THE PURPOSE OF PROSPERITY - An extract from the book Saints Made Merchandise: An Analysis of Tithes, Alms & Offerings ...

‘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.

In 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 precedence 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.



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GRACE WHICH BRINGS SALVATION

Titus 2:11 to 14, ‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world; looking for the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous unto good works.’

Salvation comes from grace and not faith. Many a time we have taught or been taught that we are saved by faith yet that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that we are saved BY GRACE through faith. In Eph 2:8 Paul writes, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” you see it is not faith that saves but it is the grace of God that saves us. Faith is just the tool or means we use to appropriate this salvation.

The Bible says that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all mankind. This grace has not been sent to some but to all people. In other words grace has brought salvation to everyone. It is not any form of grace that brings salvation. It is the grace of God which brings salvation to everyone and not the grace of man. When this grace has brought salvation man must the use faith to appropriate the salvation.

Upon appearing to all and sundry with salvation the grace of God teaches the whole world to:

1.      deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,

2.      live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world;

3.      look forward to the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ

4.      be eager to do good works

There is an abnormality in many Christian circles that once under grace there is nothing that we are expected to do. It is taught that unlike people who are under the law, people who are under grace are free and nothing more is expected from them. Surprisingly in Paul’s epistle to Titus we are told that grace in point of fact teaches us to do something. In writing to the Ephesians after elaborating that salvation is of grace and not works so no one has a reason for boasting, Paul goes on to write in Eph. 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.” In other words God has ordained good works which must be performed by people who are under grace.

Usually when we talk about not being under the law we make the wrong assumption that the law is no longer of any effect yet Jesus himself said in Matt 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.” Some claim that Jesus spoke in such a manner because he was still in the Old Testament yet that is not entirely true. Jesus never operated in the Old Testament whilst on earth and that is why he was an enemy of the Pharisees, Seduces and the then priesthood. He was on record of having said, “ye have heard of old …. but I say …” In fact Jesus tells us when the Old Testament ended by saying in Luke 16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it.” The Old Testament was until John and the New Testament was ushered by our Lord and savior Jesus Christ because, “the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Rom 7:7. Again in Gal 3:24 Paul writes, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” From these quotations it is clear that the law does not in any way provide salvation. The law merely shows that one is a sinner who is in need of a savior.

The law condemns a sinner and brings no salvation with it. Moses brought the law and through it by means of figures and symbols he prophesied about the coming of a savior who would wipe out the scourge of sin. Through the symbol of the brazen serpent he pointed out that the savior would become sin in the same manner that brass became a serpent but through that process bring salvation to slaves of sin. John 3:14-15; 2 Cor.5:21. Christ was aware of man’s predicament and the fact that apart from a savior man could not extricate himself from the bondage of sin. Christ therefore by grace brought salvation to man. Salvation is therefore entirely depended on the grace of Christ and not the works of the law. In any case Paul says that the law is our tutor, who brings us to Christ so that by the grace of Christ we may be justified by faith,

A person who breaks the law is under the law but a person who does not break the law is not under the law. It is only thieves who are affected by laws which outlaw theft. They are the ones who are under such laws. People who respect the sanctity of other people’s property are not under antitheft laws because those law do not regulate the way they live because whatever such laws outlaw does not affect them in any way. In the same vein people who live righteous and godly lives are not under the law because they already live lives that are not outlawed by the law. This is the reason why the grace of God teaches us to:

1.      deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,

2.      live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world;

3.      look forward to the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ

4.      be eager to do good works

When we deny ungodliness and worldly lusts we will start to live lives that are not controlled by anti-covetous laws. “Thou shalt not covet” applies to lustful persons. Prostitution, greediness, selfishness, corruption and all worldly vices stem out of ungodliness and lust hence all people who practice them are still under the law. In my book Saints Made Merchandise I point out that the apostle Paul says, ‘the good that I would do I do not: but the evil I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.’ Sin can therefore render our desire and ability to do good works powerless. When we get rid of sin, good must flow out of us freely and abundantly. That is precisely why Paul said the grace of God that brings salvation causes in us a passion for good works. Has Christ delivered us from the law of sin and death? If he has then we have no justification for not doing good acts. He thus has every reason to either commend us or upbraid us for not sharing with others that which we possess. It is thus imperative that we deliberately deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and because of that the grace of teaches us to precisely do that.

The grace of God does not only teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts but it also teaches us to live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world. Grace does not teach us to live soberly, righteously and godly in the world to come but in this present world. Righteous living is for now and not for the future. Jesus Christ became sin for our sakes so that we may become the righteousness of God in Christ. It therefore means that in order to live righteously we must allow Christ to live his life through us. When this happens good will naturally flow from our innermost beings according to the Lord’s plan for us. Again in my book Saints Made Merchandise I write, “Good works do not in themselves bring righteousness to a person but they are in reality a product of righteousness. Therefore it is not good works that produce righteousness but it is righteousness, which produces good works, and the good works are the evidence of that righteousness. Since alms are a by-product of good works it follows that alms deeds are acts of righteousness. In his doctrine our saviour and Lord said, ‘seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness … Sell that you have, and give alms, provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not…. And you yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord…. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching.’ Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:33-37…. Good works do not save and cannot produce righteousness, as has already been said, but arise from righteousness and the grace, which saves us through faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore anyone who is unrighteous has no fellowship with the Lord. Even the righteousness that is by human standards is insufficient to please God. One prophet and writer of ancient years once said that all our righteousness is like filthy rags before the Lord. Even the righteousness which is by the observance of the law is inadequate on its own as was shown in the story of the rich young man who asked the Lord what he had to do in order for him to inherit everlasting life. It is said that the young man had observed and obeyed the law of God, given through Moses, since his childhood but Jesus indicated that perfection could only come after repentance. A teacher of the Law of Moses who was righteous according to the standards of the Sanhedrin was told that he had to be born again so that he could inherit the kingdom of God. In both cases Jesus was hinting that the righteousness of God is not the righteousness of men.

The righteousness that pleases God is the one, which is by godly standards. When God therefore noticed the shortcomings of men as far as righteousness is concerned he decided to impart his own righteousness to men. Jesus, the Word that became flesh, lived on earth for thirty-three solid years as human and with all human limitations. Of the thirty-three years he devoted three and a half to teaching the word of God doing good and healing all those who were sick. One Passover week he became sin, by bearing all our iniquities in his own body, so that we would become the righteousness of God through him. Since then all those who believe on him automatically become the righteousness of God through Christ. It is not of works but of faith.

The righteousness of human standards is of works while the righteousness, which is of godly standards, is of faith. Good works brings about human righteousness whereas Jesus Christ the righteous king himself brings godly righteousness and it produces the good works. Good works do not produce it. Instead of good works giving birth to righteousness, it is righteousness that must give birth to good works. God’s order is righteousness first and good works later. When we reverse the order we mostly end up in hypocrisy. According to Ephesians chapter 2 grace brings salvation through faith first, which salvation brings the righteousness of Christ, and then good works are expected later, an indication that genuine good works are a product of righteousness. Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-10 read, ‘for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.’

It is clear here that if our salvation was a result of our own good works, we would have something to boast about but that is not the case because our salvation and righteousness is dependent on God himself through Christ. It is further without controversy that verse 10 states that God predetermined us to do good works and walk in them. It follows then that all who believe in Christ must walk in good works. It therefore means that when God imparts his righteousness on us, the righteousness will lead us into good works which is the reason why James says that pure and undefiled religion before God will cause us to do good. I trust that is why the tenth verse of the second chapter of the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Galatians makes it a requirement of every Christian to do good works. I also suppose that is the reason why Paul claims, in his epistle to Titus that the grace of God, which brings salvation, teaches us to do good works. The righteousness of God will make us zealous of good works.

Those who claim that good works have no place in a Christian’s life greatly err because God expects us do good. Revelation 22:32 makes it clear that our rewards shall be according to works. Since alms deeds are part of good works it consequently means that they are a product of the righteousness of God. Alms giving was natural in the early Christian church because the righteousness of God had first place in the believers’ lives. Those who have the righteousness of God find out that giving is normal. It was because of this righteousness that early Christian believers gave each other in such a way that no one amongst them lacked. We do alms out of righteousness and not to attain righteousness which reason makes this form of giving a pleasure and a delight to the saint.” For more details concerning this book visit http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 or

Grace does not only bring salvation as it also brings us hope teaching us to look forward to the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our savior Jesus Christ. The good news is that Jesus Christ is coming back again to judge both the living and the dead. We look forward to that great day when the last enemy, death, will be vanquished. That will be a great day when the dead in Christ will rise again and we who will be alive will be caught up to be with the Lord forever. The apostle wrote, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”