FOREWORD & PREFACE TO SAINTS MADE MERCHANDISE

FOREWORD

M

y dad makes some profound statements as he comments on the teaching of almsgiving, offerings and tithes. Some of his statements may sound as if he is entirely against tithing or prosperity, but that’s not his intention. His main concern in this book is the motive behind our giving. We should bring our tithes to the house of God simply because we fear and obey God. Every Christian must understand that we are blessed so that we can become a blessing to the world. As God increases you materially, don’t focus much of your attention on those material possessions. Have a mind-set of wanting to give more to His work, feeding more of the hungry, clothe more and more of the naked. Just use your blessings to touch the world around you. You are blessed to be a blessing.

(Munashe Soka, author of ‘The Hidden Man of the Heart’ & Son to Abraham Soka)

https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494774565&sr=8-3&keywords=Saints+Made+Merchandise

PREFACE

I

 note with great concern the commercialisation of the gospel of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. What once was given to us to freely pass on to others who in turn would continue the cycle freely in others is fast being incorporated into the world of commerce. The old time servant of our Lord and a brother of James urges us to earnestly defend the faith that was delivered to the saints once. Paul also says we have one God and one faith. It is the duty of every saint to defend this faith because evil men and seducers have clandestinely sneaked into the church. Satan has so cunningly infiltrated these vile men and women into the church in a manner that many sincere followers of our Lord never anticipated. Some sincere and upright men and women of God never noticed this infiltration and in good faith and trust have aided the infiltrates in their wicked mission. The good news, however, is that some have taken note of the infiltration and are now earnestly contenting for the faith.

    Paul once warned that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Of course he was making reference to a little pride and the same is also true concerning a little heresy that often spoils good doctrine whenever it is applied to sound teachings. Satan knows this very well and has of late been adding a little leaven to good doctrine with the sole aim of bringing the teachings of the Lamb of God into disrepute. The doctrine of our Lord and saviour is perfect and entire wanting nothing but the author of every evil is consistently and constantly portraying the opposite picture by polluting it with some doctrinal yeast. Some of our members indeed sometimes fail to detect the leaven and energetically and ignorantly teach the leavened doctrine. Such doctrine ceases to be the doctrine of Christ the very moment impurities are added. Any additions to or subtractions from the doctrine of Christ are rebellious acts that attract the full penalty pronounced in the book of Revelation. It is refreshing, however, to note that others from our numbers have taken note of the leaven and have stood up to fight for the faith. True they may be few as has been the case throughout history and they constantly receive ridicule in abundance yet they are in the victor’s camp.

    I have for a considerable period raised pertinent questions and objections concerning the so called ‘Prosperity gospel’ or ‘the give and become rich doctrine.’ This, as we all know, is a doctrine supposedly built on the foundations of the good and sound doctrine of tithes, offerings and alms giving. I do not in any way object to the sound Biblical doctrine but I do strongly disagree with the manner propagators of the Prosperity gospel teach tithes and offerings. The teachings are conducted and published everywhere in a way that leaves a lot to be desired. Various portions of the Prosperity Doctrine are taught in a way that contradicts great and essential portions of the Bible.  The sound doctrine of Christ does not and never will ever contradict itself. If contradictions are noted eyebrows must be raised. In borrowing the Lord’s wisdom let me here state that a kingdom at war against itself is bound to fall. Would Christ indeed, being Lord of Lords and king of kings, ever contradict himself? If your answer is that he is at war with himself then our faith is in vain because his kingdom will not last. But if your answer is ‘NO’, then whose doctrine of monetary gain have we been exposed to which often contradicts the very teachings of Christ. Could it be the doctrine of Christ, of men or of the devil?

    The Master once said that we could not serve two masters, God and money. Does the money doctrine you receive make you seek to serve God or mammon? Paul also spoke of apostles who do not serve God but their own bellies. Who do you serve? If you are a servant of either money or your belly you certainly cannot serve the God and father of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ and whatever doctrine you teach is not of Christ but of another. One old man once said to me, ‘it is easy to serve gold thinking that you are serving God,’ how right he was. God is not gold and gold is not God – the two are different.

    In days of old the church used to take care of widows orphans and the destitute but it appears as if it has of late become the obligation of the poor to take care of the church. Today if a poor widow does not throw her last cent into the offering bowl she is branded a miser and an infidel. Some teachers are so extreme in their wayward teachings such that they label the poor soul one who is cursed by God. They discourage members of their congregation from assisting the poor fellow saying it is not wise to invest in a curse but whatever they intent to give the poor cursed destitute must be given to the work of God. You have guessed right, that work of God is indeed the minister’s latest automobile or sixth mansion in some up market Harare low-density suburb. Others are not that radical but believe that multi-million dollar auditoriums are more important than the poor, who like themselves, are created in the image of God. The money the church would have used in feeding and clothing the poor is often diverted to the building of ivory towers. The argument they advance is that if sinners commit sin inside expensive and state of the art buildings nothing can stop believers from worshiping in similar structures. Since when did sinners become our standard bearers? May be I got the Lord wrong but I still believe that he said, ‘go and teach all nations,’ and not go and build better buildings than unbelievers. Stephen was a member of the feeding committee and not that tasked with matching the world in showing off our wealth. Simple and safe buildings that provide the necessary shelter and protection are not sinful to God so why worry about multi-million dollar structures.

    The problem with the modern day church is that the mark of a true believer is financial prosperity quite contrary to the mark in the early New Testament era when the mark was righteousness and loyalty to the Lord. Barnabas never sold his field so that he would in return get ten more farms but so that he would share the proceeds from the sale with the poor of his congregation. Today we give so that we may reap material prosperity. The Lord says do not mind worldly riches yet we say, ‘just confess wealth and you become the richest person in society.’ Somewhere the Bible says that filthy riches ensnare but we say that wealth is the answer to all our woes. Moses taught tithing in a manner that promoted the fear of God yet we tithe in order to bribe God. It is now common to hear comments such as, ‘if you want to make money just form your own church.’ Where are we really heading?

    The purpose of this book is to return to the Bible and rediscover the old time doctrine on tithes, offerings, alms and prosperity. More time and space will be devoted to what the Bible teaches rather than what it is meant to teach by those who are money hungry. It will not point a finger at who is distorting the faith but at which impurities have been added to the sound doctrine of our Lord. My aim is not to criticize but to correct. So let us journey together through the pages of this book and I hope you will enjoy the journey. Welcome aboard.

 

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Abraham Soka

Scandal of the get rich quick formulae

A scandal has been going on within the Christian faith. One preacher was quoted as having said, "If I give $1,000 dollars I deserve to get back $100,000 because I am just, that's not greed!" This effectively obligates God to honour his side of the bargain because it is God who promised to pay back one hundred fold all that we give to him.

According to the Gospel written by Saint Luke in chapter 6 when you give to God’s work, that which you give will be measured back to you a hundred times after being pressed down and shaken together because God measures back to you using the same measure you use in giving him. This is a sure and trusted formula of becoming rich according to prominent teachers who have tried the formula as evidenced by empirical evidence at their disposal.

It is very interesting to note that leaders of the Pentecostal Movement in the early 20th century did not embrace prosperity theology. A distinguishable form of the doctrine began to take shape within the movement during the 1940s and 1950s, through the teachings of deliverance and healing evangelists. Linking prosperity teaching with revivalism and faith healing, these evangelists taught "the laws of faith ('ask and ye shall receive') and the laws of divine reciprocity ('give and it will be given back unto you')"

One prominent early character in prosperity theology was E. W. Kenyon, educated in the 1890s at Emerson College of Oratory, where he was exposed to the New Thought movement. He also was greatly influenced by teachings and beliefs of Christian Science. Kenyon later became connected with well-known Pentecostal leaders and wrote about supernatural revelation and positive assertions. His writing influenced leaders of the emerging prosperity movement during the post-war American healing revival. Kenyon and later leaders in the prosperity movement have denied that he was influenced by the New Thought movement or Christian Science. Anthropologist Simon Coleman argues that there are "obvious parallels" between Kenyon's teachings and the New Thought movement

Could there be no danger or chance that laws of the prosperity theology could have not originated from scripture but from cultic sources? Is there no chance that scriptures are being twisted and forced to conform to cultic teachings. Could this be the reason why scripture such as Luke 16:25; 18:25; Matthew 19:23-24 and Mark 10:23-27 are rarely taught or are never taught at all in Prosperity theology. This truly is a captivating subject.

Oral Roberts began teaching prosperity theology in 1947. He explained the laws of faith as a "blessing pact" in which God would return donations "seven fold", promising that donors would receive back from unanticipated sources the money they donated to him. He promised to refund any donation that did not lead to a harvest. In the 1970s, He categorised his blessing pact teaching as the "seed faith" doctrine: offerings were a form of "seed" which would grow in value and be reaped by the donor. Roberts began enlisting "partners", wealthy donors who received special conference invitations and ministry access in exchange for their support.

In the 1960s, prosperity became a primary focus in healing revivals. T. L. Osborn began emphasizing prosperity in the 1960s and became known for his often flamboyant displays of personal wealth. During that decade, Roberts and William Branham criticized other prosperity ministries, arguing that their fund-raising tactics unfairly pressured congregants. These tactics were prompted in part by the expense of developing nationwide radio networks and campaign schedules. At the same time, leaders of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God organization often criticized the focus on prosperity taken by independent healing evangelists.

It is clear that Roberts, Branham and leaders of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God were getting alarmed by excesses and abuses of the Prosperity Gospel. The teaching was fast becoming a get rich formula which promised rapid wealth to donors. Indeed the formula was performing wonders never before seen in he history of the church. Interestingly, the formula was rapidly enriching the preacher of the theology at the expense of the donor. This was the reason why the man who had coined the word “seed faith” was getting perturbed by the abuse of his coined word. A new crop of wealth seeker preachers had taken the church by storm. Churches with a reputation for manipulating and alienating the poor had suddenly come aboard.

Today new forms of offerings have been introduced in to the church. New forms such as deliverance and redemption offerings are now very common as if deliverance and redemption depend on offerings instead of the blood of Jesus Christ. Even answers to prayer now have to be unlocked by offerings'

Following the arrival of these treasure hunters numerous scandals were reported within the church.

Accompanying the money scandal were also sex scandals as the two always coexist. News of Tim Bakker’s fall from grace soon made headlines. Singapore’s City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee was sentenced to 8 years in November 2015. Numerous scandals of Prosperity Gospel theologians continue to make headlines the world over.

Such disturbing news reports confirm the necessity of books like Saints Made Merchandise which analyses tithes, aid and offerings. This book which is currently available at
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 is a must read book which seeks to warn against unbiblical abuses. Not only does the book seek to warn against fraud but it also looks at exactly what the Bible teaches. It tries to trace the origin of tithes and offerings as presented by the Bible. I strongly encourage you to get yourself a copy and enjoy good reading.

Muslim Family Converts to Christianity after Mother is Miraculously Healed

Jesus Christ said to his disciples hat because he was going to the Father those who will believe in him will do the same works he did when he was still on earth. He even said that they would do even greater works.

History is littered with stories of miracles performed by followers of Christ starting with the miracle of the healing of the lame beggar at the temple gate by Peter and John to the most recent healing of Moslem woman recently. Recently a Muslim family in the Middle East gave their lives to Jesus after Christian missionaries prayed over their bedridden mother and she was miraculously healed.

 Fadila  was troubled when her mother suffered a stroke and became bedridden.

The family didn’t know what to do. Eventually, one of Fadila’s brothers brought two men to the house, telling the rest of the family that the men were “men of God” who have “gifts of healing.”

The family agreed to allow the men to pray over their mother unaware that the men were not Muslims.

 “One man prayed. I felt uncomfortable, because it was different than Muslim du'a (prayer)," Fadila said. "He was using Jesus' name on his prayers. In the name of Jesus he prayed to heal my mother."

 When Fadila found out the two men were Christians, she initially became angry and ordered them to leave the house. But then something happened.

Their mother, who had been unable to move, was struggling to get up from her bed.

“We helped her and she sat erect and then stood on the floor," Fadila said.

Their mother told the family that while the men prayed over her she saw Jesus and that he had touched her with his nail-pierced hands. She felt a light covering her and knew that she had been healed.

"She asked the pastor to pardon me [for telling them to go away] and also asked him to pray for my brother who is an alcoholic," Fadila said.

The men prayed for Fadila’s brother who confessed his sins, repented, and turned to Jesus.
Everyone in Fadila’s family converted to Christianity except her father’s other wife, Fadila’s stepmother, who remains antagonistic toward Christianity.

Fadila said that in spite of the opposition, the family is praying and reading the Bible. However, Fadila’s stepmother has threatened to report the family to the authorities for their new-found faith.

 So it is evident that followers of Christ are still doing the works Jesus did when he was still on earth. The existence of false teachers has not deterred true followers of Christ who still cherish the true sound teachings of Christ as claimed in chapter nine of the book Saints Made Merchandise which is available at http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141.

SAINTS MADE MERCHANDISE

Saints Made Merchandise is continuing to draw the attention of many people from within the body of Christ and outside. I continue to receive enquiries with some demanding extracts which is the reason why I posted this extract on face book and WhatsApp but now with an extension:.

 

Now let us look to the next word- Rob.

(2)  ROB: This is the only word I will trace down to its original Hebrew form. It is translated from the Hebrew word, קָבַע ‘QUABA’ which means to cover (up) i.e. defraud, to rob or spoil. ….. The word refers to taking what belongs to someone by chicanery without the owner’s consent. The Collins pocket English dictionary also confers the word defraud as one of the meanings of the term rob. Since it is feeble man who takes away what belongs to Almighty God, I strongly feel that the word plunder, which has violent connotations, cannot be the most suitable translation of the word in these circumstances. Instead the word defraud is a more suitable paraphrase because it denotes deception rather than violence. It also denotes deprivation. Here man takes by ruse and dishonesty rather than violence. What he merely does is convert what belongs to God to his own or some other use never intended by God. For instance, instead of providing food, the tithes will be used as a bait of gaining more wealth. The children of Israel never tithed in order to obtain more fields yet we do it for the sake of prosperity. We do not tithe to provide food but to entice God for some filthy riches. In short we have converted tithes to some other uses that God never intended. If we have sowed to the flesh must we reap of the spirit?

Will a man rob God? I used to say God is too strong to be robbed by mere man but one day I discovered that man has the capacity to rob God. From the above translation of the word rob; I deduced that in Malachi 3 God was charging his people with the crime of fraud. It cannot be a crime of plunder or violent looting because then man would be too weak to pillage Almighty God. He charges the entire nation of the same crime thereby suggesting that even the priestly tribe of Levi was also part of the crime. The fact that the priestly tribe was also a partner of the crime means that something very severe had gone wrong with tithing. May be nobody was still bringing tithes at all or the Levites were taking hundred percent of the tithes converting it to their own use or something more serious that we do not know was taking place. Whatever was happening it is very evident that the people of God were depriving God His tithes.

There is another book that was written at almost the same time as the book of Malachi which may give us an insight in to what could have been happening during that time thereby explaining how the fraud was perpetrated. The Book of Malachi was written between 440 and 400 B.C whilst the Book of Nehemiah was likely written between 445 and 420 B.C. This piece of information implies that the conditions prevailing during the days of Nehemiah and Malachi were similar or both authors could have lived during the same period of time.

In chapter 4 of his book, Nehemiah describes how the elite were abusing and oppressing the needy and the vulnerable of society whist Malachi in verse 5 of his 3rd chapter says that God will be a swift witness against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and those who turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not the LORD of hosts.  Nehemiah in his 13th chapter from verse 5 to 10 further gives yet another description of a disturbing incident that occurred during the same period. He says that when he had been briefly away from Jerusalem, the priest took the Levites’ share from the store house and gave it to Tobiah, God’s enemy. The resultant starvation of the Levites led to their abandoning their duties. These two events suggest that it were the priests and the elite who were therefore defrauding or robing God.

Whist the priest was converting the Levite’s share of the tithe to Tobiah’s use; the elite were busy oppressing the hireling, the widow, and the fatherless, in their wages and turning aside the stranger from his right. That is how they systematically robbed God hence the message of Malachi chapter three.

The crime the nation was committing could have been a non-violent one but was a highly sophisticated cunning and possibly well-orchestrated transgression of an accounting and financial nature which demonstrated bad stewardship which resulted in the neglect of the poor in direct violation of the laws and commandments of the Lord. Are we also not guilty of the same offence? Is our tithing not fraudulent in nature? I leave you to give the answers. This is food for thought.

Following this post some have requested for at least one chapter and her I give you chapter thirteen:

THE PURPOSE OF PROSPERITY

 

‘But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ Deu 8:18.

‘Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.’ 3 John 1: 2-4.

 

I

n winding up this book it is proper that I comment on prosperity. Some may think that I am against prosperity but that is not entirely correct. Whilst I am not against prosperity I categorically state that I am completely against being hypnotised with the attainment of wealth. The Lord said that we must not be worried about our needs and wants. Being apprehensive does not in any way solve any of our shortcomings or satisfy our needs. Obsession about wealth usually arises from being anxious about needs and wants. Actually the Lord said that worry has never and will never improve any person’s stature.

Modern day prosperity Christians always hunt wealth such that even their prayers are perpetual pleas for wealth. They desire to be the most opulent persons in their locality and wish to parade their extravagance to all and sundry as evidence of their faith. This desire creates within them an unending hankering for money which the Bible says is the root of all evil. This craving for money may lead to compromised ethics and morals to the extent that the source of money may be of no importance as long as the money gets in to their pockets.

In contrast to the above the Lord in Matthew 6:33 said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Instead of seeking wealth the Lord advises us to seek his kingdom and righteousness first. Our greatest desire must be to live righteous lives in the obedience of God. When we live righteously God will meet our needs without us having to worry about it.

This is where the Prosperity gospel differs greatly with God’s principle of prosperity. The Prosperity gospel says desire wealth, claim wealth, get wealth and be very rich. God’s principle says live a righteous life and God will meet all your needs and wants. All that you neglect by seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness will be added to you. The rich young ruler was told to sell all his wealth, distribute it to the needy and follow Christ. To the young man this was impossible because he had a lot of wealth. To him parting with his wealth was tantamount to becoming extinct. It was his wealth which was a mark of distinction between him and the rest of society. Without his wealth he would be reduced to an ordinary pauper in his community hence he refused to follow the master.

It is clear that seeking God and his righteousness demands living for God and not for self. The anointed Messiah once said that if you save your life you will lose it but if you lose your life for the sake of Christ you will gain it. The Bible also says that those for whom Christ died must now live for him. Living for Christ means that the desires, wishes and will of Christ takes prominence over our own desires, wishes and will. It means that we will seek his growth at the expense of our own demise. He will become great through our becoming insignificant. John 3:31. What belongs to us becomes his own. In short it means that he will live his own life in and through us hence his righteousness must of a necessity express itself through our own lives. In view of that we will live righteous and upright lives and in turn he will add his goodies to us.

Deuteronomy 8:18 clearly states who gives wealth and why. The LORD our God gives us power to get wealth so that he may establish his covenant which he swore to our fathers, as it is this day. He does not give us prosperity to just make us big but to establish his covenant with us. It is necessary to understand that covenant first otherwise we will lose it just like the rich young ruler did. God gives us the capacity or ability to gather wealth so that when we have gotten the wealth we then fulfil the fundamentals of his covenant with us. You see it is for his own purposes and not ours hence his kingdom is greater than our desire.

The covenant he makes reference to was first entered between him and his servant and friend Abraham. In entering the covenant with Abraham he said that he would in blessings bless Abraham so that he would become a blessing to all the families of the word. He was not blessing Abraham so that Abraham would selfishly feel blessed but God wanted to bless the whole word through Abraham. God’s desire is that we become a blessing to our communities. He gives us wealth or the power to get wealth so that through that wealth we will bless our communities. That is exactly what he wanted the rich young ruler to do when he told him to sell all he had, distribute the proceeds to the poor and live for Christ.

In the 9^th chapter of 2^nd Corinthians we are told that when we give, the Lord will in turn give us much more. Many do not read some of the verses within the context of the chapter. As a result they give for the sole reason of receiving back yet the chapter explains why God keeps on giving us. In the first verses of that chapter Paul praises the Corinthian for their zeal in giving towards meeting the needs of the saints. In verse 7 he reminds them that they must give willingly and not out of compulsion. One must make his own independent decision to give and not coerced to do so because God loves a cheerful giver. In verse 8 he then says that after God has given us back he will ensure that that we have all sufficiency and much more to do further good works. That means that if I give two people God will meet my needs and also give me some more resources so that I will be able to give more than the initial 2 people. The purpose of that return is to ensure that I am able to continue in good works by giving many more people thereby becoming a blessing to my fellow men. By becoming a blessing to others we will be establishing God’s covenant which he swore with our predecessors.

This short summary on prosperity is what I was trying to express in the chapter which precedes this one. God blesses us so that we may bless others. If he makes us rich, it is to enable others to become rich through our generosity. We must not exploit others but we must bless others.

3 John 1: 2-4’s summary is that our material prosperity must mirror what will be happening in the inner man. He says we must prosper and be in health in proportion to the prosperity of our souls. Prosperity must begin in the spirit and only express itself in the physical later.  When we seek God’s righteousness the human spirit will prosper hence our aim must not be prosperity but the righteousness of God.

Poverty is not a measure of godliness and will never be a sign of holiness. Poverty is not from God but is from satan and that is the reason why God wants us to fight it. God will certainly bless us so that with the abundance of that blessing we may fight poverty by meeting the needs of the poor or provide them with the capital and means to fight their insufficiency.

Through Moses the Lord said, “For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. Deut 15:6 -11.

In this age there will never be a time when the poor will cease to be in the land hence I agree with the prosperity gospellers that poverty is a curse. Since it is a curse we must therefore fight it by stretching our hand to eradicate the poverty from our brothers and sisters. For this reason Christ became poor for our sakes as it is written in 2Corithians 8:9 that “ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” If we became rich through his poverty then with his riches we must eradicate poverty from our fellow men. Since we freely received we must freely give. This also is bearing each other’s burdens

One important thing we must realise is that wealth is only an instrument through which we may use to better our lives and of those who surround us or depend on us. Wealth must never be worshipped hence Paul said to Timothy, “charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God.” Many a time people worship God’s instrument instead of God who ordained the instrument. In 2^nd Kings chapter 18 king Hezekiah did the right thing of removing God’s instrument after realising that people were now worshiping God’s instrument instead of worshipping the God who anointed the instrument. In the wilderness the Israelites were attacked by fiery serpents whilst they were coming from Egypt during the Exodus. Moses made a brazen serpent in obedience to God,s instruction and anyone who looked at the brazen serpent after being bitten by the poisonous snakes was healed instantly. During the days of the kings of Judah, the Israelites were worshipping that bronze serpent and that is the brazen serpent king Hezekiah destroyed because it was now receiving God’s glory as if that glory was its own.. Read 2 Kings 18:1-7. The same is happening with the modern man these days. Some of us are busy glorifying wealth instead of the God who gave it. Therefore since prosperity is merely God’s instrument for our betterment, worship and trust must be reserved to God alone.

Finally prosperity must not be limited to money but must enable us to walk in truth and that is why John wrote, “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.’ 3 John 1: 2-4. We can walk in truth when we are built and established in the truth and that is why our material prosperity must mirror our spiritual prosperity. Biblical prosperity therefore goes beyond wealth as it is anchored in walking in the truth. The Lord said he is the Way, the Truth and the Life and therefore walking in truth refers to walking in the manner the Lord desires or it means living for Christ. The real purpose for prosperity is therefore to glorify Christ by the manner we utilise that prosperity. Once again I reiterate that poverty is not godly and will never be a sign of godliness in as much the same way that riches are not a mark of conscientiousness..

God bless you all.

 
Now that you have read extracts of chapter three and have also read all of chapter 13 hurry up and get your own copy on
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 or Munashe's book from

http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Man-Heart-Munashe-Soka/dp/0797467181

Did you now that my son Munashe has written very interesting books one of which can be obtained from the following link

http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Man-Heart-Munashe-Soka/dp/0797467181

Munashe is a great expositor of the bible and a pastor & teacher at Triumphant International Ministries

The book SAINTS MADE MERCHANDISE is an analysis of biblical teaching of tithes, alms and offerings. The book is not designed to criticize any person but to edify the body of Christ. random pages of the book can be accessed on the following link http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141