We’ve covered in a previous article what Brian Houston believes and teaches is the gospel. We will repeat what he said again here:

“To glorify mediocrity is a tragedy. The sad fact is that far too many people make choices which flatly reject success and prosperity.

Religion has often been guilty of this, and yet the gospel is GOOD NEWS. The good news is ABUNDANT LIFE. Abundance means plentiful.

• Adam was told to be fruitful and multiply.
• Joshua was challenged to make his way prosperous and have good success.
• Solomon’s writings are filled with promised prosperity as the fruit of wisdom.
• Jeremiah believed it and prophesied “a future and a hope”.
• Jesus spoke about one hundredfold return, telling many stories and parables that encouraged us to multiply our talents.
• The apostle Paul reminded us that though Jesus was rich he took poverty upon Himself. Why? So that YOU through His poverty might be rich.
• The apostle John wished prosperity and good health on his friend.

Never excuse mediocrity by rejecting success. It is within our “created fibre” to succeed.” – Brian Houston, Get A Life (Revised Business Edition), 1999, pg 93.

“Abundant life”, “plentiful”, “propserous”, “hundredfold return”, “rich”… Does this type of talk make you think that Brian Houston’s gospel is the money-grubby prosperity gospel?

We bring this to your attention simply for this reason.

Brian tweets,

“There is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel”. There is only one gospel – The gospel of grace – The gospel of Jesus.”

Source: Brian Houston, @BrianCHouston, https://twitter.com/BrianCHouston/status/428773916236980224, 10:17 PM – 29 Jan 2014. (Accessed 04/02/2014.)

Brian Houston is being just as dishonest as prosperity preacher Joseph Prince. Who can forget this piece of classical spin in Prince’s book “Unmerited Favor”?

The Gospel Of Jesus Christ Brings Supernatural Healing And Provision

“Oh, Pastor Prince, now I know that you are one of those health and wealth, prosperity gospel preachers!”

There is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel.” There is only one gospel and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you can depend on. Him for His resurrection life to pulsate and flow in your physical body from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Sicknesses and diseases are not from God. On the cross, Jesus bore not just our sins, but also our sicknesses, diseases and infirmities, and “by His stripes we are healed!

That’s not all, my friend. On the cross, Jesus bore the curse of poverty! This is what the Word of God declares: “For you know the grace [unmerited favor] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Read 2 Corinthians 8 for yourself. The entire chapter is about money and being a blessing financially to those who are in need. So don’t let anyone tell you that the verse is referring to “spiritual” riches.

One of the things that I always remind my Church is this: Always read a verse in its context because when you take the “text” out of its “context,” it becomes a con! Don’t let anyone con you out of God’s blessings in your life.

Source: Joseph Prince, Chapter 3: Becoming Safe For Success, Unmerited Favor, Pg. 25.

BIBLICAL REFUTATION OF 2 CORINTHIANS 8

Prosperity preachers like Brian Houston and Joseph use the same passage in 2 Corinthians 8. They twist it to make it say that Jesus died to make us materially rich and not spiritually blessed. Paul writes,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 (Emphasis mine)

If there was any place Paul could have said, “Jesus has blessed us with every material blessing,” that would have been it. Instead we get an amazing teaching on how spiritually blessed we are in Christ in Ephesians 1. Paul makes it clear that this is his gospel. He explains it more in Ephesians 3:1-6,

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

What are the Gentiles partaking in? The promise of Christ Jesus. But do we partake in material blessings in Christ? What are we fellow heirs of in the gospel?

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

When Paul talks of riches in the gospel, it is not about material riches. When the gospel is preached to them, Paul reveals the Gentiles receive “the unsearchable riches of Christ” . Does Paul give us an example of these “riches in Christ” that the Gentile receives? Yes he does. You can read what Paul says about some of this is in Ephesians 3:14-21.

Now in Romans 15, Paul asks the churches in Rome to give an offering to him so he can feed the church in Jerusalem. Look at what he says to encourage people to part with their money in Romans 15:25-27.

At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

So there you have it. Scripture interprets scripture. Jesus become poor so we may become spiritually RICH and BLESSED in His work on the cross. God promised Israel Himself. We are heirs of that promise. As heirs, we too receive the fullness and richness of God’s spiritual blessings through Christ! This is the gospel that Paul preached to both Jew and Gentile. This is the gospel that the Apostles preached. This is gospel that the early church fathers preached. This is the gospel that the reformers preached.

But this isn’t the gospel that Brian Houston and Joseph Prince preach. These men have set themselves apart from the church and God’s Apostles by preaching another gospel. And the Apostle Paul says through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “Let Brian Houston and Joseph Prince be be eternally damned”.

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8-9

This begs the question: Why do Brian Houston and Joseph Prince statements sound so similar? Well Joseph Prince writes,

“I was fellowshipping recently with my dear friend Brian Houston, and he shared with me that his pet peeve when it comes to worship songs are songs which try to plead for what Jesus has already accomplished for us on the cross.”

Source: Joseph Prince, Destined To Reign, 2007, pg. 5.

People might also not be aware of the fact that Joseph Prince has often spoken at Brian Houston’s Hillsong Conference in Sydney Australia. Don’t you think their friendship explains why they are in denial of their own “prosperity gospel”?

NOTE: SCREEN GRAB TAKEN ON THE 04/02/2014.