The Poverty of the Prosperity Gospel

The false teaching of the “prosperity gospel” is something we see a lot here in the city of Coatesville.

People here are very poor, but drive, as Piper even mentions here, BMWs to church. They cannot pay their bills, but they have DishTV for every room in the house. They believe that personal wealth and pain-free, hardship-free living is proof that God loves them.

Church attendance becomes a game of oneupmanship.

When the focus is on keeping up appearances and the lifestyle and not on Christ, there is no spiritual growth. There is only pride and the sense that we can provide our own salvation.

Pain and financial hardship are suppressed – because to be open and honest would tell others that God must not love them – instead of turned over to the Great Physician who also happens to own all the gold in the world.

Piper puts it clearly: It is idol worship. It is worshiping the gift instead of the Giver.

The result is hatred, panic attacks, greed, suspiciousness of others – trying to be in control of ones’ world; trying to be God.

The first part of the video talks about how people think that wealth makes God look glorious – that the promise of wealth will bring people to Christ. Piper’s response:

I’ll tell you what makes Jesus look beautiful. It’s when you smash your car and your little girl goes flying through the windshield and lands – like I was with a little girl on 11th avenue two weeks ago – dead on the street for three hours before the police could let her go.

And you say through the deepest possible pain,

“God is enough. He is good. He will take care of us. He will satisfy us. He will get us through this. He is our treasure. Whom have I in heaven but you? And on earth, there is nothing that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart and this little girl may fail you but you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

That is what makes God look glorious.

Thanks to Tara Barthel for sharing this on her blog. I hope that it will help to equip those who view it to admonish those who are preaching it, and to give hope those who are caught up in it and are not satisfied.