The Prosperity Gospel

"Sow a seed." Anyone who has watched Christian television knows the phrase. Give to the ministry, and God will multiply it back to you, ten times, a hundred times. The offering becomes an investment, and the preacher names the expected return. Lesson 10 asked whether wealth proves God's favor. This lesson asks about the deal itself: give to get.

You may have given this way, sincerely, hoping God would answer a real need. That hope is not foolish; Jesus told you to bring him your needs. But let's look at what he said about giving, and whether a gift made to get something back is the kind he asked for. You don't need anyone's permission to give the way he taught, inside a church or outside one.

Measured against the center