Reply #144: Depends on the use [View All]

There is a difference between the prosperity gospel and wealth..

The prosperity gospel: (1) Assumes youre due wealth because you're a Christian (2) financial hardships are a sign that youre doing something wrong (3) stuff for stuffs sake is ok..

John Piper is a Christian Author who has spent time destroying the propserity gospel

"When I read about prosperity-preaching churches, my response is: “If I were not on the inside of Christianity, I wouldn’t want in.” In other words, if this is the message of Jesus, no thank you.

Luring people to Christ to get rich is both deceitful and deadly. It’s deceitful because when Jesus himself called us, he said things like: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). And it’s deadly because the desire to be rich plunges “people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9). So here is my plea to preachers of the gospel. "

"The great tragedy of prosperity-preaching is that a person does not have to be spiritually awakened in order to embrace it; one needs only to be greedy. Getting rich in the name of Jesus is not the salt of the earth or the light of the world. In this, the world simply sees a reflection of itself. And if it works, they will buy it."

"Finally (v. 18), the rich must use their money in good deeds and must be liberal and generous. Once they are liberated from the magnet of pride and once their hope is set on God not money, there is only one thing that can happen: their money will flow freely to multiply the manifold ministries of Christ. Hungry will be fed, sick will be healed, ignorant will be taught, and frontier peoples will be evangelized. And as with Zacchaeus of old, love will bore the gold lining out of the Christian pipeline of grace and replace it with simple, durable copper."

Its ok to be Rich but not for the sake of being rich and to those to whom much is given there will (1) be much asked of and (2) much to be accounted for..