No one wants to suffer. In my culture, and in most African cultures, suffering is seen as a sign of bad luck; or proof that you did something wrong. Interestingly that was exactly the same thinking as Job’s friends. For example, Eliphaz says this about Job’s situation: “Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?” (Job 4:7-8). His point? The innocent don’t suffer.
Everyone wants their best life now. And most would simply settle for a materially better life too.
This view of suffering explains the success of the prosperity gospel across Africa. For its heralds promise only good things in life, claiming that God doesn’t want us to suffer. Who doesn’t want to believe that? Who doesn’t want it to be true? Furthermore, as one of the world’s poorest continents, Africa was and still is fertile ground for such teaching. Everyone wants their best life now. And most would settle for a materially better life too, but especially those in hard circumstances.
This teaching misleads people. It leads people away from God; away from the true gospel. Below are two lists of three. The first outlines how the prosperity gospel ruins the faith of individual believers; the second explores its effects on the larger church. It is a considerable challenge; the prosperity gospel spreads like wildfire. But we pray for God to make his truth triumph.
How the Prosperity Gospel Ruins Faith
1. People Follow Men Rather Than God
God has revealed himself to us through and in scripture. If we want to know what God is like, we read his word. This is the first problem I want to briefly explore, when it comes to prosperity teachers. For they regularly quote the Bible. They’re using the same scriptures. Only with it they’re teaching their own agendas.
They’re using the same scriptures. Only with it they’re teaching their own agendas.
How do they get away with it? In most of these churches the man or woman of God is treated with absolute respect. What they say is final. One dare not speak against the Lord’s anointed. Thus when the man of God preaches that God wants the congregants to be wealthy, healthy, and prosperous, it must be true. Even when what’s promised by these so-called prophets doesn’t materialise.
Sadly, people rarely ask if they’ve been misled by the man of God. Instead they either grow angry with God or disillusioned with their own faith.
2. Faith Becomes a Means to Material Blessings Not More of God
Secondly, following from the above, people in prosperity gospel preaching churches end up coming to God for the wrong reasons. Jesus taught that the richest blessing in life is to know God (John 17:3; see also Ephesians 1:3-4). “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). However, people sitting in prosperity gospel churches want stuff more than God. They’re coming to God for things, rather than for God himself. What motivates them in their faith is health and material possession.
They’re coming to God for things, rather than for God himself.
This misunderstanding is made worse by the fact that faith is then reduced to a way of getting stuff from God. ‘If the faithful prosper,’ the thinking goes, ‘then I must have greater faith.’ So faithfulness becomes the means of pursuing material blessings. Health and wealth become the evidences of faith; their lack, on the other hand, suggests sin and disobedience. This was what Job’s friends preached. It’s heard in countless pulpits across Africa. And it’s very, very wrong.
We don’t believe in order to get better stuff from God. We don’t persevere in faith in the hope that he’ll reward us with good health and a growing bank account. That’s to treat God like some kind of sugar daddy. And it reduces our love for him to self-seeking greed. This brings us to the third thing.
3. Greed Becomes Normal and Discontentment Is Encouraged
For both those who preach and those who believe the prosperity gospel, what matters most is life in the here and now. It’s all about living your best life now, having more, and being discontent with what you already have. There isn’t a hint of being satisfied in God alone. Rather, it’s an endless pursuit of getting more things from God.
It’s all about living your best life now, having more, and being discontent.
If that wasn’t bad enough, what it tends to do is normalise greed. Wanting more stuff is encouraged. Settling for less or seeking contentment is discouraged. That’s why Kenneth Copeland answered, when asked about living such a lavish and decadent life: “If you go into the old covenant, do you think the Jewish people believe you should be broke?” Poor is wrong; rich is right, apparently. In the end, the goal of Christian living is the accumulation of wealth. Sadly, money never saved anyone.
How It Undermines the Church
Above are just some of the effects of prosperity teachings. Broadly speaking, they are dangerous not only for individual believers but the Church in general. Again, I’ll list three.
1. It’s Tempted to Herald Another Gospel
One of the challenges that the church will face as a result of the prosperity gospel is that because its teachings are so attractive to human desires, the church will be tempted to compromise on its faithful teachings of God’s counsel. Preaching the whole Bible will address sin, suffering, holiness, and perseverance, among many other things not taught by prosperity teachers. The sinful nature wants to receive; it does not want to give. This is precisely what the prosperity gospel appeals to.
The sinful nature wants to receive; it does not want to give.
Paul was determined. He preached “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23). That is obviously not an attractive message. Most would much rather hear how coming to God will mean having all their earthly desires met; that they’ll get everything they want. But Paul is clear. The crucified Christ is the church’s message. That’s what it must preach. Indeed, that’s the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16-18).
2. The Church Gathers Unbelievers Chasing Prosperity
Secondly, the church will increasingly be filled up with people who aren’t actually believers; who aren’t saved. For if you preach some other gospel, then that’s what gathers the people; not God, nor his grace. Because the prosperity gospel preaches the desires of the flesh, it leads people into believing that their faith is about trusting God to give them stuff. There is no mention of God’s wrath poured out against sin at the cross.
The church will increasingly be filled up with people who aren’t actually believers.
Furthermore, having more people in your church has become a sign of success. Only this doesn’t mean they’re converted. It’s unlikely that preachers of the prosperity gospel even care. In the end, they too are motivated by the same things they appeal to the crowds with: material blessings and success. Paul warned Timothy that people would flock to those who promise the things our ears and hearts long to have (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
3. People Distrust the Church
Finally, the prosperity gospel also hardens the hearts of people and communities to the church. What do I mean by this? Already, people struggle to discern good churches from bad ones; faithful pastors from rogues. But too much exposure to the prosperity gospel confirms what many people already feel, that all the church cares about is money.
The prosperity gospel hardens the hearts of people to the church and gospel.
I heard this point recently, at a Sola 5 conference. One of our brothers shared how hard it had been for their church plant because the people in that community had been taken advantage of by others who peddled the prosperity gospel. The community refused to even hear our brothers out. They wouldn’t trust another church, because the previous one had spent all its energy in fleecing the people. This is increasingly what people associate with the Christian faith, even though it’s the furthest thing from it.
An Encouragement
The prosperity gospel is everywhere. Different forms of its teachings already exist. More will come. But the church must not lose sight of its mission: to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). The church is to be faithful in doing that, preaching the crucified Christ because that is the only way for the world to be saved. Salvation is only found in the crucified Christ and the church must be faithful in making him known.
The prosperity gospel a dangerously deceptive message, which appeals to much to our desires.
I hope it is clear from what I’ve outlined above how devastating an impact the prosperity gospel has on both individual believers and the Church in general. It’s a dangerously deceptive message, which appeals too much to our desires. But there will be many wealthy people in hell. So let the church remain faithful in teaching and preaching the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
