A Fool for Christ and His Money
A disciple of Jesus is someone who is learning to follow the sayings of Jesus through the power of His life. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But this yoke is not ease like the world sees ease. His peace is not like the peace and ease the world can give a man. But His yoke is the only true path to peace and service that abides in a love from the heart. His yoke is the cross.
Jesus’ sayings about Money
Do not Store up Treasures on Earth
Jesus’ first and foremost saying about money is very simple. Do not store up treasures on earth. This is a very simple command. It means do not store up treasures on earth. For where your treasure is so too is your heart. Those Hebrew rabbis were a very practical bunch. Some think Jesus is saying, if you treasure something then there is your heart. But that is a nonsense or no value statement. Jesus is not saying “where your heart is there your heart is” of “if your heart is in earthly things, then your heart is in earthly things”. No Jesus is saying that you know a tree by its fruit and if you have treasures on earth then that shows objectively that your heart is carnal and worldly. If we have lots of stuff, then it means we are valuing things by the world’s definitions of values. Our kingdom values and principles are the exact opposite of the worlds values. Simply, we as Christians value people over things.
A treasure is defined as a luxury item. If you have a choice to spend 1000 on something you do not need like a nicer car or a room addition on your home and you spend your money on this thing that can rust and corrode, then you are storing up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. It is that simple.
1 John says that “if we have material possessions, and behold our brother in need and do not meet that need then we do not possess the love of God” This saying too is quite easy to understand. If you are aware of a human need and you have material possessions then we share them. Well, there is a great deal of need out there, so the job of the good steward is not to withhold from one but to give to the most likely to receive in a worthy manner. Our job in the service of God is to be generous – wisely.
So many close there hands because they deem the one’s that we gave too in the past are not worthy. This I think is only acceptable if your funds are already earmarked for a worthy candidate.
Jesus said use your money in such a way that when you enter heavenly dwellings many will greet you with open arms. To give in such a way, extravagantly so that people will rejoice when they see you in heaven requires that the both extravagance and wisdom. All our money is dedicated to the kingdom and all our money is dedicated to meeting the needs of others. My only need for money is to provide for my personal food and shelter but other than that we ought to provide the necessities of those around us. We provide for our families food and shelter and for the poor Christians around the world and for the poor who are in desperate need as a result of the injustices of the world.
So what does this look like?
Well, it seems very simple to me.
First, we need to be very compassion focused in our money. The command is to be understood as denying self as an end in itself but taking up our cross and denying ourselves for the sake of the world. Jesus didn’t die on the cross as an act of religious piety but was driven by love for a lost and dying world in need of communion with the Father and power from the Holy Spirit. We are not driven by guilt and obligation but love and compassion.
Go
So we start with doing ministry and opening our eyes to the world. If we see as Jesus sees and we see the heart of God and the reward in heaven for those who give away a cup of cold water, we will live a life of simplicity in order to be as extravagant and as wisely generous as possible.
Disciple the Kids
We will not feel compelled to give our children treasures as in luxury items like cell phones and iPods but we will lead them to become disciples by our example. If my child see the no which I say to them as a yes I am saying the poor all around us then they too will find the mission of the Kingdom with us.
Play the Field
We sow lots of seed. If we feel that our giving is not always so wise then find some other people group to empower and develop economically. Get involved in a “worthy” cause.
Live By Different Values
There are millions of way to decrease your monthly budget. Live in community. If our goal is to be more generous every year and not to grow in wealth, we will never think of upgrading. Simplicity for the sake of the suffering of the world.
The End of All This Compassionate Lifestyle
The end of all of these sayings of Jesus is a life without fear. The world’s security comes from money. The world creates safety with a monetary safety net but we trust in the Lord. Jesus speaking of the life of generosity said, “Yeah of little faith. Look at the lilies of the field. They do not store in barns and their heavenly father clothes them.” God can do for you in terms of providing peace far better than the world. He can do for you what you could not do for yourself and the end of this faith is a life of communion with God and the peace and joy of the Kingdom.
God Bless,
brad
Jesus’ sayings about Money
Do not Store up Treasures on Earth
Jesus’ first and foremost saying about money is very simple. Do not store up treasures on earth. This is a very simple command. It means do not store up treasures on earth. For where your treasure is so too is your heart. Those Hebrew rabbis were a very practical bunch. Some think Jesus is saying, if you treasure something then there is your heart. But that is a nonsense or no value statement. Jesus is not saying “where your heart is there your heart is” of “if your heart is in earthly things, then your heart is in earthly things”. No Jesus is saying that you know a tree by its fruit and if you have treasures on earth then that shows objectively that your heart is carnal and worldly. If we have lots of stuff, then it means we are valuing things by the world’s definitions of values. Our kingdom values and principles are the exact opposite of the worlds values. Simply, we as Christians value people over things.
A treasure is defined as a luxury item. If you have a choice to spend 1000 on something you do not need like a nicer car or a room addition on your home and you spend your money on this thing that can rust and corrode, then you are storing up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. It is that simple.
1 John says that “if we have material possessions, and behold our brother in need and do not meet that need then we do not possess the love of God” This saying too is quite easy to understand. If you are aware of a human need and you have material possessions then we share them. Well, there is a great deal of need out there, so the job of the good steward is not to withhold from one but to give to the most likely to receive in a worthy manner. Our job in the service of God is to be generous – wisely.
So many close there hands because they deem the one’s that we gave too in the past are not worthy. This I think is only acceptable if your funds are already earmarked for a worthy candidate.
Jesus said use your money in such a way that when you enter heavenly dwellings many will greet you with open arms. To give in such a way, extravagantly so that people will rejoice when they see you in heaven requires that the both extravagance and wisdom. All our money is dedicated to the kingdom and all our money is dedicated to meeting the needs of others. My only need for money is to provide for my personal food and shelter but other than that we ought to provide the necessities of those around us. We provide for our families food and shelter and for the poor Christians around the world and for the poor who are in desperate need as a result of the injustices of the world.
So what does this look like?
Well, it seems very simple to me.
First, we need to be very compassion focused in our money. The command is to be understood as denying self as an end in itself but taking up our cross and denying ourselves for the sake of the world. Jesus didn’t die on the cross as an act of religious piety but was driven by love for a lost and dying world in need of communion with the Father and power from the Holy Spirit. We are not driven by guilt and obligation but love and compassion.
Go
So we start with doing ministry and opening our eyes to the world. If we see as Jesus sees and we see the heart of God and the reward in heaven for those who give away a cup of cold water, we will live a life of simplicity in order to be as extravagant and as wisely generous as possible.
Disciple the Kids
We will not feel compelled to give our children treasures as in luxury items like cell phones and iPods but we will lead them to become disciples by our example. If my child see the no which I say to them as a yes I am saying the poor all around us then they too will find the mission of the Kingdom with us.
Play the Field
We sow lots of seed. If we feel that our giving is not always so wise then find some other people group to empower and develop economically. Get involved in a “worthy” cause.
Live By Different Values
There are millions of way to decrease your monthly budget. Live in community. If our goal is to be more generous every year and not to grow in wealth, we will never think of upgrading. Simplicity for the sake of the suffering of the world.
The End of All This Compassionate Lifestyle
The end of all of these sayings of Jesus is a life without fear. The world’s security comes from money. The world creates safety with a monetary safety net but we trust in the Lord. Jesus speaking of the life of generosity said, “Yeah of little faith. Look at the lilies of the field. They do not store in barns and their heavenly father clothes them.” God can do for you in terms of providing peace far better than the world. He can do for you what you could not do for yourself and the end of this faith is a life of communion with God and the peace and joy of the Kingdom.
God Bless,
brad
posted by brad at 4:14 PM
3 Comments:
Your synopsis is good. And I agree wholeheartedly about not storing up earthly treasures.
My concern is defining what treasures are personally. I think the easy way is to define it how you did but I've yet to personally see a christian who agrees with this statement actually strip down their life of treasures. You mentioned spending a $1,000 on a car you don't need however to me it's a slipery slope. Often times we buy a car out of necessity and when we pick a car we factor in such things as saftey, gas mileage, etc...those things add value yo the car which drive up the price. Should our though then be to strip down any luxuary on the car (e.g. saftey features) and put the trust in God to keep us safe? If so, who can define what type of car we are to buy? Or what type of home we should live in, etc...?
To take one passage, which is a convicting passage to me, and hang our hats on it I don't think does other scripture which supports enjoying the fruits of our labor.
To me it's a tough balance and actually a tougher road to travel (enjoying our fruit while planting seeds). If we simply give away all of our fruit then we are not living fully how God wants us to. It's that constant balance of enjoying the firstfruits of our labor while selling everything and giving it to the poor.
Part of raising up the poor is to be able to teach them how to be financially responsible with material possessions, fiscally, etc...
Economics is a vital aspect of life. We make economic decisions every day. We work for money, spend money, save money, and pay money for taxes. Economics is inescapable. In an important sense, we are economic creatures. Therefor we need to be aware of foundational biblical principles for economics. These three issues are hugely important for us to understand.
1. Ecc. 7:11-12
Christians and Inheritance
1. Inheritance and Coventant
A. Inheritance affirms belief in covenant (not just financial)
B. Inheritance demonstates future orientation
C. Inheritance INVESTS in dominion
D. Inheritance blesses righteous offspring.
As christians we are strongly pro-family. As family oriented we must not only provide for our families today, but develop a long term view of the family into the future. As covenant christians we are obligated to a practical view of inheritance.
2. Ecc. 11:1-6
1. Christian Charity
A. The command to charity
B. The directives for charity
1. Charity begins at home
2. Charity extends to the christian community.
3. Charity does not subsidize sloth.
C. The liberality of charity
1. Charity is not mere tokenism
2. Charity does not expect a return
D. The blessings of the charitable.
Historically christianity has been a charitable religion. The modern welfare state discourages true charity and replaced 'In God We Trust' with 'In Government We Trust'. We need to repaproach the need for charitable giving.
I come for a covenantal approach which may be a differing view but nontheless I agree with you that we often we are not to be defined/store up/put faith in our worldly possesions. It was a good thought you wrote out and an encouragement to the body.
Keith
Keith,
1. The definition of luxury is certainly up to the individual to attempt to discern. In the end, God will straighten it out for us. We need to be ruthless with our heart and err on the side of generosity. If someone judges us as hypocrites, that is their spiritual sickness. We do not take other people's moral inventory and really can't be affected by them taking ours. If others judge me, well, God bless 'em.
2. As for not living it out. We confess progress not perfection. Jesus, in this same passage, said not to lust but most can only confess progress and not perfection in this regard.
One term I use is "discretionary". All my funds are the Lord's and He commands me to earmark money for certain things. So this money is not available to the poor but the rest is or ought to be.
Lastly, I think your concern is with legalism, and that is very important to be concerned about. Legalism is a poison certainly as bad as greed. A good spiritual life based on grace and a grace based relationship with God is a pre-requisite for the kingdom life of compassion. The more grace based our spiritual life, the more generous one will become and the more our conscious contact with God will free us up to live by in fearlessness and extravagant service.
blessings,
Brad,
I've been trying to seek how God is Lord of our money and how he calls us to tithe:
In any society social financing must be provided unless that society, in some way imitating Sparta, wants to execute all unwanted peoples. This is a solution that various Marxist powers have adopted, and this answer is a brutal one and its methods radically vicious. It is a solution that may commend itself to many on the political Left, but it is a mark of degeneracy rather than of wisdom.
There are those in the ministry who claim that tithing is now invalid because Christ has come. Where does Christ abolish the law? We are in Christ dead to the law as handwriting of ordinances and indictments against us calling for death; but we are alive to it as God’s way of righteousness or justice, as our way of sanctification. Judging by the growing sexual misconduct in many church circles, including fornication, adultery, homosexuality, child abuse, and so on, it would seem that some are determined to reach heaven by illicit copulation.
In Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42 our Lord condemns the scribes and Pharisees for assuming that tithing will save them. He calls them “hypocrites” and says, “[T]hese ought ye to have done” but not to forgo obedience to “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.” What will He say to those who forgo tithing as well? To say that our Lord said this “before the Cross” is silly. Why was He so plainspoken about a fading concern? In Hebrews 7:5–9 tithing is clearly presented as important in Abraham’s day and ours.
Social financing is a necessity in any and every society above the most backward level. If it is not provided by God’s people, the state must step in and assume the responsibility, or face anarchy. Statist welfarism and social financing have been from antiquity a source of civil corruption, the destruction of the family, and a burden that can bring down the state.
God could have required that state and/or church make tithing mandatory and forcibly collect tithes. This would simply be a form of socialism, whether civil or ecclesiastical. It would also be a misuse of the tithe. A recent account of how much tax money reaches the needy reported that in one case appropriations equivalent to about $8,000 per person amounted to $300 when they reached their destination. Bureaucracy abounds in both church and state, as much as the available funds will provide.
God makes mandatory the moral obligation to care for widows, orphans, aliens, the needy, the sick, and so on, but He does not give either church or state the power to enforce the tithe. True enough, tithing has often enough been made mandatory, and it still is so in some European states not notable for their faith.
By not making tithing a matter of civil or ecclesiastical enforcement, God, in effect tells us that we shall have the kind of society we deserve. We are told thereby that if we do not obey Him, we shall suffer the consequences. There is a triple tithe required of us in the six years before the Sabbath year: first, a tithe was given to the Levites, who gave a tithe of the tithe to the priests (Num. 18:25–28). This meant that one percent of one’s increase was so designated. The Levites, of course, provided for the care of the sanctuary, and its music. This is an annual tithe.
The second tithe, Deuteronomy 14:22–27, was for rejoicing before the Lord, together with the Levite. The family’s rest and rejoicing are religiously required.
The third tithe, on the third and sixth years, was a poor tithe, to be shared with the local Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, the needy, the widow, etc. (Deut. 14:28–29).
Those who see these tithes as “too much” forget that they are paying far more in taxes for bad services to the state. In the 1990s it is said that Americans are paying about 51 percent of their income in taxes to some agency of state, from the federal to the local level. And still we are abused as neglectful of some areas of human need! We are supporting the state and its agencies better than ourselves.
Socialism is a form of slavery. In some cultures, people have sold themselves into slavery in preference to freedom and its liabilities.[1] Slaves are often brutally treated, at other times indulgently so. At all times, they are no longer responsible for their support nor their future.
In our time, men talk much of freedom while working to create a slave state. God gives us the freedom to do this. The warning of God through Samuel (1 Sam. 8) has not been heeded over the centuries, nor is it heeded now.
Because the basic government is the self-government of the Christian man, what God tells us through His laws on tithing is that we must either establish freedom according to His Word or have slavery as our destiny. Through tithing, we can provide social financing.
At one time in the United States, tithe agencies met immigrants at the docks to offer help in finding homes and jobs, Christian schools for their children, classes for the women on a variety of subjects, and so on. The results were remarkable. We now seem to prefer socialism and slavery.
In the medieval era, the tithe was more or less enforced, and sometimes, because of its unpopularity, it was not even a tenth. Many reforms occurred as discontented people withheld their tithes and offerings from churchmen they regarded as wayward, non-Christian, or corrupt. New and reforming orders grew quickly as the people turned to them with their interest and support. Reformation was thus a continuing fact during the medieval era.
Two things helped choke off reform and made the explosion of the Reformation inevitable. First, tithes and gifts had to go to the parish church and other approved agencies alone. Second, attendance had to be to the local parish church.
The same two deadly factors now haunt the Protestant churches. Earlier in the 20th century some fundamentalist churches began to insist on the “storehouse” tithing, identifying the local church as the storehouse of Malachi 3:10. But the reference there is to an actual storehouse maintained by the Levites to receive such things as grains and livestock. The Levites would then sell and distribute the tithe as instructed. Such storehouses were once a part of the American scene, and some such buildings still survive.
God nowhere empowers the church or state with controls over the tithe. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek on his own volition (Heb. 7:4–6), and the man from Baal-shalisha gave his tithe to Elisha and the school of the prophets on his own (2 Kings 4:42–44). Elisha was definitely not a temple-approved recipient for tithes.
Tithing is a form of governing. Our gifts direct and govern churches and Christian agencies and causes. We as individuals are not infallible in our judgment, but, on the whole, we do as well and better than church and state. There are indeed causes that exploit gullible Christians, but, as in very recent years when some deceptive causes and television evangelists were exposed, people largely stopped giving to them, and many failed. But when corruption in state agencies is exposed, taxes continue. When a church’s work in some sphere is exposed as bad, it does no good to withhold support for it because funds from other departments are directed into it. The administrator of tithing should be the tither; he is far from all-wise or perfect, but he is still more responsible. But, first, he must begin tithing. Otherwise the state must take over, and the man is then a loser of money and freedom.
The redemption of firstborn sons (Exod. 13:1–2, 15) rests on the same premise as the tithe. All that we have and are belongs to God, and the requirement that the firstborn sons must be set apart to be redeemed (Exod. 34:20; Num. 3:11–13, 44–51; 8:18) is to remind us that God has prior claim on everything that we are and have. We cannot live as our own governors and lords: we are God’s property.
But man’s original sin is to seek to be his own god and his own maker of law, his own determiner of good and evil (Gen 3:5). The redemption of the firstborn, typifying all, tells us that God claims the totality of our lives and possessions as His own. We have been created for His holy purposes, not our own, and any arrogant claim to independence on our part is a prescription for disaster.
The same applies to the firstborn of flocks and herds. These must either be redeemed or given to God. At one time, some Christians recognized God’s property rights here, although few do now.
All firstfruits, of grain or fruits, belong also to God and had to be taken to the sanctuary.
But the last-fruits are not ours either. In the laws of gleaning, the vines and trees could not be picked clean. The fruit on the top of the grain along the edges, and the stray bunches of grapes, had to be left for the gleaners (Lev. 19:9–10; Deut. 24:19–21). God thus governs every aspect of our lives and world, but He gives church and state limited jurisdiction over us. His enscriptured Word speaks to us, not to church or state.
The Lord God thus leaves the determination of our lives in our hands under Him and His law-word. Too often we sell our souls and freedom for a mess of ecclesiastical and/or civil pottage and slavery. Thus far, we have seen no laws entrusted to church or state for enforcement. God’s purposes do not make either church or state basic to His Kingdom. The family is often in God’s law, and the family is God’s most important institution. He takes His own designation, Father, from the family.
It is individuals and families who suffer most from tyranny, and it is they who must be zealous for freedom by providing social financing that will meet the needs God requires us to meet without creating a power state. God’s appointed means of social financing are tithes and offerings or gifts. A tithe is God’s tax; only when we go beyond the tithe have we given a gift to God and His work. Too many want neither to pay their tax nor to make a gift. All such people are really opting for tyranny and slavery.
Many who claim to be the champions of freedom are really promoters of slavery. They believe that appeals to certain laws will provide them with the tools whereby liberty will be restored. They are opting for revolution, not regeneration, for slavery, not for freedom. The Christian premise of freedom is man’s regeneration in Christ, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). It is easier, however, to rail against an “evil establishment” and forget one’s own evil nature than to recognize that the only freedom is under God and His law, and unredeemed men, as slaves of sin, can only create a slave society.
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