Prosperity Gospel and the Western Church

I don't want this to come off sounding holier-than thou. For certain, I am not. I echo the thoughts of many of you. Whether it is Joel Osteen or another prosperity, positive thinking guru. Whether it is Rick Warren and his watered-down, sugar coated, out of context, I - centered ministry.

"The focus of the western church today is not Jesus Christ. It is all about me. The emphasis is placed on "I". It starts with "I believe", while disregarding the fact that Paul says in Ephesians that "faith itself is a gift from God lest we should boast". We move then to "I accept", and then "I chose" regardless of the Scriptural truth laid out by Christ throughout the book of John and echoed in Romans and Ephesians. There is no synergism in salvation. We are saved through no merit and no action on our part. It is not of our Will that we can "seek" Him out. Romans 9:14 tells us we cannot "run" or "will" our way to God. What oxy-moron are we buying into with this "seeker sensitive" philosophy we're instilling.

What I find especially appalling is that while these types encourage and embrace the worldly pursuit of treasures, making these symbolic of faith... they are willing to overlook that which the Bible calls sin in the name of sensitivity (or is it really fear of biting the hand that feeds them). What we are seeing today is nothing but the "Itching Ears" Syndrome that Paul wanred Timothy would come. It started long ago, and is increasing in energy and momentum. A little leaven has snowballed into an apostate generation. Praise be to God that He knows His sheep and His sheep will hear his voice over the noisemakers like Osteen and Warren."


By Rev MG

Thats why Jesus said straight is the gate and narrow is the way. And few there be that find it But wide is the gate There is way that seems right to a man but leads to death ( eternal) And broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that go there.Not everybody that says lord or uses his name for salvation shall be saved. For many shall come in that day and say lord haven't we healed the sick feed the hungry did all these good deeds. And he will say depart from me you who have worked iniquity I never knew you . You never had a spiritual relationship with me. You were n't led by my spirit. God will get everthing thats his, his kingdom stands sure and fixed. And he will not loose one of his least of his saints.Seek the old paths if you want to be saved. One lord one faith and one baptisim not 666 different varieties of make believe religion. Seek his spirit while he may yet be found.

Truth in your words, but where is the love, where is the extended hand, where is the grace? I hear judgement and condemnation when I read them, but I do not hear the love. Yes we are to discern, yes, we are to walk in righteousness, but if we do not seek His face, to know Him more, to become intimate with our Lord, and to build relationship with one another funded upon His love, then what are we accomplishing?

Paul tells us in 1st Cor 13 that without Love, we have nothing ... our words are as a clanging gong, our deeds are for naught. Only one thing never fails ... Love. That is the truth behind Jesus' teaching of the sheep and the goats. It's wasn't just that they were or were not led by the Spirit. The word knew there implies intimacy, it is the same word used to describe sexual intimacy ... Jesus is saying to the goats, "I never was in an intimate relationship with you."

In Eph 4 Paul tells us to speak, literally to teach the truth in Love. In Col we are told to put on love above all else. Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment was responded: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." The second is like it, not lesser, not secondary, but corresponding to ... again Love, the true Love of and for God is the primary thing. That is the reason why John wrote so extensively about Love. If we are to abide in Him and He in us, we must know and abide (remain) in the Love of God. (1 John 4)

Yes, it is a spiritual relationship with Him, but it is so much more, it is an intimate relationship, a deep abiding, or indwelling oh the Lord in us and us in the Lord. His desire is to know us as a groom knows his bride. We need to walk in His ways, yes, but we need to do it from the place of a lovesick bride desiring only to please her groom. Our gaze must be on Him, our heart must begin to beat with His, we must begin to speak and hear His words, walking in the midst of Him in intimate contact with our one true love. Only then will we speak words that will impact the world, and turn it upside down, only then will we breathe and speak life, and truly see the Kingdom of God manifest. Because only then will our words be His words, our thoughts His thoughts and our deeds, His deeds.