Riches - Gods perspective vs. America Idea of wealth!!!

I have recently run across a Francis Chan and I am impressed with what he is doing.
He is giving 90% to the  poor, not accepting a salary, and walked away from prestige to make disciples.
This isn't the typical American pastor who begs for money to build buildings, parking, programs lots etc.
He actually encourages giving to the poor and doesnt accept gifts - Wow !!!

I was reflecting on this after watching a video of Drsicoll, Harris, and Chan and the thought of riches came to mind.

A reader made a point of mentioning something that sounded right but not scripturally accurate. 


"For me, bottom line is, each person deserves to be judged independently for their deeds, not how much change they have in their pocket."


I have to respectfully disagree. The rich man was in hell because he was greedy - he wasn't a bad guy - be asked Abraham to send someone back to warn his family. He was there because of good things he received ( btw interesting Kingdom concept as seen in Matt  5 - the Beatudes  ) 
The scriptures clearly show that how 'change in our pocket" is a direct correlation of how "much treasure a person has in their heart and stored in heaven to be received later".


This what I ran across. 

Gods view on 401k's and retirement:

Luke 4

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully,

¹⁷and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’

¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’

²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

- This night your soul is required of you

- So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

Gods view on helping the poor: 

Luke 16

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

²⁰And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

²¹who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,

²³and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

²⁴And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

²⁷And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—

²⁸for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

What wealth does:

James 5

Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.     

THIS IS INTERESTING 

- "Your gold and silver" have corroded. Nots Gods gold/silver  but your gold/silver!! Rev 3 is a great reference " I counsel you to buy from me gold tried in the fire".

- " Eat your flesh like fire" - WOW !!!!! Behavior that affects one resurrection. 

 ( Corresponds with the rich man whose tongue was on fire_ .

This leaves the question how to become rich. Here are some scriptural references:

Matt 19 ( I am going to come back to this one - there is a lot going on here)

²Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

Luke 12
33Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

- What your heart is - so is "your treasure"

This is seen in the following scripture:

Matt12:

The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

Matt 6

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Here is a good one from Is 58.

 Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?

⁶“Is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

⁷Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

⁸Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

⁹Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

¹⁰if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

¹¹And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places 

and make your bones strong;and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.     

Current evangelical teaching has turned the following into "filthy works":

- share your bread with the hungry
- loose the bonds of wickedness (justice)
- bring the homeless poor into your house
- share your bread with the hungry
- when you see the naked, to cover him
- not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

By confusing what Paul mentioned as works of the law (written 60 AD ie kosher / circumcision of flesh etc) vs. Luthers works of the Catholic church ( indulgences  and favors - written 1534 ) has destroyed Gods path of righteousness for men to do and be "changed" and healed as mentioned in IS 58

-  your light break forth like the dawn ( Day Star of Christ)

- your healing shall spring up speedily ( Healing !!!  Remember Dorcas ?) 

- your righteousness shall go before you ( multiple meanings for later )

- glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard ( protection)

- you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am. ( Relationship  / Psalm 91 & 18 come to mind))

This looks like a really good devotional from Wilkerson - The spirit of Antichrist does tie into the world system and how we think and behave ( a gradual process ).  A person is moving closer to Jesus or Antichrist - there is no middle ground or straddling. 



THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

Our Savior exists as a man right now in glory. He is a living person—with
flesh, bone, hair, eyes—even though He is God. Although we are here on earth,
His Spirit dwells within us: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”
(Galatians 4:6).

Yet, there is another spirit at work in the world—the antichrist spirit. Just
as surely as Christ has given us His Spirit, there is an antichrist spirit in
the world, preparing hearts for the coming of the Man of Sin!

"And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and
is now already in the world" (1 John 4:3). John is saying, "You have heard about
the coming of the Antichrist. It has been preached and taught, and you expect
his arrival. But, beloved, wake up, because the spirit of antichrist is already
at work!"

Understand, the Antichrist will not suddenly appear on the scene and overwhelm
humankind. Rather, his spirit is mysteriously at work now, setting up his
kingdom in cold, compromising hearts. When he finally appears, he will be
publicly revealed to a world already prepared for him, to hearts his spirit
already possesses!

Right now we see a growing antichrist sentiment, but soon this will turn into a
flowing stream and, eventually, a vast ocean. The antichrist spirit is invading
the hearts of many apostate Christians even now. "But how?" you ask. "Why would
certain Christians ever turn to the Antichrist?" It is because they are
like-minded with him.

John writes: "Do not love the world or 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, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is
not of the Father but is of the world. . . . Little children, it is the last
hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour" (1 John
2:15-18).

John is warning us that those who still love the things of this world have
opened themselves to the spirit of antichrist. He is saying, "You know these
are the last days because so many are full of the covetous, antichrist spirit!"