Desiring to be rich is a snare.

[RaymondG]

No, you have assumed wrong. I am quoting the apostle Paul, its him you disagree with.

I agree with Paul. And your posts are flawless, when they entail only scripture with no additions or subtractions...

 

[Phil 1:21]

You are promoting OT/OC law?

The only command in that verse is to remember God. That's a bad thing?

 

[W2L]

I agree with Paul. And your posts are flawless, when they entail only scripture with no additions or subtractions...

oh, i didn't know that i was that wrong. Perhaps you could explain to me why Paul teaches Timothy to be content with food and clothing, and to flee from the desire to be rich?

 

[W2L]

The only command in that verse is to remember God. That's a bad thing?

Read the whole chapter.

Deuteronomy 8:8 “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

6 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.

11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

 

[Blade]

There are so many ministries today that from the out side looking in.. are rich. They didnt SEEK IT. And to look from the outside in..not knowing them at all or seeing where ANY of that money came from. Not knowing how many STILL work out side of that Church <---do you know how many DON'T Know this? Yet judge them thinking they are RICH because PEOPLE gave money to that Church. Yet what they personally have was never money from the Church.

So if I seek to be rich I will get what our brother Paul said. If you believe you are to just make it by or poor or rich. Praise GOD. A... He never made me your God. Never told me to tell you what you REALLY should be believing. Its only when you ask.. I then have the right to speak His word His truth. Christians do this all the time.. this site does it. Its our personally beliefs that we tell others how to live. Yet.. its clear in the word..no one has a right to tell anyone what GOD is REALLY saying.

Man your streets are made of GOLD! Hello? Jesus told you.. WHERE is your real home? This is NOT your home. your NOT of this world? We limit a limitless GOD. Go for it.. show GOD you have no limit to your faith and see what He can do. For me.. if He makes me rich.. it is for one reason only. For others.. then.. at the end. Is me. You are FREE to not take ANYTHING God wants to give you.

 

[W2L]

Yet judge them thinking they are RICH because PEOPLE gave money to that Church. Yet what they personally have was never money from the Church.

Who is judging in that manner?

 

[RDKirk]

2 Corinthians 8:13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

What do you think that verse means?

 

[W2L]

What do you think that verse means?

He who gathered much had nothing left over. It seems to suggest that we shouldn't have any wealth left over, and that agrees with the Lord who said not to store wealth on earth but in heaven.

 

[RDKirk]

I'd say that one might have a couple extra bedrooms for visiting family or friends without it being considered too big.

Now that we have an empty nest and two extra bedrooms most of the time, we have been considering volunteering our home as a safe house for abused women and their children. Years ago I knew a retired Christian couple who did this in a partnership between the courts, the women's resource center, and the church.
I only mention this for the consideration of others on this forum who may be able to do the same or something similar where your mansion can be a blessing to those in need.

The church I attended in the early 90s--Calvary Chapel of Honolulu under pastor Bill Stonebraker--had that function. It was called "House of Ruth," with confidential safehouses provided by empty-nesters.

It was operated in concert with the church's Security Ministry and Counseling Ministry.

The pastor's wife was the deconess in charge of the program. When an abused wife was discovered in need of shelter (and they were pro-active about discovering it), the Security Ministry (made up of soldiers, nightclub bouncers, football players, police officers, and such) went in and moved the woman and children to a safehouse while the husband was away.

Then the Counseling Ministry (trained therapists and counselors...and some police officers) waited in the house for the husband to return.

"Who are you? Where is my wife?"
"Our dear sister is safe. And she's going to remain safe. But we're going to talk."

They also used the House of Ruth for the women who responded to their ministry to the Hotel Street prostitutes. They realized it was useless for a woman to come to Jesus and they send her back to her pimp...they had to take her off the streets to where they had medical support, job training, job offers, counseling in life skills, et cetera.

 

[RDKirk]

He who gathered much had nothing left over. It seems to suggest that we shouldn't have any wealth left over, and that agrees with the Lord who said not to store wealth on earth but in heaven.

Paul says, "As it has been written." That's a reference to Exodus 16--the story of the manna in the Wilderness.

In that story, God specifies that each person is to have precisely the same amount of daily bread: One omer, precisely, for each person. An omer is about a quart.

It then says that some people collected "much"--that would be more than one omer--and some collected "little"--that would be less than an omer.

But it says that when all the manna was measured out, each person got exactly one omer...no one got too much (more than one omer) and no one got too little (less than an omer).

So, with that reference as his foundation, Paul stated:

It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality— at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality.

Equality. He says it twice, he doubles down to emphasize it, and then he underlines it with an OT verse that specifies a measured equal amount distributed to each person, no matter how much or how little each person personally collected.

And Paul is most certainly talking about money.

 

[W2L]

Paul says, "As it has been written." That's a reference to Exodus 16--the story of the manna in the Wilderness.

In that story, God specifies that each person is to have precisely the same amount of daily bread: One omer, precisely, for each person. An omer is about a quart.

It then says that some people collected "much"--that would be more than one omer--and some collected "little"--that would be less than an omer.

But it says that when all the manna was measured out, each person got exactly one omer...no one got too much (more than one omer) and no one got too little (less than an omer).

So, with that reference as his foundation, Paul stated:

It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality— at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality.

Equality. He says it twice, he doubles down to emphasize it, and then he underlines it with an OT verse that specifies a measured equal amount distributed to each person, no matter how much or how little each person personally collected.

And Paul is most certainly talking about money.

I agree.

 

[Hank77]

The church I attended in the early 90s--Calvary Chapel of Honolulu under pastor Bill Stonebraker--had that function. It was called "House of Ruth," with confidential safehouses provided by empty-nesters.

It was operated in concert with the church's Security Ministry and Counseling Ministry.

The pastor's wife was the deconess in charge of the program. When an abused wife was discovered in need of shelter (and they were pro-active about discovering it), the Security Ministry (made up of soldiers, nightclub bouncers, football players, police officers, and such) went in and moved the woman and children to a safehouse while the husband was away.

Then the Counseling Ministry (trained therapists and counselors...and some police officers) waited in the house for the husband to return.

"Who are you? Where is my wife?"
"Our dear sister is safe. And she's going to remain safe. But we're going to talk."

They also used the House of Ruth for the women who responded to their ministry to the Hotel Street prostitutes. They realized it was useless for a woman to come to Jesus and they send her back to her pimp...they had to take her off the streets to where they had medical support, job training, job offers, counseling in life skills, et cetera.

Wow, they really had it covered, help for all in need even the offender. imo, every community should have such a coordinated and proactive program.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Its not subjective but is spiritual. So i'm judging? Is that it? Are we not to judge the truth?

Matthew 7:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So you have a problem with remembering that everything we have comes from God and we are to be thankful to Him for all he’s provided? I thank Him daily for His blessings, both in this life and the next.

 

[W2L]

So you have a problem with remembering that everything we have comes from God and we are to be thankful to Him for all he’s provided? I thank Him daily for His blessings, both in this life and the next.

Where did you get that from?

 

[W2L]

Ive been called judgmental, covetous, jealous, and now ungrateful. Wow.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Where did you get that from?

Your objection to my posting that verse. If not, again I’ll ask, what exactly is your objection to that verse?

 

[W2L]

Your objection to my posting that verse. If not, again I’ll ask, what exactly is your objection to that verse?

You lost me. What verse?

 

[Phil 1:21]

You lost me. What verse?

Keep clicking the up arrows in the quotes. You’ll work back to it.

 

[W2L]

Keep clicking the up arrows in the quotes. You’ll work back to it.

I did. Still dont know what you are talking about.

 

[Phil 1:21]

I did. Still dont know what you are talking about.

I don’t know what to tell you. You quoted and responded to it.