The Secret of Prosperity
Posted on May 4th, 2007 by Samaritan into the Uncategorized categorySometimes we try to raise money when we really need to repent
We think that the truth of the gospel boils down to dollars and cents
We all want to live in a nice house and wear clothing that's in style
God loves a cheerful giver so when you pay me be sure to smile
So writes my friend David Benrexi in the song Cheerful Giver. In all likelihood, you'll never hear the song on the radio or recorded by a professional Christian artist, because the lyrics contradict the wildly popular prosperity doctrine. Certainly God wants His people to prosper, however there is no direct reference in scripture that I can find which equates God's blessing with money.
In fact, quite the opposite seems true. Psalm 73:3-12 suggests it is the wicked who lust after material wealth. Specifically, Psalm 73:12 says: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.”
To borrow a phrase from RP: it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure this stuff out! God created us for fellowship, to love him and one another, multiply and make him a family. Everything we needed to carry out the original commandment of God to “replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28) was right there in the garden. God did NOT create money, nor did He create cities, commerce, corporations, religion, human governments, the judicial system, etc. These are the vain imaginations of sinful man, the creations of corrupt minds to replace the original vision and creation of God, with the creation of man.
For God's people, scripture holds that “blessing” and “favor” are in finding and loving a wife (Proverbs 18:22, 1 Peter 3:7) and having children (Psalm 127:3-5). The word “prosper” brings up a great number of scriptures where prosperity is used in the context of increasing God's people and overcoming enemies. Each of these benefits from God are consistent with His original commandment to go forth and replenish the earth.
Long after the fall and expulsion from the garden, God's desire for us remained the same. Specifically, we who are the sons of Abraham by faith, are the direct result of God's blessing of Abraham – to multiply Abraham's seed and make his descendants as numerous as sand on the seashore, to overcome his enemies and ultimately bless all nations through Jesus (Genesis 22:15-18). God's instruction to Abraham is really no different than His instruction to Adam and Eve. It could be argued that everything God has done since then has been to bring about His people - to pave the way for us to fulfill His original commandment to fill the earth with children for God. So I wonder how is it that we, as the blessing and prosperity of God through Abraham, tally up our prosperity in dollars and cents and not by the love and companionship of our wives, children and grandchildren?
Long ago, I gave up pursuit of fame and recognition, money and property and made the decision to invest in my wife. As I prepare a home for my wife that I know she will love, I can't help but remember the words of Christ when He returned to His Father – that He was going there to prepare a home for us to enjoy with Him. I am grateful to the Lord who has led me to do for my bride, as He is doing for His bride. In this place, there is genuine peace and contentment and I am prospering in the thing that matters most: making a family for myself and my Father.
In terms of God's idea of prosperity and in keeping with His original commandment (Genesis 1:28), surely our best investment in the short and long term, is to sew our time and devotion into our wives, children and grandchildren.
Financial riches as prosperity?
How sad. How blind.
Sam
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May 6th, 2007 at 6:19 am
Uh, Sam, that sounds kinda Mormon to me …
Just because God created a world for us, to sustain and provide for us, and set us in that world with a command to fill the earth with people and thereby subdue the earth; just because God re-iterated His creation command to Abraham after Adam and Eve screwed everything up - to put us back on task for making God a people; just because God gave ALL in Jesus to crush His and our enemies - an enemy who seeks to deny God a people / family; that DOES NOT mean God’s ultimate vision is NOT to bless us with piles and piles of money! Real Estate! Stocks! Bonds! Jewels!
C’mon Sam! Look at the description of the New Jerusalem … gates made of pearl, foundations of precious stones, streets of gold … all we’re trying to do Sam is bring a little of that New Jerusalem to the earth!
You ever try to save money with kids, Sam? You ever seen what a toddler can do to a fine persian rug? Children are an obstacle to prosperity! Ewww!!!
‘Scrupe
May 6th, 2007 at 7:12 am
I always thought the secret to prosperity was to seek first the Kingdom of God, and then it will come to you … or it might not. Actually, at that point, you won’t care because eternity is written on your heart and being with Jesus is all that matters.
Then there’s having a wife / husband and children. Genesis mandate or not, sometimes these things are in our lives. Sometimes they are not. Even when we want something different. It’s at those times that we ask ourselves, “Is God enough for me?”
May 6th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Anna reminds us of:
Thanks, Anna … funny that the passage says it is the “gentiles” who chase after food, drink, clothing first … (by definition, gentiles are NOT the people of God - Jews are the people of God - so is Jesus saying that one of the earmarks of people who do NOT belong to Him are people who chase after the concerns / lusts of the flesh?)
But YOU, as God’s people, seek the kingdom of God first … and through seeking His kingdom (and righteousness), the needs of the flesh are satisfied.
So, what makes a kingdom? Can there be a kingdom without subjects?
We’ve all heard a multitude of opinions about what it means to “seek the kingdom of God” … personally, I can’t ever recall hearing anyone say it means to add to the kingdom by seeking the lost and bearing children … most of the time, I’ve heard that verse interpreted as seeking God himself or seeking the truth via scripture … never have I heard someone relate that scripture to seeking out and building the kingdom by adding to its subjects whether by searching for the lost or bearing children …
Yet there is no kingdom without subjects. So is job one for us “entering in” to the kingdom, and once we’ve entered in, does the Kings “kingdom priorities” become our own priorities? Specifically, to prosper the kingdom by adding to the kingdom?
May 7th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
Sam wrote: So, what makes a kingdom? Can there be a kingdom without subjects?
Sam: Good point about it being the unsaved who seek anxiously after material goods. Every prosperity preacher needs to read that verse a little more closely.
Nevertheless, I agree with Unscrupulous Man here about your comments on having children.
(1) You sound rather Mormonic (although not identical). The Mormons see the universe filled with spirit babies that need to be given human bodies by parents on earth so that they can have an opportunity to ascend to godhood just like the human Jesus did. When you say that you are making subjects for God’s kingdom by having kids, it sounds more like LDS than NT.
(2) Just because we have children does not mean that they will become “subjects” of the kingdom of God. Do they not have to make a personal commitment to Christ when they grow up? Even when Paul says that your children are “sanctified” (I Cor 7:14), I can’t hear Paul say that children, when they grow up to be responsible adults, were saved because they were dedicated to Christ by their parents, can you?
(3) In the way you broached the subject, it sounded like you were criticizing Anna… but she said: “…always thought the secret to prosperity was to seek first the Kingdom of God…” I think that she got it right - except, the verse doesn’t promise “prosperity” to the kingdom-seeker, but only that one’s needs will be met (food, shelter, clothing). Maybe that’s what Anna meant, anyway.
(4) In the gospels, I think we find family relationships looked at a bit differently than maybe in other places in the Bible like Proverbs or Psalms. In the gospels, family relationships are to be subservient to the kingdom of God (without abuse or neglect). They are not ends in themselves. Jesus says, Unless a man hate his father, mother, son, daughter and wife - he cannot be my disciple (cf. Luke 14:26). In the context of an End Time expectation, Paul seems to agree: “…from now on those who have wives should live as if they had none…” (I Cor. 7:29b).
I think that it is possible to go from the extreme of making a ministry, money, prestige our focus to making our wife and family our complete focus. Human nature tends to swing back and forth and justify itself as it does to avoid cognitive dissonance. The greatest commandment, Jesus says, is love for God - not man.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:15 am
Thanks for the second “m” there, Dave.
The only thing I have in common with Mormons is that I once rode a bicycle …
What I would really like to get at in this blog post is, a question no one seems to be asking or answering, and that is:
Clearly from the human perspective, we equate prosperity with material blessing. If we have money, we are prosperous - yet the scripture tells us that we can’t serve 2 masters: God and money … so it seems clear that prosperity measured by money is false … so what is Godly prosperity?
On the day of the Lord, when the fire of the Lord tests what we have built, will our cars, homes, money, stocks, bonds, etc., survive the fire? Will we take any of that stuff with us when we die?
There is a scripture - several of them actually, that describe God as a gardener - and we are the planting of His splendor (Isaiah 61) … clearly, we are the priority of God and our entry into His kingdom is His reward … it could be said that the abundance of God’s harvest is His prosperity …
Turning back the clock to where God first planted His garden, with the simple instruction to replenish the world, it is clear that everything necessary to fulfill His direction was provided for that purpose - food, drink, warmth and the company/companionship of God and a spouse … even so, all the things God provided to support the accomplishment of God’s will are ancillary …
The term “prosper” as used so many times in scripture, effectively means the successful accomplishment of a mission / purpose …
Consider:
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper …” Isaiah 54:17 KJV
“And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king’s hand.” 1 Kings 22:12 KJV
To know then whether or not there is “prosperity”, don’t we have to know the mission/purpose of the one who set it in motion?
God set creation in motion to make sons and daughters. The measure of prosperity from God’s perspective is (I’m certain) adding to His children. If we are looking at this world from God’s perspective, how can we count / measure prosperity by such temporal things as money, offerings, houses, cars, etc., and not simply by the number and health of God’s family?
If money is a Godly measure of prosperity, what about the prosperity of Hugh Hefner, Donald Trump, etc.?
For me, to “seek the kingdom of God” AND “His righteousness” speak of 2 things, not the same … the former includes His people with whom I should live in love, peace, unity, brotherhood … the latter is seeking the very character of God Himself … for how can I seek the one without the other?
This goes hand in hand with the most important commandment, about which when asked, Jesus gave 2 commandments of equal imporance - love God first, and love your neighbor second … they are inseparable commands …
1 John 4:20 EMTV If anyone claims, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how is it possible for him to love God whom he has not seen?
To me, and all I want to emphasize is, real prosperity should be measured in kingdom terms: the community of God and adding to that community … are we accomplishing the purpose for which He created us?
In terms of my involvement/support of God’s purpose, what I’m saying is, my time is better spent on my wife, children, grandchildren, to bring them into the family of God and encourage them up in their spiritual growth, than in chasing after money and setting money goals …
About the verse Anna quoted “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” … I have a question:
Why don’t preachers preach that? Specifically, if they believe that verse, shouldn’t they preach the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and in so doing trust that the things they need will be taken care of?
By preaching money/things first as in the prosperity doctrine, faith harvest, tithe, tithe, tithe, aren’t preachers showing themselves to be just like the gentiles who chase after those things? Aren’t they serving another god: mammon?
Again:
Sam
May 8th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Sam: I agree with you that family relationships, and healthy relationships in general, are more important in the long run than the pursuit of money and possessions. I also appreciate your insight about how loving God and neighbor go together. Great point! All I was trying to be careful about is that we don’t go from one extreme to another; from an over-emphasis upon public ministry to an over-emphasis upon “us four and no more” - possibly neglecting our mission or ministry to the larger world of God’s calling for us.
Yes! I agree with you that “prosperity” is different than money and toys. Jesus says, “Blessed ARE you poor…” He saw that divine blessing was on those who did not have money, possessions or power but were in a position to need God and his kingdom, i.e., his direct and immediate presence.
As far as extending God’s kingdom by having children, I won’t push the Mormon idea again, but just to say that I feel that some people’s ministry in life is to have many children and raise them up to be godly leaders in the realms of their callings. When I talk to home schooling families, this is the impression that I definitely get from them. At Greg Harris’ church, Household of Faith, I observed and someone told me, that the average number of children in the families of their church is like 9-10. (Sam, is this your calling in life? If so, bless you!)
On the other hand, Jesus was unmarried and did not extend the Father’s kingdom by proliferation from the womb, and so with Paul. Further, Jesus says that some will “make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of God.” So, here we have the founders of Christianity not defining kingdom reproduction in terms of trips to the delivery room - but in terms of leading souls to God.
May 8th, 2007 at 7:45 am
I’m afraid not, David. I have 3 daughters by my 1st marriage, which is the story of Hosea. Losing my kids like that has taught me about the Father’s passion for His kids, and the great lengths He goes to for relationship with us. I know a little of the broken heart of God, who watches His children chase after the things of the world, seeking the hand of God, but rarely his heart … and I know a little of reconciliation and healing of the relationship with my children … it’s taught me grace and patience, though I could always use more …
My new wife and I met too late for children - so we cling to Galatians 4:27.
…
Perhaps what I should have said is, it is best for us to identify the things the Father has invested IN us, and cultivate them - in the interest of fulfilling God’s kingdom purpose … I know many believers, myself included, whom God has invested wife, children, family, friends, talents (singing, writing, art, carpentry, etc.), and these can be cultivated for kingdom building where the kingdom is God’s family … whether education, helps, encouragement, etc., they can be used to draw God’s family together and toward God …
I just don’t get the money obsession … and I’m shocked that for all of our ability to identify the prosperity doctrine as false, it’s so hard to define real prosperity and devote ourselves to prospering God’s plan …
Sam