Then Yeshua came to
them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is
given to Me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey
everything I have commanded you. – Mat 28:18-19
When we look at the way the Lord lived, we see a life of
selfless, simplicity regarding the treasures of man. He never owned property
nor did He amass physical wealth. Though He knew Judas was stealing from Him,
it does not appear that the Lord even spoke to him about it. The reason for
this is really very simple. Material wealth was not the Lord’s priority; but
rather, the souls of men.
Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is near. – Mat 4:17
From the very beginning the Lord made it clear that He did
not take human form to better Himself. No, He came that we might be reconciled
to God. Being the Son of God He could have demanded a throne, mansions, etc.
Certainly if anyone deserved to live as royalty, it would be Him. Yet, He
neither sought it nor seemed to regard it. Neither did wealth or position sway
Him, for He tended to the great and the small with the same regard.
In this parting instruction, Christ commands that we go and
share the truth of the gospel. That we teach the importance of the obedience of
faith, and that we baptize them into the family of God. Blatantly absent is
even the suggestion that we are to focus on our own personal wealth.
We see the same selfless simplicity in the lives of the
Disciples. Their time with the Lord, with the obvious exception of Judas,
taught them to look for more important and eternal things. Paul did not even
seek the rightful support of a Disciple, though he surely served as one. Instead,
he preferred to pay his own way. He did not want it thought that he was
motivated by anything other than an obedient reverence for the Lord.
But we did not use
this right. On the contrary, we put up with
anything rather than
hinder the gospel of Christ. – 1 Cor 9:12
When the Lord sent out the Twelve, He gave them explicit
instructions:
“As you go preach
this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal
the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.
Freely you have
received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver
Or copper in your
belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or
sandals or a staff;
for the worker is worthy of his keep.” – Mat 10:7-10
Here again He fails to advise them to seek monetary benefits.
Instead He asked them to point out that eternity is inevitable, and that the
choices people make affect where they’ll spend it. In fact, the only payment they
are advised to seek is for the provision of their immediate needs.
After the resurrection the Lord instructs Peter to “feed”
His sheep (John 21). It is significant that He does this three times, because it
tells us that feeding the flock is an integral part of a shepherd’s call. The
words used for “feed” mean to provide nourishment and act as shepherd to. While
material care does enter into the equation, it is spiritual care that is to be
given the primary consideration. Notice that once again, the Lord does not tell
Peter to seek his own personal gain or material blessings for this effort. He
is to be diligent about tending to the needs of the flock, but not concerned
with material gain for himself.
Today many ministries focus on little besides material wealth.
Their leaders lead lives of outrageous opulence, urging their followers to
“give in the manner they want to receive”. They attempt to trade the blessings
of God by making it sound like God’s desire to bless is greater than all His
other attributes. There is little or no focus on the cost of salvation, the
believer’s obligation to faithful obedience, or the holiness of God. They teach
the love of God, but ignore the fact that it was the holiness of God that
required blood atonement for our sins. It’s a little like stroking a lion’s
mane without regard for his teeth.
Here’s the thing: The Gospel of Christ is focused on souls. Our
commission from Him is that we also be focused on souls. Look again at the
Scripture from the beginning of this discussion. Search the New Testament.
Christ did not teach that we should seek material wealth. He did not die that
we might experience such wealth, either. No, Christ taught that we should have
the priorities of God, seeking to reach the lost and teaching the truth of His
word, and He died to provide salvation for our souls. He also taught that
sharing the truth of the gospel required sacrifice.
Yeshua replied,
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man
has no place to lay His head.” – Mat 8:20
“A student is not
above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It
is enough for the
student to be like his teacher, and the servant
like his master. If
the head of the house has been called Beelzebub,
how much more the
members of his household!” – Mat 10:24-25
Some will still say, “What does it matter for blessings are also
Scriptural?” Yes, blessings are Scriptural, but take a long look. New Testament
blessings are far more concerned with healing, deliverance, peace, daily needs,
joy, love, faith, the gifts of the Spirit, and etc. It’s not that God cannot
give us earthly treasure; but rather, that His desire is that we have true
treasure expressed by the evidence of His Spirit in us and an eternity in
heaven with Him.
“No one can serve two
masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will
be devoted to one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God
and money.” – Mat 6:24
The Lord is actually quite clear here. IF we are focused on
wealth, we are NOT focused on Him. We will gravitate to God or make a god of
money, because our hearts cannot be bound to both. Literally, if our priority
is material wealth, then it is not set on the things of God.
“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.”
– Mat 6:19-21
Did your mother ever give you money for lunch that you spent
on candy or junk food? Now, Mom, probably wouldn’t have minded if you had
gotten a little something after you had lunch, but replacing it with junk was another
matter altogether.
Just so focusing on blessings/prosperity perverts the order
of God’s will. We are to seek Him first and primarily then, as we continue to abide
in His will, these other things are added. Never are we told that it is
acceptable for us to replace seeking to serve Him as our God with seeking to be
blessed by Him. It is what many have done, but it does not reflect what the
Scriptures teach.
“But seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness, and all these
things will be given
to you as well.” – Mat 6:33
Being focused on wealth has led many down a dark and deadly
path. God’s position of authority has been disregarded in our nation, because
profit was preferable to His laws. Truths have been ignored, because unhappy
pew warmers could result in a loss of tithes. Some avoid Christian businesses
altogether, expecting to be taken advantage of there. Others have even gone as
far as to assert that killing their children (via abortion) was “God approved”,
because they deserved to be blessed monetarily. Certainly, faithful brothers
and sisters have been tortured and killed the world over, while we fought to
protect our economy. And there are so many more examples it’s just sad.
By its very nature focusing on wealth takes our focus off of
the things of God. We have gone from exalting the Lord to exalting the
profitability of the “business” of the gospel. Worse, when the pursuit of that
gospel business jeopardizes a fellow believer, many claim that their right to be
blessed surpasses all else. Yet, Christ is our primary example, and He took
advantage of no one.
Nobody should seek
his own good, but the good of others. – 1 Cor 16:24
This desperate need for prosperity is like a cancer. It takes
the focus off of God and places it on things. True blessings and miracles are
cut off, because our heart is not truly His. Even with the deterioration of
this nation most fail to make the connection, but I tell you the truth: The
preference of wealth over God is the root of much of the affliction we see
today. If you have ears that hear, understand that the judgment we are experiencing
is the result of our turning from the truth of Scripture to the love of wealth.
In fact, we have turned so far, that many professing Christians do not really
even understand who the Biblical Christ is.
The holiness of God does not allow for our hypocrisy. We are
either His or we are not. If we are His, our hearts will be primarily concerned
with the things of His heart. When our primary concern is the material blessings
of this world, we have stopped serving Him and started serving ourselves. Most
prosperity teachers do not cover this truth well, but the Scriptures are clear. The
confusion is of man, because the heart of man – without God – is desperately
evil, making good look bad and evil appear very delectable.
God’s peace.
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