your cross and
follow Jesus.
Tit for tat
The prosperity gospel says in order to receive from
God; we first have to first give money to the church.
But Peter said the exact opposite to Simon the
sorcerer, who offered him money in order to receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit: "Your money perish with
you, because you thought that the gift of God could
be purchased with money!" (Acts 8:20).
God is no respecter of persons. He not only prospers
the righteous, he also prospers sinners. Bad fortune
is not an index of God's judgement. Neither is
prosperity an index of his favour. (Job 21:7-13). Many
sinners, atheists and wicked people easily escape
calamities, while many are the afflictions of the
righteous. (Psalm 34:19).
Solomon says: "Exactly the same thing will finally
happen to all of us, whether we live right and respect
God or sin and don't respect God. Yes, the same thing
will happen if we offer sacrifices to God or if we
don't, if we keep our promises or break
them." (Ecclesiastes 9:1-3).
God allows the sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and he sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous. Accordingly, he often gives great wealth
to the wicked. This tendency baffled Jeremiah who
queried God: "Why does the way of the wicked
prosper?" (Jeremiah 12:1).
Prosperity of fools
For the unregenerate, riches can be a curse. If we
inherit riches or if our plans succeed beyond our
wildest expectations, it is time to pray for the grace
to handle it, that it may not alienate us from God:
"For the turning away of the simple shall slay them,
and the prosperity of fools shall destroy
them." (Proverbs 1:32).
Solomon warns: "There is one who makes himself
rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself
poor, yet has great riches." (Proverbs 13:7). This
means there is a seeming wealth behind which lies
deep spiritual poverty and wretchedness. Yet, there is
a poverty that makes a man ripe for the kingdom of
God.
Take another look at the special programs and
outreaches organised in the churches and you will
discover the emphasis is not on righteousness or the
kingdom of God. Instead, banners, posters, handbills
and radio jingles proclaim "Unceasing Showers of
Blessing," "Twenty-four Hour Miracles;" or
"Stupendous Breakthroughs." Hosea dismisses this
tendency: "They assemble together for grain and new
wine." (Hosea 7:14)
Prosperity preachers mislead Christians. They hold
up the candy of their gospel, saying "count the
blessings." But Jesus does the very opposite. He
presents the gospel and says "count the cost." (Luke
14:28-33). Jesus does not promise us a rose garden
in this life. Instead he tells his disciples: "In the world
you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I
have overcome the world." (John 16:33).
Encouraging the wicked
God says to Isaiah: "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your
voice like a trumpet; tell my people their
transgression, and the house of Jacob their
sins." (Isaiah 58:1). Prosperity preachers are averse
to doing this for fear of alienating their congregation.
Therefore, they fool the gullible, saying: "Get ready,
get ready, God is about to give you a blessing that
there will not be room enough to contain."
Prosperity preachers strengthen the hand of evil-
doers by promising them God's blessings instead of
reproving their sins. (Jeremiah 23:14). They give the
wrong impression that God is satisfied with
Christians, ensuring that we do not repent of sin.
Indeed, as a rule, God does not send messages of
prosperity. He is not in the habit of sending
messages of peace and prosperity to a sinful world.
On the contrary, he sends warnings of wars, famines
and plagues. (Jeremiah 28:8-9).
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Do not listen to the
words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They
make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own
heart, not from the mouth of the LORD. They
continually say to those who despise me, 'The LORD
has said, 'You shall have peace;' and to everyone who
walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they
say, 'No evil shall come upon you.'" (Jeremiah
23:16-17).
God is contemptuous of prosperity preachers. He
says: "All of them, great and small, prophet and
priest, have one purpose in mind- to get what isn't
theirs. They give useless medicine for my people's
grievous wounds, for they assure them all is well
when that isn't so at all!" (Jeremiah 8:10-11).
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