“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” LUKE 14:33
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD A SERMON ON FORSAKING ALL TO FOLLOW JESUS? The leadership of most churches will almost never publicly speak on this topic. This is because the number one goal of most Churches is not to please God by speaking truth, but to please men so that the pews are full and they are deemed ‘successful’ according to the worlds standards. The number one unwritten rule of almost every church is: “Never, under any circumstances say or do anything that might upset or offend anyone for any reason.”
Here are two facts 1) Jesus requires all those who would follow Him, to give up everything including material things. 2) Let’s be brutally honest: we do not like hearing this, because most of us have a LOT of things, and we love those things. Here’s a bonus fact: 3) Rather than take Him at His word, that we need to give up our possessions, we rationalize that, while Jesus did say that, it was not actually what he meant. Rationalizing is just a dressed-up way of lying to ourselves and believing it.
Let’s look at some other passages from God’s Word regarding the making and accumulation of temporal material wealth.
JESUS COMMANDMENTS
“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?” LUKE 17:23-25
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” LUKE 9:24 *An exceptional note regarding these words of Jesus: They are recorded SIX TIMES in all FOUR of the gospels. See MATTHEW 10:39, 16:25, MARK 8:35, LUKE 9:24, 17:33 AND JOHN 12:25. If we see a command ONCE in God’s Word, we need to take it to heart and put it into practice, What then, if it appears six times? If we claim willingness to give up our life, but not our money, we are living in denial of this exhortation.
JESUS EXAMPLE
“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.” 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 The riches that Jesus gave up were TRUE riches from heaven, far more valuable than silver or gold. If He was willing to abandon TRUE riches, shouldn’t we be willing to forsake money and stuff that will end up going to someone else when we die?
PAULS ATTITUDE AND EXAMPLE
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” PHILIPPIANS 3:8 -Note 1- his attitude, that he counted social status, material wealth and education as garbage, and 2- his example: “for whom I HAVE suffered the LOSS OF ALL THINGS”
THE EXAMPLE OF THE EARLY CHURCH
“And all those who had believed…. began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.“ ACTS 2:44-45
“For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.” ACTS 4:34-35
INSTRUCTION FROM JOHN “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” 1 JOHN 2:15-16 Here, the lust of the eyes is not referring only to sexual attraction but to covetousness. Our sin nature lusts after material things as much as sex or anything else.
CONCLUSION
God never tells us that it is a sin to make money, nor is it wrong to have wealth (see 1 TIMOTHY 6: 17-19 – there will be some rich Christians, but this is the exception rather than the rule). However, based on the instruction and example given in His word, it is reasonable to say that He desires those who would follow Him to forego the accumulation of wealth and material possessions in favor of living a more frugal life and use our surplus wisely. It is God’s desire that we WORK (see 2 THESSALONIANS 3) to pay our own way for THREE reasons: 1-so we are not a burden to others, 2- to provide basic food and shelter for our loved ones, and 3- to practice generosity in helping the poor, such as widows, the fatherless and those too sick to provide for their own needs. The Bible also tells us NOT to set our hearts in the accumulation of wealth (see 1 TIMOTHY 6:6-19)
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
-In what ways do I still find myself loving “the world”? Have I asked God to remove this from my life and replace it with greater love for Him and His church and the lost?
-What things do I currently own that I could live without? Have I asked God to show me? Have I asked Him to help me to be more willing to be obedient to Him I this area?
-Do I know of people in my church who have far less than I do? Would the Holy Spirit lead me to sell some of the excess stuff that I could live without and give the proceeds to help them?