Prosperity Or Poverty - What Does The Bible Really Say

I have never been so determined to keep an article short. The point here is so important that I would not want it to be buried in a lengthy diatribe that only added more confusion to the abounding controversy that has already arisen.

The saddest thing about the whole controversy is that it may become yet another reason for unbelievers to remain just as they are. Christianity should be known for its presentation of the immutable gospel of Jesus Christ not a series of constant controversies and disputations. It strains the credulity of any reasonable man to read about the horrific persecution of believers in over fifty countries while the big question in America is whether Christians should all be floating in God given riches.

Today thousands of Christians in Islamically controlled countries are facing the very loss of life and limb while American Christians are debating whether God is supposed to be giving them all untold riches, houses and lands. Sound silly, it is but that’s exactly what one proponent of the goody gospel espouses. In the Time magazine article “Does God Want You to be Rich” Kirbyjon Caldwell said “God wants you to own land. The entire Old Testament is all about land. Land represents that God is with you and God has blessed you.”

Between the recent interview of Joel Osteen by Barbara Walters and the September 18, 2006 issue of Time on the same subject one question comes to mind. Why is America so engrossed in this question about Christians seeking wealth or resigning to poverty? More importantly is the question, does the Bible really present a conflict on the issue or is it yet again, man meddling with the message?

Time, a largely secular news outlet gave a fair presentation of both sides and included the scriptural proof texts used by each side. They quoted such Christian notables as Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer, Kirbyjon Caldwell and Ron Sider. They gave a fair breakdown of the general views of others on the subject as well such as T. D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar. How I wish they might have attempted to balance it all with a quote from the late Kathryn Kuhlman.

I will have to paraphrase the statement I once heard on Kathryn’s radio program because it was so long ago that I heard it. But forget it I never will, I hope no one else will ever forget it either.

What she said is that we should never isolate and amplify any verse of scripture to the exclusion of other verses that also speak to the same subject. Simply put this means, don’t teach or make a big deal out of one verse and forget the other verses that also talk about the same thing.

The verse of scripture I will quote here gives support to neither side of the argument and yet it is the final and consummate answer to the whole matter. The verse takes its authority as final in the matter not from me, but rather from a sovereign God who decides each mans destiny, and each mans wealth or the lack of it on a one to one individual basis.

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:10

The heart is still deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9) in the twenty first century and we would like to level the ground that God alone has reserved to his own regulation. Those who persist in this argument could find themselves coming under the same kind of rebuke that Peter got when he questioned the fate of another apostle after hearing of his own. (John 21:19-22)

Only a sovereign God has the right and the wisdom to decide who gets what portion in this world. Teaching believers that God has one plan for all is flying in the face of Gods authority to plant, lead and call to accountability every person he calls. Each of us must account for what we do with what we are given; the parable of the talents is proof that not all receive the same portion. (MT 25:15)

Here’s the bottom line. Whether you believe in the prosperity gospel or the austere life of denying worldly possessions there is one rule for all and that rule comes from God not either one of the aforementioned groups. That rule is, and always will be Jeremiah 17:10.

The real danger especially in the prosperity gospel is that it is not a universal gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can be preached and produce genuine converts in any nation or community on earth. The prosperity gospel can only be preached in America and Western Europe in large part. That means it is coming dangerously close to what the Apostle Paul called “another gospel” (Galatians 1:8-9)

Years ago God spoke to the heart of Pastor David Wilkerson of New York’s, Times Square Church about a coming time of great distress in this nation where the entire fiscal health of the country will collapse. He spoke the same thing to my heart over two decades ago. I’d rather not mention this to anyone, I’d rather I didn’t hear it, but I did and I have no doubt it is nearer now by far than when I first heard this message so clearly.

Whether anyone heeds the message and whether they have the heart to see through the obvious weakness and error of the prosperity gospel is not up to me. One thing is certain. Those who insist on this gospel and their respective churches will be hit the hardest when the time comes. Conversely, those who have learned to live in the portion they are given and are content, will be affected least. As always with the great things God does…the choice is yours.

Suffice it to say that when such a question reaches the height of being examined by one of the media’s biggest interviewers, Barbara Walters it may be time to dig in and find the real answer. The Time magazine front cover was splattered with a picture of a Rolls Royce sedan with a huge gold cross as a hood ornament. The caption for the picture read “Does God Want You to be Rich.”

For some Christians Time’s cover may be a bit embarrassing but what it should really do is make us ashamed. Where have all those preachers gone who used to ask only, “Does God want you to be saved?”

 Rev Michael Bresciani 

The Roots Of Poverty

I have never been so determined to keep an article short. The point here is so important that I would not want it to be buried in a lengthy diatribe that only added more confusion to the abounding controversy that has already arisen.

The saddest thing about the whole controversy is that it may become yet another reason for unbelievers to remain just as they are. Christianity should be known for its presentation of the immutable gospel of Jesus Christ not a series of constant controversies and disputations. It strains the credulity of any reasonable man to read about the horrific persecution of believers in over fifty countries while the big question in America is whether Christians should all be floating in God given riches.

Today thousands of Christians in Islamically controlled countries are facing the very loss of life and limb while American Christians are debating whether God is supposed to be giving them all untold riches, houses and lands. Sound silly, it is but that’s exactly what one proponent of the goody gospel espouses. In the Time magazine article “Does God Want You to be Rich” Kirbyjon Caldwell said “God wants you to own land. The entire Old Testament is all about land. Land represents that God is with you and God has blessed you.”

Between the recent interview of Joel Osteen by Barbara Walters and the September 18, 2006 issue of Time on the same subject one question comes to mind. Why is America so engrossed in this question about Christians seeking wealth or resigning to poverty? More importantly is the question, does the Bible really present a conflict on the issue or is it yet again, man meddling with the message?

Time, a largely secular news outlet gave a fair presentation of both sides and included the scriptural proof texts used by each side. They quoted such Christian notables as Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer, Kirbyjon Caldwell and Ron Sider. They gave a fair breakdown of the general views of others on the subject as well such as T. D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar. How I wish they might have attempted to balance it all with a quote from the late Kathryn Kuhlman.

I will have to paraphrase the statement I once heard on Kathryn’s radio program because it was so long ago that I heard it. But forget it I never will, I hope no one else will ever forget it either.

What she said is that we should never isolate and amplify any verse of scripture to the exclusion of other verses that also speak to the same subject. Simply put this means, don’t teach or make a big deal out of one verse and forget the other verses that also talk about the same thing.

The verse of scripture I will quote here gives support to neither side of the argument and yet it is the final and consummate answer to the whole matter. The verse takes its authority as final in the matter not from me, but rather from a sovereign God who decides each mans destiny, and each mans wealth or the lack of it on a one to one individual basis.

I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:10

The heart is still deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9) in the twenty first century and we would like to level the ground that God alone has reserved to his own regulation. Those who persist in this argument could find themselves coming under the same kind of rebuke that Peter got when he questioned the fate of another apostle after hearing of his own. (John 21:19-22)

Only a sovereign God has the right and the wisdom to decide who gets what portion in this world. Teaching believers that God has one plan for all is flying in the face of Gods authority to plant, lead and call to accountability every person he calls. Each of us must account for what we do with what we are given; the parable of the talents is proof that not all receive the same portion. (MT 25:15)

Here’s the bottom line. Whether you believe in the prosperity gospel or the austere life of denying worldly possessions there is one rule for all and that rule comes from God not either one of the aforementioned groups. That rule is, and always will be Jeremiah 17:10.

The real danger especially in the prosperity gospel is that it is not a universal gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can be preached and produce genuine converts in any nation or community on earth. The prosperity gospel can only be preached in America and Western Europe in large part. That means it is coming dangerously close to what the Apostle Paul called “another gospel” (Galatians 1:8-9)

Years ago God spoke to the heart of Pastor David Wilkerson of New York’s, Times Square Church about a coming time of great distress in this nation where the entire fiscal health of the country will collapse. He spoke the same thing to my heart over two decades ago. I’d rather not mention this to anyone, I’d rather I didn’t hear it, but I did and I have no doubt it is nearer now by far than when I first heard this message so clearly.

Whether anyone heeds the message and whether they have the heart to see through the obvious weakness and error of the prosperity gospel is not up to me. One thing is certain. Those who insist on this gospel and their respective churches will be hit the hardest when the time comes. Conversely, those who have learned to live in the portion they are given and are content, will be affected least. As always with the great things God does…the choice is yours.

Suffice it to say that when such a question reaches the height of being examined by one of the media’s biggest interviewers, Barbara Walters it may be time to dig in and find the real answer. The Time magazine front cover was splattered with a picture of a Rolls Royce sedan with a huge gold cross as a hood ornament. The caption for the picture read “Does God Want You to be Rich.”

For some Christians Time’s cover may be a bit embarrassing but what it should really do is make us ashamed. Where have all those preachers gone who used to ask only, “Does God want you to be saved?”

Isaiah Hull 

No Need To Fear Poverty As It Can Be Overcome By Focusing On Super Prosperity

‘When Poverty enters from the front door of a house, the Love runs away from the back door’. That is a saying from the past and is equally true in the modern times too. And to safe-guard love at home, as home is where the heart is, we should not leave the door open for the ruinous poverty to slide in, even a little bit. The poverty, the destroyer of love spells doom.

We have seen at least a glimpse of poverty at certain stages in life. Haven’t we?

We see the dreadful shadow of poverty when we loose a job, get laid off even temporally, suffers a heavy financial loss, find unable to make ends meet, encounter deficiencies of income, fall in to heavy debt etc. At such a time a nice house-hold would appear a hell-on -earth to one who is under the shade of poverty.

What causes poverty? Is it ‘the stars and stars above us that that governs our fate’, or is it our own negative thought patterns or is the poverty the result of bad luck. Let us analyze.

As believed from earliest times, if it is the fate that causes poverty, then it can be overcome with determined endeavor as we can see many examples of people who were in utter poverty but with courageous attempts were able to overcome it and build vast fortunes for themselves and generations to follow, Walt Disney’s story is one good example. The world abounds with poof that the fate can be over come with consistent purpose-focused-efforts. The secret is the rubber ball principle. That is a rubber ball bounces back when it is dropped down. Greater its fall higher it bounces. The life too has its falls. The falls are the failures in life. Every time you fall, if you bounce back like the rubber ball, then your failures will support you to bounce back to success. When continued with an unruffled determination you will go on falling and bouncing higher and higher to reach your focused level of attainment.

If it is not the fate but it is ones own negative thought-patterns that slip one in to a poverty situation (as present day theorists believes), then too the poverty can be overcome. The negative thoughts can be replaced with positive thoughts with focused efforts to leave no room in the mind for negative thought patterns to dominate. Once the mind is built up with positive thoughts the pin-point focus should be on reaching your life’s purpose. Then the positive thoughts will give enough power to one to energetically spring up to a high level of prosperity overcoming setbacks at poverty levels. This in other words is putting ‘Think and believe everything is Possible’ in to practice.

If for instance, it is nothing else but one’s bad luck that brings misfortune that leads one to poverty, as many people think, and then too it can be overcome. There is a saying that goes on like this… “Luck is nothing else, but the end product of Pluck.” Yes, ‘Pluck’ means courage.

And with undeterred courage (that can even move mountains) poverty can be moved out of sight. Therefore, we need not worry even if the poverty situation resulted due to bad luck.

As you see what ever the causes of poverty may be, what we need to avoid poverty is focused, unwavering, resolute, dogged courage. With courage you also need cast-iron focus at a vision, a definite goal set high above the poverty level. Importantly, it has to be at a higher level of prosperity well above the reach of poverty. Thus, a goal at super Prosperity level should be the focus. That is a level that ensures Financial Freedom. It will be a level of effortless wealth generations to fulfill your and your loved ones dreams and fill your home with love.

Today more and more people from poverty levels with nothing reach prosperity level than any other time in history. Find out what secrets they use reach such heights in Prosperity by defeating Poverty. What ideas, what proven methods are available today for you to do the same. You can know more about ideas and secrets of wealth generation and on proven methods used by some people to climb from lowest poverty levels to super prosperity levels at my website: http://www.chanano.com

Copyright © Chandrasoma Perera

Chandrasoma Perera