wanted to take this opportunity to clarify what I said in my earlier post (found here), and speak more on the subject of suffering in the Christian walk. I felt that if I simply left things the way they are, that it could open the door for some Tom Cruise know-it-all type to come along and tell me how depressing I am and how I take myself way to seriously and how I am just moments away from flogging myself and how I shouldn't spend so much time talking or thinking about such downer subjects even if they are found in the Bible. Actually, this exact thing was recently said to me when I confronted a false teacher about the health and wealth prosperity gospel he was trying to peddle to some people very dear to me.
It seems the urgency to address such doctrines is all the more pressing considering that people like Joel Osteen (who "pastors" America's largest "Church") are out there deceiving the masses telling them that Christ's death was to save us from our mediocrity, and to give us victory over our finances. Don't believe me? Here's the link. Joel along with the false teacher I mentioned earlier love to quote John 10:10b saying, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." To them, this means that Jesus came to be our personal magical genie, granting whatever materialistic selfish wish that we may desire. But...is that what Jesus actually meant?How does this view harmonize with the rest of Scripture? How is it that the Apostles and the majority of the early first century Church were living in poverty? Would these prosperity charlatans have us believe that they know something the Apostles didn't? Why was Paul merely a humble tent maker and not living in multi-million dollar estates complete with private jets, helicopter pads and limos?
Let's start by debunking Joel Osteen's absurd statement with 1 Corinthians 15:3
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures"
See that? Paul's important message which he delivered in much haste was that Christ died for our sins. The good news of the Gospel is the forgiveness of sins, because without that we are doomed and on the highway to hell. The Gospel has absolutely nothing to do with mediocrity. That is why persecution and suffering await true believers. Because true believers will be proclaiming the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27) and no one wants to hear that they are sinners and deserving of eternal hell.
Philippians 1:29
"For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake"
Did Paul forget to mention that its also been granted to us to be free from all illness, and to be financially victorious? Nowhere in Scripture does it equate health and the obtaining of materialistic goods with maturing and growing in Christ likeness. In fact, Scripture clearly indicates that suffering is the true evidence that we are being molded into Christ's image, and as mature obedient believers, we can count on the fact that we will be suffering for His name's sake. Let me explain...
In Matthew chapter 5 we see Jesus great Sermon on the Mount, in which He lists what we now call the Beatitudes.
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Many men, far better than I, have taught and written extensively on this portion of Scripture, and I would highly recommend taking the time to listen and read what they have to say, but for times sake I will quickly skim through this. In the beatitudes, the Lord Jesus Christ is showing us a progression of characteristics found in the hearts of the citizens of the Kingdom of God. It starts first by God calling the reprobate through a conviction of him over his sin, leaving the sinner broken and contrite in heart, knowing that he is absolutely spiritually bankrupt, and that nothing commends him before a holy God. This is being poor in Spirit. When we realize our absolute need for a Savior and cry out to Christ for forgiveness of sins...then ours is the kingdom of heaven. The progression of maturity and Christ-likeness goes on until we see in verse 10 that the citizens of heaven will be persecuted for righteousness sake. Note that verse 11 says, "Blessed are you when people insult and persecute you," there is no if, but when. This will happen, if we are truly regenerate citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
1 Thessalonians 3:2
"and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know." (Also see Acts 9:15-16)
As I showed from Peter in my last post, our purpose is to experience the sufferings of Christ, and here Paul says we are destined for afflictions and suffering for Christ's name sake. So what does that all mean? For Christ's name sake? It means that the true, pure message of the Gospel is so offensive because it confronts one's sin, that it will anger the world if it is preached. (Jeremiah 6:10 NIV, "To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it" cf. 1Pet 2:6-8) If we are faithful to preach the unadulterated gospel, we will be following in the footsteps of Christ Himself, being persecuted without cause.
However, men like Joel Osteen escape this persecution and suffering and win the approval of the world by twisting the gospel in such a way that it no longer resembles anything remotely biblical so as to leave out any mention of sin, the coming judgment, eternal damnation, or calls to holy living, which are all things Jesus Himself spoke frequently about. These false teachers do an eternal disservice to those deceived by their smooth speech and constant flattery with their self-esteem filled messages (Jude 4, 10-16), because they flat out refuse to follow Paul's example of knowing nothing but Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2) which will inevitably bring the sufferings of Christ in abundance (2 Cor 1:5). So that bring us back to John 10:10. What did Jesus mean when He said He came to bring life and life abundantly. He meant that He came to bring eternal life, an eternal life in which we will spend it in glory with our Creator and our Redeemer. That is precisely why Paul says this in Romans 8:16-19,
"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
