No, it's with those who take things out of context, or apply things that are not necessarily meant to be applied to them today.
If the Lord tells us, during a time of prayer or while we are asking his will for our lives, that he wants us to sell our house and move to Africa - fine.
But it's wrong to take verses out of context and assume they are to be applied to everyone today. There are many rich Christians around; fact.
I have been a Christian and follower of Christ for many years, he has never asked me to give everything away and become poor; fact. Many others would say the same.
The problem with your reasoning is that Jesus and other Bible authors very categorically preached against serving the world for money:
Matthew 2
14So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod.This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
John 6
27"Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."
Matthew 6
23But if your vision is poor, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate theone and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despisethe other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
James 4
4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
1 Kings 18
21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him." But the people did not answer a word.
God tells us that serving the world for earthly riches is selfish living. He wants us to pick up our cross and follow Christ. which is selfless living, loving others. No greater love has a man than when he lays down his life for a fellow human being. Wait a minute, how will sacrificing yourself help some other soul?
Well, when a person makes a sacrifice, God uses it to resurrect him. That's how Rahab and Nicodemus were saved. They saw God’s great works manifested in those who picked up a cross and were " resurrected " and they turned away from the world to follow God. This is the best way to help others.
Hebrews 5
7During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. 8Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. 9And having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
God taught Abraham, Joshua, and Jesus this by creating problems for them, and then saving them. They learned obedience and began creating problems for themselves, so that when God saved, people would see God’s great works, and turn to Him. Of course salvation isn’t guaranteed, but God can’t be blamed, because He has done His part:
Psalm 78:32
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
Psalm 103:7
He made known His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.
Psalm 106:7
Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea.
Psalm 106:13
Yet they soon forgot His works and failed to wait for His counsel.
Psalm 106:21
They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,
Matthew 11:21
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Where did I say that he did? I said he was called to stay and serve the Lord where ha was.
You haven't answered my Scriptural examples of people who were called to d just that.
What examples?
Taking up your cross means different things for different people.
When I was 17, had just become a Christian and wanted to leave school and my exams and go somewhere else to preach the Gospel, "taking up my cross" meant staying at school, taking, and hopefully passing, my exams and being ready for what God was calling me to do.
It seems like selfish living to me. There is no middle ground: serve God or serve mammon. Against Him or for Him. Gather or scatter. Be selfish or be selfless.
No; Ananais and Sapphira were free to do what they wanted with the money they got from selling their field, Acts of the Apostles 5:4. They "came a cropper" because they lied to the Holy Spirit - claiming the money they gave to the apostles was the full amount when it wasn't - NOT because they had money.
Everybody isn’t able to be resurrected! The act that kicks off the ministry is to give up all and follow Jesus! That's what A & S were trying to do, to get on the gravy train, without paying their dues.
Matthew 19
21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife e or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Luke 12
22And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23“For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24“Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?26“If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28“But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 29“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30“For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31“But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
Luke 14
33"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
Luke 18
28Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.” 29And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
See these repetitive motifs in scripture:
- The Kingdom of God is given to those who turn away from serving mammon for earthly treasure to serving God for treasure which never perishes.
- The Kingdom is God manifesting His great works in a disciple’’s life, coming amongst him and his listeners through the Finger of God.
- Perfection is completion, fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, that the world would be blessed through his Seed, by being His vessel to turn souls to Him, which is the greatest blessing you can give a person.
Simon the sorcerer thought that the apostles ability to heal was due to some power, or trick, that could be bought. when he was told it wasn't, he repented and asked for prayer, Acts of the Apostles 8:24. Again, nothing to do with having money.
Simon Magus wanted to manifest God’s great works without hearing God’s call, His voice, a call, to obey. When does God call? When TODAY comes. There was still a TODAY remaining. He still hadn’t learned obedience, the Way, which baptism kicks off.
1 Corinthians 10
For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3and all ate the same spiritual food; 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
6Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Hebrews 3
14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first. 15As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in therebellion.” 16For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?
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