Money, Possessions & Eternity (vii)

 

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

                       (Prov.18:11)

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

(Matt.16:26)

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?

(Luke 16:10-11)

 

One question that has intrigued me as I’ve prepared for this series is: Would Jesus have achieved more if He’d had a bigger budget?   It’s caused me to reflect on how dependent we feel we are on finance, and on what we could be and do, if we could learn not to be constrained by budgetary questions.  That isn’t to suggest we should run up bills ‘in faith’ that God will miraculously provide (though there may be times when that is required).  It is more about re-calibrating our (cultural?) assumptions about how God works, and how Churches work. 

But there are things we will always need to have money available for as a Church.  Interestingly, not so much to pay for ministry, or building development, but to provide for the poor in the life of the Church.  This is tricky territory, and I suspect that having lived in a Welfare State we may struggle to see clearly on this issue.  But it is surprising how much of the Bible is taken up exploring how Christians are financially responsible for each other.  We’ve already briefly considered the question of the Mosaic Law, which mandates the people of God to provide for the impoverished in their midst in ways that are more systemic and sustainable than charity – and that do more to preserve dignity (e.g. Ex.23:11; Lev.19:10; 25:35-43; Deut.15:7-11 etc.).  How such mandates work out in today’s world requires some thought, but the fact that they should is, I think, beyond question.  Certainly the NT Church was shaped by OT legislation.  One set of Laws surround the Festival of Weeks, and embedded in them is provision for the poor (Lev.23:22).  The Festival is more commonly known to us as ‘Pentecost’, and a quick read of the Church’s experience of Pentecost includes the fulfilment of this aspect of it too: ‘All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need’ (Acts 2:44-45).  As we continue to read through Acts, we find this is not a one-off situation.  Acts 4 reiterates this as an ongoing part of the Church’s life: ‘there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need (Acts 4:34-35).  And in Acts 6, there is a dispute about the distribution of such support (vv.1-6). 

And it isn’t limited to the local congregation / region.  The Church clearly has a global perspective from the earliest days.  Paul embeds an awareness of, and an appropriate sense of obligation to, the wider Church as integral to the life of the congregations he establishes.  It is more than a passing comment that the other Apostles not only authenticate his mission to the Gentiles, but instruct him to ‘continue to remember the poor’, the very thing he tells us, he was eager to do (Gal.2:9-11).  This was an integral part of Apostolic Christianity.  Someone like Barnabas, Dorcas or Cornelius are commended because of their gifts to the poor (Acts 4:36-37; 9:36; 10:4 etc.).  But perhaps the most famous and telling example of this is the collection for the Church in Jerusalem (mentioned in Acts 24:17; Rom.15:24-27, where it is considered important enough to postpone a mission trip; I Cor.16:1-4; with the theological underpinning explored at length in II Cor.8-9).  It is also worth remembering how much space is given to the question of hospitality, which in NT days meant not so much having people over for a coffee, as having people live with you when their property was confiscated, or vandalised as a result of persecution, or when the main provider of a family ended up in prison (e.g. Heb.10:33-34).

The Apostles, in this as in every aspect of Church life and teaching, are simply following the mandate given by Jesus (e.g. Matt.6:1-4).  One of the most powerful examples is in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt.25:31-46).  This rich and multi-faceted passage focusses on the Church’s and the Nations’ experience of judgement.  A key issue that will be addressed on that Great and Dreadful day is whether we provided for the suffering Church, and through that ministered to Christ Himself.  This is clearly not a peripheral issue, or an optional extra!

Questions

What is the difference between saving, and ‘storing up treasures on earth’?

 

When does a Christian need to take out insurance?  In what cases is insurance a godly option, and when might it be sinful?

 

As you look back on your life as a Christian, how can you see God’s generosity to you? … and His provision for you?

 

Do you think Churches should engage in fundraising?

 

Read II Cor.9:6-11

(all of Chap.8-9 would be ideal)

As you read through Chap.8-9, do you feel Paul is being manipulative?  How would you feel if these arguments were used at MIE to encourage giving?

 

One part of the build-up we can’t ignore is II Cor.8:9. To what extent is Paul expecting us to follow Christ’s example?  Do you think he is teaching that our giving should be so sacrificial that it makes us ‘poor’?

 

What is it about Christianity that results in all Christians being ‘cheerful givers’?  How would you counsel someone who gives reluctantly, under compulsion, or not at all? 

 

Do you believe what Paul claims in II Cor.9:8?  How do you explain the experience of Christians who do not have all that they need?

 

What is the goal of God’s material provision?  Does God’s provision achieve this in you? 

 

How does it make you feel that other people will worship God and give thanks to Him, because of your generosity?...and that others will pray for you because of your gifts? 

 

Memory Passage:

…the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”   … The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.   He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”.

…taken from Luke 44:17-21

 

Going Deeper: 

I can’t underline enough the spiritual nature of financial problems, nor the place of the Church in supporting you and helping you to address those problems at both spiritual and financial levels.   In the UK alone (March 2022), the average personal debt is £33,410 / adult.  Although we can be tempted to despair, there is always hope.  The first step (of confessing debt) is likely the hardest. 

If you talk to us at MIE, we won’t be shocked.  We won’t berate, chastise or humiliate you.  There are a number of likely things we will support you in.  The first is repentance.  The fact of debt may be a sin itself, and there are likely patterns of sin underpinning debt which you will need to deal with and grow out of.  We will help you to stop rationalising your spending habits, and will support you as you seek to change them.  We will pray with you and for you.  We will encourage you to be active in giving.  We will support you as you seek informed financial help and develop a practical strategy for rationalising and eliminating debt.  We will support you as you destroy your credit cards, and to cut out other avenues for getting into debt.  That’s just for starters.  Can you imagine the relief, the joy, the sense of hope that will pervade your life once the reality of debt is in the open and being addressed?  You may need to downsize, lower your lifestyle, and change your thinking in a number of key areas – but how liberating to be free from debt.  It might take years to straighten everything out – but won’t it be worth it.  As we enter a cost-of-living crisis that is unprecedented in living memory, we may be surprised to realise that far more of us that we anticipate need help not just to pay the bills, but to develop the spiritual life and character that allows us to be godly in our dealing with finances in the future.