Your take on the word of faith? I am currently a member of a Four Square church with phenomenal growth, although they are moderate in context of extreme examples like Haggen, Hinn, etc. I came from the Calvary Chapel movement which taught against this. I have found discipleship and ministry involvement, but I still question the constant repeated claims of, “Speak this exercise, your faith is a force to change circumstances, don’t ever admit poverty, lack, sickness, etc.” They are always alluding to financial blessings, sowing to reap, etc. I see Biblical precedence, yet it seems a spin on what God intended to tell us through
His Word. Declaring all God’s promises has not helped me keep my home, jobs, deliverance from bondage to tobacco, sin, and financial need. Help me put this into perspective.
Sincerely,
More For The Money?
Dear More For The Money,
The theology that your church is ascribing to is called “the prosperity gospel” – and it is a lie. The prosperity gospel doctrine teaches that the more faith you have, the more money, health, power, etc. you will receive. They teach that all sicknesses, poverty, and suffering are caused by a lack of faith. This is simply wrong.
Jesus suffered more than anyone – and yet He was perfectly faithful and never sinned (Heb 4:15Heb 4:15
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15 For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.
WP-Bible plugin). When Jesus was asked why a certain man was blind, His answer was, “That God’s works could be revealed in Him” (Jhn 9:1-3Jhn 9:1-3
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9
1 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
WP-Bible plugin). That blind man wasn’t blind because He had sinned, He was blind because it gave God an opportunity to use him. The apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” (some sort of sickness) that God gave him… even though Paul was exceptionally faithful (2 Cor 12:72 Cor 12:7
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7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
WP-Bible plugin). Job suffered at the hands of Satan BECAUSE he was so faithful (Job 1:8Job 1:8
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8 And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil.
WP-Bible plugin). And last, but not least, God clearly states that we must suffer in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Acts 14:22Acts 14:22
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22 confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.
WP-Bible plugin).
The idea that serving Christ will provide you with every physical blessing you could ever want is a perversion of the Scriptures. It is a preaching that is based upon selfishness and the love of money – both of which God abhors (2 Tim 3:22 Tim 3:2
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2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
WP-Bible plugin, 1 Tim 6:101 Tim 6:10
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10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
WP-Bible plugin). Christians should condemn and flee from this kind of false teaching.