The Truth About the Prosperity Teaching of Today

Pure Heresy

It never ceases to amaze me how much money has influenced a large portion of  churches today.

We are all aware that money is of primary importance to governments, corporations and society as a whole,  but when money becomes the core doctrine of the church, there should be great cause for alarm!    Christians are being taught that the poor among us are poor because they lack faith, that poverty is of the devil and that giving your last dollar to a some greedy ministry of covetousness teaching will guarantee getting 100 fold back. 

Friend, this is not only contradictory to the clear instruction of scripture, it is heresy!

The Word Of Faith movement, which seems to go hand in hand with the Prosperity Doctrine, is nothing more than multilevel marketing disguised in a "get rich quick" package of Christianity.  Of course, everyone in the world desires financial freedom, prosperity, health and success. That's the reason we work, invest and save!  What better way could there be than to convince people that God Almighty wants them to be rich and has a secret formula for doing so?  After all, if the power of God is behind the method, it can't possibly be wrong or fail, right?   Unfortunately, that's the erroneous assumption that has led to the demise of many good men and women of God.   How easy it is to fall into the age-old trap of seeking to satisfy our own lusts using perceived ‘Biblical’ concepts!   This "movement" is nothing more than a gospel of covetousness!  It is in fact, "another gospel"!

Philippians 3:18-19   "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

Galatians 1:6-7  "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."

Poor People?

I do not in any form or fashion believe it is always God's will for his people to be poor and needy. Jesus Himself tells us that God is concerned with our well being and with our needs. Examine the words of Jesus:

Matthew 6:31-33  "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

If you will read that passage again, you'll notice that  Jesus focuses on three things that are essential to our very existence!  Those three things?  Food, Drink,  Clothing.  There is no mention of "shelter", nor is there any mention of riches or wealth.  What is it that Jesus is saying here?  Is it not that God will provide us with the things we require to sustain life if we only trust Him?  The overwhelming principle found in the Word of God from cover to cover is not "trust God for riches and wealth", but is rather "seek God and his righteousness and He will provide for your necessities"!

The Error

So then what does one make of so-called evangelist Kenneth Copeland’s statement

By listening to the modern day "Word of Faith" teaching it becomes evident that the overwhelming message is "Just  name and claim anything our heart desires" and we will have it because we say it.  Whether you wish to accept it or not, this completely removes God from the equation and is on an equal par with the occult, with shamanism, and with sorcery. 

Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus encourage us to “claim” the desires and personal lusts of our heart with the guarantee that we will get that which we claim just because we invoke the name of Jesus.  To teach that words or phrases spoken in a certain manner have certain "power", is to teach pure unadulterated witchcraft and sorcery.  If you believe your words have some "force of power" or some "creative power" and that  anyone who can use those words (in faith of course) has the force because it is the word that has the power, then my friend, you are sadly deceived.  You most certainly do not have creative power in your words or your chants.  This is not a principle supported anywhere in the Word of God!

What these Word of Faith teachers do today is camp on their pet verses and tell their gullible audiences ‘There it is in black and white, so don’t listen to those prophets of doom who want to keep you poor and miserable’.

Tragically, they won't show you all the verses in the Bible pertaining to the issue, nor will they rightly divide them and explain them to you.  The truth of the matter is:  Anyone that claims to be a teacher (or preacher) of the Word of God who doesn’t deal with contrary verses and doesn't examine the sense of the Bible ‘as a whole’ is not interested in the truth!    I (and you) are well capable of taking a few Isolated verses out of context and nearly any doctrine we wish can be made to appear true.  For example:  Jesus said  in Matthew 21:22   "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."  I think I'm going to go sit outside the Mercedes dealer today and wait for my car.  You should do the same thing!   After all, there it is in black and white and Jesus said it so it must be true!  Does that sound ridiculous to you? That's because it is.

The truth of the matter is that such faith (such "asking in prayer and believing") MUST be based in the will of God  and not in your own personal lusts and desires!  Nowhere in the Bible does the Lord promise financial or physical prosperity. In fact there are an overwhelming number of verses in the Bible that clearly warn against the dangers of riches.

Please continue to the next page.

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