The Danger of Riches

In today’s reading, we read from Mark 10:23 where Jesus tells his disciples
“How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

I was recently listening to a panel discussion where John MacArthur described the Prosperity Gospel, also known as the Health and Wealth Gospel, as the greatest threat to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in America today. The Prosperity Gospel tells people that Jesus is a means to the end, rather than the end itself. It tells them to desire the things of this world, and to expect that God will give them to you, rather than telling them to seek after God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

John Piper recently posted 12 appeals to Prosperity Preachers where he points out how the Prosperity Gospel is ultimately destructive to the souls of those who hear and believe it. They are well worth reading:

1. Don’t make heaven harder
2. Save people from suicide
3. Warn against weak investments
4. Grow lavish givers
5. Foster faith in God
6. Eliminate choking hazards
7. Preserve salt and light
8. Don’t conceal the cost
9. Uphold the value of suffering
10. Teach them to go
11. Separate from the peddlers
12. Commend Christ as gain

Posted by David Fenton on Jun 11, 09:29 AM