Ask Your Preacher
Paying for Prosperity
Monday, April 15, 2019Why do we still struggle when we give tithes and offerings?
Sincerely,
Giving Up
Dear Giving Up,
The teaching that we will never struggle if we give enough money to God is called ‘The Prosperity Gospel’ and it is a false teaching. 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. Don't let anyone rob you of your hope by feeding you a teaching that says you only suffer because you aren't giving enough money. SB