A lot of preachers have become famous as a result of this message. Many pastors have written books and spoken at conferences proclaiming this message. Many people have been led down the wrong path for believing in this statement. It goes by many names: ‘Prosperity’ Gospel, ‘Health and Wealth’ Gospel, and the name I have given it - the ‘Nothing Like the Gospel at All’ Gospel. As present day society is consumed with materialism, comfort, and never doing without something, this fake Gospel is thriving. This myth is simple: God just wants you to be happy!
If your pastor is preaching this message, then follow these simple steps:
1. Slap him as hard as you can
2. Tell him to preach from Scripture instead of making it up
3. Slap him again and tell him that was from me
Just kidding on steps 1 and 3… but if you can’t already tell, my blood pressure is rising just talking about this. To avoid getting upset and throwing my computer across the room, I’m just going to dive right into Scripture and give some examples and why this is such a bogus claim.
Matthew 10:16 - Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:22 - You will be hated for my name’s sake.
Matthew 10:34 - Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Wow, what a wonderful message! God really does want us to be happy! It’s so obvious in these verses, but let’s keep going.
-God wants me to have a nice car and a nice house, but yet His own Son didn’t even have a place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).
-God wants me to live a comfortable, easy life. Yet problems in life result in a stronger faith (James 1:2).
Here’s the truth. God wants you to be happy, but He knows that true joy is only found in Him. God wants you to be comfortable, but He knows the best place for us to be is in the center of His will. God wants you to be prosperous, but the reason He blesses you is so that you can turn around and bless other people.
God doesn’t care about growing your 401(k) as much as he wants your riches in heaven (Mark 10:21). It doesn’t really matter to Him if you live in a penthouse or in the woods (Matthew 3:1). He doesn’t worry if you wear all the latest fashions and eat in the swanky restaurants (Matthew 3:4).
God’s priority is not to make you happy. . . He wants to make you His.
Check out these links:
Elizabeth and I attend Newspring Church here in Anderson, SC. Our pastor, Perry Noble, is going through a series right now called “5 Lies of the Devil.” I thought I would pass on the links to his sermons in case you wanted to check them out. The concept is similar to the blogs I am doing now about the myths some people have concerning Scripture and Christianity.
www.newspring.cc
www.perrynoble.com
5 Lies of the Devil
1. God Will Never Put More on Us Than We Can Handle
2. The Church Just Wants Your Money
3. Just Follow Your Heart
4. My Faith is a Private Issue
5. Come on, It’s Just Sex
1 comment:
Totally! Oswald Chambers wrote that it's God's Will that we be holy and his.
Outstanding! :)
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