Prosperity Gospel or Proverbs 30:7-9?

John MacArthur has posted on one page a wonderful series of Grace to You blog posts called Blog Series: The Lies of the Prosperity Gospel. It always amazes me how the false teachers (Prosperity Gospel, Dominionism, Emergent church, etc.) twist Scriptures out of context. MOST of the time, if you go to the Word, as you should (Acts 17:11) you will find they used Scripture in ways completely unrelated to what God's Word says.

On the other hand, prosperity theology flies in the face of Scripture.

Proverbs 30:7-9 is just one example. A prayer, NOT for riches, but for whatever will keep him glorifying God. For this we were created, not for big houses, big cars and big hair!

7 Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,
9 That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

Your Best Lie Now

Recently I read a blog post by Albert Mohler called Does Joel Osteen Not Know? Or Does He Not Care? That's an important distinction, but what's important on a personal level is that we be discerning and turn away from any false Gospel. Some like to say we are judging, and the invariably quote Matt 7:1-2 which says “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. As you will see if you watch the video attached to this post below, that's taking Jesus' words out of context. Read the verses following and you will see He is speaking about hypocrisy, judging others for things which you yourself commit, and possibly to a greater degree.

In fact, the Scripture tells us in many places to be discerning about who we trust to feed us the Word of God: 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 the Apostle Paul wrote to a Church which was mired in false teaching - clarifying that it was important to fulfill the Great Commision AND to purge the false teachers from among them:
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 
10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 
11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 
12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 
13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

So, what's the difference between discernment and judgmentalism?
Discernment is measuring someone's life or words by the Scripture - are they leading a righteous life and in the case of teachers / preachers, are they teaching God's Word in truth or manipulating it to fit what they want it to say?
Judgment is stating as fact something you don't know, which is their heart. That's why I said it's important to make the distinction in my opening paragraph. I DON'T know the heart of the likes of Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Paul Crouch, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyers and the like, but I KNOW by their outright LIES regarding the Word of God, not to mention their blasphemies of the Scriptures that these are indeed false teachers. And I pray for them to be saved, imagine the testimony of such a one who already has millions watching them, being fleeced by them!

Watch this short video with commentary and Scripture in context to show Osteen's false preaching:



The Word of Faith Movement (see Justin Peters post below), also known as false prosperity theology of Osteen and MOST of what you see in so-called "Christian TV" today. There is very little worth watching on those channels! Listen from the wolves' mouthes their heresies, in this MP3 of Justin Peters: A Call for Discernment - A Biblical Critique of the Word of Faith (or the Health, Wealth & Prosperity) Movement at Grace Community Church on 7/12/2008.

These wolves in sheep's clothing show their contempt for the Word of God by the very fact that they do not take God's own warning to false teachers seriously in James 3:1 "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment."

I was studying in Ezekiel 9 this week and something interesting jumped out from the pages. In this passage, God is about to punish Judah (the Southern Kingdom) by allowing them to be taken captive to the Babylonians. before He does, he sends an angel to mark the small remnant who were faithful and gave order to slay the unfaithful, and where did God command the judgment to begin? His sanctuary, that is the Temple in Jerusalem:

4 The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple. 7 And He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” Thus they went out and struck down the people in the city.

As always, no matter WHO is speaking to you about God's Word, be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11. Don't take my word, or the word of the person who made the video above. Look up those Scriptures, read them in context, go to the Word to see if these things are so.

2 Peter 2 talks all about false teachers and the dangers they pose to the body of Christ. Matt 7:21 Jesus makes a very sobering statement: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Prosperity Theology In The Bible

Reading the book of Job is enlightening, we see how Job's friends are the first to espouse the Prosperity Theology which our Christian society today does.

I think it's the first Biblical glimpse (the book was written before Moses wrote the 5 books of the Torah), and shows something our Christian society now suffers from: belief in Prosperity Theology. The errant human belief (NOT Biblical truth) that if you're living right, according to God, you will be happy, healthy and rich! And if someone isn't, they must be sinning and "if only they went to church, they would be OK"! As if walking into a building, even several times a week, constitutes either a relationship with God or righteous living. I think the likes of the Bakers and Haggards of this world are solid proof that isn't so!

The interesting thing is that Job's 4 friends knew their "Bible", everything they say about God is true and theologically sound - such as "He consumes the tents of the corrupt" (15:34), "the hope of the Godless will perish" (8:13), etc. Where Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar & Elihu go wrong is they assume that because Job is suffering the way he is, he MUST have sinned against God.

[Prosperity theology goes one step further, it says "come to THIS church and you'll be wealthy", and the masses drink the Kool-Aid!!!!!!!!! But if they knew God's word, they would know this is untrue, a cursory study of the Apostle Paul's life is enough to prove that!]

What we know that they don't (not even Job) is back in Job 1:6-12 & 2:1-7 Satan was allowed by God to test Job. God was so sure that Job would not curse Him, that he let Satan inflict suffering on Job.

Job says in 31:24-28 (KJV):

Job 31:24 If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;

Job 31:25 If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

Job 31:26 If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

Job 31:27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:

Job 31:28 This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.

We see here that to trust in riches and have confidence in one's wealth and all one has secured (v. 24-25) - rather than in God who is the one who gives us all we have - results in judgment because such actions and thoughs equal:

1. Pagan worship (v. 26-27 refer to pagan worship - adoration of the sun and moon)
2. Denying God's power and blessings (v. 28)

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God:
for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth
(Deu 8:18)

I think that says it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!