The following 9 minute video, vlogger, Polite Leader, critiqued Duplantis’ false ministry.
I also make a few points after the video.
If you call yourself a Christian and do not read the Bible, then you are certainly deceived. The Bible says so, but you couldn’t know that unless you open it and read.
God only gives grace to His children via His appointed means of grace: reading His word; prayer to the triune God; hearing of gospel preaching; taking of the Lord’s supper; and fellowship with other believers around the word of God, as in Bible study and prayer groups.
God does not give His children material blessings to be lavished upon themselves. Blessings from God are called fruit; does an apple tree eat its own fruit? No, it is for others; as our fruit is suppose to be, per God.
The prosperity preachers tell you to seek material blessings to be lavished upon yourself.
Jesus said, pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow me.
Those two messages are in complete contradiction.
However, we cannot get to a such a place on our own, we must abide in God’s appointed means of grace to be humbled (as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5: 3ff); the Holy Spirit humbles us via the means of grace.
Receiving His humbling work is very difficult and His help must be sought via prayer and His word that we be able to receive His discipline which conforms us to the image of Christ.
What do true born-again believers tend to do?
They seek to avoid his disciplining hand by seeking riches, pleasure…. Those things cause happy feelings.
The following example is but one from the Bible wherein King David, that great saint, is buckling under afflictions permitted by God to conform him to the image of Christ:
Psa 55:3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
Psa 55:4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Psa 55:5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
Psa 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
Psa 55:7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness.
David wanted to run away to a place where the pain and fear could not touch him.
Just like those who suffer cancer would like to escape it, be free of it and feel some good feelings instead of fear, dread….
God’s afflictions are not escapable. We must go through them when they are upon us. Even though I went through cancer, and seemingly learned that lesson after a few months of running mentally; it must be relearned regarding many other types of affliction.
I am saying, when you are seeking wealth, health…you are running from the hand of God if you are a true believer.
I suspect that many that follow any of the prosperity preachers critiqued in this blog, are not born again.
Reading the Word, and praying for the new birth are necessary for those people.
For more posts on prosperity preachers in this blog, see: Categories: Prosperity Preachers