The twin subjects of faith and prosperity came into mainstream Christian teaching in Nigeria in the early eighties. Though these are great themes of the Bible, the knowledge canvassed at the time was rudimentary at best. At that time, faith teaching was not more than “name it and claim it” proposition. Judging in retrospect, we now understand that faith is as much useful for refusing as in receiving. Prosperity also was hinged simply on the giving of tithes and offerings. These are also good, but not more than laying the foundation. No matter how strong a foundation is, it cannot be a substitute for the superstructure.
The missing link in the prosperity teaching of those days was entrepreneurship. People gave offering and started looking for increase without any meaningful entrepreneurial engagement. Now we know that prosperity requires efforts, and sustained one at that. Prosperity is dividend of investment in productive activities and services. It is when efforts are sustained over a particular venture or series of them over time that prosperity comes. Isaac got to Rehoboth after sustained efforts of digging wells and overcoming sabotaging activities of the Philistines. Any promise of overnight success and breakthrough has no basis in scripture or real-life experience. Labour and patience remains the old path to prosperity.