True Biblical Prosperity

I have entitled our message this evening “True Biblical Prosperity.” If there is “true” biblical teaching on prosperity, then there must also be “false” teaching. Therefore, I am going to briefly address the false teaching that’s out there, and then point out what the Bible defines as true prosperity.

Benny Hinn says, “Poverty is from the devil and God wants all Christians prosperous.” (1) Kenneth Hagan says that God “wants His children to eat the best, He wants them to wear the best clothing, He wants them to drive the best cars, and He wants them to have the best of everything.” (2) Jesse Duplantis says, “The very first thing on Jesus’ agenda was to get rid of poverty! Would you like to know why some people, including ministries, never get out of poverty? It’s not because they aren’t smart. It’s not because they don’t have windows of opportunity. It’s because they’re not anointed. If you’re not anointed, poverty will follow you all the days of your life. His first objective was to get rid of poverty.” (3)

The quotes that I just shared illustrate some of the false teachings that exist concerning prosperity, and I am sure you noticed a hint of selfishness and egocentrism in what was spoken by these individuals; selfishness in seeking out material possessions and worldly “stuff,” and egocentrism in viewing oneself as more loved by God as evidenced by having more possessions, therefore being more anointed and blessed. We also noticed how prosperity tends to be defined as having a lot of money; therefore, the majority of prosperity theology views money as equivalent to God’s prosperity.

In John 10:10 Jesus declared, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly,” but did Jesus mean that He came to make us rich in material goods? About ten years ago, I began studying God’s desire to bless and prosper His children. I examined prosperity theology, and I kept observant to see if what I learned actually held up. However, I kept finding myself going through unending trials, and it just didn’t seem to make sense in light of prosperity teaching. If I were really favored by God then why wasn’t I experiencing financial freedom, and why was I going through so many trials?

The Lord then directed me to consider other believers across the world enduring poverty, trials, persecution, and even martyrdom. Just think about it for a moment. There are faithful Christians living in third world countries who are starving. So, I had to ask myself if these people were less favored by God; and of course, the answer is that they are not less favored. Could it be that when Jesus spoke of abundant life, He wasn’t talking about material abundance or even daily provision? This evening, we will explore the question of what type of abundance Jesus meant.

What exactly is prosperity? Prosperity is defined for us as, “a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition.” (4) To be prosperous is “having success” and “flourishing.” (5) If prosperity is measured by how much someone is successful or flourishing, then couldn’t we technically be prosperous if we are alive and breathing? Isn’t a flower out in the field flourishing and prosperous when it is growing and blooming? Jesus stated in Matthew 6:28, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Jesus pointed out how a flower was more prosperous than even King Solomon in all of his riches and his material possessions. Just to have our health reveals that God has made us to prosper, right?

What we will come to understand is that prosperity is not based on what we possess but on who we are inside, or who we are spiritually. Prosperity is not determined by a lack of hard times, but by how we handle tough situations; by whether or not we maintain our joy. Abundance and joy in life are not the result of “what” we have, but “Who” we have, or “Whose” we are. I want to take the remainder of our time this evening and explore what the Bible has to say about abundance, blessing and prosperity. We will discover that the Bible mentions more than one type of prosperity; however, there is actually only one type that is of utmost importance in our life, and I am going to go ahead and give it away and tell you what it is. The most important type of prosperity is “spiritual prosperity,” and I want us to consider this as we look at God’s Word.

Success in Efforts Seen as Prosperity

One meaning of prosperity in the Bible goes along with the definition we just read for prosperity of “a successful . . . condition.” There are a few verses that view prosperity as having “success” in our efforts, especially our efforts in God’s kingdom. Genesis 39:2-3 tells us that, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” In reference to obeying the law, Joshua 1:8 advises us, “For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” We clearly see that obeying the law leads to prosperity, and prosperity is equated with “success.”