7 Dangers of “Undiscipled Believers + Prosperity”

First, a caveat: I am not arguing here against God’s people receiving His blessings, including significant prosperity if the Lord so grants it. Wealth by itself is not inherently problematic, but my concern here is undiscipled believers who don’t know how to evaluate, monitor, and enjoy prosperity without its becoming an idol or a distraction. And, frankly, even discipled believers face this same battle at times (thus, I’ve used 1^st person plural pronouns in this post). Here are some problems that develop in this situation: 

1. Our goal in life—an unstated one, most often—is to gain more stuff. We may recognize that it’s all temporary, but we live for it as if it were eternal. Prosperity = possessions, we think. And, possessions = God’s blessing, we assume. 
2. We evaluate our lives not in light of Jesus living through us, but in light of our having more than someone else does. That is, undiscipled believers living in prosperity gauge their value and success via comparison with others. As long as they have more, that’s all that matters. 
3. Prosperity hinders our living for and leaning on God. We don’t need to lean on God when we can rest in our prosperity—or, when we can buy our own comfort. As long as we have wealth, God can be an “add-on” to our lives. 
4. The focus of our Christianity becomes self-centered. What we get out of our walk with God becomes more important than what we can give to others. Denying self for the sake of others is foreign to us. 
5. We too easily turn God’s blessings into our idols. What we recognize today as God’s gift to us can quickly become our idol tomorrow when we lack discipleship. Then, because this is the nature of idolatry, we want even more.  
6. Church can become a social club rather than a Great Commission center. Going to church is not only the culturally right thing to do, but it’s also the place for networking and building strategic relationships that contribute to our success. The hard work of a disciplined Christian life is seldom a topic for discussion. 
7. An undiscipled focus on prosperity risks our ignoring hard passages in the scriptures about the cost of following God. No matter how many dollars and things we have, these texts still apply to all Christ’s disciples:

• “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
• “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
• “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)

Should God bless us with prosperity, may we be discipled Christ-followers who use it for His glory and for the sake of the nations who need to hear His name—and may we make disciples who do the same!