I hope I'm getting this right. Are you saying that people should just sit on their acres on the couch and do nothing to improve themselves so they can get a better paying job to support their families, and just have government welfare as their income?
Doesn't the Scripture say that if a person doesn't work, neither let him eat? So, how is a person going to get a reasonable job in our society unless they get some sort of qualification?
There are children of religious people who are neglected and go in rags and hungry because their parents spend so much time in voluntary church work that there is not enough money in the home to support the family, and they are so busy that they never really spend time with their children. Jesus said that anyone who does not provide for his or her family is worse than the lowest dregs of society.
So, if a person has ability in Maths, and decides to make a career out of it and becomes qualified enough to get a reasonably paid job to support his wife and family, is that serving mammon? I don't think so. He is merely following the principles that Jesus taught for ordinary people.
What Jesus disapproves of are people who make money their god, and that like religious people who go over the top with church work and activities, these ones spend all the time in business just to make money. Jesus talks about those people when he tells the story of the man who pulls down his barns to build bigger ones to store his produce, and therefore his wealth. Israel was an agricultural economy and produce was stored in barns to be sold. The more produce a farmer had, the wealthier he was. A farmer who grew enough produce just to make a normal living for himself and his family is not the one serving mammon. But the one who lives to increase wealth over and above that has a love for money and it is that love that is the root of all evil according to Scripture.
When we support a view, it must be coherent, make sense, and it must be comprehensive, should apply in all situations.
Claiming that we should work for earthly treasure goes against so many teachings, but its supporters say that those who do not try to work for earthly gains are going against the teaching that looking after their family is Scripturally correct:
1 Timothy 5:8
8Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
And against the teachings that whoever does not work should not eat:
2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.
I could just quote Bible verses that teach prioritising the gathering of God's children, and in fact, I did.
But it's the right thing to do to give the comprehensive explanation too, so here it is.
Let's explain what happened to those who counted the cost and received baptism.
Peter accused those who loved the world as belonging to an adulterous generation . Instead of being with God, their proper partner, they formed relationships with the world. Those who agreed with Peter were baptised, and broke of relationship with the world (they agreed that those who depended on for perishable needs even though the world was unreliable were foolish), and promised to return to God.
God gives proof of his ability and willingness to lead them into rest, proper living, being a blessing to the world, as Adam had been. In time, when enough proof had been given of God's faithfulness, God called us, to fully commit ourself to being that blessing, by manifesting His role in our lives in a highly visible way. Rahab was blessed when Joshua allowed God to use him to exhibit His power.
Was Abraham given proof of God's ability to bless? Yes. Was he afraid? Yes. Did he overcome his fear after seeing God's power? Yes. So God's power delivered Abraham out of the world into rest.
Was Moses given proof of God's power? Yes. Did he overcome his fear of risking his safety by placing it in God's hands? Yes. Did he hear God's voice? No. Did he act? Yes. Was God with him? No. Was he successful in being a blessing? No. The lesson is not to act when God is not with you or called you.
Did God call Moses later? Yes. Did Moses ask God to show Israel the same proofs he showed Moses? He did. Was Israel convinced by the proof? Yes.
Did God give Jesus proof of His power? Yes he did. Did God call Jesus out of Egypt? Yes. Did God give Jesus proofs to show Israel? Yes. Was Israel convinced to abandon the world and follow God? No they were not.
But it was not God's fault, just as it was not God's fault when Israel did not enter rest.
When people joined the disciples in Jerusalem in following God, God provided them proof of His ability and power to give them rest. However it still required them to respond, to show God they had faith in Him. Those who thought they could finish the house, had the means to complete the task, changed their lives, aligned it with what they had decided, and God then led them into rest, the ability to be blessings to the world.
The first part of the last sentence is very important.
The Bible describes what that response looks like :
The believer abandoned all dependency on the world.
The believer who did not have the confidence that he had the resources to compete the house asked for more time to repent.
The believer who was not confident of his ability to meet the challenge asked for terms of peace from the challenge, personified as a king of an opposing army.
The believer delayed whole hearted surrender to the challenge by making friends of those in the kingdom with unrighteous Mammon so that they would welcome him into eternal dwellings ( the ability to be blessings) when his worldly resources ran out.
So when the believer joined the disciples, he could lay down his resources at Peter’s feet or he could donate his regular earnings to the group.
The group used the money to support those who had fully committed their work to God.
Those who were fully committed had to do this work (manifest God's power) in order to continue to receive support. If they did not work they were not to receive support.
What happened to the family of those who were serving God in any one of the above ways? If the believer had extra resources, he had to support his family. Else the group had to do it.
