My family keep trying to persuade me that Jesus want be to live a life and never wants me to be sick and wants me to prosper etc.
This to me, is absolutely contrary to what scripture teaches!
Maybe I glorify God through prospering, however, maybe I glorify God by being struck with a horrible disease and still praising him, showing the world how satisfying he is.
Here are but a few scriptures that seem to be contrary to this idea that Jesus want us to have wealth, health and prosperity.
Psalm 34:19 -- ''Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but Lord delivereth him out of them all.''
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 -- ''So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison''
Romans 8:16-18 -- ''The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.''
Philippians 1:29 -- ''For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him''
James 1:2-4 -- ''Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ''
2 Timothy 3:12 -- ''Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted''
1 Peter 4:12-13 -- ''Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ''
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 -- '' but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.''
2 Timothy 1:8 -- ''Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God''
Acts 5:41 -- ''Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.''
Romans 5:1-5 -- ''Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ''
Luke 9:23 -- ''And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.''
Matthew 10:21-22 -- ''Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved''
Phillipans 3:8-11 -- ''Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ''
1 Peter 4:1 ''Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,''
Colossians 1:24 -- ''Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church''
1 Corinthians 15:19 -- ''If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.''
My real question here is, does anyone here have a more concise way of dealing with this false gospel?
This to me, is absolutely contrary to what scripture teaches!
Maybe I glorify God through prospering, however, maybe I glorify God by being struck with a horrible disease and still praising him, showing the world how satisfying he is.
Here are but a few scriptures that seem to be contrary to this idea that Jesus want us to have wealth, health and prosperity.
Psalm 34:19 -- ''Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but Lord delivereth him out of them all.''
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 -- ''So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison''
Romans 8:16-18 -- ''The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.''
Philippians 1:29 -- ''For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him''
James 1:2-4 -- ''Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ''
2 Timothy 3:12 -- ''Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted''
1 Peter 4:12-13 -- ''Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ''
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 -- '' but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.''
2 Timothy 1:8 -- ''Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God''
Acts 5:41 -- ''Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.''
Romans 5:1-5 -- ''Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ''
Luke 9:23 -- ''And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.''
Matthew 10:21-22 -- ''Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved''
Phillipans 3:8-11 -- ''Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ''
1 Peter 4:1 ''Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,''
Colossians 1:24 -- ''Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church''
1 Corinthians 15:19 -- ''If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.''
My real question here is, does anyone here have a more concise way of dealing with this false gospel?
