I found this while looking around for info on this man. I heard D. A. Carson make reference to him as a man who labored for 40 years with only a few people won to Christ, and some of those were martyred.
You’re Kidding Right? The Ridiculous Truth About the Prosperity Gospel
I saw a link to the “Victory Church” in Oklahoma, and I was checking out their statement of faith. I have found myself stuck between laughing so hard that I am crying, and shaking my head in disbelief. Is this for real? or is this a joke? If I wanted to mock the prosperity gospel I don’t think I could come up with a better parody myself. On the other hand, I feel that my faith is so weak…. that I never thought to pray for “Rebates and Returns.” It says:
“OFFERING OF THANKS
As we bring our tithes and offerings unto the Lord, we are believing for:
Jobs & Better Jobs
Raises & Bonuses
Benefits
Sales & Commissions
Growth in Business
Settlements
Estates & Inheritances
Interest & Income
Rebates & Returns
Checks in the Mail
Gifts & Surprises
Finding Money
Bills Paid Off
Bills Decreased
Blessings & Increase
Thank you Lord for meeting all of my financial needs, that I may have more than enough to give into the Kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!”
This seems a far cry from Paul’s words I Tim 6:6-11:
“Godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”
Judgment is Not Enough
When I took microbiology I learned that in order to sterilize our equipment and culture media (the agar, the gel stuff that is used to grow bacteria) every single bacteria and spore had to be destroyed. If even just one survived, then in the space of several days it could reproduce at an exponential rate producing millions more. In order to do this, we used an autoclave. From time to time we would use disinfectants to clean our work areas, and this was helpful, but it did not assure that every germ was destroyed. Additionally, in an attempt to grow bacteria on a Petri dish we would perform a special procedure (called “streaking for isolation”) in order to test a colony of bacteria that grew from a single bacterium.
I thought of this while reading Genesis 7 this morning. The Lord puts Noah and his family on the ark, and floods the world. Human evil was so bad that God wiped out the world with a flood, like a bunch of disinfectant. But Noah—a righteous man—and his sons survive to provide a fresh start. It is not long after the floodwaters recede that we find that not only has Noah’s family survived, but so has the problem of sin and corruption. In Genesis 9:20-28 we see that this lone family experiences serious “dysfunction” through alcohol abuse and sexual sin. The problem of evil had survived because it was located in the fallen hearts of people.
We read in other places how people respond to God’s discipline and judgment with anger and hatred. In Rev 16:9 we read, “and men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” It would appear once again that judgment is not enough to remove sin. It is like a disinfectant that can sometimes restrain it. The inevitable question confronts us: is there any hope at all for the elimination of evil?
Hebrews 12:23 speaks of those who are, “registered in heaven,” where we find “the spirits of just men made perfect.” This will be the payment in full of the plan of the gospel to redeem fallen men through Jesus. Romans 8:29-31 tells us that the final destination of those who believe in Jesus is to be “glorified,” and to be made into the “image of His son.” The bad news of judgment alone is not sufficient to remove sin, it takes the good news of grace to do that. This is why Peter tells us “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:13) The return of Jesus is a day of expectation for believers even though it is a day of judgment. It is a day of expectation because it will be a day of grace, and we are to look in hope towards that future day in order to have strength to live in the present.
Preaching the Gospel to Yourself
“Preaching the gospel to myself each day nourishes within me a holy brazenness to believe what God says, enjoy what He offers, and do what He commands. Admittedly, I don’t deserve to be a child of God and I don’t deserve to be free of sin’s guilt and power. I don’t deserve the staggering privilege of intimacy with God, nor any other blessing that Christ has purchased for me with His blood. I don’t deserve to be useful to God. But by the grace of God I am what I am and I have what I have, and I hereby resolve not to let any portion of God’s grace prove vain in me! And to the degree that I fail to live up to this resolve, I will boldly take for myself the forgiveness that God says is mine and continue walking in His grace. This is my manifesto, my daily resolve; and may God be glorified by this confidence that I place in Him.”
– Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians (Focus Publishing, 2008), 52.
The Cost of Salvation
“The cost for the recipient of God’s grace is nothing – and no price could be higher for arrogant people to pay.”
– Dan Allender, as quoted in Gospel Transformation
MattTroupe.net 