Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | maranathasrl | 67525 | ||
Is it true in your opinion that God wants His people on earth to prosper and be out of poverty? I know many people fight this and also is it true God always desires to heal we the Christians fail to recieve it? | ||||||
2 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67564 | ||
A God who does not get what He wants because of the decisions of human beings not to "receive it" would be a very weak God indeed. We do not "unlock" God's power. If God's true desire is for people to possess material wealth, then someone had better explain that to faithful Christians in the poorest Third World countries how they are living out of God's will. People should have explained to Paul that rather than collecting offerings from richer churches to help poorer churches, that he should have smiled and told the poorer churches to "claim their blessing." And all those great people of faith in church history who died of diseases! If only some "enlightened" Christian from the 21st century had told them it didn't have to be that way! It is indeed God's will that poverty be relieved -- by means of Christians (Acts 20:35; Romans 15:26; Galatians 2:10; James 2:2-6,16). The Christian life is not to be one of accumulation of wealth (Matthew 16:26; Matthew 19:21; Luke 12:33), but one of generosity (1 Timothy 6:17-19). And health is not guaranteed. Timothy was instructed to treat his ailment rather than to claim deliverance from it (1 Timothy 5:23). Epaphroditus recovered from his sickness which almost led to death. Did he not know to name it and claim it before it got that bad? Maybe Paul didn;t instruct him in the faith well enough (Philippians 2:25-27). The bottom line is that the prosperity gospel is not biblical, nor was it taught at all in church history until the 20th century. Did all of God's great preachers and teachers for 1900 years just miss this teaching which is so central to much of materialistic American evangelicalism today? I think not. --Joe! |
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3 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | inmyheart | 67614 | ||
joe Your account of Epaphroditus was in err, therefore your assumption of his sickness was not accurate. You stated: "Epaphroditus recovered from his sickness which almost led to death. Did he not know to name it and claim it before it got that bad? Maybe Paul didn;t instruct him in the faith well enough (Philippians 2:25-27)." However, if you would have read Phil. 2:25-27 just a little further to verse 30, your conclusion would have been different. Please take into account the following; Sick nigh unto death. "For indeed he was sick nigh unto death. . ." (Philippians 2:27). Paul here refers to a Christian named Epaphroditus. Some "scholars" of the Bible read verses 25-27 and then teach "See, see! Paul left somebody sick. He failed to heal somebody." The implication is that it is not God's will to heal everyone, and therefore if you pray for healing, do not be too expectant since it may not be God's will to heal you. Just because someone was sick does not mean you have to be. Epaphroditus was not the "Word made flesh." If those "scholars" had read just a few verses down, they would have seen the reason for Epaphroditus' sickness: Verse 30 says, "Because of the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me." Epaphroditus overworked! See those words "not regarding his life"? Epaphroditus made a choice to continue to work when he should have stopped. There were not many people helping Paul at this time so Epaphroditus pushed himself to "supply your lack of service" (or, "take up the slack," "make up the difference"). Epaphroditus pushed himself too far – that is all there is to it. If he had rested and then got back to work, he would have stayed well. He did not even have to over work – he made that decision himself. |
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4 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67619 | ||
Your proposed reason for Epaphroditus' sickness has nothing to do with the fact that he became sick as a result of faithful service to Jesus Christ. Being faithful was a condition that made him sick? But shouldn't he have "claimed" more energy or health to keep him going? Please show me where Paul criticizes him for "overworking." There is nothing but praise for Epaphroditus in Philippians 2. If the servant was sinning by overworking, why in the world would Paul say, "So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and HONOR such men"? Your explanation of the reason for his illness ("foolishly overworking") both contradicts the praise Paul gives him and the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to indeed give up our lives in service to him. And even if he did overwork, why did it get to the point of death before he "claimed his healing"? And what about Timothy? --Joe! |
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