Prosperity In The Gospel
- Justin Ray
- Sep 20, 2020
- 4 min read
Joel 2:28-32
Prosperity preachers love Joel chapter 2. However, they focus on the wrong verse for true prosperity. They focus on restoration of that which was lost rather than on the gifts from God that were never possessed in the first place. Think about that, which are the true riches, being returned what you once had, or being given more than you had ever possessed before? Let me explain.
And it shall come to pass afterward,
That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids
In those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
Before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:
For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance,
As the LORD hath said,
And in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Joel 2:28-32
In the two verses we see below, God tells the people that they will receive gifts from the Holy Spirit. These gifts include prophesying, revelatory dreams, and visions from God. These were gifts that they people as a whole had never had before. Only a few prophets had received these gifts. However, as we see in Act 2, these gifts was offered to everyone for a season.
But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 2:16-21
Peter said that this prophesy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit indwelt the Church. The sign gifts that were given to the people were to show that God was indeed behind the message of the Gospel. There was no denying these miraculous events. The gifts were not about the gifts themselves but about the affirmation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why the emphasis is on preaching and upon salvation.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Act 2:37-41
3,000 received Jesus Christ as their Savior in a single service! The focus was not on the gifts like some people want to make it today. From Acts 2:21-Acts 2:36, Peter is preaching. He preaches Christ crucified. It is not a nice encouraging message. It is a message that they had murdered Jesus, but God had raised Him from the dead. It was the message of the Gospel. Peter did not stop with the pouring out of the Spirt upon the people. He included the rest of the prophesy that said, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered". Delivered is another way of saying "saved" as it was interpreted in Acts 2:21. Paul also quoted this verse in Romans 10:13.
What is the true message of "Prosperity"? It is receiving the salvation of Jesus Christ from the penalty of our sins. It is coming to possess forgiveness that we never had before it is given to us. It is the free gift of a pardon from our sins that we can do nothing to earn or keep. It is the priceless blood of God's Son purging us of all iniquity. Then, his Spirit coming and living within us and equipping us to be preachers of the Gospel so that others can receive this message as well. That is prosperity. That is of far greater value than any restoration of property or accumulation of wealth that some "preachers" love to proclaim by misapplying Joel chapter 2. That is the "prosperity" that we should all long for. It is not a message of greed, but of grace.
Father, there are many we know who do not know you as Lord and Savior. I pray that they come to a saving knowledge of you. Help us to boldly proclaim the Gospel, just as Peter did. I pray that you Spirit would empower us, so that our words bring salvation. Help us not look to what we can gain in things, but what we can gain in you.
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