Now many of these "false prophets" will immediately jump to Abraham, David and Solomon in the Old Testament to legitimize their message, but that was before the cross, and God still blesses some of His people that way today, but if so, it's to bless others and to carry on kingdom work, and you don't hear those people, if their heart is in the right place with the Lord, preaching a "prosperity" message. Jesus clearly calls us to a life of humility, dying to our flesh and sinful nature, and being willing, indeed expecting to share in His sufferings. And again, if He does bless financially, it's so we can sow it into the kingdom work, not spend it selfishly on ourselves. And obviously He does bless many of His soldiers out their who have large, successful ministries, but if you watch, you see that they have accountability partners in place, and they are continually sowing back into the ministry as God allows and wills, NOT as THEY choose. In other words, it's about Jesus with them, NOT about themselves, and when you check someone out, there is a BIG difference.
Jesus did not, and does not teach, in any way, that our focus is to be on getting rich and on getting bigger and better cars and houses. He said we cannot love both money AND Him at the same time, which the prosperity gospel teaches. We are to store "up our riches in heaven where they will not rust or where thieves won't break in and steal." He didn't promise perfect health either. "By His stripes we are healed" is vastly over-used and wrongly so. WE are totally SPIRITUALLY healed. THAT is the promise when we are born again. But where are we EVER promised perfect health or perfect ANYTHING in THIS BROKEN WORLD? That's just it, we're not! Christians get sick just like everybody else, we don't get some special pass guys, that's the problem with BOTH the "prosperity" false gospel and the "word faith" false gospel where people have wrongly been taught that they just can name it and claim it. Ya, well let me make this REAL CLEAR, that is NOT IN THE BIBLE, ANYWHERE. You never hear or see that from Jesus or in any of the epistles. So sorry if I'm raining on someones parade or ticking someone off, I have before. I've been de-friended for holding this perfectly Biblical position. And yes, there IS power in the tongue, and in negative versus positive speaking. Yes, we should agree with God's word, but what has happened is that it is lifted out of context or it's actual meaning and we take it places it was never meant to go. Like if you study the context of the verse " By His stripes we are healed."-IS 53:5b you see that that verse is part of a whole paragraph describing how Jesus suffered in our place, and that the word "stripe" is actually a SINGULAR Hebrew noun describing that the "stripe" that caused His death has brought salvation to those for whose sins He died (see 1 Peter 2:24), so it refers to our salvation, not at all to physical healing. It's been hijacked by faith healers and twisted to mean what suits their purpose. A WHOLE lot of that going on.
Like don't even get started on the exaggeration of the little word "prosper" in the Bible which my Strongs shows as two Hebrew root words that can mean as little as "to instruct" or to break out, come mightily, cause to prosper (lit. or fig.), the two times it's used in the New Testament, it means, to help on the road, i.e. succeed in reaching; fig. to succeed in business affairs:- (have a) prosper (-ous journey). Not exactly what we hear preached from all those "prosperity" and "word faith" pulpits is it? Do you see rich and wealthy blatantly spilling out there? Ya-Me neither. Thus the problem with false gospels. They don't preach the Gospel. They either twist or manipulate what is there for their gain, which usually involves mega-churches, mega-money, mega-books, mega-houses,anybody notice a pattern here besides me? OR they water down the truth and barely mention any real Scripture, just vague good, virtuous, "principles to live by" sermons which basically are "God loves everyone and wants to bless you no matter how you live or what you believe" sermons.
I confess that in a down moment, emotionally and physically, I actually fell for that very message from Joel Osteen and thought it legit, for a day, okay, two, until I REALLY listened to more and did my homework, and ended up where I originally was; the guy is a total 100% "Prosperity Gospel" guy. Sorry to my friends who believe otherwise. But he's on tape saying that there are "many paths to Jesus" and that unconverted people are going to Heaven, it's not his place to judge? If it's not a Pastor's place to set us right then whose is it may I ask? He DOES claim to be a CHRISTIAN Pastor, does he not? Yet he is not concerned about "people of other faiths" being in his church when he's not, I repeat, not, making it crystal, crystal, clear HOW and THROUGH WHOM you get to heaven. And before anyone starts on me about not "judging" someone else, that's another over-used misunderstood verse used by biblically illiterate people, sorry to offend, but it's true, we are supposed to be wise and "judge them by their fruit". Jesus called a spade a spade. So did all the prophets, and John the Baptist, and all the apostles, just to name a few. I think it's just become popular in our late PC 20th and 21st century to be cowards for Christ instead of fearlessly speaking the truth as we should and warning people away from what's false when we know it and hear it because we might lose friends.
WE need to decide if we are going to fear GOD or fear man. I'm choosing God. And everyone who's mad at me? Do your own homework. Have a listen to the "exposed" you tube on Joel and listen to his answers to questions asked in LEGIT interviews, and decide for yourself. But go back and REALLY LISTEN, do you hear pages turning and Scripture quoted? Do you hear the salvation message straight up and sin and self renounced firmly but lovingly(you CAN do both)! Do you hear every time that JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY PATH TO HEAVEN??? Do you? Cause I did not. Not any of those. Not once. So by true Gospel standards is what he feeding those people(thousands) true or false? I'd have to vote FALSE off of Jesus' words alone. And pray like hell he gets his act together for the sake of all those mislead thousands thinking they're saved on fluff. And if I'm being too tough then Jesus can tell me so, times wasting, and people are going to hell listening to all of these false teachers out there. So if WE don't get real, let me ask, who is going to? And I believe tough love is still legit.
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