Do we the church cling to wealth? Do we go out in the world seeking fame and fortune, wanting more and more? Do we ignore those who are in need; do we leave it to others to help the needy?  How should the church deal with money? How should we as Christians live? After all, 1 Timothy states

“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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 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

God gives us everything, and thus we must use it for good. If you do give, you will be blessed, not like how prosperity men talk as if it’ll solve all your problems, but God will bless. Sometimes the fear of prosperity teaching makes churches shy away from talking about giving, but we should be known as a giving church, but not to those who have it all, but to those who have nothing. God has entrusted us with gifts, it may be wealth, if it is, then it should be used to help further the kingdom.

Two Bible verses always stand out to me, and of course we must take everything in context.

Mark 10:21-22:

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (NIV).

And in Acts 2:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (NIV).

So what we see here is a heart for giving. For the rich young man, wealth got in the way of following Jesus. He loved wealth more than God, and the Bible tells us that we are prone to do so. God knows what our weakness are, and our desires, but He wants us to put Him first. Wealth is not inherently bad, but ‘is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).’ It can be a huge stumbling block in our service to the Lord.

In the verses from Acts, what do we notice? The church put others before itself. They looked after one another and gave to the poor; don’t forget, Jesus and the disciples gave constantly to the poor. Here the Apostles and the greater church gave all they had so others could be better off. They did it without any hesitation, they trusted God would care and provide for them, and He did and He still does, for us! Therefore, we need to trust Him more and give more to those who are in need.

Can a Christian own a mansion?

Well, nowhere in the Bible does it say, ‘Thou shalt not own a mansion’. But, if there are those in need in your church, even in your community, and you have a mansion, surely there’s something not quite right there? Not that a mansion in itself is bad, but if you let that mansion and your worldly goods get in the way of loving those in need, then it is a stumbling block. I know it is never easy to part with money; it is something I certainly struggle with, we want to save money, and spend it on ourselves and those around us, again nothing inherently bad, but it can also be a stumbling block. We should give, and give all we can.

James 5 does not give the rich a good outlook if they are selfish with money:

1Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. (NIV).

If you are wealthy and do not do good with it, then it is testimony against your heart. As Christians we’re called to stewardship of the gifts God has given us, that includes wealth. If you value what you have here on this earth, whilst others are in need then your heart isn’t set on Jesus. We need to look to Him and Him only! I know that I should give much more than I do, I pray that we will all be a generous and giving church.

Let us think on James 2: 14-17

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

We are meant to meet the needs of others, if we have faith but our works show nothing, then it is as James says, dead. Let us really think of these verses and how this reflects in our lives. Let us be active Christians that play an active role in their communities, rather than academic ones who rather talk about doctrine all day rather than live out the faith.

In the Christian life, we are meant to be humble, and we are meant to give it all to God. I think Hebrews 13:5 sums up the Christian attitude nicely I think. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God is with us, He is all we need, He has given all to us, let’s give it all back to Him. Serve Him and do not hold on to the things of this world!