Nigerians generally are naturally enthusiastic religious people. The minarets blast five times a day simultaneously across the length and breadth of the country, calling the people of the Islamic faith to prayers. Wherever your location is, you cannot claim not to hear it except those living in any of the Government Reservation areas (GRA). A Muslim does not believe he has completed his personal house until a mosque is erected in the compound. Many in the Islamic faith endeavour to perform Umra in far away Mecca as many times as possible to make special prayers. Every street and corner of all our big cities, villages and hamlets, are full of Churches. The Sunday services are filled to full capacity, some running three or more sessions. In spite of all these, corruption, dishonesty, moral decadence, decay, injustice, cheating, bribery, extortion, stealing and looting of government treasuries are on the increase. Could it be people other than these faithful worshippers that are perpetrating these evils? But I once met a policeman who wore a tag on his uniform, with an inscription "Touch not my anointed-----"yet he was harassing and extorting motorists on the high way. I had thought that the religious houses are there to mould the characters of the worshippers in order to have a peaceful and habitable society, where all and sundry will live in brotherly love without being difficult to one another but instead be helpful to one another. Is it that these preaching are no longer emphasized on the pulpit or is it the worshippers that rub them off their ears the moment the services are ended and return to their different businesses as usual?Where Have Things Gone Wrong? Last week, I did promise that I would turn my searchlight to my own constituency, which is the Church to see what has gone wrong. Certainly the moral lapses, now in play have failed to justify the ever-increasing number of Churches in the communities. Nigeria was a lot better when the Churches and mosques were not as many. I hope someone will also beam the searchlight into what may have gone wrong in the other faiths especially, the other prominent religion, the Islamic faith. I want to blame the departure from the uprightness that was in existence up to the early part of the 70's to the poverty that has plagued the nation ever since. The poverty itself was borne out of the greed of the ruling class that emerged and their handlers, the civil servants. The greed and selfishness of the perpetrators were what the Church should have attacked fiercely and ferociously with boldness and mobilize the citizens to do also. Instead, it was heresies and imbalanced preaching that overtook the pulpits. Emphasis shifted from the Cross-, largely to the stomach. I must not be misunderstood; poverty can easily make one to lose heaven. This informed the prayer of Augur in Proverbs 30:7-9 "Two things have I required of Thee (God); deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me. Lest I be full, and deny you, and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the Name of my God in vain" Poverty, when overwhelming can easily make anyone and I repeat anyone with no exception to derail the faith and make him or her do ungodly things and this is why I have been sensitizing religious leaders of all faith, especially my own constituency, the Church to consider the suggestions, which God inspired me to draw in order to smoothen the earthly journey of the faithful so as not to derail their heaven ambition. The plan, God inspired me is for the religious leaders to mobilize a massive, collective righteous walk (life) where every citizen will vow to abandon unrighteous behaviour and filthy lucre for brotherly love. It is not late yet and it is the only way out of the chaos.
Emphasis, as I wrote earlier unfortunately, on the pulpits has shifted from the Cross-. The Cross in relation to the one on which Our Lord died, is understood by the Church from time immemorial, as an emblem (symbol) of suffering. Yet this is what the Lord said His followers must take up. The instruction to whomever will be His disciple, to take up the Cross-was the major emphasis of His message throughout His ministrations on earth, which was well documented by all the gospel writers. Mathew recorded Him "If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine" (Matt.10:38). Luke recorded Him "And whomsoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27). The young rich man who claimed to have kept all the laws from his youth was told by the Lord one thing he lacked: "Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor and thou shall have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow me" (Mk.10:21). When Peter rebuked the Lord for talking about a suffering that was awaiting Him, He warned Peter and the crowd very sternly: "Whoever wants to be my follower, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34). Luke recorded same incident as: "take up his cross Daily----"(Luke 9:23). The consequences of being a disciple of Christ, which attract problems and difficulties because Christians cannot pursue the comforts of life, the way the world does, was once considered a life of dignity to the Christian. Christians preferred to suffer deprivation than to compromise with uprightness and anything that did not conform to the Bible teaching standards or Christian ethics. This face of the Cross was once the main emphasis on the pulpits. However, the face of the Cross, which symbolizes deliverance from the menace, aggression and incursion of Satan on and in God's children, was not adequately addressed. The phrase: "By whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:24) was not probed. The explanation was that God had replaced this with the medical knowledge. The commission of the Lord which says: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:15-18) was reasoned as inapplicable to this age. In fact, we were told that the manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit had fulfilled its purpose during the era of the early Church and so no one should expect them again. However, Christ in His mercy revealed Himself to my generation of Christians and we started to witness the manifestation of the Holy Ghost in abundance, vis-à-vis- prophecy, dreams, visions, healings, speaking in tongues etc etc.
Unfortunately within the twinkling of the eyes, the preaching on majority of the pulpits tilted totally only to this face of this Cross that symbolizes deliverance and erroneously added to it, is the right to possession of materials in abundance in what is referred to as "prosperity for all Christians" to the neglect of the face of the Cross that symbolizes partnership in Christ's suffering and non-conformity with the world. The slogan in the mouths of many of today's Christians is "Suffering is not for God's children Or Christians are supposed to have the best of things in the world". So, Christians today in whatever employment they find themselves participate with unbelievers in full glare: fraud, whether of the Government or whoever, extortion, taking and giving of gratification / bribery, under the cover or illusion that it is God's wish for them to prosper. There is no inhibition to engage in any business, not caring whether it violates the principles of Christianity or not. They afterwards return to the Church with donations and praises to their sweet mouthed Pastor who had predicted it for them as a year of wonders, surprises etc. Christians do no longer consider it a shame to acquire possessions and live completely beyond their visible legitimate earnings. Yet we are supposed to be the light and conscience of the world. This is where things became uncontrollable because there are no more differences in the morals of those who are supposed to be the conscience of the society and others described as the people of the world. In short, the checks to frauds, extortion and all ungodly behaviour were lost. In Nigeria, in the earlier time, the born-again Christians did not announce themselves on the microphones/ speakers. Their character and their behaviour did. They were quite few in the work places, in schools and on the campuses. But they could not be mistaken. Even in Churches, they could easily be identified, because they were separated in and from the crowd. I am not talking about those who thought that dressing poorly was a way of identifying themselves as Christians or thought that staying aloof, not taking interest or not being bothered with what went on around them was an identity for Christianity. These 'Born Agains', upheld anything that was righteous, just and pure. They distanced themselves from anything that had the appearances of dishonesty, cheating and embezzlement. They would rarely be lured. They were a threat and reproach to the sinful world.
Once upon a time this was the behaviour of Christians in Nigeria. I witnessed it all. However, within a short time, all these have changed. The new generations of pulpits have been replaced with religious falsehood. The preaching of prosperity in abundance for all Christians coming from the pulpits has opened the floodgate of the Church to all who want to be rich, purporting to accept Christ without a renewal or regeneration of the mind leading to the degrading of the Christian virtues, which was once cherished. So Christianity, in my observation as of today, in Nigeria, has become a cosmetic or a superficial thing. Preachers and Christians today have created their own imaginations and ideas of those things that will only glorify God. Possession of materials in abundance, as opposed to humble living alone will glorify God, forgetting that the Lord Himself came to the world through a family of humble background and in all His utterances, He said nothing favourable of wealth because of the danger of one's attention being driven away from God to material things. He did not condemn the rich however, as long as it is righteously acquired and properly managed i.e without shifting attention from heaven. The situation, which today we think in our imagination will alone glorify God is the one which depicts us not as an ordinary man, but a super power where anywhere we are, we make things to happen, we change any situation which we are not comfortable with at the Name of Jesus. We do not want affliction. Those will not glorify God, we think. The type which we consider alone glorifies God is the type that happened at the garden of Gethsemane on the night when Judas led the captors of our Lord to arrest Him and as the Lord asked them "whom seek ye?" And the Lord answered, "I am he", the captors went backward and fell to the ground (John 18:4-6) or where the apostles of the early Church were imprisoned and by morning time when the jury asked them to be brought, they were no longer there. They were already teaching in the Temple because the heavy security of the prison could not prevent the angel of God from performing his duty. He had led the apostles out in the night (Act 5:17-25). I can imagine this testimony being related in one of the assemblies of today's saints (had it occurred of recent) and I can feel the thunderous rendition and ovation of "Praise the Lord" shouted at the Lagos end of the Lagos - Ibadan expressway and being heard at the Ibadan end of the express way. (A distance of 120 Km approx). Compared with another testimony of someone standing in front of the same assembly who had just witnessed Peter and the other apostles whipped (Acts 5:40). I can feel the coldness and total silence of this assembly where one can easily hear a pin drop. But contrary to the opinion of this assembly, who cannot see how such a human suffering can glorify God, the Scripture recorded that the apostles after they had received the lashes "departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name" (Acts 5:41). The types, which we consider will only glorify God, was Peter bound between two soldiers and on the eve of his date with the hangman, the angel of the Lord broke all the chains and barricades and led him to safety (Acts 12). Or the earthquake incidence at Philippi, leading to the opening of the prison doors and the loosening of bands on the hands of Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25-26).
But as for Paul, he would not glory in those things: - the signs, wonders, mighty deeds, the abundance of the revelations, though they were clear to him as signs of his apostleship. But he will rather glory in "infirmities, reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses, for Christ's sake" (2 Cor.12). Full details of what Paul would glory in, are listed in 2 Cor 4:6-11, 6:3-10, 11:23-33, which included "dangers of robbers". Those are Paul's dossiers (C.V) or resume, which he cherished as expressing the glorious power of God in him (Excellency of the power of God) (2 Cor 4:7). He described his afflictions as evidence of a 'true minister of God' (2 Cor 6:4; 11:23). Consider this scenario. Two very famous charismatic Preachers, being attacked at different times but on the same night, by the same set of armed robbers. While the robbers were able to cart away easily the properties of one of the Preachers, on getting to the other charismatic Preacher, the Holy Ghost arrested them. They became paralyzed and could barely talk. However, they managed to beg the man of God for their release. From my observation of the behaviour and utterances of many Christians of today, with their lack of understanding of the various ways by which God works, I can perceive that as the stories of these two occurrences spread, the charismatic Preacher, who God allows his properties to be stolen will get to his Church the following Sunday to meet a sparse (scanty) crowd if not a totally empty auditorium and discover that his congregation had decamped to the Church of the other Preacher, who the robbers could not attack. A close study of the lives of most Bible Characters reveals that being a Christian does not insulate us from suffering. The list is endless: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. John the Baptist and James the son of Zebedee were beheaded by Herod. Deacon Stephen was stoned to death. We have already testified to the affliction of Peter, Paul and Silas etc. In fact, the more we strive to live a life pleasing to God, the more we expose ourselves to frequent attack from both the seen and the unseen forces (Eph. 6:12). When one becomes a Christian, the previous life style is done away with (2 Cor 5:17). Peter wrote on the consequences of the new life: "Where in they think it strange that you don't eagerly join them any more in the wicked things they do, and they will laugh at you in contempt and scorn (1 Peter 4:4). Paul in the same tone wrote: "You may as well know this too, that in the last days, it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian ----" "For people will be rough and cruel and sneer at those who try to be good. Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:1-4;12). From these, we can confirm that the slogan in the mouths of today's popular Preachers and Christians that "suffering is not for Christians is falsehood and fraudulent. Where any Christian finds it all, an easy, smooth life, I can confirm that he must have been compromising, not abiding by the Bible teaching and not living to the Christian ethics and so the devil is not bothered about him to try or afflict him because he remains his (devil) disciple, though on the outward he professes Christianity. The joy and the dignity of the Christian, lies in being a partner (identifying) with Christ in suffering (1Peter 4:13) "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). "Since Christ suffered and underwent pains, you must have the same attitude He did, you must be ready to suffer too" (1 Peter 4:1). A Yoruba adage says "A good son resembles his father by behaving true to type" Jesus Himself said "A student shares his teacher's fate" (Matt 10:24, John 15:20). This however does not imply that we must sit contended in suffering without seeking a way out if we can but the way out must be godly and righteous. The Lord Himself prayed for the cup to pass over Him if it were possible but He quickly added that God's will over rides (Matt.26:39). He also counseled that we pray that the days of our affliction be shortened (Matt.24:20-22). If we can pray for it to be shortened, we can equally take whatever action is godly to remove our affliction and poverty but it must be in line with the Scripture, without twisting it. Only collective righteousness living can bail us out.
THE RELEVANCE & IRRELEVANCE OF PROSPERITY PREACHING
(LAMENTATION: PART II)
Because the opportunities are good and large for anyone to succeed, use the word prosper if you like, without making himself a liability to the government compels the preaching of prosperity on the pulpits of prosperous countries like United States and United Kingdom for example. But then, some preachers have blown it out of proportion, beyond the limits of the scripture. There is one more underlying factor, which I presume should promote the preaching of prosperity in the U. S, which people must know. The system looks down on or strongly put, has written off some certain individuals as if they are created differently such that their brains cannot comprehend challenging vocations and it is as if those people have been reconciled or banished to doing only menial and other jobs, which do not require high skill or intelligence. Such un-Scriptural ideas that high intelligent vocations are the exclusive right of certain groups of people need to be corrected, disabused and removed from the minds of those who are being systematically conspired and diplomatically discouraged from pursuing challenging vocations and be replaced with the Scriptural truth that God is not opposed to any one from working hard and prosper in life with His help. Such hearts need to be strengthened that God did not create any one to be a failure in such an environment full of opportunities, neither has God condemned any one to a life of servitude. They need to be encouraged to prayerfully make themselves achievers rather than 'food stamp' collectors or government liabilities. The rooms are large in those countries for anyone to succeed or prosper. So the preaching of prosperity is relevant in this circumstance.
Parallel Situation In Nigeria Once Upon A Time: Let me relate something similar to the above. There was a gross misunderstanding of Christianity at a time in the past in Nigeria. It was perceived during those days that once a person declares that he is born again, he/she is excluded from taking part in social activities. The society then and other Christians themselves saw a person who claimed to be born again, yet appeared sociable as backsliding. It was the believe that those who claimed the 'born again' experience should dress poorly and in fact many, especially among the women, did dress poorly and really till date, there are certain sects who prescribe dressing codes for their women. Such people often appear shabby as if ugly and mournful appearances are the trademark and identity cards of Christians. This we know has nothing to do with Christianity. The Bible only recommends moderation and modesty. Also it was the belief that only students from poor families and those who are academically deficient join the Christian associations in the schools and University campuses. The belief was as if it was out of place for Christians to be found aspiring to high positions. I have a relation who used to taunt me by asking what difference there was between him and I who profess to be a Christian. He was a University graduate; I also aspired to be a graduate and even pursuing a challenging course of study. These and many errors were things, which my generation of Christians had to correct and put in proper perspective. I remember that our fellowship in Ilorin in the very early 70's encouraged many members who had already reconciled themselves to their junior level grades to improve themselves. Those who were primary school leavers, working as office messengers, cleaners or ward attendants in the hospitals, and others, doing menial jobs, with time became University graduates. The leader of the fellowship, reflecting back, deserves a lot of commendation for that feat. He was young but full of the Holy Ghost. In fact he threatened to disallow those who were not prepared to improve themselves from attending the fellowship meetings.
One Sunday afternoon after I had re-located to Lagos, one of our brothers (from Ilorin) pleasantly surfaced in my house. He had just matriculated at the Unilag to pursue law. Today, he is a justice of the high court addressed as "My Lord" Someone asks, what is peculiar in that? He had attended a technical school and in under 3 years after that, he had passed both the Ordinary (O') and Advanced (A') level General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) to qualify him to read for a law degree in Lagos. The leader of the fellowship, himself a technical fellow, whose duties among others was to organize public address system at government functions, with time found himself in England enrolled in an engineering course and few years later, he returned home with a PhD and now a professor. I did encourage members of our mission in Lagos in the mid 70's to prayerfully consider setting up their own private businesses especially those who have learnt trades. So, really becoming a Christian affords one to be rightly focused. Becoming a Christian equips one to be what God intends one to be. His plans for any of His creation are good (Jer.29:11). We did discuss fully at Christian gatherings in those days that there is nothing in the Scripture that prevents or suggests that Christians must not live well. There is nothing in the Scripture that says that Christians must not attain high status. There is no Biblical law that says that Christians must be only a 'yes sir' person. No rule in the Bible says that Christians must not be an employer of market. In fact there is no rule preventing Christians from being wealthy, though the Lord was very concerned about the difficulties of a wealthy person entering the Kingdom of God and really had nothing good to say about wealth because in efforts to acquire wealth, a Christian may be distracted from the focus to heaven. But in all ages, we have found Christians who were really wealthy and did not lose focus. Job was wealthy. Abraham was. So were Isaac and Jacob. King David and his son king Solomon were. In the New Testament, Nicodemus was. Joseph the Aramathean was. It is however un-Scriptural to teach that all Christians must be wealthy and that, one's Christianity is under query if he/she is poor. Being a Christian does not infer that we cannot aspire to a great position or positions of affluence except that we must pursue our ambitions in a Godly fashion (righteous manner) with His guidance and in accordance to His will for us. We cannot mortgage nor compromise our Christian beliefs in the pursuit of worldly prosperity or wealth because already, a person who is in Christ has already achieved prosperity and that is the real, true prosperity going by all the understanding of the Scripture.
Conclusion & Way Out To Meaningful Prosperity: The different situations, which I have described above, are a lot different from what operates in Nigeria as of today. The little infrastructures, which the government had built in the past, when the government was dedicated to the State, which sustained the private enterprises had collapsed because the monies, which were budgeted to maintain those infrastructures were diverted to private pockets and stashed in private banks abroad. So, many, who struggled to build their private businesses, witnessed those businesses collapsed due to the collapse of the infrastructures that sustained them as a result of unprecedented high corruption of government officials. Electricity supply collapsed. Fuel becomes gold and has to be imported in spite of the fact that God gave us wells of oil. Roads become death traps. The railway system becomes history. Potable water is inexistence in most cities, towns and villages and where it exists, the taps have gone dry long ago. The cities, which used to be industrial, are no more. Those who now live comfortably are those who have access to the treasuries, their surrogates and boot lickers. The concern of many these days in order to survive is how to get introduced to the 'cult' called Nigerian government. Those who do not have such opportunities make use of anything available to them wherever they work. So policemen and road safety corps will extort motorists. Men of the custom and other revenue officers will dupe anyone that comes their ways. Public officers convert all allocations budgeted to run their offices and programmes into their private use. University students either purchase their lecturers' handouts or are failed. Journalists themselves are fast to follow and publish stories of events and people who offer them largesse or what they themselves call 'brown envelopes'. It has become a jungle way of life. In fact beasts in the jungle behave with better decorum. Students themselves organize to purchase car tires and batteries, refrigerators etc for their teachers. Those who cannot compromise their faith or conscience are left to die with their children when they are attacked with any little disease. Those who were educated in the Western countries have fled to wherever they could be employed on the globe. Millions, graduate yearly from Colleges (Universities) into a country dearth of employment. Some thereby out of frustration have become armed robbers. In the light of all these, I submit that the salvation of no Nigerian lies in the prosperity preaching that are been canvassed on our pulpits today because one rich man among six others are all wretch. We need to return to the plans of God for any nation, which is "Collective/National Prosperity". We were on this path in the past, when there was the dedication to the State and a Nigerian University graduate was regarded as an averagely a rich person. At that time, the job was waiting for any University graduate even before he completed his final examinations and he could comfortably live on his enumerations without any stealing from the treasury. And because there were opportunities for private enterprises to thrive, there was meaningful individual prosperity. But we have derailed and there is no short cut to meaningful individual's prosperity until opportunities to the nation's wealth is returned to a level playing ground to all and sundry.
Meanwhile the wealth is in the hands of some wicked cults and people who are able to enter the cult. Because the top lacks moral, jungle practices have taken over every sphere of our endeavour and unfortunately instead of Christians standing up for righteousness, we have compromised and the preaching of prosperity for Christians have worsened the matter, with attending devaluation of the Christian ethics. An enabling environment where private enterprises can thrive is what we should canvass for. Christians should champion this cause. It is our responsibility as "salt" and "light" of the world. May God give this revelation to the owners of the pulpits who have large gatherings and may God give them the will to obey by teaching it. I am persuaded and convinced that if those big pulpits will concentrate and pay required attention to the preaching of National Prosperity rather than individual prosperity, the end to the poverty, which has plagued us in the recent decades, is in sight. It is a big sacrifice but it is worth it if we must bequeath a lasting and meaningful prosperity for this generation and the generations after us.
MISCONCEPTION OF PROSPERITY (LAMENTATION PART III)
Material wealth can be inclusive in the definition of prosperity. But a person may be prosperous but not rich. So prosperity is not synonymous (same thing) with material wealth. In the same vein, a person may even be rich, yet not prosperous if he lives his/her life outside God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The definition of 'prosperity' in the Christian context is found in the sermon of the Master on the mount, recorded in Matt. 6:25 - 34 and Luke 12: 22 - 31. Apostle Paul also defines it in the same line of argument, which the Master did (I Tim. 6: 5-10).The two definitions are in accord with each other. 'True prosperity' as far as our Lord is concerned is:
"Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt.6:33) ie seeking the Kingdom of God and carefully doing things that result from being saved (Phil.2:12) i.e. working out our salvation with fear and trembling.
'True prosperity' is having a safe passage to heaven (3 John vs.2) and when anyone achieves this, he has very much prospered. In order that Nigerians and others around the world have a smooth, safe passage to heaven is what the campaign of Jesus for the world Revival Mission is all about. Jesus said,
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world but loses his soul (eternal life) in the process ? For is anything worth more than his soul? (Matt.16:26, Mark 8:36).
As for material 'wealth', the Bible teaches that it is a gift from God (Rom. 12:4-8; I Chr. 29:11-14; Matt. 25:14-15), level of which for Christians, i.e. Christians who have not been lazy but conscientious and dutiful, He (God) distributes it according to the managerial capability of the individual. The parable of the man in Matt. 25:14-15, who while going on a journey distributed his goods (talents) to his servants in varying degrees vividly illustrates this argument. Riches is not synonymous with Prosperity. If it is, a slave could not have been described as prosperous. But that was what was said of Joseph the dreamer, while he was a slave in the house of Potiphar in Egypt as recorded in Gen. 39 vs 2. He was prosperous, all because "the Lord was with him". While some Christians may be fabulously rich, there are others who will just be average and there are others who will be below the average line. Yet it does not imply that those who are fabulously rich are better Christians than those who are poor. Neither does it imply that those who are poor are better Christians than those who are rich. The Master said to Judas Iscariot in the house of Simon, the leper at Bethany: "The poor always you have with you….."(Mark 14:7). God the Father had in the Old Testament pronounced: "For the poor shall never cease out of the land"(Deut.15:11). And here is God's command to those who are rich: "Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land"(Deut.15:11). With this statement and command from the Lord and many other verses from the Scripture, we can confirm clearly, that the Government, which God handed to man is that of 'National Prosperity'. We shall be better off, if we should pursue this, above individual prosperity. My book titled "Prosperity Of The Nation : The Answer to Individual Lasting Prosperity"explains this in detail.
From ages, there have not been found in large number, Christians, who are very rich. Paul wrote: "Notice among yourselves, dear brothers, that few of you, who follow Christ, have big names or power or wealth" (I Cor. 1:26). The reason for this can not be far fetched. It is not too easy for the Christian to amass wealth without compromising his faith especially in many third world countries because Christians, cannot pursue things, the way, men of the world do them. We shall however always have the likes of Joseph of Arimathea, king Solomon, Nicodemus, Father Abraham, etc. who were bestowed with material possession without compromising their faith, but they will be few (I Cor. 1:26). It will therefore be erroneous to assume, think and preach that all Christians will or should be wealthy. It will equally be an error to think and preach that all Christians will or should be poor. Really, Christ appears to resent wealth more than favouring it because of the danger or the stumbling block, which it may constitute to making heaven. We should remember the parable of the successive farmer. The Master concluded the story: "Everyone is a fool who is rich on earth but not in heaven" (Luke 12:21). And He did identify with the poor, as He chose to be born by parents of humble background rather than wealthy ones (Luke 1:48, 52-53). We confirm this fact by the sacrifice of purification, which Mary presented at the dedication of Baby Jesus, which were those allowed ONLY for the poor (Lk.2:24;Lev.12:6-8). But had Jesus not all the power to be born by any of the wealthy people of His days e. g. Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea if He had wanted to? His choice to be born by poor parents had made the sweet mouthed preachers who preach that all Christians must be materially wealthy, liars. The Lord is more concerned about our wealth in heaven rather than the wealth, which we may acquire on earth and this is why He asked us to lay our treasure there (heaven) (Matt.6:19-21). This same fact, informs Him, why He asked that religious leader to sell all he had and give the money to the poor so that it could become treasure for him in heaven (Matt.19:21). With this understanding, we may conclude reasonably, without any doubt, that when the Scripture talks about the reward of our charity work in "overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room, and running over, whatever measure you use to give - large or small-will be used to measure what is given back to you" (Luke 6:38) and all the statements of Paul regarding the reward which will accrue into our account as a result of our giving (2 Cor.9), the reward, which is being talked about is not necessarily to be received here on earth, but banked or stocked for us in heaven. This should gladden the heart of any Christian.
Jesus warned: "Beware of covetousness, for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses" i.e. good life is not measured nor determined by how much of material properties we possess as Christians (Lk.12:15). This is why each time I hear preachers lay much emphasis on worldly riches as if it is the whole reason or essence of our faith, I always wonder if they have not lost focus on the more important issue. They certainly have placed the 'earthly' above the 'heavenly' One thing however, which the Christian can challenge God for, which He has promised, are: good health, food and clothing (Matt. 6:31-32; Lk. 12:29-30). Paul reinforced same in ITim.6:8. Despite this, there will be Christians who will still be denied these and not because of any sins in their lives but just as part of Christian pilgrimage in what I refer to as "Affliction of the Righteous" (I Peter 1:5-7; I Peter 4: 12-13; Rom. 8:18). This may sound unpalatable even to me myself but can any of us change the truth of the Scripture? Today, in Nigeria, unemployment, economic depression, search for a husband, one hardship or the other, pursuit of life comfort and artificial, misconceived and short lived prosperity has sent quite a lot of people to the Church. This situation is similar to what happened in the days of our Lord when the people went everywhere looking for Him and He had to confront them with the hard truth and told them:
"The truth of the matter is that you seek me because I fed you, not because you believe in me" (John 6:26). The Master then advised: "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but spend your energy seeking eternal life, which I the Messiah can give……"(vs.27). This is 'True Prosperity'.Did the Lord Himself exhibit any sign of wealth when He came to the world?: "There is still one thing you lack - sell all you have and give the money to the poor - it will become treasure for you in heaven - and come, follow me". "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God". "Man who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware of covetousness; For a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses" "Soul, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! eat, drink and be merry". But God said to him, "Fool! Tonight, you die; then whose shall those things be which you have provided?". : "Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches and knows not who shall spend it". "Woe unto you that are rich! For you have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! For you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep" (Lk 6:24-25). "Son, remember that thou in thy life time have received your good things and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now Lazarus is comforted while you are tormented" (Lk 16:25). "Cursed is anyone who does not obey these laws and all the people shall reply, 'Amen'". "Curses in the city, curses in the fields, curses on the fruit and bread, the curse of barren wombs, curses upon crops, curses upon the fertility of cattle and flocks, curses when in, curses when out, for the Lord Himself will send His personal curse. Confusion and a failure in everything, diseases - tuberculosis, fever, infections, plague and war etc etc". "If you refuse to take up your Cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being my disciple." (Matt 10:38; Luke 14:27. "The truth of the matter is that you seek me because I fed you, not because you believe in me" (John 6:26). "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but spend your energy seeking eternal life which I the messiah can give---" (Vs. 27). "Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked and some wicked men as though they were good" (Eccl. 8:14). "Do you think they were worse sinners than other men from the Galilee. Is that why they suffered? And what about the eighteen men who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? Not at all" (Lk. 13:1-14). "But I tell you a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian". "7,000 in Israel, all the knees, which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18). "Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked and some wicked men as though they were good" (Eccl. 8:14). "I was envious of the prosperity of the proud and wicked. Yes, all through life, their road is smooth! They grow sleek and fat. They aren't always in trouble and plagued with problems like everyone else…. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!….. And so God's people are dismayed and confused, and drink it all in. Does God realize what is going on? They ask. Look at these men of arrogance; they never have to lift a finger. Theirs is a life of ease; and all the time, their riches multiply". Have I been wasting my time? Why take the trouble to be pure? All I get out of it is trouble and woe-everyday and all day long!… Yet it is so hard to explain it - this prosperity of those who hate the Lord"(Psalm 73:3-16).
"The truth is that the wicked live to a good old age. They grow old and wealthy. They live to see their children grow to maturity and they enjoy. Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them. Their bulls never fail to breed. Their cows bear calves without miscarriage. Their children skip about like lambs in a flock of sheep. They sing with tambourine and harp. They make merry to the sound of the flute. They spend their days in prosperity, then they go down to the grave in peace. All this even though they say to God, 'Go away. We want no part of you and your ways. Who is the Almighty, and why should we obey him? What good will it do us if we pray?' Yet the wicked get away with it time and time again. They rarely have trouble, and God skips them when He distributes sorrow in His anger" (Job. 21:7-17). "You have said, 'What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or by trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will say, "Blessed are the arrogant." For those who do evil get rich and those who dare God to punish them go free of harm.'' (Malachi 3:14-15) "Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off". "Notice among yourselves, dear brothers that few of you who follow Christ have big names or power or wealth" (1Cor.1:26). "Nevertheless I say unto you. Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matt.26:64). "I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise are often poor, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being at the right place at the right time" (Eccl. 9:11). "Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord,……….. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all ……… for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee" (I Chr.29:11-14). "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth ……….. Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus ? Hath not the potter, power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Rom 9:17-21). "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office; So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one, members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…",then: "Two things have I required of Thee (God); deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies : give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me. Lest I be full, and deny you, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the Name of my God in vain" (Proverbs 30:7-9).
THE CONFUSION IN PROSPERITY PREACHING (LAMENTATION PART IV)
Up to now, we have traced the root problem, partly to the change of emphasis on the pulpits from the cross to acquisition of material possessions and miracles. We have discussed where and when the preaching of prosperity is relevant and irrelevant. Lastly we have defined 'True and real prosperity', which is different from material wealth. Material wealth can be inclusive in the definition of prosperity, yet a person may be prosperous but not necessarily rich. So prosperity is not synonymous (same thing) with material wealth. In the same vein, a person may be rich, yet not prosperous if he lives his/her life outside God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Let me say it clearly that God cannot be happy with the abject poverty, which the majority of Nigerians are experiencing in the last two to three decades. Though God did not say there would not be the poor ones but He made elaborate programmes, which adequately accommodate the poor in the society. The lack of this understanding is responsible for the blunders on the pulpits. It is in order for the pulpit to find solution to the nagging problem of poverty, which we are talking about but not at the twisting of the Scripture. It is wrong to do. From this issue onwards, we shall in the light of the Scripture be looking into the validity of the preaching that all Christians should have material possessions in abundance. Satan, very smart, has subtly used the teaching that all Christians must have material possessions in abundance to devalue the once cherished Christian virtues and ethics. It has made Christianity to lose its meaning, to become cosmetics. The only way to a meaningful individual prosperity is for Nigerian Christians to work hard and put the wealth of the nation on level playing ground for all and sundry. Nigeria is a country blessed with wealth. Unfortunately a satanic cult is meanwhile sitting on the wealth and what the Nigerian Christians can do best is to champion the crusade of putting the wealth at the disposal of all and sundry. They can also champion a campaign that will lead to the laying of solid infrastructures on which private enterprises can thrive. It is after this is achieved that counseling or preaching of individual prosperity can become relevant and important. Otherwise it will continue to escalate the existing jungle way of life.
To preach that all Christians must be materially wealthy is fraudulent interpretation of the Bible. This is their first heresy. Prosperity Preachers (PP) even believe that "there is a problem to be addressed if after one or two years of one becoming a Christian, one is yet to break through in acquisition of material possessions" They say that there must be "material proofs" to show that one is a Christian" Some have even carried it too far by saying that it is a curse to be poor. Of course, if the hope of becoming wealthy should come from the pulpit, suggesting God's approval, the teaching is expected to have large followers and that is what has happened. So, the Churches that preach prosperity for all Christians are having their auditorium filled to full capacity and even, over flow, at any of their services. The teachings however as I had earlier indicated might have aggravated the jungle way of life, with the aggressive pursuit to get rich, with every one extorting the other. But did Jesus really give a promise of abundance of material possessions to whoever would follow after Him? This is not to say however that He promised poverty to whoever would follow after Him.
My serious concern about this unbalanced preaching is in two fold. (i) It may set confusion in the minds of those Christians who are living according to their calling (Bible standards) but are struggling to make ends meet. They may start to wonder whether there are certain faults in them as to why they have not stumbled at wealth, thereby become discouraged in their faith and from doing good. Let me reframe it in another way. The interpretation and the implication of the teaching that no Christian should be poor is that those people who claim to be Christians but are struggling to make ends meet are only making false claims to being Christians. (ii) My other worry is that those who have entered the Church in order to become wealthy, if they fail in the purpose for which they have entered the Church, may go to other unholy, fetish places in pursuance of their objective, doing satanic practices. I pray however that these 'emergency Church' goers will really find Christ and their faith will abide (remain) even if they fail in their goal or hope for which they have entered the Church. 2nd heresy. The prosperity preachers (PP) ask their flock to give generously to the Church. They preach that the measure of their wealth is determined by how largely they give and they are never in dearth of Scripture passages to support their arguments. The members who claim to benefit from the prosperity preaching make a return to their preachers with expensive gifts; state-of-the-art vehicles, or money. I have listened to some testimonies of such people who mount the rostrum with the beautiful testimonies that they became wealthy after they enrolled in the Church, after they listened to the prosperity sermons. Their testimonies however would have been more meaningful, would they summarize how the wealth came about, in order to assure us that the wealth has been righteously acquired. This however is not to say that all the testimonies are in genuine. Many could have had their wealth righteously acquired, if it has pleased the Lord to make such people wealthy. But the truth of the matter is that when all the statements of the Lord, Peter and Paul spoken at the different occasions about the reward of our giving are joined together, it will be understood clearly that they were primarily referring to the reward, which would accrue into the account of the giver in his/her heaven's bank account. Of course it is normal (law of reciprocity) that what you sow, you will reap. So if a person gives liberally, on the day of his need, he may find help. But the law does not necessarily hold all the time as you find from time to time unfortunate things happen to good people. This is what king Solomon observed when he wrote that, "Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked and some wicked men as though they were good" (Eccl. 8:14).
The Scriptural motive for giving is a test our stewardship of sharing what God has given (entrusted) to us with those who are genuinely in need and for promoting the spread of the gospel. It is Scriptural ignorance to teach people to give in order that they may become wealthy on earth as if God is money doublers. It may please the Lord to reward any giver while here on earth in addition to the reward, which accrues to him in heaven. If the giver is rewarded here on earth, it is only a fringe benefit. But the reward, which no giver will miss is the one stored for him/her in heaven "where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves. If your profits are in heaven your heart will be there too" (Matt.6: 19-21). The Lord asked a religious leader to sell all he had and give the money to the poor so that it could become treasure for him in heaven (Matt.19:21). Note it that the Lord did not promise the rich man that he should give in return for wealth on earth but in heaven. The Lord was very clear in all His utterances, His end focus was never for this earth but Heaven and it is just unbelievable how these erudite (in their own eyes) preachers are re-writing the Bible and have shifted attention and focus entirely to earthly things as if the world is all their hope and goal. They expound their teachings as if all we live for, is this world and there is no anticipation for heaven, which really is what the Bible encourages us to work towards because however long a person lives in this world, it is short as the watch that ends the night, which dies at the opening of the day compared with the time, which we will spend in heaven, which is eternal. So, what we have is a large crowd that has been carried away with the falsehood that they will become rich after becoming Christians. So Churches crop up in large numbers in every street and corners, when actually the hearts and minds of the worshippers are far away from God and are not regenerated leading to moral decadence. Let me reframe it in another way: We have Churches in large numbers, everywhere, with large numbers in attendance who have only gone there to ask for blessings in whichever way they can pursue money, fair or foul. The prosperity preachers have unfortunately taken advantage of the general poor Bible reading habits of most people. Most people are unlike the Church at Berea who returned home "daily" from the Church to "search" the facts (to enquire whether those things they heard were so) (Acts.17: 11). Excuses can always be given for peoples' poor Bible reading habit but ignorance is not an excuse of the law. There cannot be a justification for any one's poor Bible reading habit because if getting to heaven is important to any one, then he must properly organize himself to gain access to the real truth that will help him achieve his goal.
DID JESUS LIVE IN AFFLUENCE WHILE ON EARTH AND WERE HIS EARTHLY PARENTS RICH? (LAMENTATION PART V)
Some Prosperity preachers (PP) claim that Jesus lived a superfluous luxurious life on earth. They said that He owned ships and slept on beds that were "well prepared" based on the record in Mk 4:36-38. But the story only had it that He was asleep on a pillow in spite of the storm that got the other co-travellers frightened to death. Jesus could not be perturbed because He is the Master of nature and such an incidence could not cause him any worry. He had had a very busy day of teaching, so He went into the inner part of the ship and slept deeply. I cannot find anything inside the passage that suggests that the ship was made of any material other than wood and I wonder what is luxurious in a person sleeping on a pillow placed on a wooden bench inside a boat. And can any one find anything in that story suggesting that the ship or any of the other little ships that accompanied Him or any ship wherever belonged to Him? It is nothing but a bad and deceptive interpretation of the Scripture. And what is extraordinary in it, if He slept on a pillow? I wonder what luxury is in a life where He went on foot, preaching from one village to the other (Matt 9:35; Lk 13:22). The greatest luxury He perhaps ever had was to ride on a colt (young donkey), which He did on the first Palm Sunday, which was just a distance of about 3 Km (Lk 19:29-38; John 11:18). One of the religious leaders (a scribe, Pharisee) must have been very impressed with the simplicity and the humble life of the Lord and he desired to go with (follow) Him. The Lord's reply can be interpreted as "Do you know the implication of what you are about to enter in?" Listen to Him "Foxes have dens (holes) to live in, and birds have nets, but I, the son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head"(Matt.8:19-20; Lk.9:57-58). So where is the life of luxury in this?
The prosperity preachers said that Jesus was so rich that He even had a treasurer. But does a group (fellowship) or a Church need to be rich before it has a treasurer? The Scripture tells us that the purse kept by Judas was contributed by some women whose hearts God ministered to, in helping His (The Lord's) ministry (Lk 7:2-3). The mere fact that the Lord didn't have to keep the purse but delegated someone else in the group to do it shows us how accountable and transparent He was as a leader as opposed to the behaviour of many Gospel Ministry leaders of today. Certainly there must have been times when the treasury was empty or what would the Lord have wanted to prove, had there been money in the purse, and when tax collectors came, He had to send Peter back to his old trade of fishing, to collect money from the mouth of a fish in order to pay the bill. (Matt.17:24-27). That He was a magician? The only evidence, which may suggest as if the Lord lived in affluence, is found in St. John 19:23-24. There we read that the garment, which He wore to the Cross was split among the four soldiers who nailed Him, with possible suggestion that it might have been attractive. The coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. The soldiers agreed not to split that, but conceded it to whoever won it by lot (toss of dice). This might also suggest that the coat must have been very expensive, such that it appealed to the soldiers to desire it but at the same time it disturbed their conscience (soldiers) to destroy it in an attempt to share it, so they decided who would have it by the toss of dice. But it may be wrong to assume or interpret it that the garment or the coat was expensive, as we do not have the complete idea of what their dresses were made of or how they looked like in the days of our Lord when He was here. We however know that it was during a cold winter that He was murdered (Lk.22:55). So, He must have worn some warm clothing. Except to fulfil the words of the Prophet (Psalms 22:18), which had said: "They parted my raiment among them and for my vesture they did cast lots" (John 19:24), I do not know how big the share of the garment, which each soldier got could have been, to be of any use to him. And had they split the coat, I wonder of what use each part would have been to any of them (Soldiers). But even in contemporary life, those who are thieves will steal anything, whether valuable or not. Another thing of importance, which we must not lose sight of, is that Jesus the Man, was an 'enigma' (mysterious, puzzling and dazzling). Even His murderers were convinced of this fact and so anything that He possessed was bound to be desired by anyone, any day, whether expensive or inexpensive. And it happens over the ages till today for followers to want to emulate the styles of famous preachers and other famous people. One thing however must be realized about Jesus, He is God. Even when He was on earth as man, He was God at the same time. So, cash couldn't prevent, inhibit or barricade anything He wanted to do at anytime. He fed a multitude of thousands with insignificant things on two occasions (Matt 14:15-21; 15:32-38). Tax collectors came knocking, the required revenue came out of the gut of the fish (Matt.17:24-27).
Were The Earthly Parents Of Jesus Wealthy?: Our Lord came to this world through parents of humble background. Actually one will only be displaying courtesy to describe their condition as 'humble background'. If we will jettison courtesy, really Our Lord's parents "were poor". How do we know? At the due time, when the baby Jesus was to be presented to the Lord, according to the Law of Moses, at the end of the purification days of Mary (the mother of our Lord), they (the parents our Lord) went for the necessary sacrifice with, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Lk 2:22-24). Were they better placed; the requirements according to the law for that purification ceremony were: "one year old lamb, as a burnt offering, a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering" (Lev 12:6-8). The Living Bible records Vs 8 as: "But if she is too poor to bring a lamb, then she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering". But Mary took for that ceremony, "a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons", which were the materials, acceptable for only those who were too poor. The question may be asked, "Why did the Lord choose to be born by poor parents and not by rich people of His time like Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea?" Simply, the Lord wanted to identify with the poor and to stop the mouths of "acclaimed and celebrated Prosperity Preachers" who He knew would arise at this time. To stop the mouths of those who, "to them, the Good News is just a means of making money" (1Tim 6:5 LB). The Lord chose to be born of lowly parents and He identified with the poor in order: "To destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent……….." (Extract 1 Cor 1:19-28). The singular act of Our Lord to be born by poor parents is enough a proof that God does not disown the poor. In fact, many of His utterances betray His soft spots for them. This, however is not to say that he hates the rich. It is within His prerogative however to make one rich and allows another to be poor, "That I might show my power in thee….Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it "Why have you made me like this?"" (extract, Rom 9:17-20; 1 Chr 28:11-12). Next time, we shall be looking into the Scripture to see if there is any statement that can be credited to the Lord, promising material wealth to whoever believes in Him.
IS THERE ANY STATEMENT THAT CAN BE CREDITED TO THE LORD, PROMISING MATERIAL WEALTH TO WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM? (LAMENTATION PART VI)
Searching through the Scripture, we observe that at every
occasion when The Lord spoke on the subject of wealth, He raised serious
concern about the ease or difficulties of a rich man entering into the Kingdom
of God. For any one just tuning in, I have in the past 5 series
been considering and correcting the twist of the Scripture, on many Nigerian
pulpits, which may have led to the devalue of the once cherished Christian
vitues, which in event might have contributed to the present moral decadence in
the country. A certain wealthy religious leader (ruler) once asked The
Master what he could do to inherit eternal life (Matt 19:16-24; Lk 18:18-25).
He had kept all the laws from his youth. But Jesus told him, "There is still one thing you lack - sell all you have and give the money to the poor - it will become treasure for you in heaven - and come, follow me".
The religious leader was very sorrowful at this
statement. The Master watched him go away and then said to his disciples:
"How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God".
We note that The Master did not say it is impossible, but
look at what He compared the possibility with :- a camel going through the eye
of a needle. Another person approached Jesus, asking Him to mediate
between him and his brother over their father's estate. The Master replied,
"Man who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware of covetousness; For a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses"
(Lk 12:15). The Master then gave an illustration of a
certain rich man, who in a certain year had a bumper harvest. His barns were
full to overflowing, such that he couldn't get everything in (Lk 12:16-21). So,
he proposed within himself to tear down the barns and build bigger ones. Then
he would sit back and say to his soul:
"Soul, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! eat, drink and be merry". But God said to him, "Fool! Tonight, you die; then whose shall those things be which you have provided?".
These words are similar to king David's in Psalm 39:
6,which says:
"Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches and knows not who shall spend it".
The Master concluded: "Yes, every man is a fool
who gets rich on earth but not in heaven". This informs the Lord why
He has serious and genuine concern for earthly wealth as most people may not
handle it to His glory like this prosperous farmer whose story is just told. Actually, a careful study of the utterances of the Lord
on wealth, will reveal that He resents it more than favouring it. Speaking to a
large crowd drawn from all Judea and Jerusalem, and sea coast of Tyre and Sidon
with His disciples, He said among other things:
"Woe unto you that are rich! For you have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! For you shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! For you shall mourn and weep" (Lk 6:24-25).
This statement of the Lord however, is mostly applicable
to the rich ones, who are satisfied with their wealth outside God, who rule God
out of their lives, those who do not use their wealth to honour God, those who
have no time for spiritual matters, because any rich person who loves the Lord
will certainly make heaven. In chapter 16 of same St Luke, another parable of The
Lord was recorded, which indicates His concern for wealth. There was a certain
rich man who lived in luxury and affluence. Then there was the poverty-stricken
Lazarus, whose body was covered with sore all over and he struggled with dogs
to be fed with the crumbs that fell off the table of the rich man. Afterwards,
both the rich and the beggar died. The angels carried the beggar to Abraham's
bosom while the rich man landed in hell. The rich man in hell, cried for help,
but was told:
"Son, remember that thou in thy life time have received your good things and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now Lazarus is comforted while you are tormented" (Lk 16:25).
Since we do not take a verse in isolation but relate all
together, we dare not conclude that poverty is a ticket to heaven while wealth
is a ticket to hell or vice-versa. A poor man who rejects Christ will end up in
hell while a rich man who accepts Him will enjoy the earth and later be crowned
in heaven. I have heard some prosperity preachers misinterpret Paul where he
said that Jesus was made poor that we might be rich (2Cor 8:9) to mean material
wealth. The statement cannot be misconstrued. Jesus went through all the sufferings
that we can become rich spiritually and enter heaven. There are quite a lot of good promises including wealth
and good health in many Old Testament books but unfortunately they all have
conditions attached to them. And obviously, when the conditions of the holy
living that are attached, are not met, then the converse (opposite) of the
promises, which are poverty, ill health etc come into play (Ex 15:26;
23:21-33). Had we continued to live on the Covenant of the Old Testament, we
are all doomed. God, in His infinite mercy, knew that, that covenant was not
going to profit us, so He gave us a New Covenant through Christ. A careful study of the Old Testament will reveal that not
only are conditions attached to earthly prosperity but there were very harsh
curses on defaulters to the demands of the standard of holiness that were
called for. For example, Deut 27:26 reads,"Cursed is anyone who does not obey these laws and all the people shall reply, 'Amen'".
I encourage everyone to read Deut 28. It contains 68
verses, only the first 14 verses contain blessings and the blessings are only
for anyone: "Who fully obey all these commandments (who shall hearken
diligently)" (Deut.28:1) - God will set him on high above all nations
of the earth, blessings shall come upon him and overtake him, blessing in the
city, blessing in the field, fruit of the body, fruit of the ground, cattle,
flocks etc etc. But, from vs 15 through 68 are harsh curses for anyone who
shall not hearken -
"Curses in the city, curses in the fields, curses on the fruit and bread, the curse of barren wombs, curses upon crops, curses upon the fertility of cattle and flocks, curses when in, curses when out, for the Lord Himself will send His personal curse. Confusion and a failure in everything, diseases - tuberculosis, fever, infections, plague and war etc etc".
It is because we cannot meet the demands of the Old
Covenant in order for us to enter heaven that God gave us another one, which is
by Grace through faith, sealed with the blood of Jesus. And thanks to Him that
there is healing in the blood. There is deliverance in the blood and there is
good health in the blood. I have been witnessing God confirm these over and
over again and none with any condition, unlike in the previous Covenant. The
only condition in the New Covenant is exercising faith and trust in the blood.
I have however not come across abundant wealth for believers, or easy Christian
life in the New Covenant (Testament). That is why we say that the Cross has two
faces. Salvation, healing and deliverance from all menace of the Devil etc on
one side and identifying with Christ in His suffering on the other side. This
is why The Lord said several times that:
"If you refuse to take up your Cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being my disciple." (Matt 10:38; Luke 14:27.
The instruction to whomever will be His disciple, to take
up the Cross, was the major emphasis of Christ's teaching throughout His
ministration on earth and it was well documented by all the gospel recorders.
He did not make a covenant of material wealth as a certainty for following Him. When on one occasion, the people went everywhere looking
for Him, he had to confront them with the hard truth and told them,
"The truth of the matter is that you seek me because I fed you, not because you believe in me" (John 6:26).
He then charged them:
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but spend your energy seeking eternal life which I the messiah can give---" (Vs. 27).
My book "The Affliction of the Righteous \Two Faces
of the Cross" explains these in detail.
Some people can be and are poor due to no faults of
theirs. It could just be their cross, i.e. the trial of their faith. Some
people are upright as far as human judgements are concerned, we can testify to
it, yet, unfortunate things do happen to them. These are nothing new. The
Preacher must have observed it also. So, he wrote:
"Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked and some wicked men as though they were good" (Eccl. 8:14).
The Lord was informed that, "Pilate had butchered
some Jews from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in
Jerusalem". Then the Lord asked:
"Do you think they were worse sinners than other men from the Galilee. Is that why they suffered? And what about the eighteen men who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? Not at all" (Lk. 13:1-14).
So, if the gift of wealth is by being a Christian or by
good work (talking of human judgement), then many in our midst, who are poor
ought to be rich and many who are rich ought to be poorer than the Church rat. In spite of the record in the Old Testament books, where
obedience to God's commandments was the requirement for material wealth (the
obedience which no one has been able to meet in any way), yet we have always
had and we will continue to have both the rich and the poor among those, who
according to man's standard are considered upright and even who God considers
as righteous. Also, we have always had and we shall continue to have both the
rich and the poor among the people who are morally deficient and we consider as
terrible. From numerous available records found in the Bible, we
see clearly that being righteous (being a Christian) does not necessarily
immune us from hardship. And the Lord, confirmed this. Hear Him
"But I tell you a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land. But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian".
(Lk 4:25-27). These statements coming from the horse's
mouth i.e. the Only One who has all the power to deliver, to do and undo,
debunks the claim of Prosperity Teachers who teach that as Christians, we are
immune to hardship. While it may please God to allow some of His children to
escape a particular hardship, some may have to go through it. And no one has
explanations as to why this is so. And it doesn't imply that those who do not
escape the suffering are worse sinners or that they lack faith to escape or that
God is punishing them for certain sins in their lives. A number of the records of famine (scarcity) found in the
Scripture, whether brought about by drought or by war were as a result of
National / Communal sins. Of course there were those, who did not partake in
the sins, but all the same, everyone suffered the consequences. For instance,
at the time when the prophet Elijah pronounced drought in Israel (I Kings
17:1), which certainly was as a result of their intransigence, there were still
"7,000 in Israel, all the knees, which have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18).
That was God's declaration to Elijah. Yet, those 7000
righteous people went through the hardship. Only a widow in Zarephath, Zidon,
had plenty. Certainly many of the righteous people must have been swept away by
the famine. And it will be a bad error of judgement to conclude that this widow
was more righteous than the other widows and other citizens who went through
the hardship or even died by it. This was just as it pleased God. The Bible recorded of Daniel that 'An excellent
spirit was found in him' (Dan.6:3), yet he did not escape from being taken
captive to Babylon in 605BC, where he most probably spent the rest of his life,
right from the tender age, when he was taken. Prophet Ezekiel also suffered the
same fate as Daniel. He was taken in 597BC, yet he was considered righteous.
WERE ALL CHRISTIANS OR THOSE CLOSE TO GOD IN ALL AGES WEALTHY? IF NOT WHAT ARE GOD'S PLANS? (LAMENTATION PART VII)
Searching through the Scripture, we found that in all ages, there have been wealthy people among those whose hearts were close to God (those who we would call Christians or 'born again') and among them also we have found those who were poor. However, among the ungodly and shrewd, who we will refer to as non-Christians, were the most wealthy and their number, by far outnumbers the number of the wealthy, found among the Christians and the Christians in the different ages were found complaining to God about it. King Solomon as comfortable as he was must have been concerned with it. So he wrote Asaph, a descendant of Korah, a son of Levi was equally puzzled. Hear him: It has not been easy to put together the dates of Job but a suggested probable time was the patriarchal era. Hear him too
Prophet Malachi must have heard this message from God after they (the Jews) returned from the Babylonian captivity, most probably during the last half of the fifth century B.C. The thing that should encourage the Christian however, with all these realities is found in the statement of king Solomon, recorded in Eccl.8: 11-12 Job, in spite of all the discontent and complain as to why the wicked should prosper above the righteous, resolved with determination that "their prosperity is not their own doing, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking" (Job21:16). This should also be the determination of any Christian today when the unrighteous prosper over us. We would observe that these writings spanned over centuries. Has the death and resurrection of Christ changed any of the scenarios described above? The answer is capital 'NO' Lucifer came to tempt the Lord. He took the Lord on a tour of the kingdoms and beauties/glories of this world and promised giving them to the Lord if the Lord would worship him (Matt.4: 8-9). We can see here that Satan was claiming some kind of authority/ ownership of the world and it is important to note that Jesus did not contend it with him (Satan). So from here we can deduce that for the moment, the Lord is allowing the devil to have some scope of actions (leeway) on the world. Jesus further confirmed this before Pilate during His trial when He said, "My Kingdom is not of this world"(John18: 36). And this is the reason why for now, there will be found a larger proportion of wealthy people among the ungodly than in the population of the Godly because for now their master, the devil is allowed some level of control on the world and further more, as the Lord said, "the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light" Written in the Living Bible as"The citizens of this world are more clever (in dishonesty) than the godly are" (Lk.16:8). Those who are not Godly have no code of conduct that can inhibit them from any practices, fair or foul in order to enrich themselves.
We must admit however that there are certainly quite many, who are not Christians or necessarily Godly and are rich through clean means. It has pleased God to bestow them with riches. So it is not as if 'am saying that all non-Christians, non-godly who are wealthy have made their money through fraud, not at all. These realities falsify the teaching of the Prosperity Preachers' claim that Christians own the wealth of the world. The observation of Paul is very profound as he wrote the Corinthian's church, So, if in the Old Testament, there were found the poor in the Church and it was the same story after Christ resurrected (going by the statement of Paul above) why would any one think that the situation will be different today, such that all those who follow Christ must all be wealthy? Has the Bible been re-written? We do know however that the authority of Satan on the world is temporary because the Lord God created the heaven and the earth. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof…" (Psalms 24:1). But the time is yet, though close when the Lord will take the kingdom of the world from Satan. Hear Him (Jesus) as He told the high priest during His trial. This is the time referred to as the millennium when Christ will be the paramount ruler of the earth. It is only at this time that the hopes of the prosperity preachers and followers will be fulfilled because it will be a world ruled, exclusively by Christians. But for now, the question of who will be wealthy and who will not, among Christians (I am talking about righteously acquired wealth), is, as it was in the beginning so it is now and so shall be. There will be found in the Church, those who are rich and those who are poor. Someone may shift his bedroom, not only his living room to any of the prosperity preaching Churches, if he is not gifted with the gift of "riches"(Rom.12: 6-8; 1Chr.29:11-14;Matt.25:14-15), it will make no difference and it does not infer that he is a worse Christian than the Christians who are able to acquire wealth.
Is Acquisition Of Wealth By Wisdom?: It is not all a matter of wisdom demonstration as the Prosperity Preachers proclaim. Hear king Solomon, the man acclaimed in history as possessing the mastery of wisdom And I will add with the experience of my walk with God that it is still the Lord Himself alone who can make one to be at the right place at the right time. As for me, I have enjoyed the Lord's goodness a great deal but there is none of these, which I can attribute to my wisdom or 'know how' and it will be greatly erroneous of me to judge my Christian brothers who are struggling to make it, as possessing lesser faith. In fact among those Christians sufficiently known to me who are struggling, are those, whose Christian lives, I greatly admire as far as human judgement is concerned. If the qualification or requirement for wealth is by being a Christian, how will a prosperity preacher explain why God should put tremendous amount of wealth (oil) underneath the earth of the nations, which are best described as anti Christ? God said it in the Old Testament "For the poor shall never cease out of the land"(Deut.15:11). Jesus repeated the same in the house of Simon, the leper at Bethany. He told Judas, "The poor always you have with you..." (Mark 14:7) This was when Judas Iscariot criticized the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume, saying that the perfume could be sold and the proceed, given to the poor. It is therefore erroneous to preach that no Christian should be poor.
God's Plans For The Poor: In all the years of Christ on earth, we found no record of Him meeting a sick person without healing him or her. But there He was in the temple one day, watching, as people cast their offering. There was a woman, poor and even a widow. This woman cast into the offertory plate all she had. As impressed as the Lord was with the woman, He (Jesus) did not say to the woman "woman, go home and be wealthy" The Lord did not say to the woman, "woman your poverty is ended today" as He would have certainly said to her if she was with some infirmities "daughter, rise, take up your bed and go". The Lord did not have to bother Himself over this issue, because He (God) had already put in place, a firm and comprehensive arrangement for the poor and a widow like her. She would not go to bed hungry. This is the missing link in our nation today why poverty is so pronounced because we failed to follow the welfare plans, which God had drawn for us. God is aware that some people, whether Christians or not Christians, will be poor due to no fault of theirs, so had made an elaborate programme, which will take care of the poor in the society. God handed the welfare programme to the leaders of His people in what I have described as "Government of National Prosperity". This comprehensive programme is scattered throughout the five books of Moses, (Ex.22:21-22, 25-27; Ex.23:9;Lev.19:9-10; Lev.25; Deu.14:28-29;Deu.15:1-14;Deu.23:24-25; Deu.24:14-15,17-18; Deu.26:12-15). This plan of National/collective prosperity for His creation can nicely be moderated to suit different ages and this is what the governments of the nations that care and have the love of their citizens and certain Islamic countries have done though they may not be aware that it has its origin from the Bible. So, not many members of their society go hungry or unsheltered or unable to send their children to school. Their governments have in addition, laid the solid infrastructures on which private enterprises can thrive, thereby able to provide sufficient, large employment markets for all and sundry. I also believe (having sojourned in those countries for a good length of time) that anyone who is not lazy should be able to provide for his needs and the needs of his family. The facilities to make any one succeed are available to make use of and at the same time the government provides several aids for those who are still not able to fend for themselves. For example the government of the United States (U.S.A) issues 'food stamps' to the jobless, which they can take to the groceries (food markets) in exchange for food items. There are also unemployment benefits for those who lose their jobs. Next week, we shall be able to see, in the light of the Scripture that for Christians, material wealth is a gift from God.
MATERIAL WEALTH: A GIFT FROM GOD (LAMENTATION PART VIII)
Righteously acquired wealth, as opposed to ill gotten wealth or wealth acquired through fraud, deceit or foul means is a gift from God, which He (God) gives to His children (Christians) according to each person's managerial ability, which will glorify His Name and which will be to the benefit of the Christian himself, the body of Christ (Church) and the world at large (I Cor 12:7; Eph 9:12-13; I Peter 4:10). All the various gifts, be it spiritual (I Cor 12, 13&14) or material, are distributed or given by God to His children who seek Him. Those children who have made God's kingdom their primary concern, are given gifts according to His divine knowledge of the capability of each of His children in such a way that whatever gift each person receives will not stand between him and heaven as long as the child allows himself the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. King David, as he blessed the Lord said: Apostle Paul, quoting Ex.9:16 and 29:16 wrote: The apostle continued in Chapter 12, he named the gifts: "Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, He that giveth etc". 'He that giveth' is translated in the Living Bible as: "If God has given you money, be generous in helping others with it" (vs 3-8). From here, we confirm that 'wealth' is a gift from God, like teaching, exhortation etc, and if it (wealth) is a gift, then, it can't be possessed by every Christian because every Christian can't have the same gift. When we say that wealth is God's gift, level of which is given to the individual Christian according to his managerial capability, can the Christian then be complacent and be lazy and say that after all it is a gift, which may not depend on whether one labours for it or not? That line of thought alone has disqualified anyone from having the gift from God. Paul said: "Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit; serving the Lord"(Rom 12:11). We must work. We must aspire. The Christian student must take his studies seriously and leave the rest with God.
We buttress the argument that God gives the gift of wealth, according to the managerial capability of each Christian, with a parable told by The Master Himself, which is recorded in St. Matt. 25:14-30. A certain man was to travel to a far country and he gave talents to every of his servant "according to his several ability". Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one. So, God gives different level of wealth to different Christians according to the capability of each Christian, which he can wisely manage, without constituting hindrance to him from entering His Kingdom. Esau, the natural heir to the blessings of Abraham lost them to Jacob because God saw in Esau an undependable weak character who could not be entrusted with the gigantic plan (promise), which He (God) had made with Abraham, which should be fulfilled through his (Abraham's) descendants. For instance, Esau was not careful to listen to the instinct from God, neither waited for guidance from his parents but took two local wives of Canaan where they were strangers at the age of 40. This behaviour of Esau grieved the hearts of his parents, Isaac and Rebekah (Gen 26:34-35; 27:46). Esau could have done this in ignorance because he regretted it after he knew that his parents were not pleased with his action (Gen 28:8-9). But ignorance is never an excuse of the law. Not only this, he one time returned from hunting, very hungry; and rather than exercising discipline for few minutes to prepare his own food, traded his birth right to his brother Jacob for bread and pottage of lentiles (peas and stew) (Gen 25:27-34). I have a relation who is academically successful. The success ran very much into his head and he has regards for only a few, if at all he has for any. He couldn't handle his academic success and this attracts much hatred for him and often leads him into serious life troubles. I had on occassions wished that he had not been so outstanding. A Christian can certainly covet any gift (I Cor 12:31), but I will strongly suggest to whoever desires the gift of material wealth to first pray for the wisdom to manage it in order that the wealth will not be a stumbling block to him from entering the Kingdom of God. He should also pray for courage and strength to pursue the wealth in a righteous manner, without compromising his faith and ethics of holy living. Agur wrote Yes, it does. But those desires must be in line with God's word. King David said The Master concluded His sermon on the mount:
The key points, from these three references in order to have our desires granted are: (i) Delighting ourselves in the Lord, (ii) Fearing Him and (iii) Giving Him first place in our lives and living as He wants us to.
All these three conditions converge at the same point. How? When one delights himself in the Lord, he will give Him (God), first place in his life, lives as He wants him to, fear Him and make the Kingdom of God and His righteousness his utmost concern. If these are the priorities of any Christian, it is expected that Then the desires will be granted. This is confirmed in Prov 10:24….. "but the desire of the righteous shall be granted". Unfortunately, however, Christians, many a times are drawn by lust and love for excess of worldly care and are full of desires for accumulation of material possessions and no line of demarcation can be drawn between his pursuits of material possessions and that of any other worldly person. And this often leads the Christian to dip his hands in unrighteousness and ungodly activities, until he is drawn completely into it, thereby losing his Christian conscience and principles completely (ITim 6:9). This informs The Master of His concern and worry concerning riches, which in the process can lead the Christian to hell and the reason why He said
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