The Three Dimensions of Priesthood in the Church

THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH

By Ezekiel Kimosop

I came across a statement on social media that suggested that there is no priesthood in the church other than the priesthood of believers. My view is that there are in fact three levels of church priesthood revealed in the Bible. I will outline them below. 

A) THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST 

Jesus Christ is revealed in Hebrews 4:14-16 and in several other passages of the Letter of Hebrews as a High Priest that is distinct from the Levitical priesthood. Jesus’ lineage can be traced to the tribe of Judah. This implies that he could not be a priest in the order of Aaron because he was not a Levite. His priesthood is identified with the priesthood of Melchizedek because of its uniqueness. Unlike the Levitical order, Jesus’ priesthood is devoid of the unbroken succession identified with the Levitical priesthood. 

Jesus is our High Priest who intercedes for us before the Father in heaven. His humanity offered Him a unique blending in that He understands our human frailty. He too was tempted in every way as we are but he overcame. Scripture proclaims in Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all ways tempted as we are, yet without sin” (NKJV). 

Paul also describes Jesus as a Mediator between God and men, thus underscoring Jesus’ High Priesthood (1 Timothy 2:5). This mediatorial role encompasses the priesthood function and His atoning death at the cross of Calvary. His uniqueness lies in His being the exclusive sacrifice; the Lamb of God that was delivered for the cleansing of our sin and the High Priest of God in interceding for us before the Father. These two features of Jesus' Priesthood are inextricably intertwined. 

B) THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHURCH MINISTERS AND ELDERS 

The second dimension of church priesthood is the priesthood of church ministers. This classification consists of pastors, overseers and elders in their collective and individual contexts (see Acts 6:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7). 

Church elders/overseers on their part are required to exercise their priesthood over their church congregations. They are to admonish the people in the way of Christ and speak the mind of God to His people. This includes instruction and edification of God’s people through the teaching of Scripture (1 Timothy 3:2) and praying for the sick and attending to the needy within the church (James 1:27, 5:1-13). 

A church minister is a steward of God's grace (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). He cannot usurp the authority of Christ as the Chief Shepherd over His people (1 Peter 5:1-4). He should submit to Christ's High Priesthood.  

C) THE PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS 

The third dimension of biblical priesthood is the priesthood of all believers collectively and singly, in accordance with 1 Peter 2:9 and other relevant passages of Scripture. Believers are the body of Christ, a royal priesthood that ministers before God as His covenant witnesses and heralds of God’s kingdom on Earth (Matthew 10:32). 

Believers can intercede for themselves and for others either collectively or singly. In so doing, they exercise their priestly roles as God’s covenant people who stand before God.  This priesthood is further highlighted in 1 John 1:8-10 and James 5:16. 

My view is that the Roman Catholic confession box system is unbiblical in so far as it does not recognize the priesthood of believers and elevates the priestly role of the clergy above the confines of Scripture. 

Sin should be confessed by believers either within the community or fellowship of God's people or directly to God through Jesus Christ, as the context demands. God alone has the power to forgive sin. Jesus Christ is our mediator who exclusively stands between God and men.  No human being, not even Mary the mother of Jesus, a Pope, apostle or prophet has power to exercise this mediatorial function (see 1 Timothy 2:1-6). It is exclusive to Jesus Christ and is non-transferable. 

I am further persuaded by the view that there were no direct successors to apostle Peter or to any of the rest of the apostles. Apostle Peter, James, the brother of the Lord (not to be confused with Apostle James who was martyred in Acts 12:1-2), and Apostle John were the three key men who led the Jerusalem Church. Paul was the apostle to the Gentile church. 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Will Adam and Eve be in Heaven?

WILL ADAM AND EVE BE IN HEAVEN? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Put differently, this question asks: will Adam and Eve be among the redeemed of God who will participate in the resurrections described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Revelation 20:11-15? If so, what justifies their inclusion in view of their disobedience recorded in Genesis 3? When and how was their transgression atoned, if ever? 

I must admit at the outset that this is a fairly difficult theological question. I will primarily attempt it on the basis of my discernment of Scripture. I will also consider and interact with what others have said on the question. 

The Bible records that Adam and Eve fell into disobedience in the Garden of Eden after Satan deceived the woman into eating the forbidden fruit and sharing it with her husband (Genesis 3:1-6). God judged them for their disobedience (Genesis 3:14-19) and expelled them from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22-24). 

Bible scholars say that Genesis 3:15 is a futuristic statement that concerns the coming of Christ and His redemption work. Some have also argued that the statement of Genesis 3:21 presupposes that God sacrificed an animal to cover Adam's sin and the use of the animal skin is evidence of God's atonement or cleansing. 

This statement does not conclusively affirm this claim. My view is that there would have been no reason to expell Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden if their sin had been atoned by God at this point. Their state of purity and innocence would perhaps have been restored. Besides, Scripture would have explicitly reported on the remission of their sin. 

The implications of God's warning in Genesis 2:16-17 are plain. Adam's disobedience resulted in his spiritual death on the very day that he ate of the forbidden fruit. Eve's response to the serpent in Genesis 3:1-6 confirms that she too was aware of God's prohibition and the consequences of her disobedience are similar to Adam's.

Adam went on to live for 930 years but the penalty for his disobedience was served on him and on his offspring under God's condemnation and nothing in Scripture indicates or suggests that this transgression was atoned before the coming of Christ. The Bible proclaims that in Adam all were separated from God until the redemption work of Christ. 

The mention of Adam and Eve in New Testament Scripture majorly relates to their transgression and what Christ accomplished in providing atonement for this sin (cf. Romans 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 2:8-14; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10). 

After the fall of Adam and Eve, Scripture reveals that God continued to relate with the couple and their sons in some ways. There is evidence of God's blessing of their children (Genesis 4:1) and individual worship and sacrifice by their sons, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-5). The stain of Adam's sin however continued to mutate in Adam's sons resulting in the first murder incident (Genesis 4). 

The subsequent generations of Adam's offspring continued to demonstrate evidence of wickedness resulting in the first communal condemnation and judgment by flood during the time of Noah (Genesis 6-8). 

Now back to our question...

Is it possible that Adam and Eve received God's pardon for their transgression and that they would be admitted into heaven on that score? Were the two justified by faith in the manner that Abraham and other heroes of faith were? Why were Adam and Eve not mentioned in the list of heroes in Hebrews 11? Was this omission by inadvertence or design? 

Scottish theologian Thomas Boston (1676-1732) argued that Adam and Eve will be in heaven. He posits in his famous sermon that "... Adam and Eve will be coming home... Only they will have lived on three Earths - one unfallen, one fallen and one redeemed" [Heaven, by Randy Alcorn, p. 154]. 

This assertion by Thomas Boston is however difficult to reconcile with Scripture. No passage of Scripture affirms or contradicts it.

Some have also argued that Adam and Eve may have been among the heroes of faith who were omitted by the writer of Hebrews since the writer's statement in Hebrews 11:32 suggests that the list of Old Testament heroes of faith was not exhaustive. It is however instructive that righteous saints such as Abel, Enoch, and Abraham are among those listed in the "hall of fame" but the omission of Adam and Eve is telling. Why were the founding family of the human race missing from this list if not for the implications of their transgression? Do you also notice that Cain is missing from the list? 

My view is that Adam and Eve were possibly not justified by God in the manner in which the Old Testament heroes were because of the import of their primary transgression in the Garden of Eden. This does not however imply that God did not preserve their souls by grace or that their souls will be consigned to damnation in hell! 

The fact that no specific authority in Scripture on Adam's redemption is available only serves to outline the theological obscurity surrounding the issue. Besides, the statement in Genesis 3:15 appears to be futuristic in scope and only concerned the offspring rather than Adam and Eve per se. 

Again, the notion that God's act of covering the couple with "tunics of skin" in Genesis 3:21 was evidence of God's atonement of their sin is difficult to affirm from Scripture. Their expulsion from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:22-24 appears to refute the notion of prior atonement. 

It is therefore difficult, if not impossible, to draw a firm conclusion on the above question because Scripture is obscure on the eternal destiny of Adam and Eve. There is no passage of Scripture that conclusively addresses the question. 

Some have suggested that 1 Peter 3:18-19 contemplated a final opportunity for the redemption of Adam and Eve from the place of the dead or Sheol and that the couple could not have forfeited that chance. Again this assumption is difficult to reconcile with Scripture. Hebrews 9:27 appears to refute it. There is no opportunity for redemption or justification after death.  

My view is that it is impossible to tell with certainty from any passage of Scripture if Adam and Eve will or will not be in heaven. We however hope that they will, by God's immeasurable grace and mercy, make it to heaven. The question remains the subject of a theological mystery that should perhaps be left to divine resolution. I believe that God has concealed from us the answer to this question until we appear before Him. 

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:9-10: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away" (NKJV).

Again 1 John 3:2-3 says" Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (NKJV).

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Jephthah - Disinherited by Family yet Chosen by God: Lessons from Judges 11:1-33

JEPHTHAH - DISINHERITED BY FAMILY YET CHOSEN BY GOD: LESSONS FROM JUDGES 11:1-33

We shall today pick up on our devotional study series through the Book of Judges. We shall examine the passage of Judges 11:1-33 that is dedicated to a Bible character called Jephthah. As noted in our previous series, we should bear in mind one overarching theological principle that relates to the period of the judges - that Israel was under moral apostasy. The society was spiritually fallen. 

In Judges 11:1, we are introduced to Jephthah who is described as "a mighty man of valor" and "the son of a harlot". He was the son of Gilead by a strange woman - a prostitute. 

Some scholars have argued that the name "Gilead" as applied in this passage could not specifically describe a Jewish family since it was a clan name. They claim that the name was suggestive of the  implications of the obscurity associated with Jephthah's parentage. They argue that Jephthah's paternity was impossible to determine and that he could have been sired by any Gileadite male. The passage context however suggests that his father and family could be identified. It is therefore safe to assume that Jephthah's father bore the name Gilead. 

The writer of the Book of Judges reports that the sons of Gilead's lawful wife bid their time until they were grown and at that point they resolved to chase away Jephthah. They ganged up and kicked him out of the family and in so doing, they denied him their father's inheritance. 

Jephthah took refuge in the land of Tob. Little is known about this region in Scripture. It is mentioned four times in the Old Testament Scriptures (Judges 11:3, 5; 2 Samuel 10:6, 8). The mention of Ish-Tob (Hebrew for "men of Tob") in connection with an Ammonite battle conscription suggests that it was an established territory during the days of the judges and was possibly a section of the wider Assyrian kingdom. Bible scholars say that it was located south east of the Sea of Galilee. This confirms that it was part of Gentile territory. 

Jephthah never fought back. He chose to move on with his life as he sought refuge in the land of Tob. Perhaps his half brothers outnumbered him militarily. 

Having been dispossessed of legitimate means of living, Jephthah gathered for himself a raiding band consisting of outlaws, here described as "worthless men" (Judges 11:3, NKJV). His ungodly activities are consistent with the moral decline in Israel during the period of the judges (see Judges 17:6, 18:1, 21:25). 

After the lapse of time, perhaps after a number of years, the people of Ammon made war against Israel. Ammonites are descendants of Ben Ammi, the second son of Lot by incest (Genesis 19:30-38). They were idolators and were completely separated from God's covenant people (Ezekiel 25:1-7). 

It is instructive that the people of Israel sought Jephthah at this point. The man who had been estranged from them was now the man of the moment. None of his brothers could match the skill and abilities that Israel sought in a leader at this time of crisis except Jephthah! Besides, Jephthah was possibly more familiar with the Ammonite warfare at this point, given his experience in the Gentile territory!  

This reminds us of the circumstances of desperation that drove the sons of Jacob to seek grain in Egypt during a period of famine. God took them through a humiliating experience.  They were utterly shocked when they discovered that their brother whom they had sold to slave traders and lied to their father about it was now the second in command in Egypt. The man they rejected was now their ruler! 

Jephthah's reaction in Judges 11:7 is instructive of the broken relationship between the two sides. He asks "Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” 

The elders of Israel must have been utterly ashamed at this point. Nonetheless, they took a vow in making Jephthah head over them if he successfully leads them to war. This confirmed his elevation to the position of military leader and judge in Israel after Tola and Jair, respectively (see Judges 10:1-5). This move undoubtedly reinstated Jephthah's status as a legitimate son of Gilead and restored his family inheritance. The account on his death and burial in the cities of Gilead after his six year reign attests to this fact (see Judges 12:7).  

Judges 11:11 indicates that the people of Israel crowned Jephthah as head and commander over them. The mention of Mizpah suggests that he possibly gathered a solemn assembly of God's people at Mizpah in order to seek divine intervention on the crisis and to reaffirm their covenant relationship with God in the same manner that Samuel would later do (see 1 Samuel, 7:7-17). This demonstrates that the people were in a desperate situation. 

In Judges 11:12-28, the writer records the exchange between Jephthah and the king of Ammon. Jephthah underscores the historical legitimacy behind Israel's claim to the territory under dispute which is described in Judges 11:22 as "the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan." 

Judges 11:28-29 describes Jephthah's battle advance as he heads to Ammon to take on the enemies of Israel. He was possibly consolidating the battle conscription through the cities or regions mentioned.

Judges 11:30-31 conveys Jephthah's vow to God. He undertook to sacrifice anything that comes out of the doors of his house as a burnt offering if God shall grant him victory against the Ammonites. This text is a prelude to a theological controversy relating to the interpretation of the succeeding passage of Judges 11:34-40 which we shall examine under our next study.  

To the glory of God, Jephthah resoundingly defeated the Ammonites in battle. The victory proclamation is relayed in Judges 11:33 as thus: "And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel." 

MORAL LESSONS

1). God is not a respecter of persons. Jephthah was a mighty man of valor, a mighty warrior in Israel yet he had a disgraceful tag; a social disadvantage as a son of a harlot. Worse even, he was rejected and disowned by the very people whose identity he treasured - his family! 

Thankfully, his stigmatization and expulsion by his family did not amount to God's rejection of him. There are great people today that grew up from humble or difficult family or societal backgrounds yet God graciously used them to lead nations and societies. Do not give up on God under your circumstances of disadvantage. 

2). Our true heritage in God cannot be snatched from us. We learn from this passage that God restored the dignity of Jephthah after he was fraudulently dispossessed by his evil half brothers. He finally ruled over them in the end! 

3). We should not judge people by their circumstances of disadvantage. God can radically transform their future at His appointed time. He lifted Joseph from prison to the palace; Daniel from the lion's den to the royal corridors of power and Esther from orphan to queen. God alone holds the closing chapter of a person's biography. 

Psalm 75:6-7 says "For exaltation comes neither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.

7 But God is the Judge:

He puts down one,

And exalts another." 

King David, himself a person of family disadvantage, proclaims: "I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread" (Psalm 37:25). 

4). Our family, relatives, neighbours, employers or even society may deprive us of what is legitimately due to us because of some social disadvantaged or stigma tag in our lives but God will never forsake us. He preserves and honors those who faithfully observe their covenant relationship with Him. Some people have lost jobs and business opportunities because of their ethnicity, gender, age or social class tags but God came in for them later in their lives. 

5). We should seek the Lord at all times, not just during our moments of distress.  Keeping a covenant relationship with God is the ideal. Nevertheless, turning to God is the godly thing that we can do when confronted with the burdens of life. This is what Jephthah and the elders of Israel did and God gave them victory. Israel was at one of its lowest moral ebbs during the period of the judges but God graciously preserved them for His divine purposes. There is no society that is beyond redemption. 

6). Victory belongs to God. No matter how much arsenal, skill or resources may be at our disposal, we shall never succeed in life without the hand of God. The fact that the Spirit of God came upon Jephthah is evidence of God's divine approval and empowerment. He overcame because God was with him. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that God strengthened Jehoshaphat during the period of siege over Jerusalem, saying, "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s" (2 Chronicles 20:15).

Where is your trust? (Read Psalm 20:7-8; 121).  

7). Vengeance belongs to God.  Jephthah did not revenge against his brothers when he finally took over Israel's leadership. He could have completely wiped them out in revenge but he chose to treat bygones as bygones and opted for reconciliation even as God lifted him up and honored him.  We should not carry  bitterness against our offenders for years on end. Let us lift our pains and afflictions to God and leave them to him. The Bible says  "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). 

CONCLUSION

Have you ever been dispossessed, prejudiced or abused in life? No matter what tag or stigma society has assigned you, never give up on God. Every person, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender or social class is important before the eyes of God. Never despise the skills and opportunities that God has placed at your disposal. God can use you for his glory in His own ways.  Only be courageous and submit to Him and do not carry bitterness against your persecutors. Leave the pains and afflictions of the past to the Lord and serve Him with commitment. He will come for you at His appointed time and restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten (Joel 2:25). 

Finally, and in context of the redemption works of Christ, we can proclaim that there is no greater bondage, alienation and abuse that one can suffer than being under Satan's control. We should turn to Christ for the redemption and restoration of our lives from sinful disobedience. 

Similarly, there is no greater restoration that one can receive in this world than the forgiveness and cleansing of sin and reconciliation with God. Jesus suffered shame and affliction in order to restore our relationship with God that was broken in Adam.  

God is faithful to preserve His people in all circumstances, pleasant or unpleasant. This promise was true concerning Jephthah. It is true concerning His dealing with us in this life and in the life to come. The Bible proclaims in Romans 8:37-39:

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Keep it Christ! 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Prosperity Gospel is a Counterfeit Religion

  PROSPERITY GOSPEL IS A COUNTERFEIT RELIGION

By Ezekiel Kimosop

The Prosperity Gospel is one of the fastest growing religions in contemporary Christianity. It was initially identified with a section of Pentecostal Christianity but it has since mutated into a class of its own, complete with its set of popular televangelists and mega church preachers. One prominent section of the prosperity theology group is the Word of Faith movement.

This brand of Christianity claims, among other things, that God desires that believers should enjoy unlimited material prosperity and that they should not experience suffering of any description. The doctrine is hinged on the view that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross to free his followers from poverty, disease and suffering.

They further argue that all that is required to access God's bountiful blessings is the exercise of faith in prayer by an "anointed" apostolic preacher who is believed to possess special mystical powers granted to them by God. At its worst, prosperity theology presupposes that the deitified "man of God" can cause things to happen at his command. In this context, man is elevated to deity as God is reduced to an ATM dispenser at the disposal of the superman preacher! A number of proof texts such as Psalm 82:6 are often quoted in defense of this religion.

Is this doctrine taught or implied in Scripture? Does God empower a specific set of preachers with special miracle powers to the exclusion of others? Is Christian suffering not contemplated in Scripture? How should we understand the words of Jesus where he says that anyone who desires to be His disciple must pick up his cross and follow him? (see Matthew 10:38; Luke 9:23, 14:27).

I am persuaded that the prosperity gospel is inconsistent with the the teaching of Scripture. Christian suffering is an ordinary experience that is contemplated and taught in Scripture. Jesus taught that the poor will always be part of human society.

A Christian community will therefore consist of the rich and the poor members of society. Those that are "materially disadvantaged" in a Christian community are part of God's household in Christ Jesus and should be treated with dignity [see James 2:1-13). The needy among believers and even in the society should be supported by those who are materially blessed (James 1:27).

Besides, any endowments of spiritual gifts or resources are primarily intended for the advancement of the body of Christ. They are never meant to enrich a class of individuals at the expense of the rest of the congregation or community of believers.

Some prosperity teachers are known to take advantage of vulnerable Christians by demanding financial gifts in exchange for "miracle" prayers. This phenomenon is common with Christian communities that are not adequately instructed in Biblical truth and could be lacking in discernment (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). 

I once attended a youth conference at an Evangelical church in Nairobi where a prosperity preacher was concluding his preaching. He had been invited by the youth leaders of the church.

The man made a strange request at the close of his preaching. He asked the youth to remove from their pockets and lift up with their right hands whatever money they had so that he may pray for God's blessings over them.

Most of the youth unsuspectingly removed all the money they had, including perhaps their bus fare!

The charismatic preacher, who went by the title Apostle X [name withheld], then asked them to put the money on the podium. The youth obeyed him and dropped dozens of banknotes and coins next to the preacher's feet.

The man then proclaimed that the money was "seed money" and that God would perform miracles and multiply His blessings to those who parted with it by faith! Never mind that his intentions in collecting the money were not revealed in advanced! He then declared that those who were unemployed would receive jobs while others would receive different sets of miracles. He even told them to take his phone number so that they would contact him whenever God answered the prayers!

As the man stepped down from the podium, I could read the disappointment on his face as he collected the money. The "seed money" turned out to be a paltry sum, perhaps no more than $10. He perhaps expected much more money but the gathering majorly consisted of unemployed and college youth from poor neighborhoods. 

The preacher pocketed the cash and hastily left the church hall, perhaps heading for another "apostolic" assignment. He even forgot to bid farewell to the gathering.

If that was not daily robbery, tell me what is!

There are countless other tales of false teachers whose only purpose in Christianity is self enrichment. They are not keen on preaching Christ crucified or proclaiming God's mind to His people.

These preachers openly steal from their unsuspecting followers in the name of God and shamelessly enrich themselves. My view is that these preachers are daylight robbers who hide behind the guise of religion.

Millions of Christians today have been brainwashed by false teachers into regularly sending money to them in the hope of receiving instant miracles but nothing happens in return. They are then reminded by the false teachers that they either did not have enough faith or that they never gave enough seed. The poverty cycle continues in the pews as the prosperity preachers reap in millions of dollars, fly private jets, drive top of the range limousines and live in leafy suburbs of their cities.

This is not to suggest that believers or preachers should take a vow of poverty or that God cannot bless Christians with material riches or that being rich is unchristian or ungodly. There are several rich godly people who are mentioned in Scripture including Abraham, Job, and Jacob. These men did not allow the trappings of riches to cloud their religious or moral worldview.

They faithfully served and honored God with their increase. Job's statement in Job 1:20 underscores his humility and modesty on earthly riches yet he was by any standards perhaps a billionaire of his day. At his lowest moment of affliction, Job proclaims:

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord"

We learn from Scripture that King Solomon, who is reputed as the richest royal in his day wasted his youthful years in opulence and avarice. Thankfully, Solomon is his sunset years, admitted that his dalliance with riches and pleasure was vanity of vanities (see Solomon's reflection of life in Ecclesiastes 1-2). He had learnt critical lessons from his imprudence. 

The Bible conveys the moral etiquette and principles for Christian contentment that should govern the management of church ministries. Preachers should demonstrate accountability and moderation in the stewardship of church resources and in their moral prudence and lifestyles (cf. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 12:35-48, 16:1-13; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, 8-9).

Concerning believers, God has promised to answer our prayers touching on our needs according to His divine will for us (Matthew 6:33). We ought therefore to pray for our needs in accordance with the teaching of Scripture (see the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-15).  Scripture further exhorts us to present our petitions to God from a godly motive that is free from greed and covetousness (James 4:3). We should also submit to God's will even as we petition Him. Jesus warns in Luke 12:15 "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

His concluding statement under the parable of the Rich Fool is equally profound: He sums up the moral of the story, saying, "...So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

CONCLUSION

The prosperity gospel is increasingly turning into the face of Christianity, given its global appeal. It is however part of the religion of Mammon that Jesus condemned in Matthew 6:24. It is motivated by material greed and subverts the very purpose for which Jesus came. It focuses on material prosperity at the expense of the gospel. It is a counterfeit religion, in my view. It should be condemned by Bible believing Christian communities for its moral excesses.

The coming of false teachers is foretold in several passages of Scripture including Acts 20:28-30; 2 Peter 2 and Jude 1:16-19.

A Bible centered Christian community should therefore reject false teachers and contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

A Bible believing Christian on his part should carefully discern and identify these teachers from the admonition of Scripture and keep away from their pews. They should refrain from giving in to their manipulation and deception and submit to the purity and authority of God's word in Scripture.

God's people should engage their skills, talents and abilities in working for a living rather than looking out for freebies. Paul warned the Thessalonians against busybodies among them who went from house to house living on others in the name of God.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-9 says "But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, 9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us." (NKJV).

Notice the modesty conveyed by Paul in the above passage. He had chosen to forfeit some of the apostolic privileges that some of contemporaries relished (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:1-8). Paul engaged his tentmaking trade skills in raising his support as a Christian missionary yet he could have relied on the churches for support. Only in exceptional circumstances did Paul appeal for support from some churches. God's people should not wait for manna from heaven but should work to earn their keep. 

The prosperity gospel is founded on a total misrepresentation of the revelation and authority of Scripture. It is a counterfeit religion. 

We should flee from the tentacles of this false religion and stick to Biblical truth! 

Shalom 

Recommended readings:

https://www.9marks.org/article/journalnine-marks-prosperity-gospel-church/

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-errors-of-the-prosperity-gospel/

https://www.gafcon.org/resources/the-prosperity-gospel-its-concise-theology-challenges-and-opportunities

https://bible.org/article/bankruptcy-prosperity-gospel-exercise-biblical-and-theological-ethics

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023