Become Christian and Get Rich!

The Prosperity Gospel.  Many of us have heard of it directly or even indirectly because it's a popular message in many mega-churches and self-help books.  Put simply, it says that God wants his followers to be rich and have endless prosperity.  It's a very appealing message because it tells us that by becoming Christians and following the "rules", God will rain dollars down upon our heads.

So is that true?  Maybe...  Let's explore it further.

In the Bible there are numerous examples of God bestowing massive wealth on his children.  In the Book of Job we see how God blessed, took away, and re-blessed one of his dearest followers.  Further on, we also read quite a bit about both David and his son, Solomon.  David started out as an exceedingly poor shepherd boy but through his faith and obedience to God he was made a mighty and wealthy king of Israel.  In 1 Kings, the Bible talks about the unparalleled wealth of Solomon, whom many people even today believe was the wealthiest man in history (http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/how-rich-was-solomon.html).

Based on what we can see in the Bible it is very reasonable to believe that God DOES reward at least some some of his followers with great wealth.  But can we know how God really feels about money?  Probably not with any certainty.  But there is another aspect to consider.  The Ten Commandments that God dictated to Moses are very explicit in certain key regards.  It is not a coincidence that the very first commandment given is: "You shall have no other gods before Me." This is where we have to be very, very careful.  From personal experience I can say that money is a jealous entity (sound familiar?).  In order to both retain it and make even more, a person must exert a significant amount of time and energy.  Before long, the pursuit of money can take over a person's life and begin to push out dedication to family and God.

Money is a tool that in and of itself is not evil, but the love and pursuit of it is quite often contrary to God's will. God uses money and wealth, and gives it to His children, to advance His will, and we are to use it for His Glory, not for ours. Anything that teaches otherwise is a False Teaching. 

What the Prosperity Gospel does not address is the fact that God uses suffering to temper, grow, and shape his children into the form that he intended us to assume.  Just like iron tempers iron, suffering helps us understand our fallen state and learn that God is the ONLY one that can save us.  Is God really helping us to achieve salvation if he ensures, through endless prosperity, that we are always comfortable and never in need? It would be logical to conclude that Solomon, David and others were given great wealth and power because they needed to have significant influence to advance God's will. So when we pray for "prosperity", we should be asking what our real purpose is going to be.

It is not a sin to be rich.  But if you are are a Christian you should welcome any suffering that God intends.  The ultimate reward is not a mansion and Mercedes Benz.  It is an eternity of fellowship with Him in Heaven.  It is natural to want to prosper and if done in concert with God's will can be a wonderful thing.  But remember that money and prosperity, by themselves, can blind you to the greater purpose that God intends.