The prosperity "gospel" is a truly evil doctrine. Many people who attend false apostate "churches" do not realise that they do because they cannot discern it. Many contemporary local churches which are Biblical, orthodox and evangelical, sometimes lean towards it in the way they preach or think about God's provision, wealth and abundance.
Many in the modern Church, that is 21st century Christendom as a whole, often speak about how God has "blessed" them with material things, happily and smugly receiving what God has given to them out of His grace and His grace alone, whether it be a house, car, job, holiday or leisure time. Little do they realise that this thinking, although not what is called the prosperity "gospel" itself, are adopting exactly the same mindset as those who espouse and preach what so many in the modern "Church" denounce" as the prosperity "gospel". They denounce it, but yet have a mindset that is still so influenced and mesmerised by the world, thinking that one can somewhat serve both God and mammon, despite what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24" No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon".
Jesus made it very very clear. No person, whether a pastor, evangelist, or whoever one may be can serve both God and mammon. It is all so easy to think that that if one diligently serves one's own local church, and gives it much money, one cannot be under the spirit of mammon. That is precisely what many in the modern Church think, out of their lack of discernment as to what it truly means to be under the spirit of mammon. One of the key reasons for this lack of discernment is that one is under the spirit of mammon oneself.
You may think that you are not a careerist, or someone who is only seeking to buy expensive luxury things, thinking that you are so righteous and godly. Well, good! Even many unsaved wicked people who are hardworking and care for their children are not careerists or seeking to only buy expensive things. Simply because you are not a careerist, or one is who only seeking to buy expensive luxury things or loves such things, does not mean that you could not be under the spirit of mammon and enslaved to him.
It seems like many in the modern Church have yet to truly understand in one's heart and mind exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24-34:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
The reason why Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 to not worry is not because He is trying to comfort people from their worries, like some sissy. Jesus is not a sissy, as many in the modern Church make Him out to be in saying that God is very sad and crying in Heaven because people do not seek Him and hate Him. No! He is absolutely indignant and angry at the wicked, vile, disgusting, evil, abominable, Hell-deserving, wrath-deserving world every single day, every single second for every single sin they do, which is the only thing they do (Romans 10:3):
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11).
God is clearly not a sissy, seeking to speak "nice" words to people to comfort their ego and carnal sensitivity. He does not pander to the carnal sensitivity of people, by trying to speak smooth words, or more subtly, to speak in a way so as to reduce the full force of the truth. Likewise, Jesus is not seeking to comfort the pride of those who are full of anxiety for earthly needs when telling His followers in Matthew 6:24-34 not be anxious. He is commanding them to not be anxious because being anxious is a manifestation of one's not fully trusting in God, but seeking to trust in earthly wealth, strength or resources. In seeking to trust in such things, one will love such things and serve them for that is exactly what it means to trust in such things. It is the ultimate manifestation of faithlessness.
It must be noted that Jesus was speaking to His followers in Matthew 6:24-34, not unsaved people. He was speaking to believing people when He was saying to them that no one can serve both God and mammon. This is significant in and of itself. It indicates that a true convert can most definitely succumb to trying to serve both God and mammon. Anyone who says that those professing Christians who are trying to serve both God and mammon are not true Christians is simply trying to make an excuse, perhaps trying to serve both God and mammon himself, all while arrogantly thinking that he could never be under the spirit of mammon himself.
You may say that many Christians could not be trying to serve both God and mammon, all without realising, because they are active in helping the poor and giving generously to the poor. This is an extremely deceitful claim, that seeks to detract from the real issue. Such a claim is from the Pit of Hell itself! What makes one under the spirit of mammon is his mind and heart, being anxious for earthly things, whether it be his own or that of others.
A person can most definitely be anxious for the earthly needs on behalf of others, but not so much their own. Such anxiety is not out of righteousness, kindness or even mere compassion for others. It is out of pride, and seeking to justify one's own anxiety for one's own earthly needs. It is the height of all faithlessness. This is exactly why unsaved people can become socialists or communists. They be anxious for the earthly needs of others to be met, such as those in "Third World nations", so that they can justify their own earthliness. Such works are not righteousness for the good works for the unrighteous are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), or even basis compassion for others as human beings, but rather a self-seeking ungodly anxiety and pride.
The same spirit behind socialism and communism is the exact same spirit behind the poverty "gospel" and many Christian social justice organisations and movements. Although these Christians organisations and movements may be genuine, they are all ultimately fleshly and earthly, anxious about the earthly needs to others, manifesting in worries that such people will not have the same earthly opportunities as others to receive an education and obtain a well-paying job. This is as opposed to acknowledging and knowing that one's spiritual health is far far more important and that such earthly needs such as food, water and housing, are merely earthly and temporal.
The spirit behind such Christian social justice movements and the poverty "gospel" is the spirit of mammon. It is no different from socialism and communism, except that it has the guise of religion, manifesting in a false sense of compassion and love, out of its seduction by mammon, rather than love for God.
Many in the modern Church, that is 21st century Christendom as a whole, often speak about how God has "blessed" them with material things, happily and smugly receiving what God has given to them out of His grace and His grace alone, whether it be a house, car, job, holiday or leisure time. Little do they realise that this thinking, although not what is called the prosperity "gospel" itself, are adopting exactly the same mindset as those who espouse and preach what so many in the modern "Church" denounce" as the prosperity "gospel". They denounce it, but yet have a mindset that is still so influenced and mesmerised by the world, thinking that one can somewhat serve both God and mammon, despite what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24" No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon".
Jesus made it very very clear. No person, whether a pastor, evangelist, or whoever one may be can serve both God and mammon. It is all so easy to think that that if one diligently serves one's own local church, and gives it much money, one cannot be under the spirit of mammon. That is precisely what many in the modern Church think, out of their lack of discernment as to what it truly means to be under the spirit of mammon. One of the key reasons for this lack of discernment is that one is under the spirit of mammon oneself.
You may think that you are not a careerist, or someone who is only seeking to buy expensive luxury things, thinking that you are so righteous and godly. Well, good! Even many unsaved wicked people who are hardworking and care for their children are not careerists or seeking to only buy expensive things. Simply because you are not a careerist, or one is who only seeking to buy expensive luxury things or loves such things, does not mean that you could not be under the spirit of mammon and enslaved to him.
It seems like many in the modern Church have yet to truly understand in one's heart and mind exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24-34:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
The reason why Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 to not worry is not because He is trying to comfort people from their worries, like some sissy. Jesus is not a sissy, as many in the modern Church make Him out to be in saying that God is very sad and crying in Heaven because people do not seek Him and hate Him. No! He is absolutely indignant and angry at the wicked, vile, disgusting, evil, abominable, Hell-deserving, wrath-deserving world every single day, every single second for every single sin they do, which is the only thing they do (Romans 10:3):
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11).
God is clearly not a sissy, seeking to speak "nice" words to people to comfort their ego and carnal sensitivity. He does not pander to the carnal sensitivity of people, by trying to speak smooth words, or more subtly, to speak in a way so as to reduce the full force of the truth. Likewise, Jesus is not seeking to comfort the pride of those who are full of anxiety for earthly needs when telling His followers in Matthew 6:24-34 not be anxious. He is commanding them to not be anxious because being anxious is a manifestation of one's not fully trusting in God, but seeking to trust in earthly wealth, strength or resources. In seeking to trust in such things, one will love such things and serve them for that is exactly what it means to trust in such things. It is the ultimate manifestation of faithlessness.
It must be noted that Jesus was speaking to His followers in Matthew 6:24-34, not unsaved people. He was speaking to believing people when He was saying to them that no one can serve both God and mammon. This is significant in and of itself. It indicates that a true convert can most definitely succumb to trying to serve both God and mammon. Anyone who says that those professing Christians who are trying to serve both God and mammon are not true Christians is simply trying to make an excuse, perhaps trying to serve both God and mammon himself, all while arrogantly thinking that he could never be under the spirit of mammon himself.
You may say that many Christians could not be trying to serve both God and mammon, all without realising, because they are active in helping the poor and giving generously to the poor. This is an extremely deceitful claim, that seeks to detract from the real issue. Such a claim is from the Pit of Hell itself! What makes one under the spirit of mammon is his mind and heart, being anxious for earthly things, whether it be his own or that of others.
A person can most definitely be anxious for the earthly needs on behalf of others, but not so much their own. Such anxiety is not out of righteousness, kindness or even mere compassion for others. It is out of pride, and seeking to justify one's own anxiety for one's own earthly needs. It is the height of all faithlessness. This is exactly why unsaved people can become socialists or communists. They be anxious for the earthly needs of others to be met, such as those in "Third World nations", so that they can justify their own earthliness. Such works are not righteousness for the good works for the unrighteous are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), or even basis compassion for others as human beings, but rather a self-seeking ungodly anxiety and pride.
The same spirit behind socialism and communism is the exact same spirit behind the poverty "gospel" and many Christian social justice organisations and movements. Although these Christians organisations and movements may be genuine, they are all ultimately fleshly and earthly, anxious about the earthly needs to others, manifesting in worries that such people will not have the same earthly opportunities as others to receive an education and obtain a well-paying job. This is as opposed to acknowledging and knowing that one's spiritual health is far far more important and that such earthly needs such as food, water and housing, are merely earthly and temporal.
The spirit behind such Christian social justice movements and the poverty "gospel" is the spirit of mammon. It is no different from socialism and communism, except that it has the guise of religion, manifesting in a false sense of compassion and love, out of its seduction by mammon, rather than love for God.
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