What is the Health and Wealth Gospel? Or Prosperity Theology?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) March 10, 2010 -- I received an encouraging message from you, one of my clients, on January 1st to kick off the new year and I wanted to share it with you here in this edition of the The Big Picture:

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What is the Health and Wealth Gospel? Or Prosperity Theology?

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The modern popular message in Honduras and here is the health and wealth gospel. They say, "You are a child of the King. Live like it!" It is little considered that Jesus laid aside His glory and became poor that we may be rich spiritually. If we want to be like Him, may we truly be content with little or much here, according to the will of our Father, and seek His guidance for the best way to manage what we have in our hands, always remembering that Jesus faced the "cross" before His glory was restored and He could take up His "crown." John 17:4 "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." Matthew 10:24 "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord."

These particular clients were missionaries in Honduras for 20+ years and now the husband is pastor of a church in Alabama. These are very encouraging words. In their note you notice that they refer to the “health and wealth gospel”. This is also referred to as prosperity theology.

The health and wealth gospel has little sayings, like “live like a child of the king” or “King’s kid”. The doctrine teaches that as a child of God we are to be healthy and wealthy and that if we are not then we are bad witnesses for Christ. Further more people believe that because they are a child of the “King” they should be wealthy. Improvements to one's financial situation are commonly referred to as "blessings". And if someone is not healthy and wealthy they either: lack faith, aren’t children of God’s, or have sin in their life.

Of course, wasn’t Jesus himself the One and only Son of God? How did the King treat His own Son? 1) Sent Him to be born in a manager where animals are born, 2) raised in the hated city of Nazarath, and 3) was born into a poor, not rich, family. Then when you look at Paul you see that he lost all of his earthly possessions to follow Christ and yet counted his wealth as but “dung” compared to knowing and following Jesus!

Jesus Christ said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:33. You will not hear these types of truths talked about in the churches where the prosperity gospel is taught. The health and wealth gospel teaches that we should have all of our riches bestowed upon us now, instead of waiting until we get to our home which is heaven.

However, I do believe that God will give some of His children more than they need, but why? 2 Corinthians 9:11a - Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous. So for those few true Christians, like you and me, that have been given more than we need God has done this so that we will be generous in giving it to others.

More information can be found online at http://www.eleventwofm.com/blog.html

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