Mark 10:24,26- 28 (NKJV) And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! … “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”… Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
Jesus has made it very clear that money should not be an idol in our lives. God is not against money, people being rich or well-provided for in life but He is against money becoming god to us—when we trust in money more than we trust in Him.
The disciples went from being astonished to greatly astonished when Jesus mentioned “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!” They had their reasons because they were not poor people and could identify with the rich young ruler. Peter was a fisherman who had workers working for him—he was a businessman of his day. Likewise, John was also a fisherman who ran his father’s company and had important friends and relatives in the Jewish council. Because they had given up all to follow Jesus, their trust wasn’t in their businesses and possessions but in God.
If we do not look at Scripture in totality, it is easy to draw the wrong conclusion that if someone owns material possessions and is successful in their business or career, then that person is not following God. What is important is that money, material possessions or our corporate positions do not become our god.
Therefore, it is possible to be rich and godly when we are clear that we are a steward of God’s money. If we are convinced that He is the source of our provision, money should have no hold over us and it should be easy for us to part with it too. We need to have a paradigm shift from having money as our security or god to having God as the source of our provision so that we can be a blessing to the ministry and those in need.
God has to channel money through His people for the work of the ministry to be done. The work is supported by the tithe and freewill offering of His people. A test of whether money has a hold over us is whether we struggle to give the tithe and freewill offering. The tithe is 10% of our income and profits.
The proof that money and possessions have no hold over us is in our willingness to give. We need to start giving now and not wait until we have more money, because the more we have, the more difficult it will be. The rich young ruler could not give up his possessions because he was very wealthy. Therefore, it is not about possessing money, but rather if we are able to give it up without it being a stronghold in our lives.
Sermon Series: Seriously?
好管家
马可福音 10:24, 26-28 门徒希奇他的话。耶稣又对他们说：「小子，倚靠钱财的人进神的国是何等地难哪……门徒就分外希奇，对他说：「这样谁能得救呢？」耶稣看着他们，说：「在人是不能，在神却不然，因为神凡事都能。」彼得就对他说：「看哪，我们已经撇下所有的跟从你了。」
耶稣已经非常清楚地表明，金钱不应该成为我们生命中的偶像。上帝并不反对拥有金钱，不反对我们变得富裕或有衣食无忧的生活，但祂反对我们对金钱的信任和热爱超越对上帝的信靠与热爱，使金钱成为了我们的“偶像”。
当耶稣说“小子，依靠钱财的人进神的国是何等的难哪！”，门徒从惊讶到非常震惊。他们有自己的理由，因为他们不是穷人，能够与这位富有的年轻财主产生共鸣。彼得是一个渔夫，有工人为他工作，是当时的一个商人。同样，约翰也是一个渔夫，经营着他父亲的公司，在犹太理事会有地位重要的朋友和亲戚。因为他们放下一切去跟随耶稣，他们所信任的不是自己的事业和财产，而是上帝。
如果我们不全面地看圣经，很容易会得出错误的结论，认为如果一个人拥有物质财富，或者在商界或事业上取得成功，那么这个人就没有在跟随耶稣。重点是金钱、物质财富和在公司的地位不能成为我们的“偶像”。
因此，当我们清楚地认识自己是上帝金钱的管家时，我们可以变得富裕并且敬虔。如果我们深信祂是我们供应的源头，那么金钱就无法掌控我们，我们也应该可以很容易地与金钱分割。我们的观念需要从金钱是我们的保障或“神”转为依靠上帝作为我们供应的源头，这样我们才能够成为事工和穷乏之人的祝福。
上帝需要通过祂子民把钱注入事工来成事。这事工是由祂子民的十一奉献和自由奉献来支持的。我们可以通过了解自己是否难以给予十一奉献和自由奉献，来测试金钱是否控制着我们。十一奉献就是我们收入和利润的10%。
若我们甘愿地布施，可以证明金钱和财物不能掌控我们。我们需要现在就开始布施，而不是等到我们拥有更多财产的时候才开始，因为我们拥有越多就会越难以施与。这位富有的少年官无法放弃他的财产，因为他很富有。因此，问题不在于我们是否拥有金钱，而是我们是否能够把它给出去，不让它成为我们生命中的营垒。
讲章系列：认真的吗？
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