Posted on 12/28/2007 7:37:39 AM PST by NYer
What is sickening how popular things like “Prayer of Jabez” are. It shows how many are deluded.
I think the criterion for government intervention should be solid evidence (i.e. jury-persuasive evidence) that the leaders of a given religious group don't actually believe the doctrines they are preaching. For example, e-mails or statements testified to by multiple witnesses, in which the leader has clearly referred to followers as suckers for believing all this stuff and sending money, or has clearly instructed staffers to do things to deceive followers into believing and sending money.
The "Religious Right" scares me.
That's ignorant BS. Because of Job's piety throughout his ordeal, he wound up with twice what he started with.
The Old Testament promises prosperity, the New Testament promises persecution.
You get both because the whole Bible is all of God’s Word.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
(Philippians 1:29)
Isn’t screaming “We’ll tax the rich and give it to everyone else” a get rich scheme, too? And the Democrats are the swindlers in that case.
A good chunk of that money given to the RCC by its faithful is being payed out in damages to the victims and families of abusive priests. Repentance is required within the Roman Church as well.
You are quite correct. Those who preach earthly riches as reward are secularist, not Christian.
True, the Old Testament is God’s word, but it is an account of man’s relationship with God before the Cross. Christians are not Jews. The relationship is different. Christians do not practice the Passover, keep the Sabbath (Saturday), need a priest or a temple, nor are they promised prosperity.
Christians deal directly with God, go to worship on Sunday, and are promised suffering rather than prosperity.
Jesus Christ said “I did not come to destroy the laws of the prophets but to fulfill it.” The whole Old Testament is not null and void only the parts where Christ and Paul taught so.
Hopefully we will scare the HELL right out of you~ John 3:16
The point is to prove wrong Job's friends who insist that his suffering must be because of some sin he is guilty of.
In other words, material prosperity is not a shortcut into the state of a person's soul.
I have an acquaintance who goes to a church that preaches this doctrine here near Seattle. She is totally taken in by this BS. She truly believes that “Jesus was rich and so were his disciples. How do you think they could travel so much if they weren’t?” She believes that God will bless you with wealth so that you can bless others - monetarily. I told her there are ways to bless people in need other than with money. When I first moved here and met her she wanted me to come check out her church, I’m thinking “no thanks, I’ll stick with my Bible preaching Baptist church!”
FMCDH(BITS)
x . x . x . x
The preachers of this "prosperity gospel" by whatever name ("health and wealth gospel" or "name it and claim it gospel") are not preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is revealed in the Bible.
In fact, a cursory reading of the New Testament literally shreds this false gospel. The Bible REPEATEDLY says (usually in the directly quoted words of Jesus Christ) that worldly wealth, fame, power, etc. are false idols that stand in the way of salvation for nonbelievers and stand in the way of an intimate relationship with God for Christians.
Jesus taught about the focus and priorities a Christian should have:
(Jesus said:) "Don't horde up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy everything -- and where thieves break in and steal things. Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven -- where neither moth nor rust destroy -- where thieves don't break in or steal." (Matthew 6:19-20)
And what did Jesus say about how a focus on material things would affect someone seeking God?
(Jesus said:) "No person can serve two masters. Either he'll hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
And from the conclusion of The Parable of the Rich Young Ruler (found in the Matthew Chapt 19, Mark Chapt 10 and Luke Chapt 18)
When he (the rich young man seeking God) heard this (seeking God at the expense of wordly wealth), he became very depressed, for he was very rich. Jesus looked toward him and said, "It is so difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
And what were Jesus' instructions as to how his followers should evangelize and disciple others?
Then Jesus went around teaching in the various villages. Calling the twelve disciples to him, he sent them out in pairs, giving them authority over evil spirits.
His instructions were: "Don't take anything for your journeys except a staff. No bread, bag, or money in your belts. Just wear sandals and don't wear an extra tunic. (Matthew 6:6b-9)
And the Apostle Paul added: "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people -- so anxious to attain money -- have departed from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10)
And the writer of Hebrews said: "Keep your lives free from the love of money. Be content with the things you have, for God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"
Finally, the Apostle Paul said:
But even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel different from the one we originally preached to you, let him be condemned eternally. (Galatians 1:8)
Even the Old Testament weighed in at numerous junctures about how the perils of loving wealth:
Whoever loves money never has enough money. And whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with what he has. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
I totally agree with you. I have a few of her daily devotionals which I value dearly. I’m more than happy to support her and her ministries in this way and I hope that she will use her profits wisely.
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