Prosperity Gospel and False Teachers

Prosperity Gospel, blab it and grab it, name it and claim it, health and wealth... false teachers who say you need to "give to get" come in many flavors. <p>Beware of false doctrines and false teachers. We are called to walk in truth and light and worship the one true God.</p> <ol> <li>What do we mean when we say prosperity gospel?</li> <li>What makes a false teacher and why do we need to be aware of them?</li> <li>How do we know what the truth is and if someone is a false teacher?</li> </ol> <p> </p> <p><strong>NOTES:</strong></p> <ul> <li>This Weeks Whiskey: Stranahan's Blue Peak single malt whiskey</li> <li>Prosperity Gospel relies on ideas like, "that the more money you give, the more money you'll get"... "doesn't a good God what you to be prosperous, happy and healthy?"</li> <li>It uses hope and promises of "the good life" and part-truths, to emotionally manipulate people to give money they don't have to make false teachers wealthy</li> <li>The "Health and Wealth Gospel" treats God like a magic genie, who is obligated to give us what we want if we just have enough faith or say the right prayer or give enough money</li> <li>Suffering, hardship, illness or poverty are not necessarily due to people sinning or being unfaithful to God (but the prosperity gospel would tell you it is)</li> <li>A large indicator of a false teacher is that they don't preach on or talk about suffering. They don't have a theology of suffering because they are preaching a false gospel about how god wants to deliver us from suffering, if we just give enough and have enough faith.</li> <li>Idolatry is what happens when we focus more on the gifts, then the Giver.</li> <li>Prosperity Gospel is a counterfeit gospel... you spot counterfeits by really knowing the real thing (intimately knowing God and His word)</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.'”</p> <p>Deuteronomy 18:20 ESV</p> <p>“My hand