e continue again the discussion on how a nation, Nigeria, which is so deeply religious can be so short in moral behaviours. The searchlight continues on my constituency, the Church.
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Up to now, we have traced the root problem, partly to the change of emphasis on the pulpits from the cross to acquisition of material possessions and miracles. We have discussed where and when the preaching of prosperity is relevant and irrelevant. Lastly we have defined 'True and real prosperity', which is different from material wealth. Material wealth can be inclusive in the definition of prosperity, yet a person may be prosperous but not necessarily rich. So prosperity is not synonymous (same thing) with material wealth. In the same vein, a person may be rich, yet not prosperous if he lives his/her life outside God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Let me say it clearly that God cannot be happy with the abject poverty, which the majority of Nigerians are experiencing in the last two to three decades. Though God did not say there would not be the poor ones but He made elaborate programmes, which adequately accommodate the poor in the society. The lack of this understanding is responsible for the blunders on the pulpits.
It is in order for the pulpit to find solution to the nagging problem of poverty, which we are talking about but not at the twisting of the Scripture. It is wrong to do.
From this issue onwards, we shall in the light of the Scripture be looking into the validity of the preaching that all Christians should have material possessions in abundance.
Satan, very smart, has subtly used the teaching that all Christians must have material possessions in abundance to devalue the once cherished Christian virtues and ethics. It has made Christianity to lose its meaning, to become cosmetics. The only way to a meaningful individual prosperity is for Nigerian Christians to work hard and put the wealth of the nation on level playing ground for all and sundry.
Nigeria is a country blessed with wealth. Unfortunately a satanic cult is meanwhile sitting on the wealth and what the Nigerian Christians can do best is to champion the crusade of putting the wealth at the disposal of all and sundry. They can also champion a campaign that will lead to the laying of solid infrastructures on which private enterprises can thrive. It is after this is achieved that counseling or preaching of individual prosperity can become relevant and important. Otherwise it will continue to escalate the existing jungle way of life.
To preach that all Christians must be materially wealthy is fraudulent interpretation of the Bible. This is their first heresy.
Prosperity Preachers (PP) even believe that "there is a problem to be addressed if after one or two years of one becoming a Christian, one is yet to break through in acquisition of material possessions" They say that there must be "material proofs" to show that one is a Christian"
Some have even carried it too far by saying that it is a curse to be poor. Of course, if the hope of becoming wealthy should come from the pulpit, suggesting God's approval, the teaching is expected to have large followers and that is what has happened. So, the Churches that preach prosperity for all Christians are having their auditorium filled to full capacity and even, over flow, at any of their services. The teachings however as I had earlier indicated might have aggravated the jungle way of life, with the aggressive pursuit to get rich, with every one extorting the other.
But did Jesus really give a promise of abundance of material possessions to whoever would follow after Him? This is not to say however that He promised poverty to whoever would follow after Him.
My serious concern about this unbalanced preaching is in two fold. (i) It may set confusion in the minds of those Christians who are living according to their calling (Bible standards) but are struggling to make ends meet. They may start to wonder whether there are certain faults in them as to why they have not stumbled at wealth, thereby become discouraged in their faith and from doing good. Let me reframe it in another way. The interpretation and the implication of the teaching that no Christian should be poor is that those people who claim to be Christians but are struggling to make ends meet are only making false claims to being Christians. (ii) My other worry is that those who have entered the Church in order to become wealthy, if they fail in the purpose for which they have entered the Church, may go to other unholy, fetish places in pursuance of their objective, doing satanic practices. I pray however that these 'emergency Church' goers will really find Christ and their faith will abide (remain) even if they fail in their goal or hope for which they have entered the Church.
2nd heresy. The prosperity preachers (PP) ask their flock to give generously to the Church. They preach that the measure of their wealth is determined by how largely they give and they are never in dearth of Scripture passages to support their arguments.
The members who claim to benefit from the prosperity preaching make a return to their preachers with expensive gifts; state-of-the-art vehicles, or money. I have listened to some testimonies of such people who mount the rostrum with the beautiful testimonies that they became wealthy after they enrolled in the Church, after they listened to the prosperity sermons. Their testimonies however would have been more meaningful, would they summarize how the wealth came about, in order to assure us that the wealth has been righteously acquired. This however is not to say that all the testimonies are in genuine. Many could have had their wealth righteously acquired, if it has pleased the Lord to make such people wealthy.
But the truth of the matter is that when all the statements of the Lord, Peter and Paul spoken at the different occasions about the reward of our giving are joined together, it will be understood clearly that they were primarily referring to the reward, which would accrue into the account of the giver in his/her heaven's bank account.
Of course it is normal (law of reciprocity) that what you sow, you will reap. So if a person gives liberally, on the day of his need, he may find help. But the law does not necessarily hold all the time as you find from time to time unfortunate things happen to good people. This is what king Solomon observed when he wrote that, "Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked and some wicked men as though they were good" (Eccl. 8:14).
The Scriptural motive for giving is a test our stewardship of sharing what God has given (entrusted) to us with those who are genuinely in need and for promoting the spread of the gospel. It is Scriptural ignorance to teach people to give in order that they may become wealthy on earth as if God is money doublers. It may please the Lord to reward any giver while here on earth in addition to the reward, which accrues to him in heaven. If the giver is rewarded here on earth, it is only a fringe benefit. But the reward, which no giver will miss is the one stored for him/her in heaven "where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves. If your profits are in heaven your heart will be there too" (Matt.6: 19-21).
The Lord asked a religious leader to sell all he had and give the money to the poor so that it could become treasure for him in heaven (Matt.19:21). Note it that the Lord did not promise the rich man that he should give in return for wealth on earth but in heaven. The Lord was very clear in all His utterances, His end focus was never for this earth but Heaven and it is just unbelievable how these erudite (in their own eyes) preachers are re-writing the Bible and have shifted attention and focus entirely to earthly things as if the world is all their hope and goal. They expound their teachings as if all we live for, is this world and there is no anticipation for heaven, which really is what the Bible encourages us to work towards because however long a person lives in this world, it is short as the watch that ends the night, which dies at the opening of the day compared with the time, which we will spend in heaven, which is eternal.
So, what we have is a large crowd that has been carried away with the falsehood that they will become rich after becoming Christians. So Churches crop up in large numbers in every street and corners, when actually the hearts and minds of the worshippers are far away from God and are not regenerated leading to moral decadence. Let me reframe it in another way: We have Churches in large numbers, everywhere, with large numbers in attendance who have only gone there to ask for blessings in whichever way they can pursue money, fair or foul.
The prosperity preachers have unfortunately taken advantage of the general poor Bible reading habits of most people. Most people are unlike the Church at Berea who returned home "daily" from the Church to "search" the facts (to enquire whether those things they heard were so) (Acts.17: 11).
Excuses can always be given for peoples' poor Bible reading habit but ignorance is not an excuse of the law. There cannot be a justification for any one's poor Bible reading habit because if getting to heaven is important to any one, then he must properly organize himself to gain access to the real truth that will help him achieve his goal. The next focus will be whether or not:
- The Lord Himself exhibit any sign of wealth when He came to the world
