Monetary wealth is an enormously popular topic in the Church. It has very real power to change this world and affect people and wealth is one of the most popular topics in the Bible.
There are two very prevalent extreme views on whether or not God desires for His children to be wealthy. I think it’s a good idea to spend a few days, and a few posts on just this subject.
Let’s examine both of them and look closely at the scriptures that lead to these philosophies. What you’ll see is that both either use scripture out of context or selectively use certain scriptures while ignoring others that damage their argument. Of course, the two views that I’ll be bashing are archetypes. I’ve never actually met anyone that believes either one of these purely. Most everyone falls somewhere in the middle. I say this so that it does not appear that I am bashing a particular ministry because I think I am a fan of certain ministries that some might consider “prosperity” ministries. But most of what I hear preached is much more balanced then this archetype I’ll be painting. When I do hear something I disagree with, it has never been something to divide the Body over. Even if someone holds the exact views that I argue against here, they are a brother in Christ to be honored and respected, even while we disagree on certain minor points. Perhaps you can educate me where you disagree?
God does love us and wants us to be blessed in every way. He does want us to enjoy the blessings of living in this earth, but more importantly he desires us to be focused on Him and doing the work He calls us to do so that the wealth He gives us is used to bless those around us. A byproduct of this is that we are richly blessed (both spiritually and materially), but this comes more from the awe of living a life of faith while watching God multiply and increase than it does from having lots of toys.
To be continued tomorrow – so invite someone you know to join us.