In Luke chapter 4, Jesus came to His hometown of Nazareth. He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah, He opened it and began to read.
He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
After reading this from Isaiah, He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. Everyone’s eyes in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
Then Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” When Jesus made this statement, He made it very clear why He was anointed.
First of all, He was anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. What is the gospel? The gospel is “Good News.” Jesus came to preach good news to the poor. Now what do you think that good news was? Was it that they were to always be poor and without hope? No. That’s not good news.
The good news was that even though they didn’t have much, even though they were a nation held captive by the Romans, they could be set free from poverty. They could have their needs met.
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus even shared how that could be accomplished. While talking about earthly possessions, He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Notice, He said, “…shall be added to you.”
I know that in some religious circles, it seems poverty is next to godliness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus did not come to make the poor poorer. He did not come to keep the poor, poor. He came to set the captives free.
Prosperity is a concept Jesus taught and it was something He wanted to give, not something He wanted to take away.
In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom, For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Several times Jesus said that He did not say anything unless the Father instructed Him to say it. So, it must be the will of the Father for His children to prosper.
Now, prosperity is not necessarily money. I know of people who are very prosperous and they do not have a large bank account. However, God’s will is for us to have our needs met. And if a lack of money is going to cause the electric or gas company to end your service and make your family go without heat in your home, then money to pay the bill is a need.
Jesus said He would meet our needs, but let’s put balance in here. He did give conditions. We can see this in the two verses we read earlier.
Remember, Matthew 6:33 said we need to seek His kingdom first. And Luke 6:38 said that in order to receive, we had to give. We need to remember these things and not think of prosperity as a heavenly lottery ticket.
Remember this. Jesus came to set you free from everything that is a bondage. Poverty is bondage. Prosperity is freedom. Prosperity is God’s will for you.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of eight books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.