welcome to this episode of real Christianity my name is Dale Partridge retweet I offer 15 to 20 that answers to tough theological and pastoral questions this show is 100% listener supported audio Ministry of relearn. Org and for those who don't know our mission a tree learn.org is to bring the church back to the Bible for bold daily encouragement joining over 500,000 Christian to follow up on social media by searching for relearn. Work on any platform
 walking the real Christianity my name is Dale Partridge for those that are new here you can always find the show notes for these episodes at our website at relearn. Org our mission here at relearn is to bring the church back to the Bible we are fighting for biblical and Theological literacy in the church and we're doing that through a variety of podcasts and contents available on our website
 today's episode is three theological flaws of the Prosperity Gospel important conversation we're going to have today the third one is the most important so please stick around to the very end of this episode before we jump into this I wanted to mention just a few things 1 I thank you guys for all of your support financially at realtor.org we could not do the show and do our ministry and continue producing products and content without your support we are working right now on a brand-new store for relearn. Org with products in them including you shirts and hats and and hoodies and stickers and lots of fun different stuff around a Biblical literacy in theology so we're excited about that if you guys would like to support our ministry a tree learn.org we would love that
 this podcast has been a blessing or edifying to you and your walk with the Lord we would appreciate you praying about supporting us on a regular basis we have hundreds of people who support at Justina five bucks a month or 10 bucks a month and not really does allow us to continue on doing our ministry it gives us the stability that we need to plan and to hire people and to pay our contractors and to produce vision for the ministry so again it just $5 a month or $10 a month would be really appreciative ask yourself are these episodes worth a dollar 25 each are they worth $2.50 each to you and if they are you can just go to relearn. Org forward slash donate and just you could set up a monthly donation their wewe
 really appreciate that and if you can't no worries we know that many families are in financial turmoil and that's okay so on that note let's go ahead and dive into three theological flaws of the Prosperity Gospel today's conversations going to mostly focus on the health side and if any of you guys know
 I'm sick I've been sick on and off for nearly ten years I've been chronically ill really for the past four years and I've had the Elders of our church pray over me and annoying me with oil I fasted I've had the entire church pray for me locally event I have had seen the best doctors that's in the best natural path I've tried experimental treatments I've read tons of books on the topic of try to herbal oils I've tried diet supplement have tried lifestyle adjustments and
 and while I've seen Improvement and even seasons of remission by God's grace I'm still ill
 and has got sustained me through it absolutely has God healed me know and here's why I know this John MacArthur speaks about how Jesus heals in his Earthly Ministry
 he says Jesus healed people sometimes who had faith and sometimes who didn't he healed people who asked for it and some who didn't he healed people here and he healed people far he healed people he was looking at and people he couldn't see he healed it not psychosomatic disorders but organic illnesses he healed people from demon possession and oppression and he always healed immediately there's no such thing as a lingering healing a multiple phase healing there's no such thing as quote I was healed and slowly I'm getting better quote and quote he healed everything everyone he wanted to heal completely instantaneously and permanently and quote
 people don't realize that suffering with sickness or any trial for that matter is extremely theological in fact it's pain that forces people to attain doctrinal and biblical Clarity because if you don't have a correct you of God and yourself and the Gospel of Jesus Christ you're going to be inclined to do two things one adopt false Doctrine based on your emotions and to deny true Doctrine based on your emotions over the years I've seen the claims and Promises of the health and wealth gospel the Prosperity Gospel and I've seen the preachers on TV and heard the theology that comes out of Bethel on the other Prosperity pushers that are out there today in fact just yesterday I had a well-intended gentleman comment on one of my post telling me quote I have a word for you
 implying that he had a word for got are from God for me he continue to say quote God wants to heal you completely one word is all it will take but you must take the next step of Faith he then went on to give instructions of how I need to throw away everything that is a man in my life and walk the Narrow Path he continued and kind of closed off his statement with he will do it take my word and put God to the test the just shall live by faith
 so since this stuff is becoming more and more common to the church today I thought it would be helpful if I just broke down this man's comment for you and hopes to equip you with the truth on the matter for the next time that you're approached by again a well-intended but very theologically confused person about the truths regarding Faith and Healing so first he says
 quote I have a word for you and I know this is really dangerous when someone says that they have a word from God for you or imply that your response should always be crate what chapter and verse
 K meaning that I'm not saying that the Lord
 can't put a prompting upon someone's heart to go encourage another believer that's very possible and it's very biblical but to imply that God is speaking through one person to another person means that one if the following statement made doesn't materialize then either God life which is impossible according to scripture or to your a deceiver the person that saying these things as it is a deceiver and needs to repent and to this is why we just go as someone says that God speaking to me just it won't show me in the scriptures where this is true because the spirit of God and the word of God are one and they're not going to disagree with each other so tell me where you're getting this word from God cuz it's not in scripture then it's not going to be true and then you can look at it see logically in the scripture in the context of that passage and try to interpret if this person is
 deceiving intentionally or unintentionally or speaking truth
 and we know that God is no longer speaking through men why while Hebrews 11 through 2 important passage of scripture that says God actually spoke long ago to the father's in the prophets and many portions of the many ways in these last days has spoken to us in his son the key word here is spoken which is in the past tense that is God has once for all delivered his words to his people to the testimony has sun and the recording clarifying and in scripture rating of that testimony by his twelve chosen Apostles okay so that's just I wish I could talk about that more that's more of it an issue that I could have a whole episode on but that's just the quick on that
 the next thing this gentleman says
 is number two he says that God wants to heal you completely and quote
 all right so this implies that God has
 Shield me partially right God wants to heal you completely right you're partially healed right now but again which we we talked about MacArthur's quote before the idea of partial healing is out of step with The Healing Ministry of Jesus quoting a scripture the more importantly what he's doing here as he's painting a picture of a wanting guy who is waiting on me in my face to accomplish his will and it becomes evident that the gentleman does not understand the doctrine of God's sovereignty and Providence play Psalm 115 3 says but our God is in the heavens he does whatever he pleases another what if God wants to heal me he would you me
 and yes it's also implies that the Lord for some reason has permitted my illness and its continued presence in my life by John Piper speaks to the purpose of this when he says the suffering of sickness and the suffering of persecution have this in common
 they are both intended by Satan for the destruction of our faith and governed by God for the purifying of our face
 Christ sovereignly accomplishes his loving purifying Purpose By overruling Satan's destructive attempts Satan is always aiming to destroy our faith but Christ magnifies our faith and his power in our weakness
 another words God has seen that he would be more greatly glorified in my illness at this point in time then in my Wellness
 that is when a non looking World sees the staying power of my faith in the face of my illness and trials it's a testament not to me but a testament to the sustainer of my face and he knows that like Jobe the enemy could throw complete tragedy
 at me and I would not deny Christ and I can say this because scripture promises that God will sustain my face
 2nd Corinthians 12 7 through 10
 talks about Paul in his state of weakness
 it says because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations for this reason to keep me from exalting myself that's the purpose there was
 given to me a thorn in the flesh
 some we don't know exactly what that is but it's some sort of pain in his body
 and this is, a messenger of Satan to torment me in addition he also gave him a persecutor
 doormat paw
 goes on to say to keep me from exalting myself
 concerning this that is The Flash The Thorn In the Flesh and the messenger of Satan I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me
 and he said to me quote my grace is sufficient for you for power is perfected in weakness
 some of translating for my power is perfected in weakness
 he does on it and writes most gladly therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses so that purpose Clause so that the power of Christ May dwell in me there for I Delight in weaknesses in insult in distress has in persecutions in difficulties in behalf of Christ for when I am weak then I am strong
 this passage essentially the nail in the coffin of the health and wealth gospel God uses our weaknesses whether by trial or tragedy to the art to demonstrate
 his power in us before a law stand on looking World they look at us and they go how can a man under that much trial still have faith in a good and loving God
 and there are men and women who suffer far greater than I do
 and so for those of you who are under trial today don't only ask God how to remove the pain
 but ask yourself how can I glorify God in this pain today
 how can I show that Unstoppable trust and faith that I have in Christ in this suffering too and I'm looking world
 that's what we talked about the first point which was speaking on behalf of God we talked about the second point which is this idea of a wanting guy but he's waiting on me and we'll talk a little bit more about that in the second third and I think this is the most dangerous to logical flaw that gentleman's comment he said one word is all it will take but you must take the next step of faith
 he goes on later in his comment talking about how I need to take a step of faith I'm implying that I need to ratchet up the intensity of my face like I got work to do
 trust right they're going to increase my faith
 now
 if this
 theological instruction is true this means I get to share in the glory of the healing of my body
 I get the credit for my ability
 to intrinsically exercise greater faith
 which in this gentleman's theology is the catalyst
 for my healing
 and then God gets the glory on his part
 for his ability to heal me
 at first we know that Isaiah 42:8 says this
 I am the Lord that is my name I will not give my glory to another some of translated it I will not share my glory with another we also know that Romans 11:36 says for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever amen and quote
 so my first point is that any system of theology with a work of man is needed for God to perform his will is called synergism
 and it's under local we know that God according to scripture is monergistic synergistic means two parties working together modernistic is one party working in a meeting that he works God works to bring about his will in our lives regardless of our cooperation
 we can actually see that most famously in our Salvation under the doctrine of irresistible Grace but again not not a conversation for today
 but let me move to what I think is the core of this statement that he made and what I think the major theological flaw is and how to deal with it
 his argument with the statement that he says
 but you must take the next step of faith
 his argument presupposes that I have the ability to increase or decrease my level of faith
 okay he believe that I have the ability
 intrinsically on my own to increase or decrease my level of faith
 namely that I alone
 have those capabilities right those means to take that next step a big Fierce Faith as if we used his wording
 this is not a Biblical perspective
 as you might know according to scripture I'm not the author of my face nor am I the sustainer of my faith and therefore I cannot increase my face on my own and look at a few scriptures to back up that cling Hebrews 12:2 says quote looking to Jesus the founder and Perfecter of our faith some have translated the author and finisher of our faith what it's saying is that Jesus is the Forerunner of all saving and obeying face
 okay he is the source the way maker the very bridge and Foundation that makes true saving Faith obeying the faith God glorifying faith even accessible to Fallen man
 but Jesus isn't just the one who made Faith obtainable to men
 through the spirit
 he's also the Wellspring of Faith the manager of phase two distributor of faith when does Ephesians 2:8 says for by Grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God
 can the word that
 is a demonstrative pronoun
 and I'm talking about it says for by Grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God so the word that is a demonstrative pronoun and with any pronoun in scripture we want to identify its antecedent an antecedent is just the object which a pronoun is referring to for example if I say Bill threw the ball and then he chased after it well what's the antecedent of he who's the Heat so it's Bill cuz bills for the ball and then he chased after it so I want to find
 the antecedent for the word that what's the that for by Grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God well without explaining exegetical Greek to you guys on this episode I can tell you that that is referring to both the grace and the faith they are both gifts from God we don't have saving faith God glorifying obeying faith in us prior to God gifting it to us
 okay so Jesus is not only the way maker of our faith but he is also the gifter and distributor of our faith meaning that any face that you have is not of yourself but it was a gift from God
 and we know this Romans 12:3 says you you not to think I cut off a little bit of the beginning of the section here it says you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think what to think with sober judgment each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned
 okay God has not just made the way for faith not just gifted the faith but it's actually the manager of fate and has assigned each person a measure of that face there are people that have actually been given the gift of incredible faith
 and you may have witnessed these individuals
 so we are not the
 Originators of faith we are not
 people who have faced it was not gifted to us we are not able to control the measure of Faith intrinsically it is assigned to us by God
 and then
 basically what I'm getting at is if you want a stronger Faith there's only one solution you have to ask God through prayer to strengthen your faith
 it is God who can strengthen your faith you can't increase your faith without God
 and this is exactly what we see in Luke 17-5 it says quote the Apostle said to the Lord quote increase our faith
 they knew is that Jesus is the source of faith that he's the manager of Faith he's the distributor of faith and this is why the theological position that tells Christians that they must increase their faith in order to make them well order for God to heal them is absolutely unbiblical and absurd to the man Believers to do something that only God can do for them is not only deceptive but it actually creates an act or were made to believe that we have some involvement in Divine Healing it's grossly it's it's just a gross elevated view of man
 enforces Christian to look into themselves rather than looking up to God for their needs
 and ultimately our healing has nothing to do with our Measure of Faith Paul had an incredible Measure of Faith with the Lord kept him in a state of weakness Timothy had such a strong faith that he endured Martin according to church history but he also had stomach ailments that the Lord chose not to remove I mean the list goes on of incredible men and women with great faith who suffered with illness and glorified God in their illness
 now
 does this mean that we don't ask God to heal us
 no we do we absolutely ask God God is a good god who wants to give good things to his children
 that's said in God's wisdom he may permit us to remain in a state of weakness or the state of illness or the state of trial
 that it may more effectively conform us to the image of his son and also bring about more glory to his name
 and
 I feel like I should stop there
 but I guess I will at least just closed the last statement because I said I would talk about his whole
 quote and comment
 the last statement as you guys remember for my when I said previously he basically said and put God to the test the just shall live by faith
 I'm sure that we know the position on testing God that's in the Bible Jesus said to Satan and I quote from Luke 4:12 and Jesus answered and said to him it is it said You shall not put the Lord God to the test
 plain and simple and yes the just do live by faith we are justified by our faith has nothing to do with the healing of our flag
 so I hope this is been edifying to you guys we must be biblical e-literate so that we can catch heresies and counterfeit sand false doctrines they're coming out of everywhere in social media and worship songs and sermon Clips in podcast we need to be able
 to identify errors
 because we have spent time in the truth
 and so please I said this many times before you can't know your Bible by simply allowing other people to tell you what's in it you need to get that Bible out study it read through it pray through it look at commentaries try to grasp the systematic theological comprehension the web of the grand Redemptive plan of the Gospel it will help you and help others Guard from heresies that are entering the church all around us on that note I hope this episode was helpful for you guys thank you for listening and thank you for your loyal listenership for those that are regular listeners to the real Christianity podcast if you are you guys consider leaving a review
 you can do that by just go to the podcast app and tapping the Stars you don't even need to write anything but if you do write something we will absolutely read it or they're very encouraging to me thank you also for your continued support of our ministry again you can do so after either. Org forward slash donate I'm not no my name is Dale Partridge and I'll see you next week
thank you for listening to this episode of real Christianity if your regular listener to the show would you prepare fully consider making a donation to support our ministry efforts simply visit relearn. Org forward slash donate again that's relearn. Org forward slash donate and for those looking to explore the idea of joining or planting a church in your home you can download our free pdf ebook title the basics of biblical House Church by visiting relearn. Org forward slash house last week do you have a theological question you would like answered on the show submit your question at relearn. Org forward slash question thanks for joining us on this episode of real Christianity we will see you next Wednesday