I remember that our first church took over the building of another prominent church that had moved. Westcor, a major builder, had purchased it from this other church. It was a great deal. The church sold the property for a little over 12 million and they were given a new church at another location. A new church building, designed to their specifications, education space for 500, 5 acres of land, and 12 million in the bank; Problem solved right? Wrong. That is when the problems began.
They had no challenges to bind them together. They were the epitome of a fat cat. Everything had been handed to them on a silver platter. Much lime the Jerusalem church, they forgot their primary mission and rested on their great accomplishments. People began to argue and fight and at one point it was a toss up whether they would even survive. Prosperity had caused them to turn to themselves and forget about Jesus. Like the church at Ephesus they forgot their first love.