There's Only One Gospel - And that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ

"Health and Wealth Gospel"

“Pastor Prince, you keep talking about the blessings of health, wealth and good success. I knew that you were one of those who preach the prosperity gospel....one of those health and wealth preachers!”

My friend, there is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel.” There is only one gospel. And that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It's amazing that there are believers who fight the teaching that God heals today. Don't they realize that they are essentially fighting for the right to be sick? Yet, the moment they fall sick, they have no qualms about seeing a doctor and taking medication, or going to the hospital. Now, if they really believe that it is God's plan for them to be sick and that He is teaching them some lessons, why do they go against His will by trying to get better? Clearly, there are some inconsistencies there.

Just look at the ministry of Jesus to see God's heart for you. Look at the four Gospels. What happened every time Jesus came in contact with a sick person? The sick person got healed! Under the law, when you touch something unclean, you are defiled. But when Jesus came, when He touch the leper, did Jesus become unclean? No. Instead, Jesus made him clean! So when Jesus came, whatever you touch, becomes clean. It becomes holy. Just like when an unbelieving spouse is married to a believing husband, the unbelieving spouse is made holy by the husband.

You will never find Jesus going up to a perfectly healthy person and saying,”I want to teach you a lesson on humility and patience. Now, receive some leprosy!” No!

When God the Father saw us at our worst, He loved us with His best. He sent Jesus. Not just to heal the sick and cast out demons, but also to take our place of absolute condemnation on the cross. Just like He multiplied the five loaves and two fish that fed more than 5000 people, and listen, with 12 baskets full of leftovers!

The Scripture tells us that Mary did the One Thing needful. She chose the good part by sitting at Jesus' feet and hearing His word. (Luke 10:38-42) You can also choose the good part by beholding Him.

But the Bible is so rich and exciting. Just by studying the word “bless,” we can glean so much more about the Lord's heart for you and me. I believe that as we take a closer look at this word, the Lord is preparing you to step into an even greater and deeper dimension of His blessings for you. Let's dive right in.

The Hebrew word for “bless” is barak, while the Greek word is eulogeo. According to the Theological Workbook of the Old Testament, both these words mean to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity (fruitfulness in chilbearing) and longevity.

Now I really don't understand why there are some believers who fight against ministries that proclaim the truth that God wants to give us success, prosperity and health. These believers don't realize that they are essentially fighting to remain sick and poor.

It is time for believers to be like the apostle Paul – stop being apologetic about the good news that we have received. Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jes first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.” The gospel (which means “good news”) of Jesus Christ is THE power of God to salvation. This means that there is no other power for your salvation except the gospel of Jesus Christ!

By the way, “salvation” here does not just relate to being saved from hell. The Greek word for “salvation” here is the word soteria. Its meaning encompasses deliverance, preservation, safety and health. NT:4991, Thayer's Greek Lexicon. The Lord's salvation in your life is complete and holistic, and it is based on you believing in and depending by faith on His righteousness. Don't be ashamed of just how good the good news of Jesus really is. Don't be ashamed that Jesus has the power to give you good success, heal your physical body, cause everything your hands touch to prosper, bless you with children and satisfy you with long life! 3 John 1:2 – “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things, just as your soul prospers.”

Yet, there are believers today who settle for traditional beliefs that are not biblical instead of seeking God's truth. These beliefs have held the church in bondage for decades and that is why the world sees the church as generally being poor, unable and in debt. That is why the world actually has this saying: “As poor as a church mouse.” (But in the world, even Mickey Mouse is prosperous and has a magic kingdom!)

Being An Heir Of The World Includes Having Financial Blessings

The irony is that if you were to examine the lives of those believers who fight against the teaching that God blesses His children with more than enough, you would see that they have no problems with doing their best to secure a nice home and give their children the best education that money can buy. While they do not believe that God wants to bless us financially, you would probably find them looking out for investment opportunities, hoping for promotions in their careers or searching for better job prospects to earn more.

You see, they have no problem with accumulating wealth for themselves and living well, but they have a problem when we tell them that financial success is from God. They would rather believe in their self-efforts and say that their success is “self-made,” than give God the credit. Instead of argeeing with the teaching that God is the source of all blessings, they attack it. But don't be deceived, my friend, every blessing in our lives today, every good and perfect gift, flows directly from the river of God's unmerited favor.

Our heavenly Father wants to make you a success and that success includes financial success. You already know that financial alone don't make you a success. There are a lot of “poor” people in the world today who have a lot of money. They can have fat bank accounts, but their hearts are empty without the revelation of Jesus' love for them. You and I have something from Jesus that is far more superior. The success that we, as new covenant believers, can believe God for is good, holistic success that permeates every aspects of lives!

“Well, Pastor Prince...the Bible says that money is the root of all evil. What do you have to say about that?”

The Bible is often quoted wrongly on this. It does not say that money is the root of all evil. It says that “the love of money” is the root of all evil. Because of this misquotation and wrong teaching, many believers have been hoodwinked. When the Lord tries to bless them, they shun His blessings because they believe that having more money will lead them to all kinds of evil. Listen carefully to what I am saying. Having more money does not necessarily mean that you love money. Even someone who doesn't have a single cent to his name can be thinking and obsessing about money all the time.

What keeps you safe for financial success is when you know that your blessings come by Jesus' unmerited favor. When you have that revelation, you will no longer be preoccupied with having money because you are preoccupied with the Lord. Amazingly, you will realize that the more occupied you are with Jesus, the more money follows after you! Now, why is that? It is simply because when you seek first the kingdom of God, and put Jesus, His righteousness (not your own righteousness), His joy and His peace as your first priority, God's Word promises you that ALL the material things that you need will be added to you. The Lord always gives you money with a mission and prosperity with a purpose. He blesses you and when you are blessed, you can be a vessel to bless others. The gospel of grace can be preached, churches can be built, precious lives can be touched, sinners can be born again, marriages can be restored and physical bodies can be healed when you send out the Word of Jesus with your financial support.

Don't love money and use people. Use money to love people. May it be settled in your heart once and for all that it is God's desire for you to be a financial success and to have more than enough. You are the seed of Abraham and the promise to you is that you will be an heir of the world. It is clear that you cannot be an heir of the world if you are constantly on your back, broke and in debt.

Blessings will follow after you. You don't need to chase blessings. Blessings will hunt you down if you follow Jesus! Just like Isreal camping with their backs against the world.

You shall be blessed coming in, and blessed going out, as in Deutoronomy.

Joseph Prince's Book Unmerited Favor plus my inputs