One of the great embarrassments of the Christian world is the preaching of the prosperity gospel. It has made the work of the preacher much more difficult. An evangelical preacher has to combat the image of the dreaded televangelist, the preacher whose every sermon starts, ends, or is wrapped around with a “send money” message or the untrue message that Jesus wants you to have all worldly wealth and a Mercedes on top of that.

Troubling examples include Jesse Duplantis, the televangelist who wanted a $54 million dollar private jet, and Creflo Dollar, who wanted a $60 million Gulfstream G650. There are also televangelists who want money for a “healing rag” and others requesting money in every TV sermon. The preaching of such televangelists has made the work of the feet-on-the-ground ministry unnecessarily difficult.

The worst result is obvious. Now, most pastors, preachers and priests avoid money as a sermon topic. That is a shame for many reasons but especially for two. First, non-Biblical money handling is a major cause of marital strife and the single-largest cause of divorce. Second, there is a real cost to honest ministry and anything that makes raising money for honest ministry harder is a curse. Simply put, money is common Biblical topic (over 2,300 verses address money, property of wealth) and money needs to be a common sermon topic. Avoiding 2,300 verses means preaching only a part of the gospel, not the entire gospel.

For these reasons, the prosperity gospel is worth a look, even if it is a critical look.

Some of the key verses upon which prosperity gospel preachers rely are sometimes preached in mainline evangelical churches, but the message drawn from the verses is very different. These common verses include:

• Psalm 37:4 – delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart;
• Malachi 3:10 – bring the full tithe into the storeroom and God will pour out blessings;
• Matthew 7:7-11 – ask and it will be given to you, for your Father is generous;
• Matthew 17:20 – If your faith is great, you can move mountains;
• John 10:10 – Jesus came that we might have abundant life;
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 – the law of reaping and sowing; you reap what you sow;
• Philippians 4:19 – God will meet your needs in accordance with His riches because you belong to Jesus; and
• 3 John 1:2 – a prayer for good health and that all will be well.

It is what those common verses do not say that is really important:

• Psalm 37:4 – delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (but your transformed heart will want something different that wealth and possessions);
• Malachi 3:10 – bring the full tithe into the storeroom and God will pour out blessings (but those blessings likely will not be wealth and possessions, but a closer walk with God);
• Matthew 7:7-11 – ask and it will be given to you, for your Father is generous (but again, your transformed heart will want something different that wealth and possessions);
• Matthew 17:20 – If your faith is great, you can move mountains (but once again, your transformed heart will want to move mountains to help serve the kingdom of God, not gain wealth and possessions);
• John 10:10 – Jesus came that we might have abundant life (but truly abundant life has nothing to do with money or the things money can give;
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 – the law of reaping and sowing; you reap what you sow (but no where does God say you give $1 and you get $2 or anything like it);
• Philippians 4:19 – God will meet your needs in accordance with His riches because you belong to Jesus (what part of the word “needs” do you confuse with the word “wants”?); and
• 3 John 1:2 – a prayer for good health and that all will be well (that is “well”, not “wealthy”).

The conclusion the televangelists reach from these and other verses is that God wants to bless people (especially themselves) on this earth. So, if a person’s faith is great enough and that person gives enough to the televangelist’s ministry, God will certainly bless him or her. Of course, if those blessings don’t come, it must be because the person’s faith wasn’t great enough or enough wasn’t given (or both)! Thus, the prosperity gospel preacher is able to blame the donor for not being strong or generous enough and he encourages even more giving. Here is another thought on that; if the televangelist’s faith was great enough, he wouldn’t have to ask for money from you, would he?

In Health, Wealth and Happiness, theologians David Jones and Russell Woodbridge accurately identify the “name it and claim it” prosperity gospel as poor theology. See also “Getting the Most from God (but not how you might think!),” by John Revell which scripturally addresses the prosperity gospel. Most significantly, Revell notes that God does not promise to reward those who earnestly seek rewards, instead, He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6. It is also easy to add that the reward is hardly ever great amounts of money. God’s rewards are far greater and worth immensely more than just money.

The prosperity gospel, also referred to as “the blab it and grab it gospel,” “the health and wealth gospel,” and other insulting names, fails Theology 101 because it ignores large sections of the Bible, doesn’t address the real salvation message of the Bible, and focuses on the kingdom here on earth, ignoring the eternal kingdom of God.

God’s message was that He would meet our “needs,” not our “wants” here on earth. Philippians 4:19. Jesus rode a donkey, not a Gulfstream jet or a fine stallion. The prosperity gospel preachers do not address the wealth of scripture about trials being certain. They only tell you how to overcome trials through prayer and faith and for you to demonstrate it by giving them money. They generally don’t preach or live Matthew 16:24 (deny yourself and take up your cross), Mark 8:34 (deny yourself and take up your cross), Luke 9:23 (deny yourself and take up your cross), John 16:33 (in this world you will have trouble), Acts 14:22 (we must go through hardships), Romans 8:36 (we face death all day long), 1 Thessalonians 3:4 (persecution is expected), 2 Timothy 3:12 (every believer will be persecuted), James 1:2-4 (count trials as pure joy), Hebrews 11:25 (Moses chose to be mistreated), and 1 Peter 5:9 (the family of believers undergoes suffering).

John 15:20
20  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

Rather than demonstrate self-denial in their lives, prosperity gospel preachers preach around self-denial and display what they try to label “Godly success” and God’s favor through their great wealth. But that theology ignores Romans 8:13 that if you live by the flesh you will die, as well as Philippians 3:8, that what we have here on earth is rubbish, as well as virtually every lesson ever taught by Jesus.

They take verses out of context and ignore words such as “needs,” they distort words like “blessings,” making the listener believe by implication, or sometimes even by their direct claim, that God’s desire is to fulfill earthly wants and the desires of the listener’s heart, Psalm 37:4. Instead, God wants the desires of your heart to first conform to His heart.

By way of illustration, Malachi 3 is a common prosperity reference and preaching verse.

Malachi 3:7-11
7  Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8  “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings.
9  You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
10  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
11  I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.
12  “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

If you read that out of the context of the book of Malachi and the times and issues Malachi and God were addressing, that could be misunderstood to mean “bring God the gold and you will get far more gold in return.” However, in context, that challenge is for Israel to return to God and to the covenant that defined their relationship. Then, Israel would be made so that its light would shine brightly among the Gentile nations. But the promises of blessings were then and still are primarily “heavenly blessings.” Matthew 6:19-21. God will indeed bless those who are generous, but the blessings are not at all likely to include a Mercedes and a new Gulfstream jet. In fact, ask yourself this, “What makes you think God wants to bless you with a new luxury car while thousands – even millions – starve?”

The truth is that God does not always heal in response to prayers; He remains sovereign. Hebrews 11:13-16. God does not always take away the trials of the faithful. The eternal rewards of faithfulness are better by far. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. In the age to come there will be no poverty and no sickness. But we are not there yet, and God will not give us that here on earth because this is not His heavenly kingdom. We must go through trials here on earth, not through wealth and blessings on earth, before we enter the kingdom. Acts 14:22.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a better life for yourself and others on earth. But our true goal should not be heaven on earth and certainly should not be to make this world a better place from which to go to hell. Our life is about Him and His glory and we need to keep our eyes fixed on Him.

Matthew 6:33-34
33  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, then God will supply our daily needs. If we do that, we are blessed with our close walk with Him. Micah 6:8.

If you would like to hear how you can better glorify God as a steward of what He has given to you, give us a call at (813) 264-8713.

About the Author

John Campbell has retired from a 40-year legal practice as a trial attorney in Tampa. He has served in multiple volunteer roles at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida, where he met Jesus. He began serving as the Executive Director of the Idlewild Foundation in 2016. He has been married to the love of his life, Mona Puckett Campbell, since 1972.