Are the Cross and Prosperity in Conflict?
Luke 9:23Â (New International Version)
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
John 14:14Â (New International Version)
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Who is Right?
One group of people say God loves us and wants us to live abundantly. And if you want your church to grow, you have to focus on the positive, celebrate, rejoice, be joy for the joy of the Lord is our strength. You must preach always on the love of God. God wants us to have life and have it more abundantly. He wants us to prosper and be rich so we can help others.
Another group of people argue that the way of the true Christian is the way of the cross. You cannot love God and Mammon. If we want to be Jesus’ disciple, we must lay down our lives for the brethren, take up our cross and follow Jesus. We will receive persecution. We will be falsely accused, beaten, rejected, mocked, and when that happens, we give thanks knowing our reward in heaven will be great.
The first group promises freedom from sickness and poverty and says we should avoid a poverty mindset. We must command healing in our bodies.  They quote the second half of James 5:16 saying “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” Some say if we do not receive what we want, it is because we have not asked and if we are sick or poor, then we don’t have enough faith.
The second group tells us stories about how men, women, and children of great faith voluntarily walked out of wealth and privilege as Christ did to minister to the poor, the lost, and those stricken with leprosy.
They tell us of the courage of Jim Elliott and his friends who left the U.S. to become missionaries in South America and were speared to death, and their wives who returned with their children to minister to the same natives who speared their husbands to death.
And we hear about the two young men who could not afford a ticket to visit slaves isolated on an island separated from the Gospel and they sold themselves into slavery for a one way ticket knowing they would never return to see their families ever again and how this began a 100 year prayer meeting and started a group called the Moravians.
Are we making promises for God?
Are we making promises God never intended when we preach the prosperity gospel? Are we wrong when we preach positive or possibility thinking? When we teach people to “name it and claim it”, when we teach “positive confession”, when we encourage people to give lavishly and make that their “seed” to gain wealth and prosperity from God in return, are we blessing them or are we swindling and manipulating them?
What joys and blessings should a Christian expect?
Priceless Prosperity
The Matthew 13:44-47 tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a precious treasure hidden in a field which a man sells all to buy, or a pearl of great price that a merchant sells all to buy, or like a net cast down into the lake which catches all kinds of fish. And the fisherman keeps all the good fish and casts the bad ones away. And the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous and cast the wicked into the fire.
So, is our reward only to be free from eternal hell? If that were so, it would be enough for us to be eternally grateful. But, I believe God’s love and rewards are even greater than that when we see our loved ones saved, when they become the crowns or rewards in heaven we can lay down at Jesus’ feet.
Can we rejoice in simple luxury without it being overshadowed by the joy of having loved ones saved? There is tremendous joy in all of heaven when a sinner is saved. Can you trade your child’s salvation for a Rolex watch or a Ferrari? Can you trade in a mansion for a heavenly mansion? Is a tiara or an early crown a worthy gift to lay down at Jesus’ feet when He may have hoped for the hearts of loved ones?
If we think about our loved ones and how we would feel were they banished to hell for all eternity never to be seen again, how many people are lost each day to Christ? Has He failed? Or have we? Or can we dismiss all this and say this must be their fault? If we do that, is it because that is true, or is it because that argument is convenient? If God would allow us the freedom to serve Him or not, what would we choose?
Sometimes I think our real prosperity is not found in earthly things but eternal. And yet, some might ask, “Isn’t God big enough for both? After all, if He is not big enough to handle the temporary, earthly needs and wishes of His people, why should we trust Him to handle our eternity faithfully?” But, then when we understand that the value of something is measured by its price, we begin to understand that love is sometimes expressed most greatly when we must face a difficult choice that demands our sacrifice and we choose to walk into the pain for the love of another person.
The John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
People ask why Jesus went to the cross when God could have just forgiven sin without paying the price for our sins. Perhaps we see that as the demand for justice, and that is also true. But, what about His sacrifice calling us to repentance telling us that our betrayal toward God was really wrong and hurtful, and that there has to be a penalty that is strong enough to speak truthfully about how heinous our sins were in God’s eyes? And what can be said of the love of God who would give Himself to call us out of sin and give Himself to pay the price for our sin? The pain He suffered for those betraying Him was the greatest expression of love known to mankind in all of history. The most lavish earthly gift would be rubbish and refuse in comparison.
So, where is our treasure?
Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Where is our treasure? Do we give our all to receive something back? If we could have anything we want in return, what would it be? Our gold Rolex watches? Our fleet of yachts? Our line up of luxury automobiles? A home on the French Riviera? Or the salvation of a loved one or a friend?
Would we pray if we knew it would get us a Chalet in Switzerland? Would we share the Gospel for a Mercedes? If so, would we do it for the love of our children so they are not lost forever? Would we do it for the neighbor next door?
How Many Can You Save?
Suppose you could save 100. Would you give up one of them for a Mercedes? Just one? Or two? Which soul would you give up? Would you give up your own soul?
Suppose you had a calling on your life to win, say, 1,000 people to the Lord. Would you follow God’s call if it cost you your life, your comfort, your convenience or if you had to step out of your comfort zone? What if you had to go into poverty and suffer criticism and shame for your poverty? What if you had to go to jail for it? Would you reduce your number saved to 999? If that lost soul would be your child, would you do it? And if Jesus loved another child as much as your own child, would you sacrifice that child instead? Would you let the sacrifice of Jesus be squandered for that one beloved of Christ for your convenience?
Or would you give all you had for that one treasure?
Would you dare to ask God what your potential is? Might it be none? A million? A billion souls? Would you pursue 999,999,999 instead of that billion?
Are we squandering millions or billions?
Personal Conviction
I am so sorry. The question falls onto me, too, and I have to write this.
Are we giving up billions of souls for convenience? And are we getting convenience in
return? Or are we getting murder and war and divorce and suicide and terrorism and rape and child molestations and abortions and tyranny and such?
What would the love of Jesus call us to do and what would the Holy Spirit support us to do?
What will we accept of it?
