Jesus Is NOT...
Our Celestial Vending Machine
David Clarkson The Love of Christ
Love Christ in his person, his excellencies, his loveliness, and not just for what you can get out of him. Seeking only to get is a selfish love...
J.C. Ryle Holiness "The Ruler of the Waves!"
http://www.gracegems.org/Ryle/holiness13.htm
It is good to understand that Christ's service never did secure a man from all the ills that flesh is heir to, and never will. If you are a believer, you must reckon on having your share . . .
of sickness and pain,
of sorrow and tears,
of losses and crosses,
of deaths and bereavements,
of partings and separations,
of vexations and disappointments
— so long as you are in the body. Christ never promises that you shall get to Heaven without these. He has promised that all who come to Him shall have all things pertaining to life and godliness; but He has never promised that He will make them prosperous, or rich, or healthy, and that death and sorrow shall never come to their family.
It is profitable to understand that serving Christ never exempted anyone from the evils that the flesh inherits, nor will it exempt anyone from them. If you are a believer, you must know that while you are in the body you will have your share of sickness and pains, of sufferings and tears, of losses and crosses, of deaths and sorrows, of goodbyes and separations and of displeasure and displeasure. Christ never promised that you make it to heaven without it.
He will be responsible that everyone who comes to him will have all things related to life and holiness, but he never took responsibility to give him prosperity and wealth, nor good health, nor to exempt his family from death and affliction.
A.W. Tozer The Size of the Soul
Present day evangelical Christianity is not producing saints. The whole concept of religious experience has shifted from the transcendental to the utilitarian. God is valued as being useful and Christ appreciated because of the predicaments He gets us out of. He can deliver us from the consequences of our past, relax our nerves, give us peace of mind and make our business a success.
David Jeremiah I Never Thought I'd See the Day
Christians who have a strong belief in a divine Jesus may feel reasonably safe from the distortions, caricatures, and demeaning of him that we see among entertainers and postmodern scholars. But there are more subtle traps within the Church itself that snare many because they are set by preachers and teachers whom many trust.
You do not have to go far on television or the Internet—or perhaps in your own community—to find a Christian preacher who will tell you that Jesus wants you well and wealthy. This unorthodox version of Jesus' gospel is referred to as "prosperity theology" or the "health and wealth" gospel. There is nothing inherently wrong with being well and wealthy. But as a basis for theology, it is far from the good news of the gospel that Jesus preached.
Prosperity preachers usually have no trouble attracting a large following since they appeal to the basest of human instincts: the desire to avoid suffering (be healthy) and the desire for gratification (be wealthy).
Jesus' own life on earth is far from being an example of the health and wealth gospel. It's true that there is no record of him ever being sick. And, as the Son of God it could be argued that he had the wealth of heaven at his disposal. But when he came to earth, he emptied himself of his divine prerogatives and took upon himself "the form of a bondservant, and [came] in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). He came as a humble servant, identifying with the weakness and travail of the human condition (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15; 5:8).
As for wealth, Jesus said of himself, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). Jesus came to earth as a servant and lived like a servant, unconcerned with material comfort. And his apostles lived the same way. The apostle Paul interrupted his missionary work to make tents to provide for his own livelihood (Acts 18:3). It seems that if Jesus' gospel had included wealth, He would have demonstrated that fact in his life and the lives of his apostles.
As for health, Jesus certainly reversed the effects of sickness and disease. But he did so not primarily to relieve suffering but to demonstrate the power of the kingdom of God over the kingdom of darkness (Acts 10:38). Jesus did not heal everyone who was suffering. Indeed, at one "hospital," the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, he healed only one person of the many sick who gathered there (John 5:1-9).
The picture of Jesus painted by prosperity preachers bears little resemblance to the Jesus of the New Testament.
Prayer of Fenelon
Oh Lord, I know not what I should ask of Thee: Thou only knowest what I need and Thou lovest me more than I can love myself. Oh Lord, give to me Thy child, what is proper, whatsoever it be. I dare not ask either for crosses or comforts; I only present myself before Thee and open my heart to Thee. Behold my needs of which I am ignorant and do according to Thy mercy, smite or heal, depress or raise me up. I am silent. I offer myself in sacrifice; I abandon myself to Thee; I have no more any desire but to accomplish Thy will.
John MacArthur on Prosperity Gospel
http://www.gty.org/blog/prosperitygospel
John Piper on Prosperity Gospel
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2740-john-piper-prosperity-gospel