Health And Wealth?
Q. I have a friend that is very involved in a church that’s main emphasis is “healing” (once a month healings). The church as also taught that through faith “You will be wealthy.” Sometimes the service has apostles that prophesy about the particular church and the surrounding city. Of course, none of this has come true.
My big question is that my friend thinks, if she has enough faith God will supply her family with every thing they need. Please show me scriptures that show God really wants people work for a living. My friend and her husband have not worked in year’s and the work that they have had in the past is all self-employed. They cannot support their kids, but will not listen to friend and family. They are in their forties, so this is not just “young and dumb.”
A. The problem with the “health and wealth” gospel as it’s commonly taught is that it puts the focus on man instead of God.
Jesus did promise that if we spend our time and energy seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, God in return would see to our needs (Matt. 6:31-34) He also said that as we give, it will be given to us (Luke 6:37) and that we shouldn’t store anything up here, but to use it all for the Kingdom (Matt. 6:19-21) Paul wrote that we can be made rich in every way so that we can be generous on every occasion (1 Cor. 9:11). All these verses admonish us to use what we’ve been given for the Kingdom and not keep anything for ourselves, but trust Him for everything.
This is the opposite of the prosperity gospel which encourages materialism and greed by teaching people to put in a little and expect a lot back. Paul also wrote that those who will not work should not expect to depend on the Church for food (2 Thes. 3:10), and that a man who doesn’t take care of his own family is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim. 5:8).
If your friends are only sitting back and waiting for a hand out from God, they’ll be waiting a long time. Better they should seek the Lord’s direction on a way to earn some money so they can put the above promises to work for the good of others, while storing up treasure for themselves in Heaven. After all they’re going to spend a lot of time there.
