“Money is the root of all evil,” they say. “You can’t be prosperous and love Jesus at the same time,” proclaim others. “You cannot serve both God and money, so it is wrong for a Christian to think that wealth and prosperity are okay.” Is it okay to be prosperous and be a Christian? Is it wrong to pursue riches and follow Jesus at the same time? Did Jesus really provide prosperity and riches for us on the Cross, or is that just a fringe “prosperity theology” that brings error to the Body of Christ? What’s the difference between a tithe and an offering? What about seed money? Did God really set up laws that govern finances, just like He set up the natural laws of physics?
Chances are, even if you are not a Christian, you have heard these arguments and have likely had these questions yourself. Well, friend, I am happy to introduce the brand new teaching series, Faith and Finances, which I believe will address these issues and bring you to a place of faith in God’s Word regarding all these things.
My point is not to argue a case in either direction, but to provide you with valuable insight into the Word of God so you are in a position to allow the Holy Spirit to breathe life and revelation to your heart, producing true transformation and wholeness in the area of finances.
This is such a sticky topic! Think about some of your own arguments with your spouse or close relatives. How many of your, uh, entanglements have been around the topic of money? According to one study, “how one’s spouse handled money” was a major factor in reasons for divorce in up to 40% of couples. (Scott et al.)
Now, just imagine how heated the conversation becomes when you get Christians spouting off scripture about finances and financial management. I would be surprised if you haven’t encountered this before:
Christian 1: God wants you to be healthy, prosperous, and whole!
Christian 2: That’s just the “prosperity gospel,” and it’s of the devil! God wants what is best for you, but only He knows what’s best. Maybe being poor is just what you need for Him to teach you humility.
Christian 1: But look at what the Bible says about prosperity!
Christian 2: No, YOU look at what the Bible says!
Non-Christian bystander: Um… yeah… not interested.
God (to Christian 1 and Christian 2): Why don’t you ask ME about what I said in My Word?
(This would be funny if it weren’t so realistic! Seriously, though, I do believe God is saying to each of us, “Get into My Word and allow My Holy Spirit to quicken your hearts towards wisdom regarding finances. I set up laws that govern money so you would build your faith and be a blessing to others on the earth. Direct your eyes to My Word, not your experience, and let Me teach you these things!”)
Interestingly, Jesus taught about money and used financial metaphors more than He taught about Heaven and Hell. In His parables, Jesus cited extraordinarily large sums of money–almost as if He was particularly familiar with such sums–when one would think a humble carpenter would be ignorant of such large amounts. Was Jesus really a poor carpenter? Did the Son of God leave us an example of a homeless, poverty-stricken Savior wandering about with no financial responsibilities or financial management skills? Does God teach us that money, or having money, is wrong? What are we supposed to do with money? What is the proper use of money? There’s so much Scripture along these lines!
What does God’s Word say as a whole about money? Is it scriptural to say, “For the next ten minutes, the windows of heaven are open–and if you give me a seed of $1000, God will answer whatever prayer request you have,” as we have seen on TV? (Hint: of course not! But there are truths to sowing seed and receiving blessings. There is a balance.)
Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about all this.
Let’s see what God Himself says about faith and finances.
That way, we can eliminate all the noise of our experience, wrong teachings, ignorance, and the lack of teaching along these lines–and let’s allow the Holy Spirit to bring life and revelation to our spirits directly from the Word of God.
As you can probably tell, I’m really passionate about this. Jenny and I have seen the Biblical truths of prosperity work in our lives, as well as some of the pitfalls that others have slipped into because of an imbalanced approach to prosperity. I am certain that this will be life-changing and a huge avenue for freedom from bondage in your life.
Enjoy the podcast!!
Reference
Scott, Shelby B., et al. “Reasons for Divorce and Recollections of Premarital Intervention: Implications for Improving Relationship Education.” Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, vol. 2, no. 2, 2013, pp. 131–145, 10.1037/a0032025.
Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash