The Problem with Preaching "Prosperity"

10. May 2009 by Annette Colon-Alvarenga.

Now, don’t jump to any conclusions just by reading the title of this blog. I have not taken a vow of poverty nor do I believe that that is how God wants his children to live, in poverty. God does in fact want His children to prosper and He wants them to live an abundant life. The problem is that prosperity and abundance is being equated to money and material possessions, and a whole lot of it.

Let me share a little testimony. Today is Mother’s Day and it is the one day of the year my unconverted husband accompanies me to church. I have prayed and prayed for my husband to accompany me to church and today I regretted his accepting my invitation. While I expected a message relating to mothers, what we got instead was preaching from a guest pastor about how we don’t receive answer to prayer because we are not asking for more or enough. His example was that, while you may have lost $1,000 in income due to a slowing economy, and you are praying for that $1,000, you’re not receiving an answer to that prayer because you should be praying for $20,000 per month more. He went on to justify this prosperity preaching by stating that while you build up a company that makes multi-million dollars each year then you can hire Christians and also non-Christians for whom you can pray and witness to. I’ll tell you, this is the first time I have seen my husband clap continuously in agreement with a pastor in any service he has ever attended over the years. He could really relate to this message. After all, he has a materialistic world view. He was elbowing me throughout the service.

As if that weren’t enough, there was a hint in this pastor’s preaching that illness, such as cancer, should not afflict Christians if they are in a right prayer life. How heretical is that? What about the hundreds and maybe even thousands of Christians that die each day from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses? Does that mean none of these had a disciplined or right prayer life? To tell you the truth, if my husband had not been with me this day, I would have walked out of the service.

So what did my husband hear today? He heard that because I am a Christian, I should have a successful business, I should own my own home and additional property (the pastor prayed that all mothers have not just one house, but several), I should be making thousands upon thousands of dollars each month, and I should not be sick (I have been battling with illness lately).

What he did not hear was anything about what Jesus did on the cross. He did notnot hear that the only way to the Father is through the Son. He did not hear that the Word of God tells us that we will have tribulation; that even the Apostle Paul was afflicted throughout his entire ministry. (9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor. 12:9-10) He did not hear about how God allowed Job to lose everything, even all of his children. He did not hear that even Christians are afflicted with terrible illnesses and never receive healing, and even die as a result of those illnesses, because God wants to use that illness in that person as a testimony of what it really means to worship God in the difficult times. All that my husband heard is that real Christians should be successful in all areas of their lives. hear that our sin separates us from God and it is only through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that we receive salvation and are justified before God. He did

As much as I pray for my husband and my children’s salvation, I was not disappointed when the call to the altar was made today and my husband did not go forward. If he had gone up, it would have been for all of the wrong reasons.

In his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, Paul tells the church that “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Prior to this, however, he tells the same audience in Philippians 1:29 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.”

I believe in tithing and I believe in giving offerings and even pledges to help build up not only the local church but also churches throughout the world. I don’t have any problem with that. I also believe that God blesses his people and provides for their needs according to His riches. I believe in the principle of sowing and reaping. I believe that God miraculously heals even the most devastating “incurable” illnesses and I actively declare God’s promises for my life and the lives of my loved ones. But I am having a real hard time with this new “gospel” and quite frankly I want nothing to do with it. I will not take part in the bringing of people to the Lord based on what you can get or how you could be/should be living. On the contrary, the only message that should be bringing people into a relationship with Christ is that which has already been done on the Cross. I question the motives of those stepping up to the altar this afternoon. Did the Holy Spirit convict them (I personally didn’t hear any preaching that would bring conviction today) or were they thinking about those $20,000 per month the pastor said we should be praying to God for (and receiving)?

I don’t know what direction my church is taking at this time. I pray it does not move into the direction of “prosperity preaching” and an aberration of the Word of God. As for me, while I struggle with a slowing business, decreasing finances and health issues, I will continue to pray as Jesus instructed, “Your will be done (in my life); give me this day, oh Lord, my daily bread.”

Posted in Personal Notes | Print | No Comments »