The prosperity gospel is not a gospel at all, but variant
or a camouflage of the true gospel. It
is so insidious, it has aspects that has made its way into mainstream
Christianity and into the pulpits of many evangelical churches. Below
are some ways you can identify in your church and root it out quickly.
First is The Place of Suffering
No one likes to suffer let alone welcome it. We do our best to
avoid it and fix it when it is upon us. But suffering for righteousness sake
for the Christian is part of the very fabric of being saved.
When you encounter suffering, do you have an unresolved answer
to the question of why? Do you find yourself beginning to question God’s
goodness? Or have you become somewhat bitter about what you are going through?
The Christian, of all people, should know that suffering is part of the
Christian life (John 15:20; Phil. 1:29).
Let’s not forget that we follow a Savior who suffered and was
crucified. The soft prosperity gospel has shaped our thinking to see that
suffering is an intrusion in our lives. We ask questions such as, “Why is this
happening? How could God let this happen?” It is happening because we live in a
fallen, broken world. But, it is also happening because God uses suffering to
strengthen and sanctify His people. He makes us more like Jesus through our
suffering (Rom. 5:3–5; Heb. 5.7; James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 1:6–9).
As Luther observed, it is suffering that God uses to fashion our
understanding of the gospel. Far from an intrusion, suffering is an instrument
from God for our good and His glory.
If your church or pastor preaches a gospel that does not
included suffering for Jesus as an expected role for believers who desire to
live godly in Christ (2 Tim. 3:12), then that is a sure sign of the soft
prosperity gospel which is really a different gospel (Gal. 1:6).
End of Part 2
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