Money, Possessions & Eternity (vi)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
(Matt.19:23-24)
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.?
(II Cor.8:1-4)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
(II Cor.8:9)
There is a piece of liturgy that can be used at presentation of our ‘offerings’ in a service. As the gifts are received, the service-leader announces: ‘All things come from you’, to which the congregation responds: ‘And of your own have we given you’. It is – like all genuine liturgy should be – rooted in Scripture. In this case, David’s prayer of praise at the consecrating of the material he has gathered for the building of the Temple. Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand (I Chron.29:14).
It locks us into a life-changing truth. Everything we own, all the financial assets we have at our disposal, come from the Lord, and in real terms remain His throughout (Dt.10:14, Job 41:11, Ps.24:1-2, Hag.2:8 etc.). Christians have historically understood themselves as stewards, rather than as possessors. This is the basis on which the Lord will judge us in relation to the resources He has put at our disposal. They remained His throughout. We handle ‘someone else’s property’ (Lk.16:12), which has been entrusted to us for a purpose. Were we faithful to that purpose, or did we use what He had given us in an illegitimate way? Are we trustworthy stewards? These are the questions that lie behind parables such as the one found in Matt.25:14-30 (The Parable of the Bags of Gold).
And they are critical questions for us to settle, carrying as they do, eternal significance (see Lk.16:10-11 in this week’s memory passage). We might think that we would be more honest, or more generous if we had more disposable income, but Jesus’ analysis proves more shrewd. Our character consistently shapes our behaviour. If we aren’t generous with a little, we won’t be generous when we have much. Having more resources at our disposal doesn’t automatically change our character, at least not for the better. There is a cluster of other questions that arise out of this central one of faithful stewardship (in e.g. Matt.25:14-30): industriousness, wisdom, readiness for the Master’s return, single-mindedness, a pre-occupation with responsibilities rather than rights. A study on money and possessions quickly takes us into much wider territory, much of which remains unchartered by us.
But not by saints of a bygone age. John Wesley thought more about his relationship with money and possession than many of us do. Once, when he was told that his house had burned down, he paused before answering, ‘No, the Lord’s house has burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me’. Wesley posed four questions to help Christians reflect on their use and expenditure of money:
(i) In spending this money, am I acting as if I owned it, or am I acting as the Lord’s trustee?
(ii) What Scripture requires me to spend this money in this way?
(iii) Can I offer up this purchase as a sacrifice to the Lord>
(iv) Wil God reward me for this expenditure at the resurrection of the just?
He went on: ‘Can any steward afford to be an errant knave, to waste his Lord’s goods? Can any servant afford to lay out his master’s money any otherwise than his master appoints him?’. When we grasp the fact that we are stewards not owners, our perspective radically changes. Suddenly the question is no longer: How much of my money should I give away? But rather: How much of the Lord’s money should I keep? And that is a very different conversation.
Questions
Is it OK for Christian’s to gamble? … to play the National Lottery? Would it be appropriate for Churches, or Christian charities to receive National Lottery funding?
Should Christians tithe? What principles for giving are you aware of from the Scriptures? Do you see giving as a necessary ‘Spiritual Discipline’ for a Christian?
What would it mean to ‘test’ God in the area of giving (see Mal.3:8-10)? Do you think it is legitimate to apply this passage to NT Christianity? If so, what do you think it means for us?
Read Luke 19:11-27
How does this parable answer the idea that the Kingdom of God was going to appear at once (v.11)? What does it teach us about that Kingdom instead?
In the parable the King tells his servants to put the money he has entrusted to them to work (v.13). What does this represent in our own experience? How can we follow the example of the first two servants (vv.15-19)? If we did follow their example, what difference would that make to our experience of the King’s return?
What is the link between the servant’s unwillingness to do with the money what his master had commanded, and his view of the master (v.20-21)? What is Jesus teaching us here about how our own financial decisions and what they reveal about our vision of God?
Why does Jesus include a ‘sub-plot’ about the king’s subjects hating him (v.14)? What is this teaching us? How do you feel about the king’s treatment of them on his return (v.27)? What is Jesus teaching us here?
How would you explain and apply the principle laid out by Jesus in v.26? How do you feel about it?
Memory Passage:
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 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? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Luke 16:9-12
Going Deeper:
We are revisiting the question of debt, which has been almost a sub-series in our Bible Studies for a few weeks. It might be that our propensity to go into unanticipated debt is a spiritual problem rather than primarily a financial one. Of course, it isn’t adequate to simply analyse the question of debt. As Christians we are called to support and help each other as we get out of debt and stay out of debt. Strange as it may seem to us, our finances aren’t necessarily a personal and private affair, any more than any other aspect of our discipleship.
During this term we will have heard about the work of CAP. That is one of the most obvious and practical ways we can find the support we need to regain control of our finances. But we may need help that isn’t simply financial. Our underlying spiritual susceptibilities and character issues may also need to be addressed directly. Our theology, or our vision of discipleship may need to be brought more fully into line with the Bible’s teaching. Even if our debt isn’t ‘out of control’, or at crisis level we need to support one another in our pursuit of holiness. That is as true in our financial lives as it is in other areas of character, morals and ethics. Nothing hinders our ability to give like facing debt repayments. Nothing threatens our capacity to serve than feeling we need to work all hours just to make ends meet. We can feel crippled and ashamed, unable to be transparent about our life with others. It creates stress and worry, which will have relational impact; can lead to other patterns of sin (theft and dishonesty); and often leads to a sense of isolation and loneliness, cutting us off from those who love us and would want to help us. And we do.
