"The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but [that] his disciples were gone away alone; (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks.)
"When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
John 6:22-27
"When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
John 6:22-27
There is a movement of evil afoot in the Christian community. People are being led astray from sound doctrine, and into the camp of the "name it-claim it" prosperity gospel.
Now, before I say anything else, let's look at what is their key Scripture for making such a claim:
Now, before I say anything else, let's look at what is their key Scripture for making such a claim:
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]."
John 14:13-14
John 14:13-14
That seems to make a pretty bold statement that a person can have ANYTHING they want. They just have to ask for it in the name of Jesus and "poof", there it is at your feet. But, is this really what is being said, when taken in the context of the passage?
First, in verse twelve, there is the point that, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also...." So, we see that the passage is being addressed to those that believe in Jesus. That eliminates those that would just use His name as a "magic spell" or "lucky charm."
Next, in verse ten, we read, "...the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Jesus is showing us that even He is under the willful direction of God the Father in the things that He (Jesus) does.
Finally, the biggest thing to note here is in verse thirteen. Jesus says, "...that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The things that are to be done must result in God the Father receiving glory.
One has to ask the obvious question here: Does the thing being prayed about result in God being glorified? If a person prays, "God, in the name of Jesus I ask for a brand new car with all the options", does it deliver glory to God? Did Jesus need a brand new car to bring the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to the people?
Most prayers, sadly to say, don't even meet these minimum requirements.
So, when looking at the prosperity gospel, we see a flawed concept of Jesus, not as sacrifice and savior, but as either a magician with a hat filled with your every wish, or as a lawyer, demanding that God provide our every desire due to a legality.
Not gonna happen, I'm gonna say.
The good news is, that when we pray, we as born again believers do have an audience with the Creator of All and Everything. We have Jesus, standing on our behalf as our advocate, defending us from the attacks of satan. We have the Holy Spirit in us, speaking for us with words we can't even say. We have a loving Father, listening to His children with an open heart and a spirit of mercy.
Now, with that said, consider carefully what you do next.
Pray for a winning lottery ticket?
Pray that your boss drops dead from a heart attack?
Pray that you can be used to deliver the witness of Jesus to others?
Pray thanks for being given life's necessities, like food, clothes, shelter?
Pray out of love for Father, Son and Spirit, that they might have a good day?
Pray for those that are in authority over you?
Pray for those that work under you?
Pray for those that are around you?
I can't tell you if any of the above is a good prayer, I can't tell you if it is a bad prayer. That depends completely on the situation of the prayer. If God would be glorified by you getting a new car, I promise you He will send one your way. If you are praying for your coworkers to get a promotion just so you can get them away from you, that might not happen. The result is between your heart and God's will.
But, just remember: Jesus showed us the way to pray, in what is commonly known as The Lord's Prayer. A most important element in His teaching is something that we should all keep in mind when we talk to our Father....
First, in verse twelve, there is the point that, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also...." So, we see that the passage is being addressed to those that believe in Jesus. That eliminates those that would just use His name as a "magic spell" or "lucky charm."
Next, in verse ten, we read, "...the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Jesus is showing us that even He is under the willful direction of God the Father in the things that He (Jesus) does.
Finally, the biggest thing to note here is in verse thirteen. Jesus says, "...that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The things that are to be done must result in God the Father receiving glory.
One has to ask the obvious question here: Does the thing being prayed about result in God being glorified? If a person prays, "God, in the name of Jesus I ask for a brand new car with all the options", does it deliver glory to God? Did Jesus need a brand new car to bring the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to the people?
Most prayers, sadly to say, don't even meet these minimum requirements.
So, when looking at the prosperity gospel, we see a flawed concept of Jesus, not as sacrifice and savior, but as either a magician with a hat filled with your every wish, or as a lawyer, demanding that God provide our every desire due to a legality.
Not gonna happen, I'm gonna say.
The good news is, that when we pray, we as born again believers do have an audience with the Creator of All and Everything. We have Jesus, standing on our behalf as our advocate, defending us from the attacks of satan. We have the Holy Spirit in us, speaking for us with words we can't even say. We have a loving Father, listening to His children with an open heart and a spirit of mercy.
Now, with that said, consider carefully what you do next.
Pray for a winning lottery ticket?
Pray that your boss drops dead from a heart attack?
Pray that you can be used to deliver the witness of Jesus to others?
Pray thanks for being given life's necessities, like food, clothes, shelter?
Pray out of love for Father, Son and Spirit, that they might have a good day?
Pray for those that are in authority over you?
Pray for those that work under you?
Pray for those that are around you?
I can't tell you if any of the above is a good prayer, I can't tell you if it is a bad prayer. That depends completely on the situation of the prayer. If God would be glorified by you getting a new car, I promise you He will send one your way. If you are praying for your coworkers to get a promotion just so you can get them away from you, that might not happen. The result is between your heart and God's will.
But, just remember: Jesus showed us the way to pray, in what is commonly known as The Lord's Prayer. A most important element in His teaching is something that we should all keep in mind when we talk to our Father....
Thy Will Be Done
If we keep that in our hearts while we pray, the chances are we won't be praying for our own greed, but to see and do those things that will glorify our loving Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus.
Grace and Peace....
Grace and Peace....
