You might have already seen this video beneath that went viral, however right here it’s simply in case:
At a current service at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas—the most important congregation in the USA with 43,000 worshipers per week—Victoria Osteen had this to say:
“I simply wish to encourage every of us to comprehend that after we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I imply, that's a method of taking a look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, as a result of God is happy after we're joyful . That’s what makes Him most joyful. So I need you to know this morning: Do good for your self. Do good as a result of God desires you to be joyful. Once you come to church, while you worship Him, you aren’t actually doing it for God. You do it for your self as a result of it makes God joyful. Amen?”
To many individuals this sounds just like the “prosperity gospel”, the previous Christian heresy that God will present materials consolation to true Christians.
In case there was any doubt that the Osteens preach a model of the prosperity gospel, their church's web site has a brief “prosperity” devotional that explains their place:
“Prosperity isn’t just about cash. It's about having well being and peace of thoughts. It’s the capacity to sleep at evening and have good relationships. There are a lot of issues cash can't purchase that characterize prosperity, however a part of prosperity is financial safety. You’ll by no means discover a place in Scripture the place we should always complain that we don't have sufficient, we are able to't afford what we wish, and we stay off different individuals's leftovers. […] We needs to be so blessed, so affluent, so beneficiant, so filled with pleasure that different individuals need what we’ve got. You’ll be able to't show that God is sweet in the event you stay a defeated life.”
However is that this actually what the Bible teaches?
No! Not even shut.
Listed here are 12 Bible verses that debunk that type of nonsense—and present what it actually means to comply with Jesus:
1) Luke 6:20-26
“Blessed are the poor, for yours is the dominion of God.
Blessed are you who starvation now, for you’ll be crammed.
Blessed are you who weep now, for you’ll snigger.
Blessed are you when individuals hate you and after they exclude you and revile you and reject your identify as evil for the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day and leap for pleasure, for behold, your reward is nice in heaven; for thus did their fathers to the prophets.
However woe to you who’re wealthy, for you will have accepted your consolation.
Woe to you who’re full now, for you’ll be hungry.
Woe to you who snigger now, for you’ll mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all males converse properly of you, for thus did their fathers to the false prophets.”
2) Luke 9:23-24
“If anybody desires to return after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross day by day and comply with me. For whoever desires to avoid wasting his life will lose it, however whoever loses his life for my sake will reserve it.”
3) Luke 1:52-53
“[God] he overthrew the mighty from their thrones and exalted these of humble station; He fed the hungry with good issues and despatched the wealthy away empty.”
4) James 1:September 11
“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, and the wealthy man in his humiliation, for he’ll go away just like the flower of the grass. For the solar rises with its scorching warmth and withers the grass; its flower falls and its magnificence fades. So additionally the wealthy man disappears within the midst of his pursuits.”
5) Mark 10.25
“It’s simpler for a camel to undergo the attention of a needle than for a wealthy man to enter the dominion of God.”
6) Matthew 6:19-21
“Don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, the place moth and rust destroy, and the place thieves break in and steal, however lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, the place neither moth nor rust destroys, and the place thieves don’t break in and steal. For the place your treasure is, there your coronary heart can be additionally.”
7) Romans 8.17
“[We are] Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we endure with him, that we may be glorified with him.”
8) Romans 5.3-5
We rejoice in our struggling as a result of we all know that struggling creates endurance and endurance builds character and character builds hope and hope doesn’t put us to disgrace as a result of God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
9) 2 Corinthians 11:24-29
“[St. Paul describing his hardships as an Apostle:] 5 occasions I acquired forty lashes much less by the hands of the Jews. They beat me 3 times with sticks. They stoned me as soon as. I shipwrecked 3 times; evening and day I used to be adrift at sea; in frequent journeys, at risk from rivers, at risk from robbers, at risk from my very own individuals, at risk from the Gentiles, at risk within the metropolis, at risk within the desert, at risk on the ocean, at risk from false brothers; in toil and hardship, by many sleepless nights, in starvation and thirst, usually with out meals, in chilly and publicity. And amongst different issues, the day by day strain of tension for all of the church buildings is on me. Who’s weak and I’m not weak? Who’s pressured to fall, and I’m not indignant?”
10) Acts 5.41
“Then [the Apostles] they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they have been discovered worthy to endure the reproach of that identify.”
11) Philippians 2.5-8
“Have this thoughts amongst yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, although he was within the type of God, didn’t rely equality with God a factor to be grasped, however emptied himself, taking upon himself the type of a servant, and being born within the likeness of males. And when he was present in human type, he humbled himself by changing into obedient to the purpose of demise, even demise on a cross.”
12) And naturally Mark 15.24
“And so they crucified him…”
