Liberation and Prosperity
The American society of today is saturated with people proclaiming messages of liberation and prosperity. They can be found in the houses of God, and in the houses of the people (Legislatures). Both preachers and politicians alike pronounce their plans for liberating the masses from oppression and poverty. They present a claim that God wants all people to be free and prosperous, and use scripture as their proof. They decry a government and social structure which supposedly denies freedoms to some, and allows only a select few to become prosperous.
It is interesting to view these ideas in the light of God's word. Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels, was always telling people to give away their wealth. He, in fact, said that it would be very difficult for a rich man to enter Heaven. And he spent his whole life living and teaching among the poor common folk. When Jesus did dine with the rich, he always told them to remember the poor, and not to exclude them from their parties. Nowhere in any of the teachings of Jesus can it be found where He instructed people that they should strive to achieve prosperity because God intended them to. This is a fabrication of modern secular gurus seeking the adoration and following of the masses. Gurus in both politics and the Church.
A careful study of Paul is not required to be aware of the many times he proudly referred to himself as a salve of Christ Jesus. Bound by the Word and for the Word. He considered himself free from The Law and the desires of the flesh, but a slave to God purchased by the blood of Christ. Paul did not preach a liberation theology, but a theology of obedience and service to and for Christ Jesus. His message was one of receiving grace and glory from God by participating in the self giving sacrifice of Jesus. Those among us today who preach a liberation theology seems to be advocating a freedom from constraints on fulfilling carnal desires and worldly ambitions. They appear to believe that having what you want when and how you want it makes you free. Both Jesus and Paul explain that such practices only enslave you to sin, and prevent you from receiving the eternal life of glory in Heaven offered by the Grace of God. What is achieved by following the teachings of liberation and prosperity preachers is really only bondage and poverty.
In the book of James chapter 4, verse 4 we are told that those who are the friends of the world are the enemies of God. For the ways of the world, like seeking total independence and wealth, replace God in a person's life. They become the things he worships and follows after, not God. The irony of the life God offers us through Christ Jesus is that the more He becomes our master, the more free and prosperous we become. For Jesus has told us that He is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) And he has also said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:32) By becoming like Paul, a slave to Christ Jesus, we become free from the world and life of sin. And by practicing what Jesus taught, we store up great riches for ourselves in God's house. Riches that will never rust, and can never be stolen.
So, friends, if you want to be liberated and prosperous, make the Lord Jesus Christ your master. In Him and through Him is true freedom and wealth beyond imagining. Praise God!
It is interesting to view these ideas in the light of God's word. Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels, was always telling people to give away their wealth. He, in fact, said that it would be very difficult for a rich man to enter Heaven. And he spent his whole life living and teaching among the poor common folk. When Jesus did dine with the rich, he always told them to remember the poor, and not to exclude them from their parties. Nowhere in any of the teachings of Jesus can it be found where He instructed people that they should strive to achieve prosperity because God intended them to. This is a fabrication of modern secular gurus seeking the adoration and following of the masses. Gurus in both politics and the Church.
A careful study of Paul is not required to be aware of the many times he proudly referred to himself as a salve of Christ Jesus. Bound by the Word and for the Word. He considered himself free from The Law and the desires of the flesh, but a slave to God purchased by the blood of Christ. Paul did not preach a liberation theology, but a theology of obedience and service to and for Christ Jesus. His message was one of receiving grace and glory from God by participating in the self giving sacrifice of Jesus. Those among us today who preach a liberation theology seems to be advocating a freedom from constraints on fulfilling carnal desires and worldly ambitions. They appear to believe that having what you want when and how you want it makes you free. Both Jesus and Paul explain that such practices only enslave you to sin, and prevent you from receiving the eternal life of glory in Heaven offered by the Grace of God. What is achieved by following the teachings of liberation and prosperity preachers is really only bondage and poverty.
In the book of James chapter 4, verse 4 we are told that those who are the friends of the world are the enemies of God. For the ways of the world, like seeking total independence and wealth, replace God in a person's life. They become the things he worships and follows after, not God. The irony of the life God offers us through Christ Jesus is that the more He becomes our master, the more free and prosperous we become. For Jesus has told us that He is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) And he has also said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:32) By becoming like Paul, a slave to Christ Jesus, we become free from the world and life of sin. And by practicing what Jesus taught, we store up great riches for ourselves in God's house. Riches that will never rust, and can never be stolen.
So, friends, if you want to be liberated and prosperous, make the Lord Jesus Christ your master. In Him and through Him is true freedom and wealth beyond imagining. Praise God!
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