PROSPER
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth
You may not have noticed, but I am on a mission. ?Not only on a mission here in the mission fields of Nicaragua, but on a mission to protect myself and the church (the body of believers) from division. ?We need to be united more than ever. ? The day is coming when we will be decapitated for our faith in Jesus. Baptists and Pentecostal alike. ?Division is deadly, always, even more so in the last days.
Matthew12:25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand’
The main thing that causes divisions among Christians are words (thought capsules) that we use to send to each other. ?Although they are the same Words that Jesus used frequently, they cause problems. So now, people in different camps see some of Jesus’ Words ?as devisive.
One of my spiritual kids from the calvary chapel days said recently ‘pastor Dean now preaches a lot about faith’ like it was a dirty word. ? It was in fact, one of my Lord’s favorite words, and it’s impossible to go to heaven without it. ? Fantastic Jesus Words like faith, seed, victory, health, abundance, and prosperity seems to aggravate a lot of well meaning people now days. ? I am on a mission to stop that.
I was one of those guys, preaching against the Words on an academic ‘hit-list’ that made the higher ups in my denomination ‘irked’. ?I was ‘irked’ because I was taught by people I respected to be ‘irked’ when I heard them. ?I was immediately suspicious of anyone who used those words too much. Yet Jesus said they will know we we are Christians by how we love one another
Then one day, praise God, my world crumbled around me. ? I praise the Lord for that disaster, because it taught me to listen to what Jesus said in His Word rather some ‘irked’ person’s pet peeve and personal rant. I have learned since then that if anyone wants to teach you to dislike someone, find another teacher.
Today, the beautiful word from the Bible that has been villainized lately is the word prosper. ?Let me give you a back-drop of today’s missive.
A good pastor friend of mine recently published on facebook that a word ‘irked’ him because it was a word overly used by tele-evangelists out of context. He knows I am writing this. We are brothers and we love each other.
He is a great friend, an even better pastor, and completely wrong in this case. ?Many times we are in error because someone we respect gave us wrong advice or taught ‘their opinions’ instead of the Word of God. ?Here are 3 errors in this statement of my good, well intentioned friend.
1. ?The Holy Spirit inside of us is never ‘irked’. When we say we are, as a messenger of the Gospel, we misrepresent God by being showing we are ‘irked’. ?Moses showed that he was ‘irked’ once, by striking the Rock for water instead of speaking to it as the Lord told him to. ?As a result, God told him he couldn’t go into the promised land because he misrepresented God.
Deut 32:51 Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh, in the wilderness of Zin;
2. He said words of the Bible taken out of context ‘irked him’. I always take words out of context. Everyone I know in ministry does, including my friend.?God does as well when he speaks to me. ?The Bible speaks to me in at least 3 different ways. ?
-Historically, in context, literally. ?Fascinating and really helps when me to understand the background. ?
-Personally, kind of like personal instructions. I see myself as the nation of Israel putting the praise and worship band in front of my soldiers (skills) as I go into battle (see 2 Chronicles 20). ?I see myself as the prodigal son (Luke 15). ?I see myself as King David (good and bad). ?I see myself as Lot, King Saul, the Proverbs 31 wife and Goliath. ?
Verses like ‘write it down so those who read it may run’ I take out of context too. ?It’s about incoming invaders contextually. ?But God uses it out of context also to encourage me to write my visions, dreams and goals down. ?As a business man or soldier, you just don’t do that. ?As a Cristian missionary, I am just obeying God, and it works. ?
Business friends, pastors and army buddies still advise, which is fine. But, after it’s all said and done, I ultimately choose to obey God. ?He is never wrong. I am still recovering from the last time I took man’s advice over God’s. It was almost a fatal mistake, physically, financially and spiritually. ?
-Prophetically, to encourage me. This is completely ?out of context, ?but God showed me that He is slowly ‘restoring to me that the locust have eaten’. ?Out of context, but God is using it to heal me.
Another example is this. When I drove down to Nicaragua for the first time, I couldn’t get through the border. ?Almost gave up. I was only saved a month. ?I thought maybe I misheard God. ?There was a civil war still going on then down here. ?My friends and family said I was nuts. ?Maybe they were right, I thought to myself. I spent the night at the border where I was denied entry. ?Oh well, might as well return to Cocoa Beach. ?The thought was appealing. ?Nice church. ?Nice job. Great friends! In my devotions that day, before starting the long drive home, I read:
PSALM 18:29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
Completely out of context. ?Completely appropriate to my circumstance.. ?I started up my truck, giving the border one more stab. Drove right through, no problem. ?Before it I kew it I was 100 km into mexico.
3. ?This last one is the reason for this missive. Sorry for long intro. ?It was necessary however. A single word out of context was what set my friend off in the first place. ?He insinuated that it is almost criminal to do so.
Many good, Godly words are on theologians ‘hit-lists’ as I previously stated. The moment the hit-list word is used, they go on the offensive. ?They scrutinize. They study the original text, and the historical context it was used in. ? That’s great. Then they use it to label and divide, always. Not so great. Never to exhort or encourage. ?Never.
When you pray, you are talking to God. ?When read the Bible, you are listening to Him. ? When you feel you should ‘go’ when you read that word in the Bible, you should. ?Don’t overthink it or ask for opinions on FB. Go! ?If you’re wrong, God will correct your course and steer you.
Now, let’s go back to word prosper. ? Prosper, as the other words on the ‘hit-list’, is a GREAT WORD!
Prosper can mean many things, all good. ?Such as;
1. A successfully completely journey, for a good cause.
Romans 1: 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
2. A fullfilled life
All lives are a journey. ? Some not as prosperous as others.
Prov 3:2 (GN) God’s teachings will give you a long and prosperous life.
It’s fun, that’s the best prosperity!
3. Money to do God’s will.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
- A. In all my 67 years, I have never seen a righteous man nor his descents begging bread. ?Never. ?And half of my life has been lived in underdeveloped 3rd world countries.
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Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” – Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
- A. ?Lots of people say tithes are unbiblical. ?I used to say it. ?But I do know that once I tithed my pension, my financial problems all but dissappeared.
“Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” – Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
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- A. ?I see it more and more.
God loves cheerful giver.
Psalm 1. ?Everything I put my hand to will prosper.
And 3 fold chord is not torn easily.
-A. These both help me with my marriage.
Prosper Health wise-
- I am in great health now. ? Not smoking and drinking. Controlling what I eat and what I think about. ?God healed me from cancer, aches and pains. ?I never get colds even. I’m mobile. ?I can go wherever I want. ?Eat whatever I want. Sleep anywhere.?Have energy. Better off than most people my age.
- diseases and accidents are expensive. ?I just got health insurance a couple of years ago. ?A heart attack or serious accident would have been catastrophic and very expensive. ?God prosperred my body.
Freedom from sin definitely makes you prosper.
-Gambling - every shack I go to has a bunch of lotery tickets on the floor. ?Before I got saved gambling was a problem. ?Not now!!
-Cigs - I smoked up to 7 packs a day til I was saved at 36. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
-Booze - same. ?Hundreds of thousands of dollars.
-Law suits - never happened to me but could have
-Traffic tickets - zillions , not one since I got saved
-Accidents/wear and tear
Havent had any accidents since I got saved.
Everything we have seems to last longer (big savings).
-Being a Christian makes you more conservative about leaving lights on, water running. ?We has a 1290 electric bill one month. Now we’re down to 89 dollars.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
GRANTED. ?CARS AND STUFF LASTING LONGER, GOOD HEALTH, STRONG MARRIAGE, SAVINGS FROM NO DIVORCE, NO FIRE SALES, NO VICES SAVE ME HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS (WHICH IS PROSPERITY TOO) ALTHOUGH IT IS JUST PART OF LIVING A CONSECRATED LIFE
-MOST OF ALL; God wants us to prosper.
An arrogant man stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. Proverbs 28:25
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:8
Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant." Psalm 35:27
God is delighted in prospeing His followers, just as I delight in my kids doing well.
Not only must Christians go to church, fellowship meditate on scripture, but they should be givers. ?Like I said, God loves a cheerful giver.
Yes, we’re talking about money. ? I used to think money was bad because of a few missionaries I knew. ?They were proud of the holes in their shoes, and eating expired food from the stores etc. ?However, they weren’t a good witness. ? The natives looked at them as madmen. ?All they talked about was being poor. ? They actually talked about suffering more than they did about Jesus and His goodness. ?Who wants that kind of ‘religion’? ?
The Gospel is good news! ?
Money is not the root of all evil! ?Love of money is. ?It`spossible to be rich and not love money. Many poor people love money more than the rich, to the point of covetting it. ?That is idolatry!
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
Bottom line, as in anything, prosperity is good. If someone uses it wrong, that’s between the Lord and them.
I’d rather be a grace dispenser than a sin exterminator. ?Turn on the light!
To the pure all things are pure…. ?To God be all the glory
Love in Christ
Dean
My Email; [email protected]
My USA # 1 (386) 383-8903
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