The Prosperous Christian

Walk into any Christian bookstore (or any secular bookstore with a religious section) and you will find myriads of books on prosperity. There are books on how to improve your financial status, books on how to improve your health (through faith, not diet), books on how to live a joy filled life by merely acknowledging certain scripture verses exist and making them part of your spiritual life. A simple stroll down the aisle and you will be convinced that with only a little faith you too can live like Donald Trump today and reap the riches of heaven in the afterlife. Sign me up for that program. In fact some books go so far as to say that if you are not prosperous it is your lack of faith that is the problem. But is this true?

Books aren’t the only source of prosperity teaching as there are a number of television programs that preach prosperity from faith. The television programs are often referred to as ministries, but the on air personalities are only ministering to their own wallets. Aside from the obvious fact that Jesus was born, raised, and died in utter poverty we need to determine if any of his disciples lived a more faithful life than He did and if they reaped the rewards of their faith.

Lets consider Acts 5 when Peter and John are called before the religious leaders of their day to account for their speaking about the resurrection of Jesus. The religious leaders who had Jesus crucified were not going to tolerate any of His disciples talking about His resurrection. The leaders listened to Peter and John and wanted to kill them, but a man named Gamaliel suggested they back away from that idea, as it seemed to rash to him. I will continue with verses 40,41. “40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. “

They went on their way rejoicing because they had been flogged. Flog means to beat severely with a whip or a rod. Know any Christians in this country who would rejoice at being flogged? Either do I. There really aren’t too many ways of looking at this. One either Peter and John did not have very much faith, or two they had a very different understanding of what walking with the Lord meant. Come to think of it they probably did have a different understanding of what walking with the Lord meant because they did walk with the Lord for three years.

But that was Peter and John so maybe there are other Christian views on this subject. Lets consider Paul for example. Paul was not a follower of Jesus when Jesus walked the earth, as were the other apostles. Paul became a follower some time later. He may have a different perspective on this prosperity thing. He may have more faith then the other apostles.

During Paul’s journeys he wrote to many of the churches that he had planted in an effort to encourage them in their daily walk. While writing to the believers at Corinth, an ancient Greece city, he informs the believers what being a Christian has cost him. I am quoting from the New American Standard Bible.

2 Corinthians 11:23 “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?”

Wow, maybe Paul needed to find a way to increase his faith because he sure wasn’t having a very prosperous life. Peter, John and Paul are just a few of the stories that are found in the bible that illustrate the hardships the early Christian church faced. Their hardships had nothing to do with faith, or trusting God. Truth be know their hardships were the result of their faith.

The mind of God is often complex and confusing to those of us who try to understand His reasoning. Some Christians are very prosperous while others struggle to make ends meet. This is also true of non-believers. Nevertheless, we know from what the bible tells us that Jesus did not live a prosperous life. If Jesus did not live a prosperous life, and the disciples did not live prosperously either then why would we conclude that His desire for us is to be prosperous?