Contributor: Dolapo Olaoye

Introduction: Last week our study was based on the fact that “Poverty does not produce Piety”. We looked at 2 Myths - (1. God doesn’t want us to be rich & 2. Poverty makes us holy). We concluded on the understanding that God wants us to prosper and not to be in lack or need and also that poverty can lead to sin and all manner of atrocities. We need to promote God’s Kingdom which can only be propagated through prosperity.

Think like God – Read His Word.

A lot of times, our thinking is wrong. It’s not in line with the Bible. And if our thinking is wrong, then our believing is going to be wrong. And if our believing is wrong, then our talking is going to be wrong.

It is important to get all three (your thinking, your believing, and your speaking) Synchronized with the Word of God.

This idea that God wants his children poor, having no material things is totally unscriptural. The Bible has a great deal to say about money – about receiving it to meet personal needs and giving it to support the work of God and to bless others.

Examples of God’s servants that were wealthy

1. ABRAM: The Bible says, “And Abram was VERY rich in cattle, in silver and in gold” (Gen 13:2).
2. KING SOLOMON: (1 Kings 10:6-10) tells of the queen of Sheba coming to visit King Solomon to see if he was as wise and great as she had heard.
3. JOB: “He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!” (Job 1:2-3)
   During the trials and suffering he endured, Job lost his great wealth. But God restored Job’s riches! The Bible says, “God blessed Job’s later life even more than his earlier life. He ended up with fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand donkeys.” (Job 42:12)

It is important to realize that God is not against wealth and prosperity. But He is against people being covetous.

How does studying his Word help?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Words of the Bible are full of life! These precious Words are a gift from God the Father to ALL who take hold of them.

The Words of God promise salvation, eternal life, righteousness, redemption, deliverance, protection, prosperity, healing and wholeness of spirit, soul and body.

In Hosea 4:6 God says that “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”

In order for you and I to take hold of the blessings of God and know His will for us, we need to read His instruction manual, called the Bible. In the Bible you will find Words that give you answers in ALL areas of your life.

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20.32).

ALL the answers concerning your life are covered in the Bible. You can be built up, you can receive your rightful inheritance as a son/daughter of God when you know what God promises are through His Words in the Bible. You can take on the very nature of God and Jesus by living by the Words of the Bible!

God’s Words are not hard to keep. Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When you act on God’s Words, your life will be full of peace and free from worry; full of joy and not sadness, health not sickness, deliverance not depression, financial blessings not wondering where you’ll find the money to pay your bills!

You may pride yourself on reciting from memory many verses of the Bible. God says that won’t get you anywhere, even though you may look good to others. You have to do what it says!

Conclusion:

God’s Words are so important, that He doesn’t want anyone tampering with them and changing them around to say anything else. His Promises are “Yea and Amen.”

As you read the Bible, thank God for His Word. Take what it says personally, and act on it and you will begin to think naturally in line with God’s word, as He fulfils His Word through you.

Contributor: Leye Olayiwola

Introduction: We started our series on Kingdom Prosperity last week. We established that God really wants us to prosper. Why? Of course, mainly for the advancement of His Kingdom here on earth. We were reminded that it is God that confer upon each and every one of us, the power to get wealth for the purpose of establishing His covenant with Abraham.

We will continue further on this series by looking deep into the myth that poverty produces piety (the quality of being religious or reverent) in us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Two Extreme Views

One of the uniqueness of scriptures lies in its balanced views. God is a balanced God and if we search through the scriptures relating to any topic, subject or issues, we will see that He is not an author of confusion. The Church seems to have a hard time staying in the middle of the road on just about any subject, least of which is on the subject of prosperity. Even till this day, there are still some believers that are on one side of the road as it relates to the topic of prosperity. Paul cautioned against one of the possible extremes in Galatians 5:13;

“For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the [sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another.”

[Galatians 5:13 AMP]

Myth 1:  God doesn’t want us to be rich
Some believers have been taught that God doesn’t want His people to have anything. Some preachers have said “I don’t want any of these world’s goods,” because they thought there was something wrong with this world’s goods. Some scriptures have been quoted and taken out of context;
 
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth and status] to enter the kingdom of God.”
[Matthew 19:24 AMP]

“For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.”
[1 Timothy 6:10 AMP]

“So come out from among unbelievers and be separate,” says the Lord, “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will graciously receive you and welcome you [with favor]”
[2 Corinthians 6:17 AMP]
 

Myth 2:  Poverty makes us holy and pious
Some Christians have been made to believe that good and relatively expensive items portray worldliness. There is a strand of Christianity that views the wealthy believer (or man) as “especially sinful”. In this strand of Christianity, the judgement day is viewed as a time when “the social order will be turned upside down and the poor will turn out to be the ones truly blessed”. This strand of Christianity exhorts Christians to renounce material and worldly pleasure in order to follow Jesus citing scriptures (out of context).
 
“He told them to take nothing for the journey except a mere walking stick—no bread, no [traveler’s] bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals; and [He told them] not to wear [d]two tunics.”
[Mark 6:8-9 AMP]

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched”
[Mark 9:43]
 

Conclusion:
It is proper to have a balanced view on biblical prosperity. God wants us to prosper and not to be in lack or need. If this is the case therefore, it unequivocally follows that God does not want us to lack or to be poor. The truth is that poverty can lead to sin and all manner of atrocities. God’s desire for our prosperity is expressed through His words in scriptures;
 
“For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.”
[Psalm 50:10-12]

“Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication and want what is right for me;
Let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
[Psalm 35:27]
 
A proper understanding of Christian teachings on wealth and poverty needs to take a larger view where the accumulation of wealth is not the central focus of one’s life but rather a resource to foster the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the whole essence of our existence – promoting God’s Kingdom which can only be propagated through prosperity.

Contributor: Alex Alajiki
INTRODUCTION: We deeply thank God for guiding us through the studies of 1 and 2 books of Corinthians last year.
I believe we personally got many life applicable lessons from our studies. I trust the Lord that these valuable lessons will continue to impact our Christian lives in Jesus’ name. Amen.
 
This year, we are looking into the area of Kingdom prosperity. There are lots of strange teachings going on all over the world, especially, over the social media that is bringing a lot of confusion to the body of Christ. We trust the Holy Spirit, as we go through these studies, to open the eyes of our understanding so as to know and follow the will of God about Kingdom Prosperity.
 
1.  God Wants You To Prosper: Due.8:18
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day
 
There are four things every believer must understand from the above scripture about the will of God to prosper us.
 
A, Remember the Lord your God; we can’t produce kingdom wealth without God’s involvement (Prov.10:22)
    The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
You can be wealthy with self-effort by working hard and following principles of prosperity, but kingdom wealth is a derivative of God’s blessing without sorrow. We must partner with heaven to release what was prepared for us.
 
B, Power to produce kingdom wealth is a gift from God. We have the mind of Christ (1 Corn.2:16)
    For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ working on our natural gifts and skills can produce wealth for every believer.
 
C, Kingdom wealth is for a purpose; God want to use us to fund His kingdom interest on earth. (Prov.3:9)
 Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; To honour God is to follow His instruction in distributing or giving our substance or wealth according to His instructions.
 
* We must understand His instruction on Tithing and offering to keep his Church funded (Mala.3:10-12)
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
 
* We must understand His instruction on giving to the poor and widows (Prov.19:17; James 1:27)
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
 
* We must understand His instruction on giving to God’s servants (Matt.10:40-42; Phil.4:16-19)
 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus
 
D, Kingdom wealth is part of our covenant benefits. Jesus was made poor for our prosperity (2 Corinthians 8:9)
    For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich (plousios = wealthy, abounding in material resources), yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (plouteô = “to be rich, to have abundance; of outward possessions; to be richly supplied; is affluent in resources so that he can give blessings of salvation to all).
The wealth covenant was originally established in Abraham and came to us through his seed; Jesus Christ. (Gal.3:16)
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
 
CONCLUSION: There are two extremes in the gospel of prosperity; Many believe that poverty and lack is a sigh of spirituality while at the other end, others believe that prosperity is a sign of God’s approval. We must use scriptures to maintain balance if we don’t want to fall into satanic deception in this end times.