Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 25 (The Natural Man’s Prosperity Gospel, Part 2: “Peace, Prosperity, Health & Family Values”)
By admin On February 14th, 2021.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3 – May 25
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The Natural Man’s Prosperity Gospel,
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Part 2:
“Peace, Prosperity, Health & Family Values”
To read Part 1, go here…June 23rd (The Natural Man’s Prosperity Gospel)
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In Part 1 (click here), it was established that today’s prosperity-driven gospels are a relatively new phenomenon which really came into its own in the last few centuries.
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Yes, for most of the past 2,000 years, the world just got by.
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And there were virtually no get-rich gospels blowing in the wind back in those days.
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People knew that they weren’t going to hit the lottery jackpot. People knew that poverty was probably going to be their lot in life.
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Orphanage run by Christians – Jan de Bray – Wikimedia – Public domain
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AN OPULENT SOCIETY
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But today, we live in a cornucopian super-society, in which just about every kind of affluence and abundance is within reach!
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It is a state-of-the-art society, in which various lifestyles almost seem as if they are stamped out on some giant societal assembly-line machine.
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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped photo – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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THE GREAT BABYLONIAN DREAM-MAKER!
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And because of television, Internet, as well as the printed page, the most coveted lifestyles are deeply engraven upon the hearts and minds of the vast populace in many industrial nations around the world.
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In other words, society has determined what are the best lifestyles that the world should seek after.
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And these rather affluent lifestyles are being promoted via our high-tech media on a 24/7/365 basis!
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ABOVE PICTURE: Dream Maker of Babylon – Signs Of Heaven.org
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AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST
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Well, for the people of the world, these pre-fabricated lifestyles are to be expected.
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But even though we Christians have grown up, lived, and worked in this fallen world, we have now been given a much different commission from God: to become, “ambassadors for Christ” to the people of this lost and fallen world, calling them to forsake this selfish world, and live for Heaven. (see 2nd Corinthians 5:20)
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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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ITCHING EARS GOSPELS
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And yet, the Enemy of Souls has crept in unawares, bringing with him these worldly lifestyles, which require so much time, effort and energy to obtain, and to maintain.
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And unfortunately, the Christian community, to a great extent, has, “bought into” and embraced these worldly aspirations!
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And in so-doing, there is a counterfeit gospel now being preached in many or perhaps most pulpits, and certainly on most every Christian TV and radio network!
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Evangelist Preaching – Church – Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“SUPPOSING THAT GAIN IS GODLINESS”
(1st Timothy 6:5, and onward)
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And the essence of this false gospel is a prosperity-driven message.
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Oh no, this earthly-prosperity message is not merely concerning money.
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But this counterfeit, look-alike gospel is a total package, complete with morality and family values attached!
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Now what in the world could be wrong with morality and family values?
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After all, the entire world seeks after peace, prosperity, and good health!
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And so, morality and family values would go hand-in-hand with such earthly blessings, wouldn’t they?
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Question Marks – At a loss – svg – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License
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“YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!”
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Well, nothing is wrong with morality or family values.
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That is, there’s nothing wrong if they are a natural outgrowth of a man, woman, or child becoming a “new creation”, filled with the precious promises of God’s Word!
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Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US-Govt. – Public-Domain
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LIFESTYLE CHANGE INSTEAD OF DYING-IN-CHRIST
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But all too often, these close counterfeit gospels are preached, mostly void of God’s Word.
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Oh yes, these morality/family-values gospels will often throw in various Bible verses concerning marriage and child-rearing.
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And yet, these false gospels mostly side-step or ride roughshod over the true heart of Christ’s message: to become “born again”, constantly striving to be filled with God’s Word in all godliness and holiness of the Spirit of Christ.
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PICTURE: “Thy Word have I hid in my heart” Psalm 119:11
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MISSING INGREDIENT
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To become “born again” as “a new creature” in Christ, becoming filled with God’s Word and indwelt by the Spirit of Holiness is a statement worthy of much contemplation! (see John, Ch. 3 & 2nd Corinthians 5:17 & Galatians 6:15)
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And yet, this great truth is often slighted, or at best, this grand principle is confused by all the worldly elements now being injected into the Gospel.
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Yes, this “wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing” gospel is now being preached nearly everywhere on the “Christian” television, radio, Internet, and even in today’s pulpits.
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Church music – Singers & Dancers – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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THE HIGHWAY OF HOLINESS
Isaiah 35:8
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But the true Gospel is actually a spiritual sojourn upon the upward pathway to Heaven.
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And every precept, every precious promise, and every prophetic utterance: these are as the very stepping stones on that Heavenward Highway of Holiness!
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MUCH DISCOURAGEMENT
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And yet, the true Christian should not be surprised to encounter rebellion by his or her family!
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Yes, quite often, the true disciple of Jesus will discover that his family rebels against him, wanting nothing to do with his (or her) Christianity!
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It is just as Jesus forewarned…“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth…And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Matthew 10:34-36
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Prayer – Anna Blunden – For Only One Short Hour – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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GOOD NEWS! PRECIOUS PROMISES!
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Well, the Good News is, that the Bible contains precious promises regarding the Salvation of the Overcomer’s family.
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Listen…“Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.”
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Family Portrait – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-alike License
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Let me not be deceived by the deceitfulness of riches. Let me keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, and pattern my life after His glorious life…
Family Prayer Before Meal – Wikimedia – US-Govt. – Public-Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “June 9th (The Power of Positive-Thinking Gospels!)” or you can also read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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THE ARK IN THE HEAVENS
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So what importance to us is all this information? Well, if a person goes out at night, beginning in April (earlier in southern-most latitudes, and later in northern-most), in the pre-dawn hour, they just might locate the constellation commonly referred to as the Sagittarius Constellation . It is located in the southern sky. (Each night it appears a little earlier, slowly inching westward, through the summer, until it finally disappears below the western horizon in November.)
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At first, it simply appears as two twin birds flying westward. But if you look once again, it just might appear as a long box-like figure, with one star on the right, as you face it, and two stars on the left. The box, of course would be the Ark, and the stars on either side would represent angels, which are sometimes referred to as stars in the Bible (for instance, “the seven stars are the angels…” Revelation 1:20). To the right is a star-chart from Wikipedia, in which the editor of this site has sketched in this Sagittarius Constellation, to show how God created it to appear.
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Ark of the Covenant Constellation”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW:
May 26 (Eternal Torment? Part 21: “The Impossibility of Eternal Torment!”)
Buddhist Hell – Wikipedia – public domain
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90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM or BIBLE STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THIS BIBLE STUDY or 90-MINUTE OPEN FORUM, A QUESTION/ANSWER CALL-IN, TALK SHOW.
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CLICK HERE TO LISTEN…The Open Forum Harold Camping July 10, 2002 (youtube.com)
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ABOVE PICTURE: Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.
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