This article may prove to be quite long. I have felt led to write this one for a very long time but have been reluctant for a variety of reasons. However the current economy and the fact that a great number of my Christian friends and acquaintances are suffering financially has urged me to get it done.
First let me say that I do not buy into the current prosperity message of the numerous TV Evangelists and Pastors running Mega Ministries which is primarily as follows.
"God wants you to be wealthy and if you will just send me your financial gift and bless this ministry He will return to you blessing many times greater". The message varies from ministry to ministry but the root is always the same, "send your money to ME".
I do not want your money, not a penny of it. I do not provide a means for anyone to send me money and never have and never will though I do spend money to minister to people. Why?
Because I know my God and trust Him. Whatever He leads me to do He also provides the means, I don't have to go with my hand out to anyone. When I pastored a church I only accepted $1000 per month with no benefits or other compensation. If I had it to do over again I would not even accept one dime. A pastor who is supported by a church is also controlled by that support and his message is tempered so as not to upset his support platform. Some might argue that but it is a fact and that is why we hear so little today about sin and the need for repentance.
Now to get on with the message of Christian prosperity. I truly believe that God wants His children to be prosperous.
3 John 1:1-3
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
The Bible is the written word of God and is truth and whatever I have to say here I will back up with the Word and I tend to take the Word literally in most cases unless the context indicates otherwise. But in addition I have 36 years of living by the Word and I know it works, the only thing that can cause the Word not to work is unbelief or disobedience to it. God is far more loving than you can imagine and delights in your well being but He is not interested in spoiling you like a parent who gives the child anything they want regardless of the consequence. God wants to build godly character in all His children and as long as He can accomplish that and still bless you financially He will do it.
This next verse is one of my favorite verses because since the day I discovered it my life changed for the better.
2 Peter 1:2-4
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
This is actually 3 verses and is so full that I could do a complete article on them alone. So often when we just casually read scripture we tend to read it as though we are reading a poem and think of the words used just to make it sound pretty rather than each word having deep meaning. I strongly urge you to get yourself a Strong's Concordance and begin to look up words and study their meaning and also to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. If you don't you will never know the depths of knowledge and understanding that will guide your life and make you fruitful in God's kingdom.
In the verse above the Apostle Peter is writing under inspiration of the Holy Spirit so these are God's words not Paul's. His first words are " grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ." Why? Because it is through knowledge of God and Jesus that He provides EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. He repeats it again by saying "His divine power has given us Everything we need to live a healthy life and a holy life and it is obtained by Knowledge of Him. Now this does not mean knowing stuff about God and Jesus but rather means Knowing Him. There's a big difference. You have to do business with God on a personal basis. It will never get you much setting in Sunday School hearing about Jesus turning water into wine or setting little children on His lap or even raising Lazarus from the dead. You've got to get to the place where you know He's right there beside you and He's done it for you personally. That is when you can say I believe the Word of God because I own it, it has become life in me. That my friend is going to take some dedication and many Christians are just too lukewarm to put out that much effort but there's always the danger that if you don't that you could get washed out when the going gets too difficult and they are definitely going to get difficult but it is not too late to begin to prepare. The Lord is watching over you and if you have been lukewarm and decide to turn to Him with fervency He can do a quick work in you.
Also everyone loves peace or so they should and grace is known as unmerited favor. Something given that is not earned and God wants to shower His grace on all His children. You can't earn it but you can fail to receive it because of lack of knowledge.
Now the last part of this scripture says that through His great and precious promises we can escape the corruption which is in the world through lust. If you want to walk in biblical prosperity then you must learn to overcome your lust for the things of the world. This does not mean that you cannot have anything but that you must get over your desire for things just because something new has come along like the latest i-phone or i-pad or TV or new car. There has to come a point in your life where you are content with what God gives you and your focus is upon what can you do for God. Remember when Jesus said "Whatever you do to the least of these my Children you have done it unto me?" There is an old hymn that is so true in it's words.
It is "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace". This actually sums up all that I am trying to say here. When He becomes our goal to the point that nothing else is important then the blessings will rain down on you like a flood because they cannot turn your heart or focus away from Him an His purposes in your life.
2 Corinthians 9:7-9
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:
“He has dispersed abroad,He has given to the poor;His righteousness endures forever.”[a]
We will return to this verse at a later point because it contains a lot of relevant information but for now I simply want to point out the word " abundance" because wickipedia defines Abundance as the opposite of scarcities. Imagine a basket of fruit and vegetables that is overflowing. You can't help someone in need if you are in need yourself. As a Christian you are an extension of Christ and the call on your life is to be the hands and feet of Christ wherever necessary and how can you do any of that if you are constantly in desperate straits just to put food on the table or to pay the rent? Many of my Christian friends are in that very situation and while I do not hold it against them or judge them it is clear that they have never been taught the truth concerning God's provision for their life. Some would say "but I don't have a job". And my answer is this scripture:
Ephesians 4:28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
God's word does not change with the times and seasons and God is not limited by the worlds economy. He has His own economy and if He says you must work in order to have enough to give to others that also means that He has a job for you and that it will pay enough to meet your needs as well as provide additional that you can give to others. I am sure that I could get a thousand arguments on this point but it matters not. That is why I am writing this article because no one else is teaching these things and people are suffering as a result. The simple fact is that if a Christian is not experiencing the abundance I am talking about there is something wrong in their relationship with the Lord. How many Christians could not feed their families if it were not for welfare and food stamps and subsidised housing?
Matthew 6:32-34
New King James Version (NKJV)
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Psalm 37:25I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
There is no difference between begging for bread and receiving food stamps or welfare. It simply points out a fundamental flaw in the believers understanding of God and his personal relation ship to Him. If you have surrendered your life to Christ and purpose to follow wherever He leads then you are in the unique position of a Son and God takes care of His children, but many Christians have never really crossed the threshold into the kingdom because they have not been taught what is required. It is the surrender of everything unto the will of God. It is the pursuit of Knowledge of God in everything. Your life has become completely spiritual in nature and that includes your finances. Earlier I mentioned lust for things of this world. If your desires have not changed from wanting everything the world offers to wanting everything God offers that should be your first clue that something is amiss. I did not say that you could not have anything the world offers but what place does it have in your life? For example I have always liked finely engineer cars and would really enjoy having a Jaguar but it is not a passion and as long as I have a car that is reliable for my needs I am content and besides there is another issue and that is called wisdom. While I could purchase a used Jaguar for not much more than my Toyota, if I should ever have a breakdown the repair bill would be beyond my means. Furthermore the money I would waste on such a luxury could very well help someone in dire need and we are called to store up treasures in heaven where they do not fade away or wear out. There's an eternity coming and that is a long time to enjoy the fruit of a life lived for God instead of for self.
Psalm 34:9-11
New King James Version (NKJV)
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!There is no want to those who fear Him.10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
I almost hesitate to comment on the above scripture because it is so plain but because of my background and the teaching I have received I know I must because I know how these things are being explained. You can take this scripture perfectly literal. It means just what it says. I have heard so many explanations by well meaning teachers who's main concern seemed to be that the believers they were teaching might become obsessed with money and possessions. So the argument would be "well what really is a good thing, after all money can't be a good thing because other scripture says that the love of money is the root of all evil." Of course they are partly right, however we do need money and I am not able to prevent anyone from developing a love of money or changing their mind if they already do have a love of money. My concern is to help the genuine Christian who is struggling to care for his family to know and understand the heart of God toward his needs. Yes every good thing has it's evil counterpart but that is where wisdom gained from following God comes in to help us discern the difference and make right choices. Experiences I have had show me that when I do the right things and make right choices that honor God and are in keeping with His Word the delight that follows far exceeds any joy I can get from obtaining earthly things. Let's be real for just a moment and consider what life consists of. Is it not "feelings"? The sum of what is going on in your head at any given moment?
If you have a wonderful car, perhaps even a very expensive one with a most beautiful paint job and everyone admires it. When you drive it is it not all about feelings that you get? Or if someone says wow I wish I had one like that, is it not a certain feeling that you get. Or if you have the perfect wife or husband and the activities you share with them, is it not all about the feelings inside? My point in all this is that the feelings that serving God and experiencing His blessings in all respects when experienced to the fullest by far exceeds any feeling that earthly experiences can provide. The unfortunate part is that most Christians fail to carry their relationship with Him far enough to experience it. It's like being born with a silver spoon in your mouth but never getting off your butt and going to the bank to make a withdrawal so you are stuck down on skid row living in a cardboard box and eating at the local rescue mission.
Problem is that so many are convinced that going to church once a week and paying your tithe is what you are supposed to do and that is all that is required and unfortunately a large majority of pastors are satisfied if that is what you do. He has job security and if he can keep you out of gross sin then he is doing his part or so he thinks. Actually his job is to teach you to follow Christ not himself for Christ said to go into all the world and make disciples unto Him. In our present system we are not really brothers in Christ unless we go to the same church and you need to be a signed up member or there are certain things you won't be allowed to do. Yet in God's kingdom there are no divisions, period.
Now the real bottom line in all this is that in God's economy is "Give and you shall receive".
Many believe and are taught by the churches that if you tithe then you are being obedient.
I must clarify the topic of tithe because many are faithfully tithing and still are lacking.
First of all tithe means 10% and when you assign a specific number you have just created a law and we as new testament Christians are not under law. Some quote Jesus words to the Pharisees;
Matthew 23:23
New King James Version (NKJV)
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
This is the only place in the New Testament that tithing is mentioned by Jesus and the context is what is important. He is talking to the Pharisees who on many occasions He call hypocrites. A hypocrite is one who says one thing and does another. They were teachers of the Law and believed that by keeping the Law they were justified and would make it to heaven. So Jesus always addressed them on their hypocrisy rather than on the accuracy of their theology. Remember Jesus had not yet been crucified and risen from the dead and the New Covenant was not ratified until His death and Resurrection, so tithing was still a legal requirement under the Law. After His death there is not another mention of tithing as a law and the apostle Paul goes to great length to explain that if you attempt to keep even on of the old laws that you are fallen from grace and become a debtor to keep the whole law. So remember that next time you write that check for your tithe. Many people are still tithing under law because they make out their check to the very penny 10%. I'm not saying don't write that check but get the 10% thing out of your mind because it is not a law anymore and don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
2 Corinthians 9:5-7
New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.
The Cheerful Giver
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
I think this scripture makes it pretty plain that there is no legal obligation in giving for if it is a legal obligation then it is not giving. You don't give your taxes to the government, you pay your taxes and I doubt that anyone cheerfully pays his taxes because you know fully well that whatever you get back in goods or services are greatly diminished by government waste. Whereas in God's economy the principal is give with a joyful heart and give generously and your joy will overflow because He gives back more than you give. And the more you give the greater the return. This works when you finally quit worrying about your own needs and turn your attention to the needs of others, this releases God the open the windows of heaven to pour out blessing on you.
Now if your goal is to be rich you will run into many road blocks because the goal is to be rich in the knowledge of God and rich in good works and to have an abundance for every good work.
Proverbs 28:20
New King James Version (NKJV)
20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
1 Timothy 6:9
New King James Version (NKJV)
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Matthew 19:16-23
New King James Version (NKJV)
Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good[a] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good?[b] No one is good but One, that is, God.[c] But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[d] and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”[e]
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth.[f] What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
With God All Things Are Possible
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Many of us are familier with this scripture and it seems that Jesus is condemning wealth and that may be true for this wealthy ruler who is seeking salvation but it is not true as a general rule and here's why. This young man who has been a keeper of the law all his life encounters Jesus and there is just something about Jesus that makes him feel the perhaps he's not so secure in his destiny as he should be even though he's kept all the laws including tithing he's still not sure that he has a place in heaven waiting for him. This is an excellent example of what it is like when one who is not right with God encounters the presence of the Holy Spirit in someone, conviction comes in whether you like it or not. Anyway he asks Jesus what he should do to take care of his conviction problem and Jesus final answer is that if you really want to walk with me then get rid of that one thing that holds your affection more than me and in his case it was wealth. If he had done willingly what Jesus had asked him to do then God would most likely actually increased his wealth because he could trust him with it to take care of his own needs and give generously to the needs of others. Look at it this way: God does supply the needs of His people but most often it is through the hands of someone who has more than you do. Say you make your living as a building contractor. If there wern't wealthy people out there then who would hire you to build? You are a physical therapist, somebody has to have money to hire your services. If God wanted everyone poor then who would hire anybody and we'd all starve. The point here is that there are many people out there that have more than you do but if you will give biblically then you will always have all you need and enough to help someone who has less than you do.
Just for a moment back to the rich young ruler. It was not his wealth that was the problem but the place that it had in his heart. Maybe you have a similer problem, there is something standing between you and a full and open and committed relationship with God where nothing else really matters and is blocking that blessing you so badly need. God is not honored by your poverty, He is not honored when you go to pick up your food stamps or your unemployment check. He is very honored when you look and act prosperous and live like it doesn't matter and you give all glory to Him.
Now I'm going to get personal for a bit and tell you that I've been a Christian for 36 years and when I first got saved and surrendured my life I immedialtely started tithing because I had heard that is what a Christian does. Because I had received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit there was such a hunger in my heart that was not being met by church attendance I tried attending more church. I wound up attending 3 churches at once, There was an early service in the one where I gave my life to Jesus and another had a later morning service and another that was Pentecostal that I attended Sunday evening and Wednesday evening and in between I went to home meetings a couple of times a week. Well because I was going so many places I didn't know what to do about my tithe so I decided to pray and ask God what I should do. He impressed me just to save it up in cash and wait on Him for instruction. This I did and at times for months, then all of a sudden He would show me a need that someone had and I would take the cash and give it too them anonymously. On one occasion that I remember a young couple had just had a new baby and the baby had a serious problem with his eyes and needed surgury. They did not have money for the surgury. I cannot remember how I delivered the money to them but they never knew where it came from but I later learned that it was the exact amount needed to pay the full medical bill to the penny. This sort of thing happened many times and as a result I learned a crucial lesson. While the Church is intended to be God's helping hand to the needy, WE are the Church not necessarily your local building that you support. I believe we are stewards of everything God gives us and He holds us responsible and if we just give it without concern to what is done with it then we cannot expect blessing in return.
Psalm 127:1
New King James Version (NKJV)
Laboring and Prospering with the Lord
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless the Lord builds the house,They labor in vain who build it;Unless the Lord guards the city,The watchman stays awake in vain.
Everything must be done in God's way, under His direction and timing or it bears no fruit.
During this time my business prospered like never before. Then there came a time when I settled into one church and still not convinced I began to tithe to that church because that was what they taught but then my finances began to go sour and it took me years to figure out what was wrong. The problem is with the decision making process within the church system. It is usually controlled by those with the most influence and I really wonder how much prayer goes into those decisions as to where finances are spent. Of course of chief concern is the comfort of the people, especially those who tend to be the big givers. I will say that the church I currently attend seems to do a pretty good job of stewardship, supporting a number of missions and nobody seems to be getting any huge salary but that is fairly rare to say the least. I'm not saying that you shouldn't support your local church and it's activities. What I am suggesting is that you examine the return you are getting in your giving because when you give according to God's plan you will get a return. One church I attended gave an annual receipt for tithing that read "for intangible spiritual benefits" and that was more truthful than they ever knew. If your pastor won't tell you the truth and confront you in your complacency then he is a hireling according to scripture. The purpose of giving according to scripture is not to hire someone to entertain you or to provide you with a cushy seat for an hour on Sunday while you set and wait impatiently till they say the last amen and you can get home to the ball game. We're talking about life and death, heaven, hell and eternity.
To get on with the story there is a little considered scripture that is full of meaning and promise that few people are aware of and I discovered it quite by accident and it changed everything for me. I read a lot of Christian material besides the bible because I am aware that there are many out there that have gone way beyond my experience with God and I hope to learn something from them. I came across a book titled "Burned Alive" by Jerry Golden who is a messianic Jew. Something about it caught my interest and I began to read it. Jerry was a traveling minister in the United States somewhere in the south. Often he would fly in a small private plane to his ministry meetings. On one occassion something went horribly wrong and the plane crashed and Jerry was burned over 70 percent of his body. The book goes on to tell of the agony of recovery with the abrading of his skin with brushes in a water tank and on and on. The amazing part is that though they were 3rd degree burns he recovered without any scarring which was obviously a miracle healing. This whole event led to him giving up his ministry in the U.S. and emigrating to Israel all under God's divine direction to start a ministry to rescue Jews from around the world as persecution rises. The bible predicts a second holocaust and he is doing everything he can to be ready with boats and a special underground network of safe havens to get Jews out of Europe and other places by boat. The scripture I refer to was printed in the back of his book where he also printed his address if the reader wanted to support his efforts.
Genesis 12:2-4
King James Version (KJV)
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God is speaking to Abraham who became the father of Isaac who was the father of twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel, who after 430 years in slavery in Egypt were brought out by Moses and eventually into the Land now known as Israel. The promise made to Abraham and all those who would bless Abraham still applies today to anyone who gives a blessing to Israel. What greater blessing can we offer to Israel that to try to save the lives of her people who are trying to escape persecution or death?
I felt the Lord leading me to send a financial gift to Jerry Golden which I did even though my finances were not all that good at the time. Shortly after doing so things began to change in my finances but it was not until about the third time I sent a check that a pattern began to emerge. Now after 3 years of regular contributions I have no doubt that the promise of God concerning the blessing of Israel is true and it applies to all of us. I can truly say that you cannot out give God and that you need to be careful about where you give your money.
For the sake of anyone who is interested in investigating the Golden Ministry I suggest that you go online and read his book, it is available for free at this link http://www.thegoldenreport.com/
I could go on and give you story after story about ways that God has put finance in my hand but that would only serve to cause some to either expect it the same way or think that because your circumstances are different that there is no way that God can put finances in your hand other than to drop it out of the sky in cash and you don't have the faith for that. God wants to do something unique for you. You are a unique individual and there's not another person on the planet like you and the God who created you also created the universe that is so vast that it cannot be calculated. He is not in the least limited by your circumstances nor the economy of this world. It's about time that God's people get in line with the heritage we have and start living in kingdom living. Last but not least don't ever say that I said don't give to or support your church but be aware of what they are doing with your offerings and don't be surprised if you don't get a return. Ever hear the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket"?
I truly hope and pray that this helps some out there to begin to know God in a new way and that your joy may overflow as your basket overflows.
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