Taking a Look at the Gospel of "Godly Bliss"
The transitioning of the Gospel from the spiritual to the physical and material has yielded a generation of pseudo-believers who seem to think the first time something goes wrong as a Christian the whole Bible falls apart. These people also seem to think that everything in heaven is for them on this earth. That the entire reason for their being is to be happy, wealthy and in perfect health all the time.
I heard someone speak recently about how everything in their life was the definition of "Godly bliss". This person had not been sick in years, had more money than they knew how to spend, had more friends than their address book would hold names and they had a smile that never came off their face. They had four beautiful kids who all got straight A's in school and excelled in all they set out to do.
Upon hearing this, I immediately thought I must be listening to a television or movie star. No one I have ever known has such a perfect life. Maybe some do that I don't know about, but what the person said next really bothered me. The person claimed that what they had and were experiencing was God's will for EVERY believer. The implication was very clear; if you had anything less than this perfection in your life, you needed their gospel. Then, for what seems like the millionth time, attention was drawn to one verse in the Bible upon which to base this wonderful religion. That verse of course is John 10:10b:
"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
Here, in a context dealing strictly with SHEEP, Jesus makes a bold statement. After saying that the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy; then he says that he has come to give life. Obviously, according to context, the thief is the wolf who seeks to catch the sheep and scatter them. It is absolutely amazing to me how people can pull this one part of a verse out of John and build a religion out of it.
If a person spent the next five years doing nothing but studying the four gospels looking for other verses to back up John 10:10b with; there would be a handful at best which could possibly be used to promote the "feel good all the time look at how much God has blessed me with" gospel which fills so many churches today.
Expanding the search to include Paul's, John's, Peter's and James' epistles will yield a grand total of one verse which could possibly back up the John 10:10b doctrine. That verse is of course 3 John 2:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
John simply prayed that Gaius would prosper in all things and that his physical health would prosper as his soul's health did. There is no way this verse could be construed as general doctrine for the entire church. Yet, there are many who use this verse to justify their "feel good all the time look at how much God has blessed me with" gospel.
I met the head of a huge local non-denominational church a few years ago. This church has well over 5,000 who attend services each weekend plus Sunday services are shown on a local television channel. Anyway, the gentleman arrived at a health food store managed by someone in his church. He walked in wearing clothes fit for a king and I looked out at the Lincoln Continental he drove up in. The front license plate said: "Gift From God".
I walked over to the man while the clerks in the store raced around filling his order, and I asked him why he thought the car was a gift from God. He said because the people of the church gave so much in offerings that he could afford it. I pointed out the window to the Geo Metro I was driving at the time and told him that little car was my gift from God. He laughed and told me I needed a bigger God.
Is the measure of our God determined by what kind and how big a vehicle He "blesses" us with? Is the measure of our God determined by the valuation of the house we live in? To use physical and material standards to measure God's power is to say that God is only interested in physical and material things.
I was attending a conference last summer where the host minister was bragging to a group eating lunch together about the top of the line huge 4 x 4 pickup he had just bought due to all the money coming into the church. Someone mentioned that he was sure "blessed" since he had just been bragging about the huge plasma television he had bought for his kids. With sudden seriousness he said; "You bet he was blessed, for that's why he did what he did."
Here are the critical issues; do those entrusted with the oversight of a church have the privilege of using the money they take in as offerings to buy for themselves $40,000 pickups? Do those entrusted with the oversight of a church have the authority to take $50,000 or more from the offerings to buy for themselves luxury cars and then advertise it was a gift from God? Just because these groups are not for profits, does it give them the right to squander so much on themselves since they must show they use up all the money coming in?
If indeed the gospel is one of "feel good all the time look at how much God has blessed me with"; then I guess it is fine for those teaching such gospel to assume the money taken in is to bless them with new vehicles, televisions and real estate. If indeed God is nothing more than a huge vending machine in heaven who dispenses toys upon receipt of a few dollars in offerings, then I guess it is fine for those who preach such a gospel to live in million dollar mansions and fly in private planes and the such.
My God is not a vending machine. The gospel I have staked my life to is not a selfish feel good prosperity gospel. My God is a Holy and Mighty God whom I serve as a faithful servant. I am content to have my needs met and nothing more. The gospel I love and preach is one of repentance, forgiveness and redemption. The gospel I love and preach promises eternal life, peace and joy to those who obey.
Needless to say, I do not plan on attending any more conferences such as the one I went to last year. Needless to say, I am not a big fan of churches which spend all their time promoting a God who exists ONLY to bless them with material wealth and prosperity. Given a choice, I would gladly devote my life to serving God in obscurity as a nameless monk in a hermitage than to parade around the globe as the good will ambassador for the "look at me, feel good all the time look at how much God has blessed me with" gospel.
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Author: blessings2you
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 826 (archive)
Blog Comments: 1356
god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten...
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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a...
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