Does God Want Christians To Pursue Financial Prosperity?
Perhaps one of the greatest deceptions in the
Christian church today is the pursuit of financial prosperity: materialism,
financial security, residual income...it comes in many different packages. The most glaring and obvious example of this
deception is seen on television where greedy men use the name of Jesus Christ,
blasphemously, to fleece naive believers of their money. These ministers, who are wolves in sheep’s
clothing, guarantee a “hundred-fold return” of financial blessing if only you
send in a “love offering” to their ministry.
Many have gone so far as to sell little porcelain statues of Jesus with
a few sheep for three easy payments.
Others merchandise prayers journals, Bibles, miniature stained glass
(probably plastic) windows...the list goes on and on. Included among these ministers are some who at one time loved God
and others who have been charlatans from the beginning. They are wickedly using the grace of God to
satisfy their appetite and love for money.
Jesus will say to them one day, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”
We are warned that, in the last days,
it would be an age in which the church becomes lukewarm through the pursuit of
materialism. In this age, so-called
Christians would teach that, if only you “confess” (i.e.-to say, or speak into
existence) the Scriptures that promise financial wealth, that the “word” will come
alive, and God will begin to bless you.
Of course, the leaders of this “faith and prosperity” message also
include the necessity to “give to God” so that God can return to you “a
hundred-fold blessing.” It’s odd,
however, that they always require the people who follow their teaching to give
their “love offerings” to their particular ministry. So, guess who really ends up becoming wealthy? I’ll let you be the judge of answering that
question. Regarding this deception, let
us examine the Scripture:
• Rev 3:14-17 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The
Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says
this: 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would
that you were cold or hot. 'So
because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you
out of My mouth. 'Because you say, "I am
rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and
you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and
naked. (NAS)
Jesus wants His followers to be “hot.”
The Greek definition of hot means, “boiling
hot.” Figuratively speaking, the of
the word means “to be fervent.” How can one truly be fervent in their love
for God when they are consumed with the pursuit and desire for riches and
wealth?
Notice that the reason these believers
are “lukewarm” is because they “say” they are “rich” and “have become
wealthy.” These deceived believers
may or may not actually be financially well off, but their heart attitude
continues to confess their wealth regardless.
How many of these deluded folks have been duped, and then plunged into
spiritual ruin and destruction when hard times hit, since their “confession”
formula didn’t work? It becomes very
easy for them to fall away from, and to blame God for not honoring their
“faith” and “confession” for financial success. Strong’s Concordance defines the word “say” as follows:
• 3004 lego (leg'-o);a primary verb; properly, to "lay" forth, i.e.
(figuratively) relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; by implication, to mean: KJV-- ask, bid, boast,
call, describe, give out, name, put forth, say (-in, on), shew, speak, tell,
utter.
The “prosperity” movement has reached
epidemic proportions because men have developed a “systematic or set discourse” of theology. Notice the Greek word “lego.” Remember the Lego toy set, where you would
build, or erect some type of structure?
Well, this is how these phony preachers have deceived so many Christians
in America. They take their “pet”
Scriptures, and use them out of their intended context, to systematically build
a doctrinal discourse. The followers of this type of discourse are trained to
rattle off Bible verses as support for their pursuit of materialism, without
honest, thoughtful consideration of the Scriptures.
It must be pointed out
that there are many Christians who are not involved directly with the “faith
and prosperity” movement are still caught up in the pursuit of the “American
Dream.” They work 8,10,12 hours a day,
(or more!) just to “get ahead.” Their
ultimate goal in life is to purchase a home, furnish it, pay it off, and
somehow build a secure future for when they retire. Others, such as pastors in the ministry, are pursuing financial
gain in a completely different way, cloaking their greed in spirituality. These pastors are controlling, demanding
that the members of their church faithfully give “tithes and offerings” to the
church. Their goal is to see their
membership grow, so that more funds can come in, so that the church can become
bigger and bigger. Their motive is no
longer to make “disciples”, but to bring in more and more people. Recently, I have even heard of pastors who
are asking their church members to make a “covenant” with them. This covenant includes a commitment by every
person to give his or her tithes and offerings only to that particular
church. What greed! What over-control, and lording it over the
flock! It robs the individual believer
of the freedom to be led by God’s Spirit in their giving.
• 1 Pet 5:2-3 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as
overseers-- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you
to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not
lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the
flock. (NIV)
• 1 Tim 3:2-3 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one
wife, temperate, prudent, respectable,
hospitable, able to teach, not addicted
to wine or pugnacious, but
gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. (NAS)
• Titus 1:7; 10-11 Since an overseer is entrusted with
God's work, he must be blameless-- not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not
given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain....For there are many rebellious people, mere
talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are
ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--
and that for the sake of dishonest gain. (NIV)
Being a true believer in Jesus Christ
in America, and staying “hot”,
instead of “lukewarm,” is probably
more difficult than in third world countries where poverty is the normal way of
life. We get so attached to our
“things” that we lose sight of the Great Commission, and living a life of
servitude. It becomes easier for us to
criticize the poor in our country as being “welfare” bums, than to use our
time, energy, and resources to reach out to them with the love of Jesus. We must remind ourselves daily that this
earth is not our eternal dwelling place, and that we are living in the end
times.
• 2 Tim 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers
of money,....lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid
such men as these. (NAS)
• James 5:1-6 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are
coming upon you....It is in the last days
that you have stored up your treasure!....You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of
wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of
slaughter. You have condemned and put to
death the righteous {man;} he does not resist you. (NAS)
• Matt 24:12-14 "And because lawlessness is increased, most
people's love will grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall
be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the
end shall come. (NAS)
• 1 Tim 6:3-11 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited {and} understands nothing....men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness {actually} is a means of great
gain, when accompanied by contentment.
For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything
out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these
we shall be content. But those who want
to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful
desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by
longing for it have wandered away from
the faith...But flee from these
things, you man of God.... (NAS)
When reading my opening statements,
some people may feel that I am being judgmental. Jesus warned us, however, to be aware of “false prophets” who come to us in sheep’s
clothing,”...but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt.7:15; 24:24; Mark
13:21-22). Also:
• 1 Tim 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall
away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful
spirits and doctrines of demons. (NAS)
From the passages of Scripture above, we can learn some valuable
lessons:
1. If a man does not agree with the “sound
words” of Jesus Christ regarding the love of money, than that man is “conceited.” All one has to do is turn on his/her television set, tune it
in to TBN, and watch the nonsense that is preached on some of the programs, and
the person doing the preaching, to see the most conceited “blow-hards” that
Christianity has ever produced. I asked a Christian man once, who was enticed
by the “faith and prosperity” movement,
“Do you want to get rich?” His
reply was, “Why of course, God wants me to seek His financial blessing.” I then had him turn his Bible to 1 Tim. 6:9:
·
1 Tim 6:9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
(NAS)
After
reading this verse, the man walked away speechless. It is so clear; God does not want us to seek the riches of this
world. Christians who follow the
‘prosperity’ message, or who get themselves involved in Amway and other
‘get-rich-quick’ schemes so that they can have “financial security” for the
future have set themselves up for a great fall. They have already fallen into “temptation and a snare and many
foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.” God’s word tells us to, flee from
these things.” It is such a
simple command, but Satan has blinded them with the love of money.
2. The love of money is the “root of all sorts of evil.” It causes people to abuse relationships with
others, to look at their friends and family as a “business opportunity” rather
than a lost or hurting soul who are in need of the love of God. The love of money plunges men into
spiritual, mental, emotional, and even financial destruction. The love of money has caused many to have “wandered away from the faith” and to
lose their eternal soul.
3. So is it wrong to be a wealthy Christian? Is it wrong to have a savings account, and to diligently take
careful steps to provide for one’s family and future? These questions will be answered later, but the Scripture passage
in 1 Timothy is dealing with our
heart attitude. Have we made our
possessions, our cars, homes, and other things an idol in our heart? If we only had “food and clothing” as the Scripture states, would we truly be content? These are difficult question for the
affluent American Christian to answer, especially in light of the uncertainty
of our country’s financial future. But
consider the poor Chinese or Sudanese believer who lives daily with only a
handful of food. And yet, in these
third world country, the Christian faith, and the unity amongst the brethren is
really quite superior to our Westernized version of self-serving
Christianity. These people don’t get
huffy if someone puts a dent in their new automobile, because they don’t have a
car! They have learned, as Paul did,
the secret of contentment:
·
1 Tim 6:6 But godliness {actually}
is a means of great gain, when
accompanied by contentment.
(NAS)
·
Phil 4:11-13 Not that I speak
from want; for I have learned to be
content in
whatever
circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I
have learned the secret of being filled and
going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me. (NAS)
4. We have now established a direction for this study, to teach an
appropriate attitude towards money and material things. We realize that the “love of money” is speaking of more than just a desire for more
green-backs. It is an attitude that
cannot be content with either poverty or prosperity. It is an attitude that demands that one be continually pursuing,
in their hearts, a means of financial security and/or well being. Since the teachings of Jesus are mentioned
as “sound words”, perhaps that would
be an appropriate starting point to determine whether or not God wants a
Christian to live in prosperity.
5. Of course, the words of Jesus will not contradict
what the entire Scripture teaches.
There are many principles taught in God’s Word concerning money, and
what one’s attitude should be towards it.
An overall perspective can be seen in the following passage:
·
Prov 30:7-9 Two things I asked of Thee, do not refuse me before I die: Keep
deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is my portion, Lest I be full and deny {Thee} and
say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane
the name of my God. (NAS)
6. One can see the connection between this Proverb and
the Lord’s prayer:
·
Matt 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread”. (NAS)
WHAT DOES JESUS TEACH ABOUT PROSPERITY?
Matt 6:19-34 "Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and
rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also. "The eye is
the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of
light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either
he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money. "Therefore I
tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not
life more important than food, and the body more
important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about
clothes? See how the lilies of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed
like one of these. If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into
the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about itself. Each
day has enough trouble of its own.
(NIV)
Luke 12:15-28, 33-34 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against
all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions." And he told them
this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I
have no place to store my crops.'
"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and
build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have
plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat,
drink and be merry." ' "But
God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who
stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Then Jesus said to his disciples:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more
than clothes.....Sell your
possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that
will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief
comes near and no moth destroys. For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NIV)
Matt 13:22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this
is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the
world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and
it becomes unfruitful. (NAS)
Mark 4:18-19 "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the
thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
and
the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it
becomes unfruitful. (NAS)
Luke 8:14 "And the {seed} which fell among the thorns, these
are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with
worries and riches and pleasures of {this} life, and
bring no fruit to maturity.
(NAS)
Luke 16:8-15 "The master commended the dishonest manager because
he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing
with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for
yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal
dwellings. "Whoever can be
trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever
is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with
someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? "No servant can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this
and were sneering at Jesus. He
said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men,
but
God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's
sight. (NIV)
Mark 10:21-25 And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him,
"One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess,
and
give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow me." But
at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for
he was one who owned much property.
And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How
hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at His words.
But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to
enter the kingdom of God! "It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of God."
(NAS)
Mark 12:42-44 And a poor widow came
and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. And calling His disciples to Him, He said to
them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the
contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus,
but
she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all
she had to live on."
(NAS)
Luke 6:20-21 And turning His gaze on His disciples, He {began} to say, "Blessed
{are} you {who are} poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. "Blessed {are} you who hunger now,
for you shall be satisfied. Blessed {are} you who weep now, for you shall
laugh. (NAS)
Luke 14:12-14 And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him,
"When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or
your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest
they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. "But when you give a reception, invite
{the} poor, {the} crippled, {the} lame, {the} blind, and
you will be blessed, since they do not have {the means} to repay
you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (NAS)
Luke 3:14 And {some} soldiers were questioning him, saying, "And
{what about} us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do
not take money from anyone by force, or accuse {anyone} falsely, and
be content with your wages."
(NAS)
Luke 9:57-58 And as they were
going along the road, someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You
go." And Jesus said to him, "The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air {have} nests, but
the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (NAS)
Mark 8:35-37 "For
whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for
My sake and the gospel's shall save it.
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world,
and forfeit his soul? For what shall a
man give in exchange for his soul?”
(NAS)
·
Jesus had much more to say concerning
money, greed, stewardship and the like.
However, we are going to analyze some key points from the passages
listed, so that we can determine from our Lord’s teaching what are “sound words” (1 Tim. 6:3-11) regarding whether or not God wants Christians to
prosper financially. In reviewing each
point, remember that God is always concerned with the motive of one’s heart in regards to wealth. You can either read these points as nice
information, or ask God to search your heart; to try you, and see if there be
any wicked way in you (Psalms 139:23-24).
1. Jesus
gave us a command that we were not to “store up treasures” on earth. The Greek definition for “store up” is “to
amass; reserve.” The word “treasure” is
defined as, a deposit; i.e. wealth.”
Therefore, what Jesus is saying is this: don’t amass a reserve of wealth
for your security, but rather store up treasure in heaven (i.e.-souls for the
kingdom of God). Your spiritual eyesight can become clouded with darkness and
deception if you put your security in the temporal, fleeting riches of this
earth. The point here isn’t whether you
are actually wealthy or not, but it is more of an appeal by Jesus to examine
where your heart is regarding the pursuit of materialism. In the same context Jesus states that,”...where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.” And remember the words of Jesus; Luke 16:15 ”God knows your hearts. What
is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.”
• You cannot serve two masters.
You cannot serve God while your heart and life are devoted to monetary
security. According to Jesus, if you
are serving money as your master, then you “despise” God.
• Phil 3:7-8 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as
loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss
in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish
in order that I may gain Christ. (NAS)
• Phil 3:18-19 For many walk, of whom I often told
you, and now tell you even weeping, {that they are} enemies of the cross of
Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is {their} appetite, and {whose}
glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (NAS)
• I Jn 2:15-17 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the
eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the
world. And the world is passing away,
and {also} its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (NAS)
• James 4:2-5 You lust and do not have; {so} you commit murder. And
you are envious and cannot obtain; {so} you fight and
quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that
you may spend {it} on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the
world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of
the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the spirit which
He has made to dwell in us"? (NAS)
• Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and
worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the
present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.
(NAS)
• 1 Cor 5:9-12 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I
{did} not at all {mean} with the immoral people of this world, or with the
covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of
the world. But actually, I wrote to you not
to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person,
or
covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a
drunkard, or a swindler -- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging
outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within {the church} (NAS)
• 1 Tim 6:17-19 Instruct those who are rich in this present
world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches,
but
on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. {Instruct them} to do good, to be rich in
good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the
treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of
that which is life indeed. (NAS)
• Heb 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to endure
ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of
sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (NAS)
• Paul suffered the loss of all
things in order to gain Christ. We
should not fix our minds on earthly things, which will lead to our spiritual
ruin. Rather then, we should set our
minds on the things which are above, where Christ is, at the right hand of the
Father. (Read Colossians 3:1-6).
• Riches are uncertain. Consider all the wealthy movie stars and
professional athletes who have made millions of dollars, and then lost their
entire fortune in just a few short years.
Yes, it’s true that many did not mange their finances well, leading them
to bankruptcy. If we look back in
history, we see the Great Depression in the United States, where people from
every financial status lost everything...savings accounts, homes, cars,
businesses etc.. If history repeats
itself, can you imagine the devastating nature of another Great
Depression? However, the next
depression will be much worse. Your
IRA’s, retirement income, Social Security...everything you may be counting on
for financial security will most likely be gone. It is important to make this commentary to bring home the reality
of what is taught in the Scriptures.
While it is true that Scripture tells us to “live sensibly,” which would include being a wise steward of your
finances, Jesus doesn’t want us to rely on the “things of this world” for security. If you rely on the “uncertainty
of riches,” your perspective and focus will be drawn away from total
dependence on the Lord.
• Some Christians have been
blessed with substantial income by virtue of their abilities, an inheritance,
or some means which caused them to became rich. The clear instruction for these individuals is, “...to do good, to be rich in good works, to
be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so
that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” We see mentioned here what the true treasure Jesus spoke about really
is; to use their wealth by generously sharing it with others more impoverished
than themselves. If a wealthy Christian
maintains a lifestyle of generosity, sharing, and giving to others in need,
then it is unlikely they will become covetous, blinded and deceived by the
wealth that God has blessed him with.
2. Jesus commands us not to worry
about the essentials of life, and He gives as examples the food that we eat,
and the clothing that we wear. God
knows our needs, and, therefore will meet the needs. Our responsibility is to, “...seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness,” and then He will provide all of our daily essentials. We must learn to be “content” with our wages, even as Jesus commanded
the Roman soldiers.
Some may ask the question at this
point, “If I seek the kingdom of God first, does that then mean that I won’t
have to work? Will God miraculously
provide my income?” The answer to these
questions can be found elsewhere in Scripture.
Working at a job or your own business does not violate what Jesus is
saying. The Lord’s main concern is that
we, Be on guard against all kinds of
greed,” because, “A man’s life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” When God created Adam, he commanded him to “cultivate” the ground (Gen.
2:15; 3:23). If believers did not
work, then how would they provide for their families, and minister to the
physical needs of people? There are
passages in both the NT and OT which speak of the necessity for man to work:
• Prov 18:9 He also who is slack in his work is brother
to him who destroys. (NAS)
• Prov 21:25-26
The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, for
his hands refuse to work; All day long he is craving, while
the righteous gives and does not hold back. (NAS)
• Eccl 5:12 The
sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much.
But the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep. (NAS)
• Eccl 5:18-19 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to
drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils
under the sun {during} the few years of his life which God has given
him; for this is his reward.
Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth,
He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and
rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. (NAS)
• Prov 6:6-11 Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which,
having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, {and}
gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands
to rest" -- And your poverty will come in like a vagabond, and your need
like an armed man. (NAS)
• Prov 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and {gets} nothing, but
the soul of the diligent is made fat.
(NAS)
• Prov 20:4 The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, so he begs during
the harvest and has nothing. (NAS)
• Prov 24:30-34
I passed by the field of the sluggard, and by the vineyard of the man
lacking sense; and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles,
its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I
looked, {and} received instruction. “A
little sleep, a little slumber, a
little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come {as}
a robber, and your want like an armed man.” (NAS)
• Col 3:22-23 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth,
not with external service, as those who {merely} please men, but with sincerity
of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever
you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. (NAS)
• 1Thes 4:11-12 And to make
it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business
and work with your hands, just as we commanded you; so that you may behave
properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. (NAS)
• II Th 3:7-15 For you yourselves know how you
ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner
among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but
with labor and hardship we {kept} working night and day so that we might not be
a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right {to this,}
but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our
example. For even when we were with
you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading
an undisciplined life, doing no work at
all, but acting like busybodies.
Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work
in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. And if anyone does not obey our instruction
in this letter, take special note of that man and do not associate with him, so
that he may be put to shame. And {yet}
do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. (NAS)
• Acts 18:1-3 After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,
because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and
because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and
they were working; for by trade they were tent-makers. (NAS)
• Acts 20:34-35
"You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my {own} needs and
to the men who were with me. In
everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words
of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to
receive.'" (NAS)
• 1 Cor 4:11-12 To this present hour we are both hungry and
thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and
we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when
we are persecuted, we endure. (NAS)
• 1Thes 2:9-10 For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, {how}
working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you,
we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and {so is} God, how devoutly and uprightly and
blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. (NAS)
Indeed, it is the will of God for the
believer to work. If we don’t work, we
don’t eat, it’s that simple. But in a
day and age when the economy is so uncertain, God does not want us to be
anxious and worry about losing our jobs, or wondering where our next paycheck
will come from. He will meet all of our
needs, but that may not include all
the things of the world that we crave after.
(Read Phil. 4:18)
3. As far as we know, Jesus
Himself was not a man with great wealth.
He stated that He had, “...nowhere to lay His head.” Jesus required the rich man to sell all his
possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him. Because he knew that the rich man had
hoarded his wealth, and had not developed a lifestyle of giving and sharing
with the impoverished, he went away from Christ grieved. The Lord commands us to care for the
poor. He even says, “Blessed are the
poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”
Furthermore, it is quite clear that the “deceitfulness of riches,” and
the “desire” for things will “choke” out the word of God. The mental and emotional security of having
an over-abundance, dulls one’s spiritual senses, until they can no longer hear
from God. The indicators are that it is
better for a person to be poor, than to be wealthy because with riches comes
greed, and a desire for the things of the world. If you make yourself a friend of the world, you make yourself an
enemy of God, and His love cannot abide in you. The poor know they have need for God because they must depend
upon Him to me their daily bread.
• A certain rich man Jesus spoke
about devised a plan by which he could store up many goods for the future,
thinking this would make him secure for the future. Today, many Christians are doing the same thing essentially. As they observe the apocalyptic events
spoken of in Scripture coming to pass in this last hour, they hurriedly store
up goods in the event of war, or world government, or a catastrophic event
(e.g. a great earthquake). I do not
want to belittle these dear brethren, but their focus has clearly become
self-centered. Would they use their
stored goods to feed the poor in the event of a disaster? Or would they secretly hide their food and
water for the sake of self preservation?
God fed Elijah with some wild ravens as His vehicle. Jesus fed thousands with just a few loaves
and fishes. Has God changed, or is He
still able to provide for His people? (Matthew chapters 14, 15, 16; Mark chapters
6 & 8; John chapter 6; 1 Kings 17:4-6)
• Ps 37:23-25 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he
delighteth in his way. Though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet
have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. (KJV)
4.
When believers are poor, or for the most part far from being called
“well off”, they develop a mutual care and concern for one another. The early church, at least two times that we
know of, had all things in “common” with each other. People were willing to sell
their property and other possessions in order that there would be nobody
lacking or in need of anything! As
you read about these two events, consider in your heart if you would be willing
to sell your home, property, or other possessions so that your needy brethren
in Christ would be taken care of? Hard
times are coming in the near future, and these difficult question need to be answered
in our hearts now, lest we experience what Annanias and Sapphira did!
·
Acts 2:44-45 All the believers were
together and had everything in common.
selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (NIV)