We had a wonderful mens meeting yesterday. We talked about a subject that I have been seeing more and more lately. The theme throughout the emergent church movement and many of todays liberal churches is that the Scripture needs to become more socially relevant to our times. I have seen verses taken out of context to attempt to get more money, justify more debt, and to justify women taking leadership roles and men becoming more like mice than the men God tells them to be.
Robert Tilton is a prime example of this, as he uses verses out of context,(many having nothing to do with the subject at all) to say that if you send him money, God will give you a lot more money back. The thought of promises of blessing and God wanting the best for us just sounds so loving, like God should be, right?
The issue with this argument is that they would like to throw out sin, judgment, wrath, and hell from the equation, even though these are some of the most dominant themes in scripture. Tilton has become a millionaire over and over while picking the pockets of unsuspecting little old ladies on Social Security. I don't see anywhere in the Bible that says we should take advantage of the elderly, rather that we should take care of the widows and those in need. God also does not always bless us with material things, in fact, the love of money is the root of evil.
Money is not bad, it is a tool, and God can see fit to bless us with material possessions, but when the possessions become the goal of our lives and we lose sight of what God tells us to do, we have an idol on our hands. When we live for money, and give to God in the expectation of money in return, we have taken that tool and made it the reason we live. It is with these people that try to twist the Word of God around so they are put in positions of power and personal glory that I have the problem.
I have seen Matthew 6:19-21 and 31-34 taken to mean some very diverse things. Some would say that you should give away all possessions so that nothing distracts you from God(might not be a bad idea, but not exactly what it is talking about here). I would say that we are to be good stewards(referenced in Scripture often) which means "house manager" and is not talking about managing our own things, but someone else's stuff, which in this is God's stuff. Sorry, I had a point and will get back to it, I guess.
Others would say that in verse 33, we are told that if we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you" What are "these things" anyway? Well, if we read the verse in context we realize that "these things" does not refer to everything we ever wanted or the cattle on a thousand hills. Look back into verse 31 and see that he was talking about food, drink, and clothing. Looking back into this chapter, we see that the issue was not if you had enough food, or clothing, but that people were looking to store up treasure on earth INSTEAD of treasure in heaven. They were trying more to get things on this earth instead of serving God.
Money or material possessions had become more important. How much money is enough to satisfy? Ask Paris Hilton or Brittney Spears, maybe. Evidently they have not gotten enough just yet, so they are still seeking. Maybe Bill Gates has enough. Since he has never spoken a word in public about God or being a Christian, I assume that he has not found that treasure on earth will rust, decay, and rot, whereas serving God wholly is the only source of eternal treasure. How many people in the history of the world have been known for their service and dedication to God who were really rich? I find that those who are spending all their time managing their vast monetary resources generally don't think too much about tribes of unsaved villages in Papua, New Guinea or even the local kids at Good News Club. We need to be careful that we use money as a tool to serve God, not to serve money and fit God in wherever we have a vacancy in the schedule.
No matter whether it be about money or much weightier things, we need to always examine the Scripture carefully, referencing other passages helps also. When it comes down to it, we see in 1 John 2:18-29 that many will come and try to make the Bible say something that it doesn't so that they can profit or gain power. We are warned in Romans 2 Peter and Matthew (to name a few) that there will be false teachers that misrepresent God's truth and His Word.
That is the end reason for all cults, be it Jim Jones, David Koresh, or the Mormon Church's Joseph Smith. We need to see that it is the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the hearts of believers that ministers to us. If you never owned a Bible, the Holy Spirit(coming in at the time of salvation) would still minister to you and lead you into all truth. God never contradicts himself, so you can be sure that if someone is using a passage of the Bible to contradict another, they are a heretic and should not be trusted. Be on your guard, and be in the Word. Listen when the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart. Follow after God and you will not have the wool pulled over your eyes.
Good reading for this would also come from Ephesians 6:12-18 about the whole armor of God. This passage tells us of the tools we can use to keep ourselves from being deceived and to make sure we are fighting on the right side of the battle. When we honor God through prayer, studying the Word, living righteously, having all faith, and the other parts listed here, we will honor our God and He will bless us.
That blessing just may be with the honor of suffering for His sake, instead of money(wow, I just stepped on my own toes there!). Are we counted worthy of suffering for the sake of Christ? If not, why not? Guess I will have more to write later.
Mark
