How To Sell Your Possessions And Give To The Poor

Lord, have mercy on the suffering:
Give food to those who are hungry;
Give clothing to those who lack it;
Give shelter to those who shiver in cold;
Give love to children without parents;
Give comfort to abused women;
Give redemption to the oppressed;
Give assistance to those ravaged by war.
May you teach them to grow toward you in light of the hardships they suffer.
And to all of these may you give your gospel that they might attain your kingdom where their sufferings will be exchanged for the joy of your loving presence.

What Resources Do We Have?
For those of us who are wealthy, if we wish to live the life of Christ before God, we must sell our possessions and give to the poor. There is no getting around it-- Christ's command is clear. But that command brings up our fears of losing security and our anxieties of having nothing left for ourselves and our family. To overcome that anxiety, let's discuss what the Lord wants us to do, translating that command into simple, practical steps.

The first step we take to selling our possessions is determining what we have. What resources does the Lord require us to give? In this command, Jesus mentions our possessions. In I John, we are told to give our worldly goods. In the gospels, our family is mentioned, our occupations, our livelihood, and even our very lives. What is it we are to surrender? Not just a tithe, not just a portion, not just a good part-- but all of us, all of who we are and every aspect of our being is to be laid down before God to be used at his disposal. Our primary responsibility is not to provide, but to surrender. Our first priority should not be to control but to sacrifice. Everything, all we have and are, is to be placed under our love for God. The primary command is: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength." In Semitic languages you repeat something you want to emphasize. Sometimes you might repeat things twice, but if you want to speak of ultimate emphasis, you repeat it three times, like "Holy, holy, holy." Yet our Lord had the "all" repeated 4 times-- the greatest emphasis placed on anything in Scripture in one sentence. Thus if we live before God, absolutely everything is at God's disposal-- and at God's command, it is at the disposal of the poor as well.

That's the sticking point, isn't it. You see, if we surrender everything to God, then we still have a certain amount of real control and we can still feel good about being submitted to God. But God didn't tell us to lay our possessions and lives and resources upon some imaginary altar. Instead, he told us to give it to the poor. That is real, tangible and easy to check on. Did we do it? Or didn't we? Are we giving? Or aren't we? All we need to do is to check on our account books.

Now, what is this "all" that we have that we surrender to God and to the poor? We have what we own in our home or garage or property. We have our relationships which can be used for good or evil. We have our time with which we do all things. We have our energy which is used to provide action. We have our bodies which we use to communicate, transport and work. And, of course, we have money. All these we must give up to God, surrendering every aspect of our lives. The fundamental act of every Christian is this: We acknowledge that all these things are not to be used for our own interest-- not anymore-- rather we are to give our lives for God's interest and for the needy. God help us to live this way!

Evaluating Our Resources
Okay, to follow the command to sell our possessions and give to the needy, we first acknowledge that all we have and are, every aspect of our lives is at God's disposal and because of God's command they are to be used for the needy.

Yet in this surrendering of all, we must admit that now we too are impoverished and have nothing-- as do our family. And so God assists us in how we determine hat to do with God's possessions-- his life which you surrendered. God says, first of all, provide for the needs of your family.

Whoops! We've run into our first big snag-- what are our needs? How do we determine our needs from our wants? Are social obligations needs?

First of all, we recognize that Paul said that there are a couple needs that are basic: food and clothing. To this we want to add shelter-- especially during the winter months. Food, clothing and shelter-- these three items themselves uses up many people's income in the world. But we must remember that we are speaking of needs-- not the most extravagant versions of these three basics. We need food, but simple, nutritious food is sufficient, not junk food or expensively made dinners. We need clothing, but not closets full of the latest fashions bought at the "right" stores. Simply made clothes, even second hand is sufficient. We need shelter, but not large home twice the size of our need with plenty of storage and rooms that we feel obligated to fill and remodel. Let us conserve our resources, so that others might share in God's gift besides our own family.

There is so much else we must evaluate-- transportation, insurance, education for our children and many other issues. For these we must seek out the Spirit and the world-wide community of Christ to see what we need and what is unnecessary.

After determining our familiy's needs, we must then remember all the others we are responsible to provide for. The Lord commands us to care for our church leaders, for our brothers and sisters in need and for everyone we meet who happens to be in need-- we are responsible to share our resources with all of these. While our family is our first priority, they are not our only responsibility. Thus we must take utmost care-- how can we share our time, possessions, money and lives with all of these needy, not just our family. Oh Lord, give us wisdom!

Transferring Resources
Now that we have determined what resources we have, and we have whittled down what we give to our family to simply what we need. Yet we have not finished living our Christ's command: All these were simply preliminary steps: now we get to the heart of the matter-- selling our possessions and giving to the poor.

We have so much in our homes that are unnecessary. We have trinkets and books, videos and music, entertainments and worldly pursuits. We use so much of our time and our energy pursuing things that have nothing to do with God's love. What Christ calls us to do is to take all of these "extras"-- all the areas in our lives that do not assist the needy, and re-create them in a way that directly meets the needs of people.

The obvious thing to do is to transfer objects or time into money. Money is a medium that can be transferred to assist many needs. With money, one can buy food or clothes or shelter to meet people's needs. Some items you have may not need to be transferred at all-- if you have extra food, it can be given directly to the poor. Clothes can be given to community services who distribute clothes. Perhaps you have an extra room that can be used for a needy person on the street.

Sometimes, though, the Lord causes us to enact a creative transfer of resources that allows us to help the needy. Perhaps we can reduce our work hours in order to volunteer for the needy. Perhaps we can take some free time we have and spend it listening to those who have no companions-- such as the elderly or the homeless. We can send newspaper articles to missionaries or invite our pastor's family to dinner one night.

Primarily, however, we must be open to meet the needs we see. These needs can pop up anywhere, anytime. When they come, we must be ready. We must be ready to listen to the Spirit as we ask for wisdom. We must be ready to respond with compassion and not condemnation. And we must be ready to be open and generous with the resources that are not ours, but are God's to command, to use and to dispose of. In this life of mercy and justice, we will see God at work in us and through us.

Jesus' Class on Financial Accountability for Ministries

This is a fully accepted statement: Those of us who are involved in the ministry of Jesus need to be careful with money. Some misuse of funds over the last years by ministers, pastors and church groups -- and their punishments by various church boards and governments -- has only served to increase our realization that this is so.

In response, many churches and ministries have been setting up financial accountability programs, based on accounting and governmental principles of the world. While using such guidelines is good and will help us avoid being punished by our current government, what about abiding by the principles that Jesus set up for His disciples to follow? Shouldn't we, as believers, church workers, pastors, and ministry leaders be just as concerned – in fact, more so— with Jesus' instructions on the subject, to say nothing of the punishments that await those who fail to obey His Word?

Below are five Biblical principles of financial responsibility for disciples. All of these are given to disciples in general, two of them specifically to disciples involved in ministry. Yet, if we as individuals are commanded by Jesus to follow these principles, how much more so should groups of believers, be they congregations or ministries, apply these principles as well!

A. "Beware of all forms of greed!" (Luke 12:15)
Jesus warns that no disciple should focus on greed. The word "greed" in the original Greek has a number of different forms that it takes, and Jesus mentions this in his statement. A disciple, He tells us, is not to take part in any of these forms. They include:

• Keeping excess for oneself (Matthew 6:19)
• Keeping for yourself when another has greater need (Luke 3: 11; I John 3:17)
• Seeking to gain what another has (Luke 12:13-15)
• Increasing wealth for one's future enjoyment (Luke 12:16-21)
• Focusing on the wealth of this world, as opposed to the wealth of God's kingdom (Luke 12:15, 21, 33-34)

For a ministry or church, this means that the gathering of wealth or possessions for the sake of the wealth itself is unacceptable. That means a ministry needs to avoid seeking to make a profit geared only to be spent on itself or its leaders. Paul and Peter both agree that any teacher who is seeking wealth for his own gain is a false teacher (I Timothy 6:5; II Peter 2:3). Only receiving money for the sake of assisting others -- as the apostles did in Acts 4:34-35 -- is permissible. Instead of constantly seeking wealth, we should be content with what God has given us (I Timothy 6:6).

B. "Seek God's kingdom and all this will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
A disciple of Jesus should seek God, rather than the strength of their own arm, for provision of their daily needs and that of their family. If we try to meet our needs any other way than through God, Jesus says, we are acting like an unbeliever (Matthew 6:32).

The focus of every disciple should be to build God's authority and will into his life and the lives of those around him, and trust the provision of their basic needs to Him. To do so will likely mean great sacrifice --economically and otherwise. Sometimes we might lose our jobs, our friends. Even our family may turn against us. Yet there are times when God asks us to give up what wealth and security we have for the sake of others. Should any of this happen, we must look to God to gain what we need to live, rather than struggle and strain in our flesh to obtain financial and material wealth. We must ask God and trust that he will give us what we need.
Moreover, the sole focus of every church and ministry should be to establish God's kingdom, and leave the meeting of needs to Him. If we are low on funds, our first response should not be to send out a letter pleading for financial support, but to set our needs and the needs of those among us before God.

We need to trust that God will provide our every need (Philippians 4:19). Our first response to need should not be to put our hand out, but our hands up.

C. "Sell your possessions and give to the poor." (Luke 12:33)
A disciple of Jesus should give those in need. Any excess we have, beyond our own personal needs, should be given to the poor. If we have possessions we do not need -- excess clothes, food, books, CD's, whatever -- we should make them available to those who truly need them.
Moreover, at least one part of every church or ministry s work should include meeting the needs of the needy among them. This could be done in various ways: through a generous benevolence ministry, working hands on with the poor, or assisting organizations or churches who work in impoverished areas.

Finally, if a church or ministry has finances which exceed their basic needs, they should think of ways they can use those funds to meet the needs of the poor (Acts 4:32-37), not on building bigger churches or office complexes (Luke 12:16-21). The poor will always be with us, so we will always have an opportunity to help them.

D. "Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)
A declarer of God's message should give God's word without charge. Jesus' message was, and is, free. He gave it away to anyone who followed him. Moreover, we can still obtain the word of God without cost, if necessary. The Spirit of God is free -- healings and exorcisms cost us no money. For the same reason, the one who declares God's word, heals, casts out demons or does any kind of ministry using the power and authority of God should not charge for it.

If you wish to grant the gospel to people, do not sell it, but offer it freely. If you wish people to have a book, tape or video of what you learned from the Lord, offer it without charge, do not sell it. Christian publishers, bookstores and ministries act in opposition to Jesus' word anytime they take money for giving out His Word or life. Jesus said that those who take money from the poor for the sake of ministry will receive greater condemnation than other sinners (Mark 12:40). And again, if any minister is out for their own profit, the Scripture calls them false teachers (I Timothy 6:5; II Peter 2:3). A true profit in ministry is a false prophet!

E. "The laborer is worthy of his wages." (Luke 10:7)
This is a principle given to those who minister, but really it applies for those who receive the message of God. A declarer of God's message should be given their basic needs by those who receive the message. Although the minister does not ask for money, they can expect that their basic needs would be met by those who hear his message. Jesus established that a messenger of His Word would declare His message and do healings and, while he was doing the work, he would be housed and fed by a local believer. Even so, the basic needs of ministers and their families should be met by those who are growing through their message. In fact, Jesus said, whoever provides for a minister of Jesus in even the smallest way will gain their reward in heaven (Matthew 10:42)! Paul also applies this principle in different church contexts (Galatians 6:6; I Timothy 5: 17-18).

These principles are not given us to condemn each other with, but to allow our ministries to grow in faith and love and holiness, without which no one will see God (Galatians 5:6; Hebrews 12:14). I pray that the Lord will grant us wisdom to apply these principles to our homes, our churches and to everything we do in the Lord's name.

God's Commands to the Privileged

Who are the privileged?
If you are reading this, probably you!

Those who have greater resources than anyone around them, whether through birth or fate or labor. Resources could include opportunities in wealth, education, prestige, relationship, and esteem through race, sex, social class, or any other level of status as determined by society. We should remember that we are all privileged in some way, so these commands apply to all of us in some areas of our lives. If we live in the United States, even if we are among the poorest who live here, we are most likely privileged above the majority of the rest of the world.

If you have two coats and another has none, you are privileged.
If you are able to be politically active and another is not, you are privileged.
If you have supportive relationships and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have a job and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have excess time or money and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have peace when you go to sleep at night and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have clean drinking water and another does not, you are privileged.
If you never have to worry about racial injustice and another does, you are privileged.
If you belong to the majority religion of your culture or nation, you are privileged.

So, now that we know who we are, what is our responsibility given to us from God?

a. Do not boast about your privilege.
“Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

b. Do not use your privilege for primarily your own benefit.
But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. Luke 6:24-26
"The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21

c. Use what privilege and resources you have to benefit the oppressed.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. I John 3:16-18

d. Surrender your material resources to benefit those who are needy.
Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-34

e. Set aside some of your privilege, so that God might raise you up.
When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:8-11

f. Use your privilege to make friends with the oppressed, God’s chosen, so that they might welcome you into God’s dwelling.
And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9

g. Welcome the oppressed into the benefits of your privilege.
And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14

h. Use your privilege to create a context of justice for the needy and oppressed.
Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

i. Pay your workers their full wages on time.
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. James 5:4

j. Do not cause those who are under your authority to be angry, but be at peace with all in as much as you are able.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. Ephesians 6:4

k. Cheat no one, nor work for a company that cheats anyone of their wages. If you do cheat anyone of their meager resources, pay them back four times as much.
Do not defraud. Mark 10:19
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:8-9

l. Repent of your sins—especially your misuse of your privilege— with tears.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! James 5:1-3

m. Welcome the opportunity to be oppressed yourself, for then you will be of God’s people.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

n. Don’t worry if you become needy through obedience to God’s commands, for God will provide for all your needs if you seek His righteousness first.
Do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing…. And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Luke 12:22-23, 25-26, 31

o. If you have taken advantage of all of your privilege for your own benefit, then God will give you a second life in order to punish you.
And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.’ Luke 16:20-25

How To Be Saved, Though American Middle Class

Are you rich?
You may be thinking, “I wish I was, then I could pay off my bills.” But when the Bible talks about people who are rich, it isn’t talking about how much money you have, or how much income you have. Rather, it speaks of the lifestyle you have and the amount of possessions you have. You might have debts and barely squeak by each month with your income, but if you have plenty to entertain yourself with and more than enough food, clothing and warmth, then you would be counted as rich in the Bible. Let me ask the question in a different way: Are you in the American middle class or better? If you say, “Sure, we’re middle class,” then, according to the standards of the Bible, you are rich.

If that is the case, then I just want to be honest with you. You’re in trouble. At least, you are in trouble spiritually. Probably. I’m sure that you are living pretty comfortably, but as far as your place before Jesus, you are in trouble. “Hey, wait! I’m confident in my place in Christ. I’m doing well spiritually.” You probably attend church regularly and read the Bible. Perhaps you even lead a Bible study or pray on a regular basis. All of that is great. But, according to Jesus, you are still in trouble. Jesus’ statements are very clear: “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23).

Just how hard? Jesus says well nigh impossible. Below are the stories of three rich men in Scripture and what Jesus says about their eternal destiny.

The Wealthy Entrepreneur (Luke 12:16-21)
A farmer did quite well one year and he was determining what to do with his surplus. “I know!” he said, “I will take my profit and put it into savings. I will build bigger barns, so that I can store more grain and goods for the future and then I will be able to take it easy and spend the rest of my life in pleasure.” However, God spoke to the man and said, “You idiot! You are dead tonight! And now what will be done with your ‘surplus’? Who will enjoy it now?” Jesus’ point in the parable is that the one who does not use his extra possessions, wealth or income in the manner told by God, then they will have nothing at the end of their lives.

The Man with many possessions (Mark 10:17-27)
Jesus was walking along and a man ran up to him, asking him, “Teacher, what should I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus answered, “You know the commandments in the Law—don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t defraud, honor your father and mother.” The man said, “I’ve done all these things. Is that it?” Jesus looked at him and felt a love for him and so he said, “Yes—one last thing. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Then you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” The man walked away sadly because he had many possessions.

This man was rich not because he had a huge income or because he had an enormous amount of money in the bank. Rather, he had a lot of possessions. That is a lot like most of us, I would say. This man was hoping for eternal life while keeping what he had, but Jesus said that the only way he could gain a future life was to give up the life he had. If he surrendered his possessions and gave it all to those who had nothing, then he would be able to follow Jesus unencumbered. However, when a person has so much to give away, the task seems daunting—even impossible. But even the rich person can be saved with God’s help.

The Man in Comfort (Luke 16:19-31)
There was a man living in wealth and comfort. Every day he had sumptuous meals, and he dressed well and comfortably. He had everything going for him. Outside his door was a poor man named Lazarus who would have loved to eat just a bite of what the rich man was eating, and had such inadequate clothes that there were sores on his skin. The rich man, however, paid him no mind. Both of them were pious, and considered Abraham to be their father. But when they both died, Lazarus was taken to Abraham, while the rich man was taken to agony in dark flames. When the rich man complained to Abraham about this treatment, Abraham replied, “Son, remember that while you were alive you received your comforts and feasts. Lazarus, on the other hand, received only pain and sorrow. Now the roles are justly reversed—you are in agony and Lazarus is being comforted.”

Jesus said that the same would be true of a disciple of his. Those of his disciples who are poor would receive the kingdom of God. On the other hand, those of his disciples who are rich, who took comfort in this life, who lived in pleasure and ran around concerned about the affairs of this world—they would not receive God’s comfort in the end. (Luke 6:20-26; Mark 4:18-19)

Other places of the New Testament make it clear that the place of the rich, who live in luxury and pleasure, is eternal torment:

James says, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” James 5:1-5.

The book of Revelation condemns the church who is rich and commands them to repent or they will be punished. Revelation 3:14-22.

The teaching of Jesus and the apostles are clear: The rich person who does not repent will not be with Jesus on the last day, but will be punished and sent to eternal fire. There’s no way to get around it. It really is impossible to be rich and to enter the kingdom. Jesus wasn’t just joking—he was deadly serious. He wasn’t just talking about the one who is greedy in spirit, like a miser—he was speaking about anyone who had what was extra. Jesus wasn’t just talking to disciples who lived long ago and far away—he is speaking today and he is speaking to us.

This will mean that hundreds of thousands of those who live comfortable lives in American churches today will end up in hell. There will be whole congregations of people who heard from their pastors that a person can live in pleasure and full contentment on earth and still gain salvation on the last day. I am here to tell you that it is a lie. I don’t want to condemn you or anyone else. However, God’s word is clear. Those who live for their entertainment, those who build up possessions for their own pleasure, those who store away for their future comfort—all of these people are condemned to die by Jesus. On the final day, perhaps you who are reading this tract will go before Jesus and he will say, “Go from me, I never knew you.” You will reply to him, “But, Lord, I received you as a child and believed in you my whole life.” And he will reply to you, “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ but you have never done what I told you to? If you really believed you would have acted for the sake of the poor.”

There is a solution. We can be saved. We can gain peace with God. We can gain the salvation of Jesus. But I’ll be honest with you—the path to salvation is hard for us. We will require God’s grace and Spirit and perhaps even a miracle from him to be able to accomplish this salvation. The path Jesus requires of us is to live a lifestyle of helping the poor.

Jesus said to all of his disciples, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor and make yourselves an unfailing treasure in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33-34)

He also said, “Make friends for yourselves by using the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it is gone, those friends of yours will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)

On the final day, Jesus will welcome those who enter God’s kingdom by saying, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was a stranger and you gave me hospitality. I was in prison and you came to me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “When did we do these things?” And Jesus will reply, “When you did it to one of my poor disciples, then you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:34-40).

In the earliest days of the church, the apostles took in quite a bit of money from the disciples, but didn’t use it for a building program, but instead provided for the poor among them. (Acts 4:34-35)

Paul also firmly supported this way of salvation for the rich: “Timothy, teach those who have wealth not to focus on gaining more wealth, but to be generous and to share their wealth with the needy so that they will have security for eternity and gain true life.” (I Timothy 6:17-19)

Practically, how does one do this? How can we live a lifestyle of serving the poor? Scripturally, there are three models to do this:

The Disciples’ Model—
Renouncing wealth and the gaining of wealth (Mark 1:16-20; Mark 10:28-30)
Peter and James and John were fisherman with their own businesses. They made a living and were content. Then Jesus came along and said, “Come and follow me.” At that point they knew what they needed to do. They dropped what they were doing, quit their work, left their families and followed Jesus to go where he went. While they may have looked back on occasion (John 21:3), they knew that the way to follow Jesus was the way of renouncing what one had and the lifestyle of comfort and pleasure. Instead, they were to dedicate all of their time and energy in giving the gospel to whoever needed it. Peter referred to this, later in the ministry, and Jesus replied, “Everyone who has renounced their family, land and occupation for my sake and for the gospel’s will gain ten times as much in this life through my disciples—along with suffering through persecutions— and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Even so, we can live in this manner. We can renounce all that we have—sell all that we have, give to those who are in greater need than us and then not collect any more. Jesus said, “Do not store up treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven.” And he makes it clear that storing up treasures in heaven means continuing to give what you have to those in need (Luke 12:33-34). This seems like the hardest thing to do, but in some ways it is the simplest. Once you have renounced your wealth, you need not worry about it again.

The Zaccheus Model—
Continually giving to the poor from one’s income (Luke 19:1-10)
Zaccheus was a wealthy tax collector and he was hated by the Jews of his community. He was rich, he was powerful and he was clearly in sin, after all, he was the chief of all tax collectors in the region! When Jesus honored him by being willing to stay in his house, all of the righteous of the community complained. Zaccheus then summarized his manner of maintaining righteousness—he would continually give half of his income to the poor and if he cheated anyone, he would repay them four times as much. Jesus declared Zaccheus righteous and a true inheritor of the kingdom of God, even though he was a tax collector, because he was doing what was righteous.

Even so, we can live in this manner. If we receive a continuous income, then we can be generous of that income and give to the poor. Not just give to those who are already wealthy, but give to those in real need. And like Zaccheus, we must not think that a simple ten percent of our giving is enough—not if we can still live in luxury on even fifteen percent of what is left. Instead, let us give generously and continuously. We keep what we know we need to live on and then give away the rest. Also, whatever clothes or food that we receive but do not need, let us give it away to the poor.

The Philemon Model—
Providing hospitality for the poor from all of one’s resources (Philemon 1:1-22)
Philemon was wealthy—very wealthy. He had a large household to run and slaves to run it. But he was a strong believer and determined that what he had would be made available to the poor of the kingdom of God. He was known to show love to all those who followed Christ. He invited the church of his community to meet in his house, and whenever a church worker was passing through, he invited them into his house to stay there as long as they needed. Paul had used his house before and was planning to use it again.

Even so, we can live in this manner. Whatever we have: a house, a car, a spare room, extra clothes, extra food, room in our church, room in our garage, extra time—let us use all these things for the sake of the poor, especially the needy in our church. Let us consider what we have and think how it can be used for the poor.

These models seem difficult—and so they are. Jesus himself said that the way of salvation is difficult. But it is the way of salvation. There is no way out. If we want eternal life, we need to live a life of love, of justice and of mercy. We need to surrender our lives for the sake of God. And God asks us to surrender our possessions to the poor. Let us do so with joy, not with hesitation or complaining. For to do this is to gain more out of life now, and to gain life with Christ eternally.

Two Dangers of Wealth

Wealth as idolatry

Deuteronomy 6:10-15—When the children of Israel receive the wealth of the land they did not earn themselves, they should not forget the Lord and go to worship other gods.

Matthew 6:24—You can either serve God or mammon

Matthew 6:19-21—Do not store treasures on earth, for where your treasure is, your heart will follow.

Ephesians 5:3—Greed must not be named among the saints

Colossians 3:5—Greed is idolatry.

I Timothy 6::17—Tell the rich not to set their hope on uncertain riches, but on God.

James 4:3-5—Those who use what God gives them for their own pleasures are adulterers, whom God yearns for earnestly

Those who use wealth for pleasure being judged

Amos 6:4-7—Those who please themselves with their wealth will be the first who go into exile

Ezekiel 7:19-20—Their riches they will throw into the street when they are punished for their sin—using what God gave for their idols.

Does God Give Prosperity?

What is prosperity doctrine?
It is the teaching that the normative Christian life is being wealthy, healthy and successful in the world. To live a life of poverty, illness or dishonor is to lack faith or righteousness. It is not the same as charismatic or Pentecostal teaching, which teaches that the Holy Spirit’s power is just as strong in the world today as it was in the first century. Prosperity doctrine connects the Spirit’s power with always being healthy, and always having the blessings of this world. While the Spirit is just as powerful as he ever was, and heals just as strongly as he ever did, does this mean that the Spirit desires believers to be always healthy, always rich and always popular?

Is There a Biblical Basis for Prosperity Doctrine?
There certainly is. Many prosperity doctrine teachers use the Bible, especially many Old Testament passages, to support their concept. Isaiah 53:5 and II Chronicles 7:14 certainly speaks about God healing sicknesses through prayer and the sacrifice of Jesus. And there is a strong theme throughout the OT of God providing prosperity for those who are righteous, whether it be a nation or an individual. Among the passages that indicate this are: Deuteronomy 28:11; Psalm 25:12-13; Proverbs 13:21 and Zechariah 1:17.

However there is an equally strong, but seemingly opposing theme in the OT of the righteous suffering illness, calamity, persecution and tragedy of no fault of their own, but even especially because they were righteous. Stephan in Acts 7 and Hebrews 11 both give a long list of righteous people whose lives were surrounded by tragedy. The Psalms as well are full of many cries of the righteous to deliver them from trouble that the righteous did not cause. The book of Job in and of itself repeats again and again that disease and calamity in a person’s life is not an indication of their lack righteousness or faith.

Of course, prosperity teachers understand that most people do go through periods of tribulation, poverty and ill health, but they also teach that for the person who has perfect faith in Christ that such difficulties would be behind them forever. The completely righteous person in Christ would never again have to suffer in such a way.

One problem with their teaching even from the OT is that when the Scripture speaks of “prosperity” it does not mean material wealth as we have today. Rather it describes prosperity as being abundance of produce and cattle, enough to eat, enough clean water to drink, a community which worships God, peace from enemies and contentment. It does not anywhere speak of the abundance of wealth and the comparative economic plenty in comparison with 99 percent of the rest of the world that prosperity doctrine teachers promote. (I Timothy 6:8)

Another issue is that when the OT speaks of healing, it is done in the context of forgiveness from judgment. If the nation of Israel disobeys the covenant at Sinai, then God would visit upon them the diseases that he put upon Egypt. But if they return to Him, then he will heal them, and He will be their healer. It does not ever give a carte blanche healing for all diseases that might come upon a person. (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 28; Isaiah 57:16-21; Jeremiah 3:22)

What Does Jesus Say?
Jesus himself knew of the two theological ideas in the OT—the righteous would prosper and the righteous would suffer. He did not deny one part to take up the other, but joined them together into a unity. He claimed that the righteous would suffer in this age, which is under the control of Satan and humans under the thumb of Satan. The characteristics of the righteous at this time, Jesus says, is poverty, lowliness, persecution, mourning, and the deep desire for justice to come. And, Jesus says, it is exactly these who suffer now that the blessings of prosperity would be offered to these in the coming kingdom of God. In the kingdom, these who suffered would receive justice, happiness, peace, authority, safety and wealth. Thus, Jesus says, both themes in the OT are true—the righteous will suffer now and in order to enact justice for them, God will give them wealth and prosperity in the future when the kingdom comes. On the contrary, those who have a good life now—wealth, success, popularity—cannot expect to receive these blessings in God’s kingdom. (Matthew 3:3-12; Luke 6:20-26; Matthew 10:24-42; Mark 8:34-37)

Is this in agreement with the rest of the New Testament?
The rest of the New Testament is in agreement with Jesus. It is, James says, the poor who will receive the blessings of God, while the rich will be left empty (James 1:9-11; 2:5; 5:1-5). One of the characteristics of faith, says the writer of Hebrews, is not receiving what one expects, but believing in that expectation anyway and persevering in faith (Hebrews 11:32-12:4).

One of the best examples we have of this is the apostle Paul. Paul and his evangelists suffered all kinds of tribulations—illness, persecution, shipwrecks, sleeplessness, hard labor, constant danger, hunger, poverty, cold, imprisonments and much more. Yet he boasted in all this suffering, knowing that it is the suffering that grants him security in Christ, not wealth or popularity. (Philippians 2:25-27; Galatians 4:13; II Corinthians 11:21-30; Philippians 4:11-12; II Timothy 4:6-8.)

Thus, it is the entire New Testament that is in agreement with Jesus about the righteous being characterized for a time by suffering, while later they will receive security and wealth in the kingdom of God.

Is That All?
Some might say, “Is this all about what one expects out of the Christian life? So what’s the big deal? Some Christians receive poverty and some are wealthy, so why argue about it?” The problem with prosperity doctrine is not as much what the implications of their doctrine are.

Dishonoring the Poor
First of all, prosperity teachers find it necessary to put believers in Jesus who experience poverty or illness on a lower level than those who experience wealth and health. They claim that believers who are poor or ill are stricken by an evil spirit which they do not have the faith to resist. This is, frankly, insulting to believers who have been faithful to Jesus, have endured in spiritual warfare and yet remain poor and ill. And it is the opposite of what Jesus promised them. Those who are poor should be honored by the church, but instead they are dishonored, which is an abomination in Jesus (James 2:1-9).

This position also lessens the danger of wealth that Jesus expressed in many times and ways. Being wealthy does not exclude you from the kingdom of God, but it does make it more difficult. The reason for this, Jesus says, is the necessity to give up the wealth of this life for the sake of the poor and then the wealth will be stored up for one in the kingdom of God. Should one fail to give his or her wealth to the poor, they will be punished eternally. (Mark 10:17-25; Luke 12:15-21; 32-34; Luke 16:19-31) Prosperity doctrine honors the rich for their wealth and does not emphasize the giving to the poor, thus endangering their wealthy disciples to eternal fire.

Preaching for Personal Gain
Another danger of prosperity doctrine is the teachers themselves tend to seek personal wealth. This only makes sense, for they want to be good examples to their disciples, to show them what their teaching brings. However, the New Testament teaches that it is a characteristic of a false teacher to preach for personal gain. The Bible is opposed to the demand of salaries and payments to preach the gospel—one’s room and board, offered after the gospel is given, is sufficient.

In fact, a very strong statement is given in I Timothy 6 against the very thing that prosperity doctrine promotes—the thought that the gospel is for the increase of personal wealth. Paul does not say that being rich is bad, but he does say that one should be content with what one has and be generous to the poor. But he does say that those who teach the gospel for the sake of obtaining personal wealth “do not agree with… the teaching of Jesus” and are “conceited and understand nothing” because they believe that “godliness is a means of great gain.”

Does God Promise Prosperity?
Yes, he does! But in order to obtain the wealth and blessings we have in store for us in the kingdom of God, we must endure through a time of testing of our faith. For now, in this age, life is suffering and difficulty and struggle for the one who follows Jesus. But if we endure to the end, then great blessing will be ours and eternal life.