Your take on the word of faith?  I am currently a member of a Four Square church with phenomenal growth, although they are moderate in context of extreme examples like Haggen, Hinn, etc.  I came from the Calvary Chapel movement which taught against this.  I have found discipleship and ministry involvement, but I still question the constant repeated claims of, “Speak this exercise, your faith is a force to change circumstances, don’t ever admit poverty, lack, sickness, etc.”  They are always alluding to financial blessings, sowing to reap, etc.  I see Biblical precedence, yet it seems a spin on what God intended to tell us through

His Word.  Declaring all God’s promises has not helped me keep my home, jobs, deliverance from bondage to tobacco, sin, and financial need.  Help me put this into perspective.
Sincerely,
More For The Money?

Dear More For The Money,

The theology that your church is ascribing to is called “the prosperity gospel” – and it is a lie.  The prosperity gospel doctrine teaches that the more faith you have, the more money, health, power, etc. you will receive.  They teach that all sicknesses, poverty, and suffering are caused by a lack of faith.  This is simply wrong.

Jesus suffered more than anyone – and yet He was perfectly faithful and never sinned (Heb 4:15).  When Jesus was asked why a certain man was blind, His answer was, “That God’s works could be revealed in Him” (Jhn 9:1-3).  That blind man wasn’t blind because He had sinned, He was blind because it gave God an opportunity to use him.  The apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” (some sort of sickness) that God gave him… even though Paul was exceptionally faithful (2 Cor 12:7).  Job suffered at the hands of Satan BECAUSE he was so faithful (Job 1:8).  And last, but not least, God clearly states that we must suffer in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Acts 14:22).

The idea that serving Christ will provide you with every physical blessing you could ever want is a perversion of the Scriptures.  It is a preaching that is based upon selfishness and the love of money – both of which God abhors (2 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 6:10).  Christians should condemn and flee from this kind of false teaching.   SB