On-Purpose Prosperity
//Timeless Teachings by Kenneth E. Hagin
I believe Jesus was prosperous. However, His prosperity was not measured by the accumulation of great wealth and worldly possessions. He did not live in a palace with rooms full of gold, looking out over fields of cattle and sheep. His lifestyle was not lavish or extravagant, and He was not driven by possessiveness and greed.
Yet in a small country dominated by Rome's mighty power, where the majority of the people were oppressed and exploited, Jesus' personal needs were met. He could afford to move around the country freely, going about His Father's business. He was even able to support a dozen disciples who traveled with Him throughout Galilee and into the neighboring regions.
Why did Jesus have such abundant resources? Those resources enabled Him to do God's will. Perhaps you've heard the saying, "Where God guides, He provides." Well, I believe the purpose of prosperity for a Christian is to do God's work and will.
What is God's will? John 3:16 and 17 expresses it very simply. The Lord's primary interest is saving the lost! That's why He sent His Son.
The Bible is also very plain about what Jesus did when He came to earth. Matthew 9:35 says, "Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."
Jesus is our great example. What He did, we should do. His purpose should be our purpose (John 14:12).
Check Your Motives
Can we expect to be prosperous? Yes, we can—just as Jesus was. But that means our motive should be the same as His. He wants His people—including ministers—to have plenty of resources that enable them to go teach, preach, and heal people in the villages and cities of the world, or to help others go.
Why do we want to prosper? Do we seek prosperity to help finance the work of God? Or do we just want to enjoy the lavish luxuries of life?
Now, I am not suggesting that God expects us to live on a skimpy, cramped, barely-get-by budget. Psalm 35:27 says, "Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant."
God is not magnified by our scraping along. But He's also not magnified if we are focusing all our attention and time on money and worldly possessions. No! There must be balance and common sense in our material lives.
As we read the Gospels and study the life of Christ, we get the picture of a Man Who walked the streets of the villages and towns where He went paying His own way. He mingled comfortably with the common people and helped the poor. But He was also right at home visiting with the affluent and powerful. He went to the homes of Pharisees and other religious leaders, as well as to the homes of sinners like the tax collector Zacchaeus. Jesus' first recorded miracle took place at a wedding banquet in Cana, where He turned several large jars of water into wine for the feast (see John chapter 2).
In what we call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that we do not have to worry about food, drink, or clothing. Jesus said, "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU" (Matt. 6:32–33). He went on to say, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38 NIV).
Does that sound like God wants to limit how much we can have? Absolutely not. He simply wants us to keep our priorities straight.
Reaching the World
Jesus commissioned all believers to "go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). With more than six billion people in the world today, we have a mighty big job left to do. We must either go ourselves or help send someone in our place. Either way requires significant resources.
Obviously, poverty-stricken people will be limited in their ability to fulfill this commission. So if God requires this of every believer, then it must be His plan and His will for His people to prosper.
Let me say it another way: Going or sending is the true purpose of prosperity. And if we'll obey God's Word—helping to carry out His work on the earth—His blessings will be poured out on us!
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[Editor's Note: This article was adapted from the book The Midas Touch.]
>>BOOK
Learn how to prosper God's way. Go to rhema.org/store and purchase Kenneth E. Hagin's book Biblical Keys to Financial Prosperity.
FAITH NUGGET
Why Give?
Through tithing to our local church and giving offerings to other ministries, we can be part of what God is doing in the world today. Our motive and purpose for giving should be pure and unselfish. These reasons for giving are listed in order of importance.
- We should give because we love God. Giving is a natural expression of love. John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world that He gave." And we should do the same; we should give to God because we love Him.
- We should give to God in obedience to His Word. The Bible teaches us to give to the Lord and support His work.
- We should give as a means to help carry out Christ's Great Commission and support the work of those who are going into all the world with the Gospel.
- We should give because we want to see people blessed. Our tithes and gifts help support outreaches of the local church and other organizations. Through them we minister to the poor, evangelize the lost and unreached, and build up the saints while equipping them for Christian service.
- Finally, we should give in expectancy, believing God to honor the promises in His Word to bless and prosper us. The law of sowing and reaping applies in all areas—including our personal finances.