(Testimony by Gudani Johnson)
Did you know that I was once DEAD in my sins?
well, Seven years ago (2012) I began to truly live, God had mercy on me when he rescued me from my sin and eternal death(which would have been the fitting punishment had I continued on the path I was on). Today as I look back I not only celebrate the fact that he has delivered me from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of the Son he loves, I also celebrate that he delivered me from Deception i.e following false teachers and embracing their false teachings which would have had deadly consequences.
Most people I went to high school thought of me as the "morally upright" student and I thought myself as a follower of Jesus because I was never much involved in any of the stuff that kids my age were up to, I was always the church girl who went to "church" every Sunday, when I wasn't studying for a test or exam I was gallivanting around the town/city trying to attend any church gathering I could. On the outside I was a hard-working student who seemed to love the Lord and has it all together but on the inside I was rotting away, chained to the love for approval, consumed by the desire to get wealthy/successful academically. I didn't see my need for repentance because how could I if I already considered myself to be a good person?...
I never cared much about who Jesus is and what he has done, the church I was attending advertised him as the man who could fulfil all my dreams(AKA a genie) so I labelled myself a Christian and went to church in order to have my desires met......after all isn't the whole point of being a Christian delighting in the Lord so that he gives us ALL the desires of our hearts...?(I was in error until God opened my eyes in 2012 when I attended a Bible study where the Bible was opened and his word faithfully taught)
Over the last couple of years as a University student and women's worker at a small church I have had the privilege of witnessing some people repent of their sins, coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, embracing the truth found in his word and learning to love the Jesus of scripture (any other Jesus you embrace that is not the one whom the scriptures write about is a figment of your own imagination, he does not save, he does not give eternal life, he is simply not real). I also have the heart to see others come to know the truth. Here are 5 prosperity sermons my ex-church taught(I'll leave it up to you to hunt for the church name)
5. Get rich quick by sowing a monetary seed
I was taught over and over again that if I wanted to become wealthy then I needed to give some money to the church and watch "God" give me more money. There is nothing particularly wrong with being rich( e.g Job was a blessed man, he owned 7 thousand sheep, 3000 camels, lots of servants,etc yet he loved God and showed concern for the poor, widows and others in need, he was a good steward of all the wealth the Lord had entrusted to him)
The bible teaches us to work to make a living and not be lazy and to avoid foolish or sinful waste of money, what it does not promise or teach is for us to pursue and expect material abundance as a reward for serving God and then use that money to enrich ourselves. Read Matthew 19:23-30 and see what Jesus says about wealth....
Why are many Pastors encouraging you to pursue the very thing that the Bible says would destroy your soul? (1 Timothy 6:6-10)
4. You deserve to be Healthy!(as long as you have faith)
No one (believer or unbeliever) wants to be ill nor do we want to see our loved ones suffering from illnesses. 15 years ago my father died of Cerebral Malaria and for some time I believed he didn't have enough faith in God to heal him hence he died, this is NOT something I picked up from scripture, this is something I was taught in "Church", that if you want God to heal you, you must possess a big faith. When I started reading the Bible few years ago only then I began to discover that even those who believe in God (e.g Job, Paul, Epaphroditus, etc) struggled with physical illness because of the reality that we still live in a sinful world and we are still subject to death which will be defeated when Jesus returns. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away"(Rev 21:4)
3. "You too can become a celebrity"
you would think since we live in a celebrity-worshiping culture, the so called "Men of God" would be preaching and emphasizing Jesus's call for us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow him. The church I went to once had a guest preacher speak on this title and in many occasions they encouraged our congregation to pursue our dreams (I wanted to be a Journalist and film-maker one day) in order to be the most famous person in whatever profession we choose. Nothing wrong with working hard to the glory of God but we are not called to be famous, to get people's applause, to be joined with the rich&famous, we are called to be committed followers of Jesus even if it means forfeiting all the world's riches and fame...we gain our soul. Jesus was not a celebrity, he never wanted to be treated like one. He came to lay down his life as a ransom for many.
Read Luke 4:1-13 and see how Jesus responds to Satan's temptations, he left us an example to follow. The temptation to disobey God and cling to other gods(money, fame, status,etc) is real for all people everywhere but we can resist Satan's schemes by running to God and listening to his word.
2. "Your season of elevation/promotion is coming!"
One particular verse I used to butcher out of context is Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 (for I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ) was a prophecy meant for the Israelites who were in exile(a punishment from God as result of their disobedience). God told them they were gonna have to stay, seek prosperity and peace and even pray for the city of Babylon that had enslaved them. And on top of that these promise in verse 11 would only be fulfilled after 70 years (possibly none of their current generation would return home), How do you think the Israelites felt at that point?even with the promise of future relief?
Whether we are offered relief from our illnesses, troubles or afflictions we are to persevere joyfully knowing that Jesus will return and set all things right, Satan will be banished, sin&death finally defeated and we will together with God in the most Holy place
(Romans 8:18, Revelation 21:3)
1. The Bible is all about ME
The main belief I picked up when I was still deceived by prosperity theology is that the Bible is about me in such a way that Jesus was only a means to an end- to get all my dreams fulfilled. It was never about Jesus-who he is, his plan of salvation and how we ought to respond to his character&deeds. This resulted in me reading the bible in a self-centered way which is what anyone in a prosperity gospel church would do;
You might also read the bible and think it is meant to speak to your self-esteem but from Genesis to Revelation , the entire scripture is about God who reigns, saves and satisfies his people through covenant, for his glory in Christ.
Jesus calls us to love our neighbour as our self(Mark 12:31), but this is not a command to love yourself because by default everyone loves themselves, we in fact love ourselves way TOO MUCH.
Are you trusting in Jesus for salvation or are you coming to him for selfish gain.....?
