One of the major problems with the so-called “prosperity gospel” is they operate from a flawed premise. We were not called to health, wealth, and peace. We were called to suffer (1 Peter 2:20-21). You can’t pick and choose the verses you want that seem to support your idea and ignore the rest of God’s Word. The Lord said any man who takes away from His Word will not inherit eternal life.
Yet, Sunday after Sunday, the most popular preachers on the most popular stations and platforms espouse a gospel that is centered on you rather than on God. They twist and interpret God’s Word in such a way as to ignore the bigger picture, all with the hopes of drawing ever more people into their teaching and congregation.
The term “Big Eva” is used to discuss the industry of evangelical Christianity. That such an industry even exists should repulse you. Jesus is not a product to be bought and sold. He is the gift of God to save men out of their greed, lust, and ultimate damnation. Jesus did not die so you could experience your best life now, but so you could have eternal life with Him in a new Heaven and a new earth. When read in context, there is not a single Bible verse that promises health and wealth in this life.
By design, the prosperity, word of faith, and new apostolic movements only benefit those at the top, and no one else. They prey on the most vulnerable, the poor, the hurting, and disadvantaged. One sure sign of false teaching is when they make the Bible about you. Sorry, none of us have risen to that honor. The Bible is all about God, revealing His character and His sovereign plan for humanity. Everything in the book points to Jesus Christ. We can learn principles for living, and there are many promises of what those who are faithful to the Lord will experience in eternity. But if you are looking for guarantees for your individual comfort, health, and wealth, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
James tells us the Lord will hold preachers and teachers of God’s Word to a higher standard than the rest (James 3:1-2). Jesus pronounced a woe on any who led people astray (Matthew 18:6-7). Therefore, all these men and women claiming to be God’s prophets and mouthpieces should be terrified. I would not wish their fate on anyone.
Recent years have seen an explosion in the growth of these movements. Their teaching has deceived many who profess to be Christians, and some now embrace it wholeheartedly. It should come as no surprise. Jesus warned us that many false teachers would come on the scene in the last days (Matthew 24:4-8). He said they would even deceive some of the elect if not for the protection of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 24:24). It makes one question whether followers of such teaching have ever experienced the transforming salvation of Jesus Christ. Don’t be deceived. Test every spirit (1 John 4:1) and carefully examine every teaching (Acts 17:10-11). We don’t want to be those who discard sound doctrine in favor of hearing only what we want to believe (2 Timothy 4:3). The prosperity gospel, and its close relatives, are no gospel at all.