Did Yahshua teach material prosperity?

I often wonder why so many of our churches teach a material prosperity gospel and wonder where in the Word of YHWH they get it?

I asked a pastor once a time ago why he was teaching so much about money and not very much about the Kingdom of God and he replied to me that "Jesus talked more about money than anything else" and "perhaps you should find another church". Hmmm....

I have a rule in life to never argue with anyone dumber than myself so when he said that I understood that this rule fit and left that church immediately.

If churches have a bunch of poor people in them how will they be supported? How will these big mega churches survive without prosperous people in them to pay for the infrastructure of the church? Are the poor really welcome in these churches? I think not. Do they have a vested interest in having rich prosperous people in the seats?

Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with wealth. If YHWH in His wisdom has blessed someone with wealth then that is great. There is nothing inherently evil about money. Remember the Word says that the LOVE of money is evil, not the money itself.

I do, however, think that money is something that is easily turned into an idol - something we think about more than we think about YHWH.

So did Yahshua teach material prosperity? In everything that I have read in His Word I think not. I think He taught that money should be used wisely as any other tool or blessing that He has given to us. Whether the gift is money, or land or some other gift, it should be used for His purposes and to live our lives according to His Word.

So churches will say, well, be wealthy and give it to us - that is doing the will of God. Well, being a good steward of our money is a big responsibility. (Remember that everything we have comes from Him anyway). If we give that money to a church that is squandering it then we are held accountable. Is that ultra big screen TV really necessary when there are poor going hungry? What about the props for every weekly service? What about the immense sound and light systems?

We can't just tithe or donate and then say, well that's done. I did my part. No - our part comes before the donation. It comes from being wise in who we give it to. Wise in asking how the donation is being spent. Is it just to get more people in the seats to give more money to buy more stuff to accommodate more people? An endless cycle of people saying the sinners prayer (another sore subject) thinking they are "saved" and now just sit there week after week giving to the business of the church?

This is what I believe:

1. Yahshua taught more about being prepared for the Kingdom of YHWH than He did about any other thing including money. This is a good thing to be knowledgeable about wouldn't you think?

2. When He talked about money He talked about responsibility and it can get in the way of entering the Kingdom.

3. Be careful who you give your money to as you will be held responsible for the spending of it. If it is not spent wisely you will be judged accordingly.

4. Money is not inherently evil, but the misuse of it is. Putting it as more important than YHWH is definitely evil.

5. If YHWH has blessed you with wealth then you also have the responsibility to use it wisely and for His purposes, which include taking care of your family and those around you that He loves who are hurting.

6. When we look at donating money we look for these criteria: Israel, widows, orphans and the truly poor. We do not donate to churches.

Choose wisely how you spend your money. Choose wisely what you think about. Choose wisely which charities you donate to.

What Has Happened To Our Churches?

Last night my husband and I attended a church service because a friend of ours was getting baptized. After about two minutes into it I was upset and appalled at what I was seeing and hearing.

In my early 20's I attended many rock concerts. I saw REO Speedwagon, Pink Floyd and others. They were loud and even then I knew they were too loud for my ears. Last night in church the music was so loud that I, and several people around me, covered our ears. It was louder than those rock concerts of my past.

Not only that they played the music the entire time people were being baptized. There was no way to hear the public pronouncement of their faith in Messiah or the Father. We could see their lips move and that's it. It was all about the music, not about the acts of baptism that were happening.

Once our friend went through the ritual we left. Our ears were ringing two hours after we got home. I wonder do they really believe that YHWH was honored and worshiped through that noise? I was so distressed by it all that I wanted to cry.

The way to worship YHWH is through obedience to Him and His Torah. We can't change how He wants to be worshiped, we need to worship Him how he wants. That isn't through music so loud that people there have to hold their hands over their ears because it hurts so badly. There is no where in the Word that says to sing that loudly and play music that loudly. Do they really think they are singing and playing to Him?

I wrote a letter to the pastors of the church this morning. At the end of the letter I wrote that they would just throw the letter away and nothing would come of it. They are in the world, not in the Word. The sad part is that they are leading a whole bunch of sheep down the wrong path.

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Master, Master!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, 'Master, Master!' Didn't we prophesy in your name? Didn't we expel demons in your name? Didn't we perform many miracles in your name? 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, 'I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!'