Religious charlatans make millions of dollars from innocent people who just basically want to be happy. They’re sick, and they want to be well. They’re poor and they want to be rich, or at least financially comfortable. They have a spiritual need, but can’t seem to find peace. An innumerable list of needs, and wants, come from sincere and even selfish people.

Along comes the televangelist promising that and more. All you have to do is send money or buy their product. They will throw out a whole line of Scriptures promising prosperity in whatever realm your need is. They prove by God’s Word (not really) that you don’t have your heart’s desire because you either don’t have enough faith or you haven’t supported the Lord’s work, meaning their “ministry.”

What are the end results? Those asking for help get fleeced, and those who say they have what you want, for a price, get richer.

Surely God must have a special judgment for those who take advantage of others in order to feather their own nest by misquoting, misapplying, and misrepresenting the Holy Word of God, the Bible.

It sickens me to see the elderly especially trustingly send their last dollar to some religious quack and me knowing they are being robbed of their meager funds they need to live. Most of the elderly today are people who were raised much differently than the breed coming up to replace them. They exist on very little and are much too trusting. They will actually believe you when you speak to them. This is exactly why the charlatans and scammers go after them.

Let us answer an important question before we go further. Should we support organizations, religious or otherwise, since so many cannot be trusted? The answer is a resounding “YES!” Every situation is different, but I would recommend first of all spending much time in prayer and investigation before providing any financial support. Ask God to show you what to do. He will. Then when you do find a legitimate need to support, do so within the means you can afford.

Yeah, yeah I know. The televangelists will say you must “step out.” You must “have faith.” You must “trust God.” You must “plant a seed,” preferably a very big one, in their garden. Look, God wants you to live within your means, and I’ll leave it at that. So for legitimate organizations, by all means, support them to the degree you are able.

Now, allow me to get back to my main point. Basically, some ministers, evangelists, Bible teachers, etc. are using sales tactics to induce others to open up the old pocket book. Several very well-known religious leaders often preach on the prosperity gospel. So exactly what is the prosperity gospel again?

The prosperity gospel says that you don’t have because you don’t ask. Jesus wants you to be wealthy. You aren’t well because you don’t have faith and you don’t give to God. God will make you healthy and wealthy when you give, to their cause of course.

Some of the verses they use are:

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14

Of course they don’t read the next verse (15) which says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Jesus’ mind is on spiritual matters, and that is where ours should be.

They may pull out, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15:16

That is a great verse, and so are verses 14, 17 and 18. Read them. Jesus is talking about loving others, not getting anything we want.

And then there are these two verses:

“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24

The only words in these two verses that people usually pay any attention to are the last eleven, “ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” What about the rest of it? What about the whole chapter for that matter, or even several of the chapters before and after these two verses? Jesus is instructing His disciples, who will become apostles, about His death and their ministry afterwards. He isn’t promising a “pie in the sky.” Think about it. These guys suffered much after Jesus went back to the Father and then died horrible deaths.

Well, you say, what about this one?

“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2

Again, what sticks out, “ye have not, because ye ask not?” What is James talking about though? He is talking about the condition of their hearts. They need to repent and ask for forgiveness, not for worldly prosperity.

I’ve gone through times myself many years ago when I used these verses and others to try to get God to heal my hurt or fill my need. There’s nothing wrong with that, until we misrepresent the verses and use them to swindle others out of money. Now I didn’t do that, and I’m sure you aren’t either, but beware of those who do.

What does all this mean though? Didn’t Jesus say, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.?” I don’t understand you say. Neither did I many moons ago, and I really needed His help. As a sidebar, I was getting His help all along, I was just too impatient and “not seeing the forest for the trees.”

Let’s consider another verse and get to the conclusion.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4

Wow, the desires of my heart! No more problems in my neck of the woods! I like this! Prosperity here I come! But isn’t that what the other verses have been saying? How about this question, “What is the desire of my heart?” Now think about it. If we delight ourselves in the Lord, what would be the desire of our heart? Fellowship with the Lord and pleasing Him would be the desire of our heart, not health, wealth and fame. Fellowship with Jesus would be our desire. Doing His will would be our desire.

King David said, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2

The “law of the Lord” is God’s Word, in other words, our Bible. This is our delight. Our Bibles should be worn out from usage. Are they?

The Apostle Paul said, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:11-13

I see nothing here about sending in our gifts in order to receive health, wealth and fame. It’s all about, “What does God have to say?” “Does what I do glorify His name?”

The Apostle Paul had no material possessions and suffered much, but his prayers were granted by God because they were in God’s will.

Am I saying that God will not cure sickness, so there’s no need to ask? Am I saying that He will not help us in our needs? Absolutely not! What I am saying is that maybe our interests need to be modified to match His. Let us follow our Lord in His prayer, “Thy will be done,” and mean it. Let us get our mind on heavenly things and off earthly things. He’ll take care of our earthly needs.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31

Luke reiterates the same words of Christ in chapter twelve, verses six and seven.

Will He help you on that final exam at school? He probably will, but not if you don’t even study for it.

Will He help you get a job? He will do that, but not if you just sit at the house waiting for the phone to ring.

Will He help you find that right person you can spend the rest of your life with? Absolutely, He will help you, but it may not be who you have in mind.

Will He help you on your job? Put Him first, and just watch Him work.

Let me emphasize one more time that the Lord is definitely aware of our material and physical needs and is always there for us, but it is our spiritual welfare that is of most importance.

Here is the bottom line. God blesses some people with material wealth, and He blesses others with material poverty. He blesses some people with physical health and others with physical sickness. Are we getting the point? Our blessings don’t come inselfish material desires. They come in spiritual longings. So what are we doing wrong? We should be asking for spiritual wealth and spiritual health above all else.

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3

Don’t you think this is the nutshell of our problem? We “ask amiss.” Why? We do so to fulfil our own desires (lusts), “selfish” material wants, but it is God’s desire that we should delight in spiritual needs. We should be asking ourselves, “What is my Lord’s desire?” We will find it in His Word, because that is where He speaks to us.

The prosperity message that comes from the false prophets is a lie, because it preys on our material desires (lust). God’s Word is a message of spiritual desires, desires that prosper in our delight in Him. That is where we need to be. Are you?

Grant Phillips

The problem with taking one verse of Scripture and then rendering an opinion on what is being said can be seen in the three passages I have chosen. In this instance, I am examining the thought that all of our sins, public and private, will be exposed for all to see at the judgment. Many people, even Christians, believe this. I have even heard it preached from the pulpits on several occasions. So, the question is, “Are all of our sins exposed for all to see at the judgment?”

Now I need to ask another question, “Which judgment?” I’ll come back to this at the end of this commentary.

FIRST VERSE:

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5

It seems, by reading this one verse, that all the hidden sins we have ever committed will be exposed to the light by God for all to see.

FIRST VERSE REVIEWED:

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (ESV)

To get a very clear picture of what is going on we actually need to read, at least, the chapter before and after our verse, but I have chosen the four verses before verse five to keep this article at a reasonable length.

Just as some do today, the Corinthians were choosing sides as to their favorite preacher. Some liked Peter (Cephas) better perhaps because he was actually with Jesus for three years. Others may have preferred Apollos because he was a better speaker and had more charisma. Others may have chosen Paul because of his passion. Who knows? For whatever reason, they had their favorites.

To get right to the point, Paul is telling them that he, Peter and Apollos are merely servants of Christ and any praise they receive, if any, will come from Him. Their work will be examined by Jesus himself, and they will be rewarded accordingly.

If you will read further, you will notice that the Corinthians were even getting pretty haughty about this, thinking more of themselves than they should. Jesus Christ will judge the intentions of our service to Him. For example, if we are serving Him for our glory, it will show up based upon the reward we receive or do not receive. If our intentions are 80% for Christ and 20% for us, it will be shown, and if they are 100% for Christ they will be shown. Paul spoke of this in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

Therefore, this is the true intent of 1 Corinthians 4:5, our verse above, our true intentions will be revealed, and then we will praise Christ.

SECOND VERSE:

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” Luke 12:2

Again, it appears that the judgment is going to be very embarrassing for us all, since we all have sins we have tried to cover and hide.

SECOND VERSE REVIEWED:

“In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” Luke 12:1-5 (ESV)

Here I have chosen the first five verses to review verse two of Luke twelve, but also read chapter eleven verses 39-54.

The religious leaders of that day were claiming to speak for God, but were they? We know now that they were not speaking for God. How do we know that? One reason is obvious they were standing face to face with God in the flesh and hated Him. Most of the Jews at that time though did not see through the hypocrisy of these religious leaders, but one day their hypocrisy will be revealed.

Many religious leaders of today claim to be speaking on behalf of God, but are just as hypocritical as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They too will be exposed as charlatans. As we saw in 1 Corinthians chapter four, our true intents will be exposed. Those who are not of God will be judged, and those who do belong to God will be rewarded with “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble.”

Please read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 again.

THIRD VERSE:

“For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.” Mark 4:22

It isn’t getting any better is it? We already know, I hope, that nothing is hidden from God and now it is obvious that our nasty deeds won’t be hidden from anyone else either.

THIRD VERSE REVIEWED:

“And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Mark 4:21-25 (ESV)

Read Mark 3:22-4:34

This whole section is talking about the kingdom of God and Jesus speaking in parables. The religious leaders who came down from Jerusalem crossed the line. They actually accused Jesus of being possessed by Satan and working under Satan’s power. From this point onward Jesus speaks to the crowds in parables and then explains the parables to His true followers.

In verse eleven of chapter four Jesus tells His disciples that they are permitted to understand the mystery (secret) of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside would only hear them in parables (stories). This was done to fulfill the Scriptures, and the Scriptures relating to this are found in Isaiah 6:9-10.

The lamp or light that Jesus is referring to is the mystery the Apostle Paul spoke of many times. Jesus is telling His disciples in the parable of the lamp that this mystery kingdom of God is about to be revealed. All that God has hidden before will now be revealed.

Furthermore, those who are open to Christ’s teaching will have even more revealed to them, but those who don’t want to hear it will lose out.

SUMMATION:

In all of this we are dealing with two categories of people; i.e. those born-again, and those not born-again, the saved and the lost.

I asked the question at the beginning of this commentary, “Which judgment?” Basically, there are five judgments: time of Jacob’s trouble (Tribulation), judgment of living nations, judgment of fallen angels, the great white throne judgment and the judgment seat of Christ.

As a child of God, saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, where do I stand under the grace of God? Will my sorry, pathetic, sinful life be exposed for all to behold?

Looking at the judgments mentioned above, I won’t be at the judgment of the time of Jacob’s trouble, or as it is commonly called, the Tribulation. So that’s out.

I am not a nation. I am an individual. So that’s out.

I am not an angel, fallen or otherwise. So that’s out.

Only those not born-again in Jesus will stand for judgment at the great white throne. Since I’m born-again (a Christian), that’s out.

The judgment seat of Christ is the last one, and I’ll be there. We have discussed this. Remember? 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. Thank God, there is no judgment or revelation of my many sins against God. This is a judgment of my works. Are they done for His glory or mine? Will I receive any rewards? What will they be, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, or some of each? This is a judgment of rewards, not condemnation!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Is it possible there could be some Christians thinking, “Great, now I can keep on with my “secret” sin and no one is the wiser!” God is the wiser. He is our Father in Heaven, and He doesn’t take disobedience lightly. Believe me He knows how to get our attention when he needs to. Don’t push it. If this is the way you think, you may not be His child. Think long and hard about that.

What about the lost, those not born-again in Christ? Will all their sins be revealed to one and all? I think they will be, because they have never asked to be forgiven of their sins. They have never trusted and followed Jesus, who takes the sins of His sheep upon Himself. The most important thing though, they will be shown every opportunity they had to believe on Jesus and every time they ignored Him or just right out said, “No.”

Keep this verse in mind: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14

Our works, Christians and non-Christians, will stand or fall before Him. If our works rest in Jesus they will be accepted, because they glorify Him. If our works rest in us, they will be rejected.

As a Christian we will lose our reward (not salvation), and as a non-Christian the soul remains condemned to hell.

My only work for salvation is that, by the faith He supplied, I trusted in His Son to be saved. My work as a Christian is to glorify Him. That is all we can claim if we are His.

Grant Phillips