The Disciple and Money
Have you ever found yourself feeling like you are not as committed to God as you once were? You hear a lesson on sacrifice and you feel you need to repent and be more giving to people. There are times when a disciple will lose his zeal for God and he will not know why. The love of money and the desire for an easier life can be two reasons that we find our commitment to God has changed. The problem with our love for money is that it usually enters our life in small increments. The changes can be so subtle we do not always notice them. It takes a reawakening for us to see the changes we have made. In this lesson, we will examine the danger of money and what our attitude should be towards it.
Here is a careful admonition Paul gives to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:6-12
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
The love of
money can destroy our love and commitment to God
Being content with what we have is one of the greatest safeguards we have to our spiritual purity. Paul warns us that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. People wander from the faith because of it. The phrase "wandered from the faith" denotes a slow progression by which a person’s commitment to God fades away. The love for money happens slowly and methodically. If a disciple allows himself to “fall in love” with money, the zeal and commitment he once had for Jesus will be replaced by an ever-increasing desire for pleasure and comfort. The love for money chokes out the Word of God:
Luke 8:14
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
Do you feel your zeal for God is less now than when you were first baptized? If so, what do you think caused this? Remove from your life whatever is causing you to stumble. See Hebrews 12:1-2.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It takes throwing off whatever is keeping you from being able to RUN and FIX your eyes. Where are your eyes fixed? Where are you headed in the direction you are currently running?
A couple of examples of what it is to be burdened by entanglements and
choked by worries:
If any of these causes you to do things in your life that lead you to “wandering”, you are in danger. What is wandering? Remember that to wander is to:
· Move about without a definite destination or purpose
· Proceed in an irregular course; meander
· Lose clarity or coherence of thought or expression
Here are some signs that indicate you may be close or already
wandering:
Do not be deceived!
Recognize these warning signs!
So you see, it is not being rich that is necessarily the problem, but the love of money, the desire to acquire possessions:
Luke 12:15 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."
Greed; the love of money: two things to be guarded against. What are some practical things we can exercise to be protected?
1 Timothy 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Wealth may appear to be certain and solid. The reality is, however, that money is fleeting and uncertain. To put your hope in money is to put your hope in that which will let you down. Put your hope in God! He will never desert you or abandon you in your time of need. Money will not give you peace or contentment. It will only bring you responsibility and heartache. Do you trust money more than God? What would you feel more secure with: a million dollars or God?
Look at these examples:
The Poor Widow
Mark 12:41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.
42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on."
In order to give you do not need to have much! This is what our attitude with money needs to be. Be guarded against saying or thinking:
The widow didn’t think “If…”, she trusted the Lord to provide and gave everything she had. She left tomorrow up to the Lord!
Zacchaeus
Luke 19:5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Here is a man showing his gratitude towards God and letting go of what he considered before as treasure. He showed everyone who His treasure was! He also wanted to show integrity in giving. You see, our integrity is mostly shown in the world in how we handle money. People say, “put your money where your mouth is”, to convey the importance of integrity in financial dealings.
Rich Young Ruler
Matthew 19:20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect (complete), go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Here is a man who preferred to hold on to everything material! He really didn’t know peace or freedom! Where was his heart? What was he controlled by? Here’s what Jesus has to day about that:
Luke 12:33 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.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where is your treasure? Consider, at
this very moment in your life:
Let’s take a look at the
brethren in the first century for more clues:
Acts 4:32-37 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite
from
37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.
Many scholars and historians believed that Paul’s missionary
journeys were financed by this very generous and giving brother, Barnabas. He
was the first one to protect Paul when the church was afraid of him, taking him
to
Here’s another couple, who wanting to imitate Barnabas’ gesture, perhaps with the wrong motives, were caught in their scheme:
Acts 5:1-11 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."
9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
What happened in this case? Didn’t they sell the land and give at least some of it back? Let’s examine their evil sin:
We must always think spiritually when we consider how to use our money. Do you seek spiritual input when you are making decisions that will involve the spending of money?
Remember what the Lord told the Israelites:
Deut 8:17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
How you use your money and resources must be a spiritually minded process. God gives you and provides for your needs and enjoyment! Therefore, how you use these things God has given you must have an eternal purpose, beyond this life! If you just focus on the benefit you can have only in this life, then you are only thinking of yourself:
1Tim. 4:7-11
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance
10 (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things.
Whatever advice or teaching you receive regarding money that does not consider building treasure in Heaven is a godless myth. It may have some value for this life, but it is not godly since it possesses no value for the life to come. It can cause you to wander away from the faith because it will only focus on wealth building.
Learn to distinguish what is godly advice from godless advice on how to use your money and resources. You want to train yourself to be godly! How do you do that? By building treasure in Heaven!
Look at the brethren in the first century and examine their attitude about money and resources:
Acts 2:44,45 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
The disciples of the first century were very generous in their giving to meet the needs of the newly established Church. They learned to have a spiritual attitude toward the blessings God had given them. Do you see yourself having this same attitude?
True disciples must love God, and not money! This challenge must be faced in every generation, by every disciple. Our zeal for God and His mission is at stake. The love of money will change us from spiritual radicals to complacent suburbanites. Let us never exchange the glory of God for a temporary solution to a temporary problem!
Where is your wealth going?
Which of these is the best investment (Luke 12:33)?
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.
Examples in the body:
I know these brethren give without cutting back on their regular contribution; as a matter of fact, I know that Bob Carr regularly gives his contribution, plus whatever else is in his wallet at the moment, whether it is $60 or $200, every Sunday!
More examples: