The love of money is certainly a negative thing and we should flee from a love of money. But it's possible to be wealthy and not love money. There are examples of very faithful men and women in Scripture who had significant means. Many of these figures are in the OT like Abraham and King David. But there are also NT examples like Lydia.
Hoisted by your own petard.
The love of money is certainly a negative thing and we should flee from a love of money. But it's possible to be wealthy and not love money. There are examples of very faithful men and women in Scripture who had significant means. Many of these figures are in the OT like Abraham and King David. But there are also NT examples like Lydia.
Hoisted by your own petard.
Possibly by using the gifts that God gave him to earn a living and bless others?
Lydia is a fascinating character. She was a businesswoman, and an entrepreneur. What she was doing at the time was highly unusual for that era. Her household is mentioned, but it's not clear if she was a widow, or if she had servants.
By the standards of the time, she was rich, yet generous towards Paul while he was in Thyatira.
One thing Paul *never* did was condemn her for her wealth.
Maybe.
He's written some brilliant, challenging, helpful and thought provoking books though.
Possibly by using the gifts that God gave him to earn a living and bless others?
Compared with some third world countries, even someone who is unemployed and disabled (as I am) is rich.
I don't believe money should be a Christian's focus or driving force - we are told not to serve it, and to have no other God except the Lord. But if someone is using their God given gifts to make money, there's nothing at all wrong with that. What they do with it may be open to question, but not their right to earn it.
Most churches own their own buildings. These need maintaining/decorating/expanding, and equipment and resources such as Bibles, hymn/prayer books, microphones, chairs, organs/pianos etc etc are needed - as well as the salaries of clergy, youth workers, evangelists etc.
Who do you think pays for all these things?
Does it say she was rich? I don't see that in the Scriptures.
I'd say she was. Not explicitly stated though. She was a seller of purple, meaning she was of the merchant class and a businesswoman. (Probably sold purple clothing.)
Household could mean servants. Could mean children. Nothing at all mentioned if her husband died and she was a widow.
Doesn't change the fact that it's not recorded that Paul condemned her for having wealth. Paul never told her she had to give up her business.
Show me in the Bible where it says she was rich.
Show me in the Bible where it says she held on to her riches and they spoke of her as a faithful servant.
Show me where Paul in the Bible said she wasn't rich.
Unless rich in the ways of the Kingdom.
There is nothing in the Bible about how we are to have a big church building.
Also, Jesus and Paul both condemned the idea that we can be rich in this life.
Although mammon would go a long way in loving neighbour as self if used properly. Take the money for a wall. Is it God's way to have capitalists profit from it or would it serve Him if the money was used to improve conditions and oppression for others. Would they then need to leave home? I'm not talking feed them but remove the oppression that prevents them from living their own lives.I agree. Rich in righteousness and not mammon.
In the way the young man was troubled at giving up his wealth, would the US as an example be willing to give up it's power and position to become a nation that loved all others as self?Jesus said that it's hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven, but not impossible.
And Paul actually said that Christ became poor so that we could be rich - I know he wasn't talking about money there; but being rich is about more than wealth.
You cannot make assumptions based off of something that is not there.
I can say, "Show me where Peter did not travel into space."
The assumption is silly because there is no clear mention of Peter going to space.
She could have been a seller of purple and not be rich.
People are merely assuming that she was because she was a seller of purple clothing. Even if she was rich, we cannot assume she held on to her wealth with that being okay with God. For there are many verses in the NT that condemn one in being rich.
You hold conversations with the devil?And in your third line you think it is foolish to throw out advice because I do not like the source. So does that mean we can take advice from the devil?
And you have determined that google is a credible source, how?I am only reporting what Google says about them. But even if it is not an exact number, I am sure they are all still millionaires.
<J0>Rick Warren, may give away all his money to the poor. I don't know. There is no official tax document saying what he does. It says he lives off 10% of his income. Even 10% of 25 million networth is 2 million and a half. That is still pretty luxurious.J0 said:begin
Here is your tax expert. "May,""Maybe,"'perhaps,""assuming,""seems unlikely.""likely,""I don't know,""my guess" etc
And you know this how? In the 90s I lived a few blocks from Saddleback [the name of a mountain near the church] and drove past it almost every day. I didn't join it because I'm not a fan of mega churches. I heard and asked a member if Rick could in fact remember the name of all of his church members. She said yes. Saddleback has Sheriff's deputies directing traffic every Sunday.J0 said:Rick also does not always clearly preach the gospel in the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and He was risen for our salvation.
Whose fault is that?
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