Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good evening,
everybody and welcome to another
edition of the Jordan andKristen Rickard show actually
your two hundred and firstedition, believe or not, we
thank you.
We thank you for tuning intonight.
I know that you guys put thison your calendar at 845 every
Tuesday, at AM 570, true story.
We've actually, we've actuallytwice missed our own show airing
twice.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I thought I was just
one.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
No, we were like no,
twice.
We were like watching a movieand you're like, oh, our show
just aired.
And we're like, okay, well, wecan get on the podcast, and so
can you, by the way that's rightif you miss our show.
Don't forget to get on thepodcast and you can even be like
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Go to our YouTube channel.
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hey, listen, do not despise thesmall beginnings.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Right, that's what
God said.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, well, for now.
All right, so it checks out.
Tonight's topic is going to bethe prosperity doctrine, what it
is, what it isn't, and howprosperity has really become, I
think, distorted a lot in bothdirections in the church.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
But before we get to
that, kristen, go ahead and pray
for all of us thank you, jesus,for your love that reigns not
just during this holiday season,but all your long-laned God.
I just pray for those who aregoing through a really rough
time right now, and maybe theholidays bring up kind of rough
feelings and just grieving, lord, I just pray that you give them
(01:14):
your comfort, your peace, god,and your overwhelming joy that
fills us in your presence.
God, lord, we just honor youand we praise you, for your
promises are yes and amen, god,and we hold on to you and what
you say.
We don't.
We don't look at what the enemysays or we don't look to the
right, to the left.
We focus in on you, god, and wethank you.
(01:36):
That is already finished andyou've already began that good
work and you're gonna finish it,jesus name amen.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Okay, so prosperity
doctrine this is, I think, one
of the most misunderstood thingsin all of Christianity.
It is something the Bible talksabout a lot and very few people
understand it.
And Chris and I just have totell you, you know, this is sort
of it's an important topic tome because, as you know, I spent
a lot of my formative years inwhat would be called sort of a
prosperity church and I thinkthere was a time and a place for
(02:05):
what they were doing there.
The church happened to have avery large impoverished minority
population and I think theyneeded to understand how God's
will for them was not to live inpoverty necessarily, but
actually to lift them out ofpoverty and and to prosper and
all things, even as our soulprospers.
In one of my favorite verses Itold you this is the very first
few verses of the book of Psalmswhere it says you know, if you
(02:28):
do the right thing, theneverything you do will prosper.
Okay, the problem is it hasbecome largely distorted and you
see it with the televangelists.
You know the guys living in 20million dollar homes.
Some of these guys havemultiple jets.
You know and, and, and.
They're promising you that ifyou just give them money.
You can live just like this.
Like I tell you, you know,prosperity is not really
(02:49):
necessarily about focusing on on, you know, fast cars and Rolex
watches.
Of course I say that I'mwearing my vintage Omega watch
that you got me for our firstanniversary, so you can talk to
us about how prosperity isn'tnecessarily a bad thing, but it
shouldn't be necessarily thefocus, and so I think there's
been a lot of distortion as faras that goes yeah, I, first of
(03:09):
all, when you mentionedprosperity, you know, and with
the prosperity gospel you, yourmind tends to go to the money
aspect, but I think about theword prosperity.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
It's so much more
than money, and anytime that
I've been unhealthy in my life Iremember an older person saying
to me one time you know, healthis wealth, and that's true.
I mean you when we talk aboutprosperity, real prosperity.
Money to me is just like asmall wealth is just a small,
small part of it.
(03:39):
When you need it, prosperity,god is wanting to prosper us in
every area in our health, in ourjoy, in our family, things that
money can't buy.
So I just wanted to clarifythat real quick.
And you know, I've had I, as aPaul says, I know what it is to
be in need and I know what it isto have plenty.
And I've gone through a seasonin my life where I'm, you know,
(04:02):
had some financial struggle andI wouldn't trade that for
anything.
Gave me the grit that I havetoday and the prosperity that
God gave during that season inother areas was amazing.
But I've also had seasons, werebeen very financially blessed
and I remember reading a bookone time and I almost started to
feel guilty about my financialblessings, because the person
(04:26):
writing the book and I don'tthink they meant it this way,
but it kind of came across likeWell, if you have this and you
if you have that, and then youshould be not holding on to that
and it got to the point whereit's like, well, where do you
draw the line you know is in, orplumbing, something that I
shouldn't have, you know?
So I think the point of all ofit is we need to keep the focus
(04:47):
on God.
He wants you to have nicethings and prosper, but that
shouldn't become an idol.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Yeah, you know, I see
the counter reaction also.
It's interesting how there'sthat, that scientific principle
for every action there's anequal opposite reaction.
It seems that the moreprosperity doctrine has been
distorted toward it, meaninglike living large and private
jets, neck and nonsense, themore you've seen this sort of
counterweight, which is Goddoesn't perform miracles.
God doesn't want you to prosper, he doesn't necessarily want
(05:16):
you to be healthy.
Bad things are going to happento you.
Just have to suck it up anddeal with it.
And the truth is neither ofthose things are scripturally
accurate.
Right, you don't have to draw amiddle ground.
But if you just look at whatthe Bible says, it talks all the
time about prosperity, aboutGod wanting you to prosper.
The book of Proverbs is allabout that.
Okay, but the part that peopleleave out is it's not.
(05:38):
You're not being prospered foryour own aggrandizement, you're
being prospered to help buildother people up.
There's the verse in the BibleIn Corinthians which says you
know God is able to bless youabundantly so that in all things
, at all times, having all thatyou need, you will abound in
every good work.
As it is written, they havefreely scattered their gifts to
(05:59):
the poor, their righteousness inDurst River.
Now, he who supplies seed tothe sower and bread for food
will also supply and increaseyour store of seed and will
enlarge the harvest of yourrighteousness.
You will be enriched in everyway so that you can be generous
on every occasion and, throughus, your generosity will result
(06:20):
in thanksgiving to God.
And so the idea that, last line, through us, your generosity
will result in thanksgiving toGod, chris, and that goes back
to something we were saying thelast couple weeks, when the
themes that we've had, when I'vecomplained about Staying awake
during church services, is how Isaid.
We agree that the best sermonsare not the sermons you preach,
it's the life you live and what.
What Paul is saying here inCorinthians.
(06:42):
He's saying look, you know, ifyou really want to honor God,
yeah, god will bless you, butyou have to be generous.
And when people see your gooddeeds, when people see how
generous you are, that willresult in thanksgiving to God.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
That's exactly right.
I feel like you know it's notabout flaunting whatever it is,
but it's about giving the gloryto God.
And that can go as a principle.
Guess, financially, whereyou're flaunting your wealth,
but instead you're beinggenerous and not withholding.
And there's a verse about donot withhold good when it's in
within your hand to do so.
(07:16):
But you know, like I saidbefore, prosperity, so many
things you know.
Wealth is just one little partof it.
Because I could think aboutwell, I don't want to talk about
how great my husband is,because what if somebody else
has a really rough marriage?
Are they just lost her husband?
So it you can go all differentways with this.
And it's being sensitive to theHoly Spirit.
(07:37):
And you see that a lot on likesocial media.
Like what do you post and saythank you for this testimony,
because you are encouragingpeople with your testimony, how
God has blessed you.
But then it's like okay, wheream I sensitive as to what I say?
And I think that just goes backto filtering everything through
the Holy Spirit and justpraying God, help this, whether
(07:57):
it's a post, whether it'ssomething I say to a friend,
help it to bless people and notbe something that is, I'm like,
look at me, look at, look at me.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Yeah, I also want to
point out that, when it comes to
material prosperity, I think alot of people get the wrong idea
.
They think you sign up forChristianity and all of a sudden
God's gonna start sending youchecks in the mail.
In fact, one of the mistakes Ithink that the church I went to
use to use to commit is theykind of gave that idea and they
would just you know, pray for,just you know, finding money and
money finding means of it'slike.
(08:27):
Well, if you actually read theBible, what the Bible actually
says is he gives seed to thesolar.
That that implies labor on yourpart.
Right, you have to take theseed, you have to do something
with it.
Leviticus says when you reap theharvest of your land, you know,
make sure to give some of thepoor.
What that means, you actuallyhave to go out and work, okay,
and so it's not like, it's notlike there's a sort of
(08:48):
unilateral contract where pardonme for using lawyer language
where, where, it's just likeokay, god, I'm a Christian now
and thank you for everything andand you know where's the
blessings that come along withit.
I mean, you actually have to.
What's the saying?
Faith.
Faith without works is dead.
And so you actually have to putyourself in a position where,
when you are blessed, that youactually go ahead and you work
(09:10):
for that, you take advantage ofthe opportunities that God's
giving you.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
You know, I I say
this Humbley or however else you
want to say it I really want toget to the point and of like
the George Mueller I think itwas his name George Mueller
thing, where he was so dependenton God for things that he had
the orphanage and he would justpray and say, god, we don't have
milk for the kids, and then themilk truck would break down and
(09:34):
bring the kids milk.
Now I'm not saying I want tonecessarily live, god bless him,
and there's people who can livewith that sort of faith.
I feel like I have a lot offaith, but I'm not quite at that
stage yet.
I'm not saying that weshouldn't be wise with our.
God has given us our resources,but at the same time, it's
amazing to see how God does notwork in the world's economy.
(09:57):
There's so many times when inthat season, financially, when I
was going through a rough time,that I felt like, wow, god
brought stuff without even usingmoney.
He would just bless me withthings, including things that I
didn't even need.
You know, like even somebodyjust said hey, I have all this
designer clothes, you want them,and things that I would never
(10:18):
know how much money I had, wouldspend money on my thought.
God cares about the little,wants God.
God is amazing how, if youdon't focus on that, make that
your idol.
He does care about the littlethings, if he loves you enough
to give you those those littlethings.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, and more than
that, though.
This isn't optional, this isn'tkind of like, well, I'm gonna
accept Christianity but stayaway from this other part of it.
First of all, I can't think ofany part of the Bible, any Bible
story, where God Positionsomeone to fail.
It was always here's how you'regonna succeed.
I'm gonna do this work for you,okay, or do this work through
you, alright.
But Bible also says therighteous are always generous
(10:56):
and lend freely.
It's this isn't something thatyou can just like.
You can choose not toparticipate in.
This is central to theChristian walk of life Is being
generous.
And like you said, kristen, youknow, listen, money doesn't
really buy happiness.
I get it, but you know, moneycan buy orphanages.
Money can go buy food forpeople to eat.
I mean it is, and we don'tserve a poor God.
(11:18):
But what is the Bible say feastmaketh men marry and why, and
wine maketh men laugh.
But money answers all things.
It's an important component tothe kingdom and it's it's
important that we have it, notthat it has us so that we can do
so we can do the good workswith it.
Alright, sweetie, I love youvery much.
Thank you for let me talk overyou today what you go ahead and
(11:38):
pray us out well, I hopeeveryone had a wonderful
Christmas.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I know this is gonna
air the day after Christmas and
speaking of prosperity andeverything that we've gotten for
Christmas and the season thatyou would, we would just Bless
others with with our joy andgenerosity not just our income,
but our hearts and our smiles,and things that don't even cost
anything.
So, thank you, jesus, for yourlove.
In your light, god, we focus onyou, like I said before, all
(12:04):
year long, not just the season,but may people see you through
us and for those going through arough time right now, once
again, I just reiterate myprayer, or that they would just
just just leap into your arms asyou open up the doors that they
need in.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Jesus name.
Everybody good to see you.
I hope you guys had a great2023.
We'll see you in 2024 or betteralright take care.