Christian: God is Love (2015)
Chapter 6: The man who has it all doesn’t need Christianity
Money talks Christianity walks
Supposedly money is the power that talks and Christianity is the loser that walks. Quite frankly the truth is Christianity is the powerhouse that talks and it never walks. Christianity and money can co-exist together. God doesn’t mind if Christians have money. In fact he delights in the prosperity of His servants:
“Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; And let them say continually, "The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant." Psalm 35:27
Outside Christianity it’s a common view that Christians are a people swimming in poverty. Part of this perspective has been defined by Christians themselves. They are seen driving in old rusted and beat up cars, wearing rags and working minimal jobs. Historically Christianity has taught that Christians cannot love God and mammon (money). Serving money is evil and can never be first place in a true believer’s heart over God. Poverty is an outward sign of a spiritual Christian because the Christian puts his priority in the spiritual realm and not the material things of the world. He lives in sparse conditions and has few worldly possessions.
Here is the bible’s attitude toward money” For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1Timothy 6:10 Notice it says the love of money is the root of all evil not money itself. This verse among Christians has been taken out of context. It has been interpreted that the verse is saying money is the root of all evil. No the love of money is the root of all evil. The God of Christianity does not view money as the root of evil but the love it. Christians get into trouble when they put money ahead of God in their worship; the love of money is what gets them in trouble. They begin the credit card spiral where they charge everything beyond their means to pay then they run into big time debt. They end up having to work two or more jobs to make ends meet. They could lose their house, job and in the worst case scenario lose their family. They may end up filing bankruptcy. These are the extreme consequences of loving money.
People new to Christianity or looking at having a relationship with Jesus, shouldn’t feel guilty if they are financially set and live in an upper income bracket. God has no problem with them or Christians in general having money. Interestingly enough this is what the bibles says about having wealth: “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:18. So clearly God is saying He gives Christians the power to get wealth so a rich Christian is what God desires. Christianity and money talk!
Christians seem to be the poorest people in the world
This is what seems to be the case. God doesn’t desire Christians to be poor. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 God wants his will to be ruling on earth as it is in heaven. The bible describes heaven in the following manner:” The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. Revelation 21:21”. God has decorated heaven with gates of pearl and the great street was made out of gold. The gold being so pure it was transparent. God has surrounded Himself with such ornate riches in heaven where He dwells. It follows that He would want His children to live with riches and in be prosperous on earth. God gives Christians the power to get wealth. Wealth as in prosperous financially and living abundantly. Christians need to be wealthy to enjoy it but more importantly to finance the preaching of Christianity all over the world. The Christian who keeps God first and wealth second has their priorities right.
Poverty stricken Christians leave a bad reflection for the God of Christianity they serve. What will Non-Christians or people interested in trying Christianity think? They think Jesus is God and He cannot supply Christians with decent homes, cars or clothes. God is pleased when His children have faith in Him. Christians who don’t have faith in God cannot expect anything from God. So Christians who think that poverty is righteous tie God’s hands. God is more than willing to bless Christians with material wealth. Christians stay in poverty because of that “It is holy to be poor” mentality. Truly God doesn’t think that way. God has a rich mindset and expects His children to think the same way.
Some Christians have this erroneous perspective that God is pleased when they live in material poverty and focus on spiritual matters first. Yes God wants Christians to put His Kingdom first but He doesn’t want them living in poverty. He doesn’t want them to live from paycheck to paycheck. He wants them to live life abundantly. Jesus said,” The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly” John 10:10. Jesus came to give Christians life not to steal it away.
Deion Sanders had it all before he became a Christian
Deion Sanders by his own admission had it all. He was a top baseball and football player. He won super bowls and he was one of the best football players ever. He had millions of dollars and he was famous. He had endorsements and he made commercials more than he could count. He had women, fame, sex and everything a man could desire in life. He had the finest cars, jewelry and clothes money could buy. He drove the finest cars and played for the best professional football teams.
By every measure he was a towering success. He was famous and He could run like the wind on the football field. He was one of the finest defensive backs that ever played football. Despite all this he felt lonely and empty inside. He would do anything to mask the hurt and emptiness that haunted him day in and day out.
1997 was when Deion hit rock bottom despite coming off the best football season he ever played. Depression hit him square in the face. Reaching the bottom he could fall no further. Suicide looked good to him at this point in his life. How does a man who has it all feel so much pain he wants to kill himself? Deion worked up the courage to kill himself. That fatal day in 1997 Deion swerved off the road his car shot up like a rocket and it went over the cliff. By all means he should have flipped the car or nosedived. Instead the car hit the bottom and rocked back and forth, sliding awkwardly down the hill. Deion walked away from the crash without a scratch.
He got a hold of a bible and read these words” "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10). He gave his life to Jesus Christ and became a Christian. Jesus filled his life with love and He healed Deion from his inner pain. Jesus also gave Deion the inner peace he so desperately sought but couldn’t find before he became a Christian. Deion Sanders had everything but Jesus when he was a Non-Christian. All that fame, fortune and talent were meaningless to him until he met Jesus Christ.