- araratchurch
- Nov 15, 2022
- 5 min read
“As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
Mark 10:17, 21-22 NLT
In terms of a biblical view of prosperity, it seems very hard for people to find the truth, but very easy to end up on one extreme or the other of the view of prosperity in terms of believers.
On the one hand you will find groups of people who believe that material prosperity is intended for everyone and that those who do not have great material wealth are somehow missing out in terms of disobedience to God or bad planning. Let’s look at this position before going on.
You cannot find biblical support for the teaching that all believers are meant to be very wealthy. You certainly can take scriptures out of their context or out of the context of the whole word and try to prove that point. But, the fact is, we see examples in the Bible of people who were doing the will of God yet were poor. Indeed, we even see an example given by Jesus where a beggar was received into the arms of Abraham where as a rich man was found in torment.
““Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.”
Luke 16:22-23, 25 NLT
Now, this brings us to the other extreme view of the doctrine of prosperity: that being poor is being righteous; being rich is being evil. This view is also not supported in the Bible. Indeed, we see some of the most righteous characters described as being very rich.
“So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.)”
Genesis 13:1-2 NLT
So, if being rich is not necessarily the result of being righteous and being poor is not necessarily the result of being sinful, and being rich does not necessarily indicate being evil and being poor does not necessarily mean that you are righteous, what is the biblical view about prosperity?
I will offer here a parable of Jesus that illustrates the biblical view on prosperity:
“Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.””
Luke 12:16-21 NLT
The above parable references an arrogant rich man who was glorying in his ability to attain wealth. Rather than thinking of how he could use that wealth to help others, he decided to hoard his wealth for himself. It didn’t end well for him. But notice, the moral of the story is not that this man was foolish because he was prosperous, but that he was foolish in being arrogant about the fact that he was rich and felt no desire or need to help anybody else. That this is the moral is further confirmed in these words of Jesus:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
You might better understand Jesus’ intended meaning if you replace “store up” with “hoard.” The idea here is of one who never has enough that they want to share with others, but always seeks to store more for themselves. Indeed, treasure in heaven can be stored by using what the Lord has given us to help others.
“He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said. Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!”
Acts 10:2-4 NLT
This scripture references a Roman officer (most likely, very prosperous) who became a Gentile believer in Jesus Christ. His generosity to the poor had built a memorial in Heaven! So, the Lord sent Peter to give him the Gospel. Additionally, all the people of Cornelius’ household were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Our opening scripture presents an opposite and very sad scenario. We see this rich young ruler who desires to follow Jesus but who was held back because of his great wealth. He was not disqualified because he HAD great wealth, but because his great wealth, HAD him. Reading on in this passage of scripture you will find that the Lord expounds on the fact that it’s difficult for rich people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It is not difficult for them BECAUSE they are rich, but because they often TRUST in the riches.
““Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.”
Mark 10:29-30 NLT
Jesus goes on to assure that all acts of self denial for the cause of His kingdom will be rewarded here and in eternity.
I cannot tell you that if you live righteously you will end up being rich in this life. At the same time, it would be wrong to say that the one trusting in the Lord should be poor and/or have no savings. The biblical view is that there is no conflict between material wealth and prosperity in the Kingdom of God. There is, however, great tension between loving riches and loving God; indeed, we’re told that it is ultimately impossible to love both.
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Matthew 6:24 NLT
Today we lay to rest the false choice between prosperity in this life or eternal reward.
- araratchurch
- Nov 14, 2022
- 3 min read
““I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.””
Revelation 2:2-6 NLT
We began our journey of “10 Days of False Choices” with a discussion of the fact that we sometimes find a group co-opting the language so as to represent the behavior they want in a good light and behavior they do not want in a bad light.
Today’s false choice is a little different in that—either way you go—you could feel that you were doing something bad. But, the fact is, there is a scenario in which we can and should acknowledge sin without being a “hater” of the sinner.
A few years ago the then President of the United States said that the Christian approach of “hating the sin, but loving the sinner” was not “helpful.” If that were true—which it is not—what are we left to do? Well, in his estimation, we should love, accept, and even encourage the sin, or we will be represented as (necessarily) being “haters” of the people doing those things.
Let’s take a moment to look at two passages of instruction from the Bible. The first one is where Paul is addressing what should be done to a person who is openly sinning within the church.
“I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 NLT
In this second passage—also coming from Paul—we see the instruction to lovingly restore someone who was trying to recover from their fall into sin.
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
Galatians 6:1 NLT
Hating the sin, yet loving the sinner, is not only possible, but is the way we must operate. Saying that it should be any other way would be comparable to saying that to be loving to a person with cancer, you must love the cancer! Remember:
“…and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.”
James 1:15b AMP
We certainly must not love that which we know can lead to death!
In our opening scripture we see that the Lord exhorts the church at Ephesus to be renewed in their love for the Lord and their love for each other. At the same time, He commends them for hating the works of the Nicolaitans in the same way that He hates their works.
We also see that when Jesus is addressing the church at Thyatira He commends them for their love, good works, and service, but reprimands them for allowing the sinful behavior—and the teaching of the same—by “Jezebel.”
““I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.”
Revelation 2:19-21 NLT
Do not allow the world—or even those within the church—to intimidate you into remaining silent about those things that go against God‘s law to avoid being labeled as a “hater.” We hate sin, but we love people. That is the truth, no matter who may say otherwise.
Today we lay to rest the false choice between embracing sin or being a “hater.”
- araratchurch
- Nov 13, 2022
- 4 min read
“While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.) So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?””
Numbers 12:1-8 NLT
You may have heard the phrase, “Don’t mistake my meekness for weakness.” Now, we know what that means when we hear it, yet many Christians seem to be confused as to how to “balance” these two attributes.
My father was—in one way—probably one of the most humble human beings I have ever known. As well, he was one of the most bold human beings I have ever known.
I have seen my father publicly belittled by people no where near his level of experience with the Lord, yet he took it with grace (although it probably broke his heart).
I have also seen my father rise up with a startling level of ferocity when he thought someone—other than himself—was being done wrong.
You see, there is the distinction: he did not try to defend himself when being belittled, yet he would boldly come to someone else’s defense.
We know that humility before God is a prerequisite for being led by His spirit into all the things He wants for us.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”
James 4:10 NLT
Jesus presented humility (being poor in spirit) as describing those who would be able to be a part of the Kingdom of God.
“Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].”
Matthew 5:3 AMP
Indeed, Jesus Himself is the best example we have of unfathomable humility as well as unequaled boldness.
Jesus—the God-Man—humbled Himself to wash His disciples’ feet.
“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”
John 13:3-5 NLT
Yet, this same Jesus confronted the very powerful religious leaders of His day and also cleared the temple of those using the people for profit.
“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John 8:44 NLT
“Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!””
John 2:15-16 NLT
Indeed, Jesus describes Himself as being humble.
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
Yet, He was not reticent to proclaim His authority.
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”
Matthew 28:18 NLT
In our opening scripture we see an incident occurring between Moses and his brother and sister. In this narrative, we also see Moses described as being the most humble man on earth. Now, this scripture used to confuse me as I considered all the things Moses did while leading the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the desert for those 40 years. When I asked the Lord about this, His answer to me was that Moses was never motivated by self-interest in terms of his zealous behavior.
Looking at the portion of scripture referencing Moses’ humility in the Amplified Bible gives further insight into why Moses was described as being humble:
“(Now the man Moses was very humble (gentle, kind, devoid of self-righteousness), more than any man who was on the face of the earth.)”
Numbers 12:3 AMP
If you read further in this story you will see that God took vengeance for Moses. This is what the Lord does for all of His children who are humble before Him.
Being humble before God is to be aware of our complete dependence upon Him and acting in accordance with that knowledge. Being humble with people is taking on the spirit of Christ in our interactions with them. Sometimes our interactions may look ferocious and bold, but even then, humility is present.
Humility and boldness are not mutually exclusive: one does not prohibit the other. Indeed, being Christlike is being truly humble and truly bold.
Today we lay to rest the false choice between being humble or being bold.