Discipleship and possessions
(Mark 6:7-11) And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; {8} And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: {9} But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. {10} And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. {11} And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
When Jesus sent the disciples out on a missionary journey He told them not to take anything with them, except their staff – no money, food or even a bag to keep money in (script). They were to live off what was given to them on their journey – they were to trust God for their supply.
When the rich ruler came to Jesus and asked about being His disciple, Jesus told him to sell all he had, take up his cross and follow Him. No one wants to hear that about being a disciple. This was the only one Jesus told this to because this man was putting his trust in his riches.
The possessions we have here on this earth, especially in America, are plentiful and amazingly bountiful. James tells us that all good and perfect gifts come down from our Heavenly Father. We are to enjoy and use the many blessings we have here in this life and give thanks for them. All too often material possessions get in the way of serving God just as they did with the rich young ruler.
There are two main false beliefs about a Christian and possessions. One is that things (possessions) are evil and bad but man and his spirit are good. Therefore, we should dispose our self of all material possessions to advance spiritually. The monks of the past attempted to accomplish spirituality by giving away all they had and committing to a life of poverty. They sincerely felt this was the Godly path for them.
The other belief is that if you are a Christian then you should never want any material possession since God is good and He desires to give all to His children. All we have to do is ask in faith and we will receive. Those who preach this have their “out” when people do not receive their possessions by saying, “They did not have enough faith.”
Biblical Christianity does not teach either of these belief systems. The Bible teaches us that God made all things and after He had made all in the beginning, He pronounced it “good”. Man had taken what God made and produced much evil and wickedness in the form of inventions and used them in immoral and evil ways. God has given us a wonderful world to live in – it has been affected by the curse because of man’s sin – yet it is a wonderful place to live. He enjoys giving us possessions or enabling us to gain material possessions, but He warns us not to allow these things to take His place. He told us to seek first the kingdom of God and all these other things will be added to us.
Some have more of this world’s goods than do others, but it does not mean that God is unjust. The blessings of God upon us require more responsibility out of us – “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”. Even in Paul’s day there were those who taught that if you were godly you would be prosperous – “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” We are accountable as to how we use what we have and one day God will reckon with us about it. It is not the government’s job to spread out the wealth, but follow God and His ways and allow Him the privilege to bestow as He deems best. God has said, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. . .”
It is God’s good grace and pleasure to bestow on us His blessings, but if He sees those blessings are being used as a god, He may take them away. Job was the wealthiest man in the east in his day but he lost it all in one day. Job showed his Godliness by his faith in God and not the possessions – “. . . the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
We are to receive the things God gives us with thanksgiving and use them for His glory and honor and not become a hoarder of them. Paul instructed those in the church who were wealthy – “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; {18} That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute . . .”
It is what we call God “common grace” that blesses people with material things – He causes the sun to shine upon the just and unjust and causes it to rain upon the just and unjust. God has also given some the ability to make more money than others. Some people have a “natural” knack at investing, starting a business and so on, while others do not. This does not prove God to be unfair, but a Master who gives to His servants and then requires an accounting of their stewardship with what He gave.
Keep in mind that this world’s goods are temporal and will waste away some day, All those houses and lands, gold and silver, cars and “toys” will not last the fire of God’s judgment. To the rich farmer Jesus put it in realistic terms – “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Even if the judgment does not come before we are summoned to give an account before God, someone else will enjoy the goods we worked for and placed in storage.
As a disciple of Jesus we are to hold this world loosely and cling tightly to Him and His word.