One of the most dangerous and detrimental teachings among television and other evangelists is the sales pitch presenting Christianity as a here and now religion. Most of us have heard statements like: “God doesn’t make any junk,” or “God wants you to be successful.” I read an excerpt from a book written by a popular TV evangelist which stated something like, “Just like we don’t want our children to be wearing old, worn out, dirty clothes because it reflects poorly on us as parents, so much more does the Father in heaven want His children to be blessed in this life, as He shows the world how He physically blesses His children.”
This is a dangerous teaching. It leads people down a road where they could potentially crash in their faith when problems come along – which eventually come to us all. If they suffer from a disease or sickness, or if they have financial hardships, they get angry at God for being such a poor Father. And how would the poor starving Christians of third world countries deal with this preposterous position?
This teaching conflicts with a host of scriptures. Two that come to mind are “Blessed are the poor” (Luke 6:20), and “Child, remember that during your life you received many good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony” (Luke 16:25).
Jesus said about himself, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58). Even our Lord and Savior experienced many struggles. Are we better than Him? You would think if God the Father was concerned about making His children look good in the here and now He would have especially taken care of His only begotten Son!!!
The truth and reality is that while we may be physically and financially blessed in this life, it is possible that we will struggle through this life. We should strive for the hereafter because that is a guaranteed better life. Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places” (John 14:2). Let’s live not for the here and now but for the hereafter.
….Mike