Are You Called To Prosperity

Acts

9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

Paul was not called to a prosperity gospel for suffering and prosperity are not terms that go together. Indeed, we could do a Sesame Street lesson here.

Prosperity

Health

Name It Claim It

Suffer

One of these things are not like the other. All you have to do is read Paul's resume in 2 Cor 11:22-28 and you can see he was not in a ministry where he was well heeled, living in luxury and in great popularilty being constantly invited to synagogue, pagan temple and Roman forum alike.

You may say that was Paul's calling but the rest of us are called to prosperity. That is not what Paul says.

Philippians 1

29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

What kind of conflict was he in? O, minor stuff like persecution, betrayal and at the time this was written in a nasty Roman prison. He was writing to the Church at Philippi, not just the leadership and all things were written to us. The type of suffering may vary, but as Menno Simons said the true church will always suffer persecution. Are you ready? You won't be if you expect an easy street life being showered in material blessings.

Maranatha!