(5/5) The prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, and the truth most Christians miss: God's Forgotten Commands for your money
In this final episode of our “Prosperity Gospel, Poverty Gospel, and The Gospel” series, we’re diving into the forgotten commands of scripture that every Christian should know when it comes to money. We’re not just talking about how to make more or give more — we’re talking about how to think biblically about money, handle it with eternity in mind, and why most believers are stuck in financial cycles that don’t reflect the heart of God. We break down 1 Timothy 6:17–19 and show how Paul gives us a framework for wealth that isn’t about prosperity or poverty — it’s about purpose. In this episode, we cover: Why God wants you to enjoy what He’s given — but not worship it The #1 thing Paul told the rich (and it’s not what you think) How to track your “Net Given” (instead of your net worth) The difference between seed and bread in 2 Corinthians 9 Why your money is meant to flow through you, not just to you How to write a personal “Wealth Purpose Statement” with your family Why generosity now is connected to eternal treasures later 🔍 This is for the Christian who’s tired of hearing two bad takes on money — and is ready to discover what the Bible actually says. — 📚 Resources Mentioned: SeedTime Book: https://seedtime.com/free True Financial Freedom Class: https://seedtime.com/tff Bible verses discussed: 1 Timothy 6:17-19 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Deuteronomy 8:18 Psalm 24:1 Books: The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn: https://amzn.to/3KXYZ4d Heaven by Randy Alcorn: https://amzn.to/3XNJrsQ Join our community + newsletter: https://seedtime.com/ 🛠️ Connect with us on socials: IG: https://instagram.com/seedtime YouTube: https://youtube.com/seedtime 🎯 Your challenge this week: Write a family wealth purpose statement. Ask yourself — what are we called to do with the money God has entrusted us with? BONUS: Ever dreamt of hanging out with us for 6 weeks in your small group or church? Head to https://seedtime.com/true for details or shoot us a DM on Instagram (http://instagram.com/seedtime). If you haven’t checked out our best-selling book Simple Money, Rich Life (https://seedtime.com/smrl/), we think you’ll love it. It was named the 2022 Book of the Year by ICFH and has over 900 5-star reviews on Amazon, and is best described as “a money book for people who don’t read money books.” You can take it for a test drive for FREE at https://SeedTime.com/sample where you can download chapter 1 of the audiobook, grab the 1st 2 chapters of the ebook version, and even get the 5-week book study companion guide.
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(4/5) The prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, and the truth most Christians miss: Why Nothing You Have Actually Belongs to You
What if I told you that nothing you own is actually yours—and that this truth could radically change how you think about money, stress less, and give more? In this episode, we dig into one of the most transformational shifts in our Christian financial journey: moving from ownership to stewardship. This isn’t just a spiritual concept—it’s the antidote to both the prosperity gospel and the poverty gospel. We break down: Why guilt fades when you realize you're a steward The 3 principles Jesus taught that flip your finances upside-down How estate sales (yes, really) shook us into reevaluating our relationship with stuff Why multiplication is God’s agenda, not just accumulation What “assets under management” means—and why it beats calculating net worth The parable of the talents, fast fashion, and what bike shorts taught us about ethics and obedience This one gets real. Real personal, real biblical, and real practical. 🎁 Free Resource Mentioned: 👉 Get our book Simple Money, Rich Life FREE (just cover shipping): http://seedtime.com/free 💡 Resources Mentioned: Simple Money, Rich Life The Real Money Method Course Jamie Winship on Embracing the Mystery Randy Alcorn on Eternal Rewards Bible References: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Luke 16:10 Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25 BONUS: Ever dreamt of hanging out with us for 6 weeks in your small group or church? Head to https://seedtime.com/true for details or shoot us a DM on Instagram (http://instagram.com/seedtime).
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(3/5) The prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, and the truth most Christians miss: Golden Calves and Golden Lampstands
In this episode, we’re going deep on a topic the Church either glamorizes or demonizes—but rarely handles biblically: money. We’re unpacking Exodus, Jesus, and even Tesla stock (yep)—to wrestle through a question that’s been tripping up believers for decades: “Is wealth inherently evil… or is it just a tool?” Here’s what we found: Why the Israelites’ gold became both a golden calf and a golden lampstand What Jesus really meant when He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” The shocking contrast between how the Old and New Testament describe wealthy people The heart posture that turns a blessing into an idol And why generosity, not guilt, is the actual fruit of spiritual maturity This isn’t financial advice—it’s soul-searching. If you've ever felt tension about having too much… or too little… this episode will give you clarity. 📚 Resources Mentioned: Exodus 12:35–36 – Israelites plundering Egypt’s wealth Exodus 32 – The golden calf Exodus 35 – The Tabernacle offerings Matthew 6:21 – “Where your treasure is…” Philippians 4 – Learning to abound and abase Galatians 5:22-23 – Fruit of the Spirit (including “goodness” = generosity) Our book: Simple Money, Rich Life (Get a free copy—just cover shipping!) 🔗 Grab your free book here: http://seedtime.com/free 📩 If this message stirred something in you, share it with a friend. The Church needs a better theology of money—and it starts with conversations like this. BONUS: Ever dreamt of hanging out with us for 6 weeks in your small group or church? Head to https://seedtime.com/true for details or shoot us a DM on Instagram (http://instagram.com/seedtime).
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(2/5) The prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, and the truth most Christians miss: What Jesus actually said about money
In Part 2 of our “The prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, and the truth most Christians miss” series, we dive into some of Jesus’ most controversial teachings on wealth. You’ve heard “sell everything,” “camel through the eye of a needle,” and “blessed are the poor,” but what if we’ve been misunderstanding who He was talking to and why? In this episode, we unpack: Why Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything—and why He didn’t tell Zacchaeus the same thing. The real reason wealth can be dangerous (it’s not what you think). Why Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and a group of wealthy women were never asked to give everything away. The parable that proves Jesus wasn’t against being wealthy—but was deeply concerned about our heart posture. Why abundance is meant to be shared—and how shopping, gardening, or even buying sunglasses can become worship. A fresh, biblical perspective that helps you steward what God has given you without shame, guilt, or greed. Resources Mentioned: 📖 Simple Money, Rich Life by Bob & Linda Lotich: http://seedtime.com/free 📜 Bible References: Matthew 19, Mark 10, Luke 18, Luke 8, Luke 19, Luke 16, Luke 12:48, Genesis 13:2, 1 Timothy 6, Ephesians 3:20 📺 The Chosen (TV series): https://watch.thechosen.tv 👉 Subscribe, share, and don’t miss the next episode in this series—we’re going to talk about gold, the golden calf, and what it really means for how we use our money. BONUS: Ever dreamt of hanging out with us for 6 weeks in your small group or church? Head to https://seedtime.com/true for details or shoot us a DM on Instagram (http://instagram.com/seedtime). If you haven’t checked out our best-selling book Simple Money, Rich Life (https://seedtime.com/smrl/), we think you’ll love it. It was named the 2022 Book of the Year by ICFH and has over 900 5-star reviews on Amazon, and is best described as “a money book for people who don’t read money books.” You can take it for a test drive for FREE at https://SeedTime.com/sample where you can download chapter 1 of the audiobook, grab the 1st 2 chapters of the ebook version, and even get the 5-week book study companion guide.
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(1/5) The prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, and the truth most Christians miss: The Dangerous Lie Dividing Christians
This might be the most important conversation we’ve had about money, faith, and the Bible. For years, we've wrestled with it. One side says God wants you rich. The other says being poor makes you holy. But neither seemed to fully line up with Scripture. What if both extremes missed the point? In this episode, we kick off a 5-part series where we break down: What the Prosperity Gospel gets right—and dangerously wrong How the Poverty Gospel subtly creeps in as "humility" The parable that changed everything for us The biblical third way no one talks about enough How prayer can shift false teachers more than criticism ever could Why stewardship (not ownership) is the core financial principle of Scripture How even Mother Teresa modeled biblical abundance through simplicity If you’ve ever struggled to reconcile your faith with your finances… this episode is for you. Resources Mentioned: 📖 Simple Money, Rich Life by Bob Lotich – Get your free copy: http://seedtime.com/free 📘 Business Secrets from the Bible by Rabbi Daniel Lapin 📖 Bible verses mentioned: Genesis 2:12 Genesis 13:2 Psalm 24:1 Matthew 25 (Parable of the Talents) 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (Amplified Version) Proverbs 4:23 BONUS: Ever dreamt of hanging out with us for 6 weeks in your small group or church? Head to https://seedtime.com/true for details or shoot us a DM on Instagram (http://instagram.com/seedtime). If you haven’t checked out our best-selling book Simple Money, Rich Life (https://seedtime.com/smrl/), we think you’ll love it. It was named the 2022 Book of the Year by ICFH and has over 900 5-star reviews on Amazon, and is best described as “a money book for people who don’t read money books.” You can take it for a test drive for FREE at https://SeedTime.com/sample where you can download chapter 1 of the audiobook, grab the 1st 2 chapters of the ebook version, and even get the 5-week book study companion guide.
About SeedTime Money (Christian living & Personal Finances)
God’s put a dream on your heart. Don’t let money get in the way.
Learn to simplify, automate, multiply & get full control of the money God’s entrusted you with. So you can quit stressing about it, pay off debt & get on with your God-given purpose.
Oh and we have a different take on money than most financial experts. Kind of like if Chip and Joanna talked about money. You know, down-to-earth, approachable, easy to understand, and even fun.
We aren’t going to judge you for your past mistakes and we haven’t forgotten the pain of being broke so we can relate. We believe simple always beats complicated. And we believe money isn’t the goal, but is simply a tool that can be used to fulfill what God has called us to do.
Success with money. Success in Marriage. Success as a Christian. That’s what we’re after. If you want that too, then you’ll love the show.
We help you spend less time thinking about money while getting better results.
The Seed Time Money podcast is where we (Bob & Linda Lotich) share the mindsets, beliefs and strategies we used to go from being debt-ridden and broke to:
- paying off $400k of debt
- eliminating all guilt and shame with money
- building multiple streams of passive income
- honoring God with our finances
- learning how to save & invest wisely
- having financial unity in our marriage
- giving $1 million by age 40
Occasionally, we interview guests like John Mark Comer, Mark Batterson, Annie F. Downs, Joshua Becker, Jamie Winship, Carlos Whittaker, Crystal Paine, Jordan Raynor, and other Biblically-minded Christian thought leaders as we seek to connect our faith with our personal finances.
And if you like what you hear on the podcast, consider diving deeper with us by grabbing our award-winning book ‘Simple Money, Rich Life’ or take your spouse or church small group through our 6-week on-demand workshop 'True Financial Freedom'.
Find out more at https://seedtime.com/
Listen to SeedTime Money (Christian living & Personal Finances), Motley Fool Money and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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