Would you know it if you heard it?
The prosperity gospel.
It’s the sneaky snake that slithers into Christian teachings about money (and other things!) twisting truths about God’s generosity and deceiving MANY.
The surprising part is that most people know the Prosperity Gospel is bad… but aren’t really sure what it is, or how to know when they hear it… and I will be the first to tell you, “Don’t feel bad!”, it can be very tricky to spot! I’ve even heard pastors who would speak harshly against the prosperity gospel turn around and teach it in their sermons unknowingly.
“How do I spot it?” asked a friend of mine…
I told them this story:
When people are being trained to learn how to identify counterfeit bills, it would be easy to assume that they would be familiarized with the various ways counterfeit money appears.
The opposite is true, however: they spend almost their entire time studying the REAL money.
It has been found that knowing the REAL thing “like the back of your hand” is the key needed to trigger that “something’s not right” feeling when the fake one comes across the desk.
In a very similar way getting to know God, his character, and the true gospel message like the back of your hand is the best way to be able to sense when “something isn’t quite right” with a message you hear.
With that said, I also can’t help but point you to one of my favorite resources from one of my favorite theologians…
This tiny book is all you need to know about the prosperity gospel- which may help you understand what to look for even more. But until you get your hands on it, I’ll leave you with this clue for spotting it:
Look for “if >>> then assumptions”, for instance:
if you give generously then God will be generous with you.
if you wait to have sex till marriage then your marriage and sex life will be blessed.
If, then. if, then.
this kind of assumption is the foundation for SO much hurt and destruction among Christians… because we begin to wonder,
“Why am I still scraping by? Was I not generous enough?” (I am being generous… but God isn’t returning the favor)
“Why is my marriage in shambles? I thought I did everything right” (My best efforts weren’t good enough for the Lord’s blessings)
I can tell you with great confidence that the Lord’s generous nature cannot be matched! He does not manipulate us into good behavior but instead, heaps blessings upon us despite our downfalls and shortcomings and lovingly rewards for ALL OUR GOOD DEEDS us in his perfect way and timing.
We are not slaves trying to attain the master’s favor by hard work and good character…
We are the Master’s children who ALREADY have the favor and the inheritance, which causes us to take delight in learning His ways!
I hope this not only equips you to be on the lookout for false teaching but also frees you to enjoy the presence of your Father even more!
Until next time
