ALL: People who love steak might say that Outback has by far the best steaks, others will say Texas has the best beef, until they experience Argentinian beef. People who have never experienced Argentinian beef can't begin to understand the difference from a simple steak in America or the UK. People have exported Argentinian cows with little success. Then they found out it's the wild grass, so they exported the grass, still to no success. You can talk about Argentinian beef until you're blue in the face to those that have never tried it, but they'll never understand until they experience it for themselves. Those that live in the word of God see it as a photo album of God-encounters with others. Still there are some who live those God-encounters and cannot adequately explain it to those that haven't experienced Him for themselves. For some, seeing is believing, like Thomas. This isn't for just a few people. This is for EVERYONE that believes. Why do you think almost no two examples in the scriptures are the same? It is to show the innumerable means God can interact with someone who believes. Some get dreams, others have a tingling sensation, some just understand without explanation, while still others see or hear with their natural senses. Every cell of the body is unique and has a specific job. Some respond to low oxygen levels while others respond to too much sugar in the body. Some react to foreign objects and others to stress signals. Each of us is unique but in Christ we are the same as He is no respecter of anyone and we ALL have a job specifically suited to us. Stop judging others for what they've experienced and you haven't. Stop dismissing things you know nothing about and/or can't understand. Strive to know Christ in every aspect of YOUR life and stop looking at others and judging one way or another in ignorance.
A Biblical rebuke to the prosperity gospel movement
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2 Corinthians 9:8
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
God prospers His children most often when they prove to be trustworthy in their sharing with others. Sharing wisdom? More wisdom! Sharing faith? More faith! Sharing goods? More goods! Sharing time? More time! Sharing talents or gifts? More enrichment of talents or gifts!
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
God prospers His children most often when they prove to be trustworthy in their sharing with others. Sharing wisdom? More wisdom! Sharing faith? More faith! Sharing goods? More goods! Sharing time? More time! Sharing talents or gifts? More enrichment of talents or gifts!
All I have to say is that the Gospel is not that God wants us to be rich. The Gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, so that we can fellowship with God once again and escape the punishment of hell and instead have eternal life.
I agree, but what does that have to do with the prosperity gospel?
I know only of one person and he is on TV, who consistently focuses only on financial gain and that does bother me, and I turn the station whenever he is on.
When you share with others out of what you have, whether little or a lot, God will replenish and more.
Right. God wants us to be blessed and to share that blessing with the world who is in great need and is impoverished in all areas without Him. He especially command us to help the poor, the naked, the hungry and thirsty, both physically and spiritually. We cannot do that if we are also poor.
For the record, I was not necessarily talking about wealth.
There are still two sides to prosper here with us today, the bad: if you want/need anything, just speak the word, and God will do it for you. Really bad, but I've heard it being taught, and under the umbrella of prosperity.
Then there is to prosper, as done by God throughout the bible, where He prospered the way of a person according to His will.
Good prosper - the one God does and always did.
Two sides as I mentioned.
Please understand that you are not answering my question at all. We are talking about prosperity not provision. Abundnace is the same as prosperity. Is this abundance spiritual or carnal?
With each example you are blurring your answer. Are you saying we need carnal blessing for friendships /shelter / marriage? Should we even teach carnal blessings for these?
We have a good marriage because we are spiritually blessed Christians. We help in whatever way we can at shelters because we are spiritually blessed Christians. There is no carnal treasure needed. God will provide, it is not something we need to teach or pursue. He either does or He doesn't provide. It is all up to Him and His will for our lives.
When we teach any carnal prosperity / treasure as something we must pursue and pray for we have lost the plot. We do no grasp fully that we are living for God and His will and not ours.
Scripture teaches us that a life lived God's way will enjoy abundance. From Genesis to Revelation, that is the case.
The blurring is in your own mind, KingJ. You see God's blessing of abundance as carnal.
I'm surprised someone has not yet started a show called, "TV evangelists say the darnedest things"
Balance and understanding. Meditation was stolen by the Gurus of India. Today you speak of meditation and people think "guru". In the right conditions (no persecution events) God will bless His obedient. It's a FACT. Others will take that fact and make it a goal to attain instead of understanding it's a result of obedience, faith and understanding.
Yes. With faith, understanding, and freedom. You'll see what that means right quick in America. You won't have the prosperity you once had because of persecutions. Just ask the Christian bakery or that pizza shop.
Hi everyone. So, we're talking about prosperity, eh?
I don't understand... is it really wrong to preach about it? Is it wrong to want wealth as long as you love God?
I don't understand... is it really wrong to preach about it? Is it wrong to want wealth as long as you love God?
I thought that meditation was the diligent study of God's Word, usually focusing on a specific passage or verse. During meditation, one would break down the verse or verses to every single word. It also helps to know what is said in the original Greek and Hebrew languages. As the Bible says, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
Not at all.
But because so many make it to be their sole goal in life, then it's a sin. That's why Jesus meant about the eye of a needle. Wealth and blessings are a result of obedience, faith and freedom from society/government. Three identical Christians in God's eye for example will have different levels of blessings in China, Africa or the West. Why? The governments. China cracks down on religious believers, Africa's leaders rob society and the West have prospered because of their focus on God. The UK, to America to Australia. Today, each are in various levels of decay and like in America will soon suffer persecution for their beliefs and that prosperity will diminish - not because of their lack of belief or faithfulness, but the conditions of the society in which they live. God will STILL bless and prosper in different ways within the conditions they find themselves. Would an ambassador lack anything of the country they're obedient to? Would a child of a King? Why would it be any different in the spiritual? We ALL suffer for sin... our own or those in authority over us. Freedom brings great physical wealth to those that are obedient to God. It's not a right, but a blessing. When freedom is removed, God's hands are tied because the devil has initiated persecution - just like what's happening in the UK and the USA. In those cases, the wealth is transferred to the untouchable bank of heaven. Don't focus on wealth, focus on Jesus. David said he never saw God's people beg for food. When society won't allow for food, He gives of His angels. Many Orthodox Jews (normally don't work jobs but study day and night) have found Jesus and are having money appear in their bibles and meager food portions never end until all are fed! That's wealth!Jesus was poor.
That is very true. I know about that type of mediation, they forced me to do it in first grade.
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