I do.
There was a report some day ago about a church preaching the 'prosperity gospel' in Africa. It's a place with severe poverty and critics say that they are a cult.
Don't you just love it when newspaper write, "...critics say....." @#$#@% (Internet- critics have reportedly more smellier shit than normal ppl and critics of the critics says they also have more shit than normal..... )
Now I'm not saying that this church is a cult or not. They could be, I don't know. But is preaching prosperity in a place of severe poverty bad?
Would it then be bad to preach so that the blind can see? or that the lame can walk? or that the sick can be healthy? So why not the poor shall know no lack? (Someone said, "as if we buay kau suay!" )
Some christians may be shocked by this. What else should the church be preaching? Oh you sinners who are saved, you were blind and now more blinder. You thought you were lame, now you're lamer! muahahahahahah wah you're sick ah? cham liao... sure sicker (I know, I sound like a psycho.. keke )
I just think that many people feel that money and god don't mix. That's wrong. The greed for money and God don't mix as no man can serve 2 masters.
If you still don't believe me then I suggest you stop blessing others.
Yes, stop saying God bless you.
Why? because bless in the NT mostly means - 'eulogeo' - is the original Greek word for 'blessed', meaning favoured of God, to celebrate with praises, consecrate a thing with prayer, to cause to prosper or make happy, to bestow blessings on.
Yup, it's there.. to make prosper and in the blessings from the law. Fu yoh!
So God bless me. Bless my readers. Bless all of us abundantly so that we may know you more - the power of your ressurection, the depths of your love and the wonders of your grace. In Jesus's name I pray.
Amen.
1 comment:
Eric, I don't know what exactly is the "prosperity preacher" in Africa that you are referring to is preaching, but *some times* prosperity can be an idolatry.
Prosperity Gospels are sometimes known as "Half Gospels" because prosperity preachers tell people only half the truth - that if they were to only CALL Jesus Christ the God and King, they can have anything they want in the world and it will be given to them.
The full gospel is that when you ACCEPT the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life, meaning that from now on you begin to walk in obedience to His commandments, then you will have an open heaven 24/7 and the prosperity will pour out on you.
There are amazing blessings that one can receive from walking in obedience with God, and it is not right to offer use God's name to offer anyone only half the gospel - only an empty hope.
Of course when it's your first time explaining the gospel to any one, it doesn't have to be so complicated. The main story is that Jesus died to save us from sins and has nothing to do with making a million dollars although that will come, but later.
You also don't have to outline every commandment in the Bible and say that God will give you anything you want if you do all of these. God will sanctify you one step at a time and He will help you to ascend the steps of faith rung by rung.
Besides, He doesn't always give us everything we wants. He gives us what's best for us.
In the Bible, he also said that some will given ten fold, some twenty fold, and some a hundred fold. So not every one's destiny is to be a millionaire. For some, yes, and as you rightly pointed out, there's nothing wrong with it. God does love to prosper us.
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