Tag: Wealthy

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How to get the rich to give.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem. For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving. But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you. ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul is genius in both motivational and inspirational writing to the New Testament churches. As he writes to Corinth, we need to remember just what kind of cultural values were common during that time. Point blank – Corinth was a wealthy city, filled with rich folk! It was a port city that had all the modern conveniences of its day. Goods and services from all over the world came through the city. As we read Paul’s letters, think of Corinth being similar to Newport Beach, California! Choices, options, entertainment, food and a hoppin night life surrounded by multi million dollar homes. Of course there were suburbs of great disparity, where the poor and middle class had to eke out a life, but the churches were a mixed bag of mostly Gentile converts. When Jerusalem was going through enormous persecution and believers were super poor, the leaders put out the call for money to be sent to Jerusalem to feed and cloth those who were suffering. Paul got an early commitment from the Corinth churches, but they had not yet made good on the promise.

Here in Paul’s second letter, he masterfully crafts just the right kind of positive pressure to help the churches keep their commitment. First Paul flatters their ego – I know how eager you are! Then he tells them how popular they among the other churches, even spurring the poorest of the poor churches in Macedonia to give! He’s comparing Corinth’s wealth to Macedonia’s extreme lack of resources. Telling the Corinthians they are a shining example of generosity for even those worse off than Jerusalem. Then, Paul gets a little bit Christian “mafia-ish.” He warns them, “I am sending the ‘brothers’”! Finally he assumes positive intent by saying, he knows that “the money is already collected.” And with one more dig… er… reminder he writes, I know you don’t want me to look bad! The money eventually was sent and Corinth’s generosity was appreciated.

I’m not saying it’s the best way to remind wealthy people or wealthy churches to be generous just as God was generous to every single one of us who follow Jesus – but it worked. 1. Honor and recognize the gift of wealthy people. 2. Remind them of their reputation as an example to others. 3. Assume positive intent and personally follow through, holding them to their good intentions. Does this sound like a good plan? It sure worked for Paul.

Prayer

​Dad,
Rich or poor or in between, you have set the standard for giving and generosity! Not only did you give it all, you also supply it all. And, it’s not only impossible to out give you, it is pure joy to know that beyond what I need is an ample supply of money, time and resources. This comes into my life specifically given TO me so that you can give THROUGH me. What a joy it is to be generous! Thank you for the lessons of faith, value and reciprocity. Amen.

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Skimming, cheating and gambling on God’s goodness

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.” ‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

James, the brother of Jesus, and the heir-apparent leading the new wave of Christianity called “the way,” writes to the church in general, reaching out to Jewish Christians and what James referred to as the “twelve tribes” in the diaspora (dispersion). This letter was written before the big Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 where James, Peter, Paul and Barnabas are the leading voices in the new structure of the Church going forward.

James pulls no punches and delivers this scathing letter filled with warnings and strong admonishments about what following Jesus should look like. When you want fire, not for warmth, but for passion – you read the book of James.

He has already confronted the idea of wealth and how it should be used for the Kingdom and not self gain. Here, in this little passage titled, “Warning the Rich,” he spells it out! James puts the whole community on blast writing, “look here, you rich people!” I have a big question, “who had money during that season?” And, “where did they get it?” Am I to assume that most of these were Jews who had become Christians? If so, then their wealth had to have come from owning land and rich production of grains, fruits and lots of olives!

It is difficult for me to see how folks can make money when their entire socio-political structure was breaking down during this time. Rome, with its maniacal, psychopathic rulers was falling apart and there was a lot of persecution of Jews and these new Christians during this time. I’ve never been good at “making” money in a downturn or recession. Who was making all that money? They say the best way to maintain job security is to work in a field that is always in demand! In this case, food production must have been a boon because people have to eat?

James gives us hints that this is what he was so furious about when he writes, (vs 4) “For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” It wasn’t just that these wealthy land owners we’re raking it in, they were cheating their work force to live like kings. This is a very Old Testament theme that repeats itself throughout history and even in today’s modern economy – quit ripping off the poor and the working class! Quit underpaying those who make you wealthy.

Notice James doesn’t preacherize these abuses by telling them to give more because they make more. He is speaking for God when he says, pay people fairly first! We can’t cheat people and then brag about our philanthropy! God watches and is taking account of how wealth is accumulated and how it’s distributed. In a complete reversal of one of his brother’s famous sermons on money James writes, “this corroded treasure” will testify against them on judgment day. Jesus said, store your treasure in heaven. James says if you store up your dirty money here, it will be used as a witness against you.

Do we have money that was not received through the blessings of God? Did we make money by mistreating or cheating others? This sounds like a dangerous means of acquiring wealth and it feels like we would be gambling against God himself, like He doesn’t notice or care. No wonder James was so worked up about it. I still wonder if some folks who read this part of the letter were scratching their heads asking, “who’s got money, who is James talking about?”

Prayer

Dad,
I am definitely one of those who asks the question, “who has that kind of money?” I’m certainly not wealthy and neither have I come from a wealthy family. I’ve never run my own business or own a bunch of land. However, I can see that cheating people, especially those who might work for me would be wrong. And then flaunting it or bragging about it would seem pretty egregious on top of it. I’d be mad too. Thank you for James’ courage and passion to point it out,

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The real art of the deal.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Luke‬ ‭16:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Dishonest and shrewd, and Jesus tells a story about it? The culture, the world, is far better at being fast and effective when it comes to the art of the deal.

A rich man finds out his manager has been wasting his money. I guess the rich hate waste. The word for waste is diaskorpizó, to scatter. Or, over-scatter, effectively spreading finances to thin. The rich man felt he was losing control of his cash-flow or cash on hand. Of course he is. We find out the manager had a lot of unpaid invoices out there! Even in this barter-system of running a business, payments were overdue. Not good.

When the man is called on it, and finds out he’s going to be fired, he decides he too old to work hard and to proud to beg. It is then that he comes up with a plan. The plan is a decent plan. Call all the clients and offer them to pay now and get the debt cut nearly in half! It’s like a post-discount on deals already done. The owner gets his quick cash, the debtor is happy and maybe the manager gets a little love for brokering these deals.

Jesus says the rich owner finds this act, shrewd. However, the greek word is phronimós: sensible. To a wealthy business owner, shrewd is a compliment! It’s smart, savvy and makes sense. Why didn’t the manager think of this before he let the accounts get so far in arrears? Maybe that’s part of the point Jesus is making?

Jesus says it is interesting that the “sons of this age” (aión: a space of time, an age) are quicker at thinking on their feet, adaptive in crisis than the sons of the light (clearly referring to Jesus himself as THE light of the world). How can the kids of the Kingdom of God think and behave in a dimmer capacity than those of this world’s culture?

The New Living Translation uses the word, “dishonest,” about the manager’s decisions, but the greek word is not so harsh. The word is adikia: injustice or unjust. It closer to being improper or not appropriate for this man to do this with his “master’s” money. If it were straight up dishonest the business owner would have been mad, but in Jesus’ story the rich man epaineó: to praise or commend the manager. Remember, the manager in this story had not been technically fired yet, so he still had the authority to broker these kinds of deals with the debtors.

Jesus then says another one of his odd, scratch-your-head kind of sayings, ESV says it best, “make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” “It fails” is a euphemism for DIED. What? Huh? How superbly crafty Jesus’ words become for all generations and cultures. Make and USE the friendships of the rich to benefit both the wealthy, by modeling generosity and grace teaching them, and to re-direct their money to the causes of the poor. The generosity portion of this story would be to the debtors of the rich man, the redirection to the poor would be the manager he fired because he would now be destitute and homeless. The manager must have been a renter 😬. Thus, when you die, both the rich and poor will celebrate your life because you behaved generously to both.

What a story to unravel and decode for everyday living! What do you see as an application for your life? I’d love to know.

Prayer

Dad,
My head is still spinning trying to decode this story that Jesus told his disciples. Luke puts it in here as one of the many stories of the rich and the myriad of cultural twists and word-plays that Jesus loved to tell. I can confirm and completely agree with this, your thoughts and ways are way above and beyond my own. These stories are like mysteries, splinters in my mind to unravel, understand and then try my best to live into or up to. Either way – genius. Raving reviews on this one God!