Skip to main content

Beware of money focused teaching

There are a lot of strange doctrines out there bouncing throughout the Church because the teachers are cherry picking Scriptures out of context. 

Some Prosperity teachers say that it is God's will for all believers to be rich, and they use Paul'sown words to support their position. 

After all, didn't Paul say in 2 Cor. 9:8 (NIV) 

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 

 Therefore, they teach that it is God's will is for us to be well off. 

 Yes, it does appear from that one verse that we're suppose to have plenty of stuff to take care of ourselves and others.


On the other hand, Paul also said in Romans 8:35 (NIV) 

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" 

In this passage, Paul taught that we as Christians might sometimes go hungry, naked, and even be murdered. 

Therefore, those who preach a poverty Gospel say that it's God will for us to be poor. 

 However, which is right?

It is a teachers responsibility to teach the whole truth, and not just one aspect of it. 

If he or she doesn't, they are wandering off from the truth into error. 

 Let me take a moment and attempt to balance out these two truths

Jesus said in Matthew (NIV) 25:42 "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 

43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." 

Here we see both aspects of prosperity and poverty truth.

Jesus taught that there would be some believers among us without food, clothes, SICK, without housing, and even in prison. 

In other words, there will be needy believers. 

 At the same time, there will be believers among us who have plenty of food, clothes, health, have housing, and out of prison. 

In other words, there will be well-to-do believers, too. 

 It is the responsibility of those who are experiencing prosperity to help others who are experiencing lack. 

If they don't , they expose that they expose that they were never true believers after all.

It is the leaders responsibility to quote verses consistent with Bible context, and the learners responsibility to verify they do. 

The leaders should teach us to be self feeders, and not to be lead astray by those with hidden agenda.
After all, Paul said in Phil (NIV) 

4:12 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. 

 I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dan Dehaan's Metro Bible Study

In the late 1970s, I attended an interdenominational Bible Study called “the Metro Bible Study” in Metro Atlanta, which began as a Small Group in “Dad” Charles Ellis’ basement. It was taught by Dan Dehaan, and eventually outgrew Dad Ellis’ basement by moving to the Griffin Middle School.  When I first started attending, it had grown to 300 teenagers who meet ever Tuesday night and featured Contemporary Christian Music played by “The Pat Terry Group”.  As the Metro Bible Study continued rapid growth, they eventually moved to the First Baptist Church of Smyrna, Georgia where it peaked around 1200 attendees.  In the summer of 1982, Dan Dehaan died in a plane crash and teacher John Riley took over. Under John Riley, the Bible Study grew to about 1,500 after eventually moving to Mt. Paran Church of God. When I was first invited to the “Metro Bible Study”, I didn’t go to hear Dan Dehaan teach because I didn’t know who he was.  What I went to hear...
2 comments
Read more

Remembering Names

In one of my previous jobs, I was required by my employer to attend a Dale Carnegie public speaking course. (See  www.dalecarnegie.com  for more information).   The class had about 40 to 50 attendees, and the instructor began the course by teaching us how to remember each other’s name.  After each person got up, they would tell us his or her name, where they worked, and what things they like to do. As each person spoke, we were supposed to remember each person, by associating their names by what they told us.   The first assignment of the class was to get up and say each person’s name from memory.  We had to remember from memory EVERYONE’S NAME!  As each attendee was called upon to stand up and say everyone’s name, it served as a review for everyone else in the class.  Amazingly, every attendee was about to quote everyone else’s name from memory including me.  To this day when I see someone from the cla...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Trouble?

What do we do in the middle of trouble? Do I trust God when I don't understand? That's the situation the captives found themselves in, and this was God's response. Jeremiah 29:4-11  (NLT) 4  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5  “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.   6  Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!  7  And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” 8  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams...
1 comment
Read more