Missions and money part ii

Missions and Money
Partially adapted from Missions and Money
Jonathan Bonk
Dr. Robert Patton
Missionary to Suriname,
South America

Wealth distorts true wisdom
and expertise
 Mt. 18:[1] At the same time came the disciples
unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven?[2] And Jesus called a little
child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
[3] And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be
converted, and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven.[4]
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as
this little child, the same is greatest in the
kingdom of heaven.

James 2
 [1] My brethren, have not the faith of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,
with respect of persons.[2] For if there
come unto your assembly a man with a
gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there
come in also a poor man in vile
raiment;

James 2
 [3] And ye have respect to him that
weareth the gay clothing, and say unto
him, Sit thou here in a good place; and
say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit
here under my footstool:[4] Are ye not
then partial in yourselves, and are
become judges of evil thoughts?

James 2
 [5] Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not
God chosen the poor of this world rich in
faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he
hath promised to them that love him?[6]
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men
oppress you, and draw you before the
judgment seats?[7] Do not they blaspheme
that worthy name by the which ye are called?

James 2
 [8] If ye fulfil the royal law according to
the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself, ye do well:[9] But if ye have
respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors.[10]
For whosoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all.

Luke 12 Wealth changes our
priorities
 [13] And one of the company said unto him,
Master, speak to my brother, that he divide
the inheritance with me.[14] And he said unto
him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider
over you?[15] And he said unto them, Take
heed, and beware of covetousness: for a
man's life consisteth not in the abundance of
the things which he possesseth.

priorities
 [16] And he spake a parable unto them,
saying, The ground of a certain rich man
brought forth plentifully:[17] And he
thought within himself, saying, What shall I
do, because I have no room where to
bestow my fruits?[18] And he said, This
will I do: I will pull down my barns, and
build greater; and there will I bestow all
my fruits and my goods.

priorities
[19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years; take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry.[20] 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?
[21] So is he that layeth up treasure for
himself, and is not rich toward God.

Wealth decreases prayer
 Prayer is usually the cry of the
person needing God’s help. Often
the wealthy think that they don’t need
His help but can take care of their own
needs with their wealth.
 Self-sufficiency and security are
enemies of prayer

Wealth’s adverse effects:
 Alienation with other humans
 Can become a god to the owner
 Breeds covetousness and greed
 Dissipation and indulgence

Wealth chokes the Word
 Mt. 13:[22] He also that received seed
among the thorns is he that heareth the
word; and the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches,
choke the word, and he becometh
unfruitful.

Love can make us betray
Jesus
 Judas: Mt. 26:[14] Then one of the
twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto
the chief priests,[15] And said unto
them, What will ye give me, and I will
deliver him unto you? And they
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of
silver.[16] And from that time he
sought opportunity to betray him.

Judas problem showed in his
response to Mary’s sacrifice
 Judas complained when Mary sacrificed
her heirloom perfume on Jesus. But he
was interested not in the poor, but in
getting ahold of more money… he held
the bag…

The cost of greed… in Acts 5
 [1] But a certain man named Ananias,
with Sapphira his wife, sold a
possession,[2] And kept back part of
the price, his wife also being privy to it,
and brought a certain part, and laid it at
the apostles' feet.[3] But Peter said,
Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine
heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to
keep back part of the price of the land?

 [4] Whiles it remained, was it not thine
own? and after it was sold, was it not in
thine own power? why hast thou conceived
this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied
unto men, but unto God. [5] And Ananias
hearing these words fell down, and gave up
the ghost: and great fear came on all them
that heard these things.

 [6] And the young men arose, wound
him up, and carried him out, and buried
him.[7] And it was about the space of
three hours after, when his wife, not
knowing what was done, came in.[8]
And Peter answered unto her, Tell me
whether ye sold the land for so much?
And she said, Yea, for so much.

 [9] Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye
have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of
the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have
buried thy husband are at the door, and shall
carry thee out.[10] Then fell she down
straightway at his feet, and yielded up the
ghost: and the young men came in, and found
her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her
by her husband.

Jesus, born poor, ministered
to the poor
 Isaiah 61:[1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is
upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound; [2] To proclaim the acceptable
year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Jesus judged in Mt. 25
 Those that treated the poor, the
hungry, the imprisoned, etc were
blessed.
 The new believers in the church shared
their goods in common
 Examples – Macedonian believers and
the church of Philippi were poor but
generous & supported Paul

God is pleased…
 Heb. 13:[3] Remember them that
are in bonds, as bound with them;
and them which suffer adversity,
as being yourselves also in the
body.…[16] But to do good and to
communicate forget not: for with
such sacrifices God is well pleased.

God uses the weak and foolish
things to give Himself glory
 I Cor. 1:[18] For the preaching of the
cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the
power of God.[19] For it is written, I
will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent.

 I Cor. 25] Because the foolishness of
God is wiser than men; and the
weakness of God is stronger than men.
[26] For ye see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called:

 I Cor. 1:[27] But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound
the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the
things which are mighty;[28] And base
things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and
things which are not, to bring to nought
things that are:

 I Cor. 1:[29] That no flesh should glory
in his presence.[30] But of him are ye
in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption:
[31] That, according as it is written, He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

The parable of the good
Samaritan
 Shows that it is not religious orthodoxy
(both the priest and Levite were
orthodox), but one’s relationship with
the poor or needy show the individual’s
standing with God.
 It is with specific people, and not just a
sociological class…

Genuine repentance shown by
sacrificial giving
 Rom. 12:[1] I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.[2] And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God.

The widow’s mite
 Worth a part of a penny, but more than
the wealthy
 Given to a corrupt clergy but with the
right motives

Christ’s followers
 Self-sacrifice instead of self-indulgence
 Mary’s giving the perfume…
 Peter misunderstood about Christ’s sacrificial
death – and Jesus called him satan because
his statement is a satanic lie – save yourself.
 The priests said: He saved others; Himself He
cannot save; ironically, they were correct

Christ’s followers must be
servants
 This is a reorientation for the wealthy,
including the wealthy missionary
 Generosity must go also to Christ’s
enemies – Mt. 5:38-45
 Those who lose economically are
usually resistant to the gospel – e.g.,
Demetrius and the silversmiths of
Ephesus

Religious leaders often love
money
 They will be judged more severely:
James 3:[1] My brethren, be not many
masters, knowing that we shall receive
the greater condemnation. [2] For in
many things we offend all. If any man
offend not in word, the same is a
perfect man, and able also to bridle the
whole body.

money
James 2:[14] What doth it profit, my
brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith
save him?[15] If a brother or sister be
naked, and destitute of daily food,

money
James 2:[16] And one of you say unto
them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed
and filled; notwithstanding ye give them
not those things which are needful to
the body; what doth it profit?[17] Even
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead,
being alone.

True faith shows itself in
obedience
 James 2:[18] Yea, a man may say, Thou
hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy
faith without thy works, and I will shew
thee my faith by my works.[19] Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest
well: the devils also believe, and
tremble.[20] But wilt thou know, O vain
man, that faith without works is dead?

obedience
 James 2:[21] Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he had offered
Isaac his son upon the altar? [22] Seest
thou how faith wrought with his works, and
by works was faith made perfect?[23] And
the scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed God, and it was imputed
unto him for righteousness: and he was
called the Friend of God.

obedience
 James 2:[24] Ye see then how that by
works a man is justified, and not by
faith only.

The missionary is affected by
western consumerism
 Western consumerism is based on the
idea that a man’s life indeed does
consist of his possessions – especially
those that are most up-to-date

Reminder of usual methods of
missionary handling
 Associate with peers – upper level of
developing country – though
Christianity is geared for the poor
 Ignore and explain away
 Simplify life but maintain many of the
benefits – medicine, transport,
education
 Incarnational lifestyle

The gap in finances
missionary to national
 1800 – two to one
 1913 – three to one
 1970 – seven to one
 1992 – seventy-two to one
 Most effective missionary work often
done by poorer churches

Repentance, not revolution
 Move in the direction of the cross,
weakness
 We must live what we preach
 We are assigned a status by the
culture. We should be the righteous
rich – how we behave toward the poor.
 Job was proactive in helping the poor

Culturally appropriate helping
the poor
 Deut. 15:1-11 The time of cancelling
debts – also help poor brother
 Nehemiah 5:1-12: The rich repented of
their oppression of their Jewish brothers
 We need justice, and not mere legality
which can protect the rich

Paul’s instruction to Timothy
 I Tim. 6:[17] 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, willing to communicate;
[19] Laying up in store for themselves a good
foundation against the time to come, that they
may lay hold on eternal life.

Jesus
 Never too busy to help the sick and
poor, although He was to save the
world. The good news intersects with
the actual needs of people.
 We western missionaries often serve on
our terms, not that of the people whom
we are called to serve!

Two errors in self-denial
 Be careful not to seem self-righteous
and display that
 Do not insist that others conform to the
same external standards that we have
from our western culture but are not
necessarily biblical

Be careful of the church of the
west
 Often there is more the mind of the
west than the mind of Christ
 Simplify personal lifestyles. We are
Christian soldiers in a cosmic conflict.
 We are not the owner but the steward
of resources – travel lightly
 Do not waste things on self-indulgence

Needs not by western
standards
 Sometimes we may need to sell
possessions to help others.
 We need to be careful about our
children – Lot and Eli put children’s
affluence above spiritual preparation

Wealthy churches must
support their missionaries…
 According to their own standards. The
church of Laodicea will have problems
asking members to sacrifice.
 But missionaries are free to live
according to their conscience.
 There is a similar problem with training
institutions which coddle their students

We need to be aware of God’s
servants who are poor
 Often the church advances through the
work of humble and poor servants who
are largely unknown and unappreciated
 Missionaries may play a rather small
part in the total story

Institutional repentance
 Reformers are usually not welcome
 Christian obedience cannot be easily
legislated
 Usually a mission organization will not
appreciate reformation
 We need to move from independence to
interdependence with national churches

Three major models
 Incarnation
 The cross
 Weakness as power

Incarnation
 It should be prescriptive strategy rather
than theological description
 Lesson: speed, mobility, power,
comprehensiveness, and success are
not the measures of missionary strategy

Incarnation: Jesus was
 Born poor, ministered to the poor, and
died poor
 Born as a helpless baby, needing to grow
in wisdom by learning obedience
 He rejected the tendency to demonstrate
His power rather than work in poverty,
obscurity, and weakness – the opposite is
rejected as satanic

Missionary attitude
 God sent Jesus into the world in
poverty. So like He sent Jesus, Jesus
sends us
 We are to be in the world but not of the
world
 Our attitude should be like Christ Jesus-
giving up power and privilege

Missionary standards
 Sacrifice more than “what could have
been at home”
 Jesus had lifelong suspicion, misunder-
standings and eventually death
 We are a threat to the uncommitted
when we give up our treasures, love
our enemies, bless our persecutors,
surrender to service

The threat of changing
standards
 The missionary who is not of the world
shows the standards of another King,
not the prince of the world.
 But they have spiritual weapons for a
spiritual battle…

The cross
 His disciples can look forward to
suffering here and now: Mt. 10:38
 Peter knew not the things of God but of
man when he suggested Christ reject
the cross: Mk. 8:31-34
 The cross separates us from the spirit
of this age, and those of that spirit

Philippians 3:
 [17] Brethren, be followers together of
me, and mark them which walk so as ye
have us for an ensample.[18] (For
many walk, of whom I have told
you often, and now tell you even
weeping, that they are the enemies
of the cross of Christ:

Philippians 3:
 [19] Whose end is destruction, whose
God is their belly, and whose glory is in
their shame, who mind earthly things.)
[20] For our conversation is in
heaven; from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ:

The cross =self-judgment
 Don’t build on self-gratification
 They may run to the security of the
enemy of their souls away from the
lover of their souls.
 They live in pleasant self-fulfilling lives
but the lives fall down on the ground
and die without multiplying

The church of the west must
change to take up the cross
 Affluent churches as well as individuals
need to come to Jesus for what they truly
need.
 This is also true of mission organizations
who insist that they will cover all the risks
of the missionary.

Weakness rather than
strength
 The early church had little funds and no
political power, but accomplished the
task of spreading the gospel
 We must not rely on our strength, but
on the strength that comes only from
the Lord. When we are weak, then we
are strong – if we are in His will

Missions and money part ii

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Missions and money part ii