The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has an important message for saints, that is found throughout scripture. Along with all the other great messages is one that is often lost in a society that is built around obtaining more money. The message of contentment.

This is the message the Lord God gave by Christ through the Holy Spirit, to the Apostle Paul, to be delivered to debt slaves.

Notice the message from God to those who are in what we would see as the lowest of financial state, the debt slave. God’s message to them IS NOT that there is financial breakthrough on the way in this life. In fact there is admonishment against seeking to be rich and AGAINST TRYING TO USE THE GOSPEL AS A MEANS OF FINANCIAL GAIN! God says that to seek godliness is of great gain, seeking righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness in our Lord Jesus Christ. This message of “hope” is not about “hope” for a change in financial status, but rather “hope” in the promise of God through Christ Jesus. The gift of eternal life through Christ and the rewards that await in Heaven. Regarding earthly things, even the poorest are instructed to be content if their basic needs of food and shelter are met. This is the truth of how Christ instructed man to pray in Matthew 6:8-13, when asking for “our daily bread”. Not abundance of earthly gain, not overflow of material wealth. It is the message God gave His people in, Exodus 16.

Let’s look at what God gave John the Baptist to say. The greatest man born of a woman (Matthew 11:11), paving the way for Christ.

The soldiers putting their lives on the line for their leader were told to be content with their wages. Not to go taking from others. And they were not told that there is financial breakthrough just around the corner. John didn’t take an offering for himself and claim it would give them a double portion of earthly gain.

Another message of contentment to the church:

Again, scripture notes to be content with what we already have. To imitate the saints before us and this comes in Hebrews 13, when back in Hebrews 11 we are told about those saints before us. People who were tortured and cut in half, but maintained faith. They were not worried about earthly gain or what men might do to them. Their eyes were on heavenly gain instead. We are instructed not to be carried away by strange teachings, which would include the false prosperity doctrine, which is all about filling your belly and departs from the contentment found in the grace of almighty God, 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Some might claim that “God said we should prosper in all things just as our soul prospers.” This claim is a foundational statement for the false prosperity doctrine. Let’s look at the scripture that is being abused with that statement.

Notice, John is praying for Gaius, a man he knew was walking in the truth. John is not saying that God told him to tell you that you’re going to be rich. John is telling Gaius, that he’s going to ask God to prosper him and give him good health, because he was happy to hear Gaius was walking in truth. This is NOT a promise of “money cometh” for you. John was an apostle and the apostles who prospered greatly in spirit were not living the lives of rich men, 1 Corinthians 4:11. So the apostles were not living a rich life although John prayed prosperity for Gaius. Scripture is consistent and clear, we are to be content with what we have and only hope to have our basic needs met. Praying for your brothers to excel in all things is not a bad thing to pray, but we should be content and not follow false doctrines, that turn the message of Christ into desires for money. When Christ walked the earth in flesh, He did not promise the poor material wealth, He gave them the words of Luke 6:20, while telling the rich the warning of Luke 6:24. The apostles did not tell the poor they would be earthly rich, but rather held collections for poor saints, as was done for poor saints in Jerusalem, Romans 15:26-27. The instructions for believers who are rich are in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. Notice apostles were not doing like John Hagee and giving money to poor Jews while neglecting to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus to them. The apostles sought to ensure poor Jews who had accepted Christ, the saints, were first fed and unbelievers were reached via outreach ministry if they would accept it. That outreach was ministry to soul and the belly if needed. The saints in Jerusalem were under heavy persecution and so other saints would give to help them.

1 Peter 4 notes how we do not crave the desires of the unsaved and we are blessed when we are berated for the name of Christ.

Saints need to know and embrace the truth of contentment. To use the name of the Lord for personal material gain, is to speak of something other than the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the foundation laid on Him by the apostles in scripture.