Many Churches today try to attract people to become Christians by advertising the 'benefits' of following Jesus. They teach that God wants all Christians to be prosperous financially and physically healthy. This certainly sounds like an attractive prospect and many people then think that it would be a good idea to 'give this Jesus thing a go' and see if their life becomes better.
But is this really what God promises every Christian? Look inside any Church and you will find some very faithful and mature Christians that are anything but rich. Sometimes their health may not be very good either. Does this mean that they are not true Christians or that that their faith is not strong enough? With regard to Christians, illness and healing click here to read a related article. Is this 'prosperity doctrine' really taught in the Bible or is it just what some people like to hear in order to justify their own quest for money and success?
Christians get their name from Jesus Christ, so let's begin by looking at the life of Jesus. Surely Jesus life is the perfect example of what those who follow him can expect. Did Jesus have a large house or successful business? No, the opposite is true. Jesus said, "foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man [i.e. himself] has no place to lay his head" (Matt 8:20). Not only did Jesus not have riches, many people also actively persecuted him. In Matthew 10:23-25 Jesus warns those who follow him that if his life was this way, so will be his followers.
But what about John 10:10 where Jesus says "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Does this mean that Jesus is promising that we will all gain wealth and material possessions in this life? No. Jesus merely states that we will have life to the full, or in other words, a fulfilling life. Jesus life was full. He served God totally. He helped the poor, the sick and the outcasts of society. He taught those who would listen the way that they may be saved. Jesus told his followers, "blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt 5:11). This does not seem to say that we are going to have a luxurious life of leisure and popularity with all the material possessions we could wish for, but rather that the abundant life Jesus gives us is the honour of faithfully serving him in this life and the blessing of the afterlife in the glory of heaven.
One of the saddest effects of the so-called 'prosperity doctrine' is that it gives people false motives to come to Christ. Even worse, many who realise that their lives get harder, not easier, by trying to follow Christ, then decide to abandon the faith as the 'Jesus thing' didn't work for them. When someone later comes along to preach the true gospel to them, their hearts are already hardened by the bad experience of what they mistakenly thought Christianity was.
Jesus gives us life to the full. Not one full of passing material pleasures but rather of true meaning in life and the promise that we will live with him forever. Rather than the sign of a 'good Christian' being that they have a large bank account, it is rather that they are faithful in serving their Lord whether in good times or in bad.
