Pastor Shane Idleman says many people fall away from the gospel because they believed a lie: that Jesus promises health and wealth. Rather, he says, Jesus tests the righteous and refines us through fiery trials.
“I have a concern for the American gospel that says, ‘Jesus will always heal you. Jesus wants you to be wealthy. Jesus is going to get you that job. He’s going to get you that blessing. He’s going to get you that promotion,'” Idleman says. “And then so many people fall away, because they’re like, ‘This isn’t what I signed up to.’
“What you signed up to is dying to self—carrying the cross and following Him. … Like Job said, ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.’ That’s the furnace of affliction, where you come out like pure gold. That’s how He tests the righteous, so we have to make sure we have the right faith—a faith that believes in God, regardless of what happens to me.”
To watch the entire video clip titled “The Dangers of the American Gospel,” click here.
