This week we’re trying to see the difference between a follower of Jesus, and someone else, in terms of how we see and use money.

Maybe you’ve seen a video going around the Internet with Kevin O’Leary, of Dragon’s Den, saying it’s just fantastic that the richest 85 people in the world have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest.  He says it’s fantastic because it will inspire the poor to get rich themselves.

We’ve attached it if you’d like to watch.

The Bible thinks quite differently about the relationship between rich and poor, in the passage that immediately follows what we read yesterday:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV)

Paul uses the same language Jesus is known for using – he refers to storing up treasure in heaven.

When we are generous, sharing with those in need, we are actually doing something of real value and eternal value that Paul calls a good foundation for the future.  That is truly life.  When others hoard, they are missing the point.  They are living a false life with limited value and longevity.

Finding that balance is of course always hard.  How much is enough to gain, save, and give? Yesterday’s reading set a low bar: But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

I have always liked a sermon preached by John Wesley centuries ago on the topic of money, that could be summed up as: Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can.  In isolation, each part would bring destruction, but together they make sense.  You have to make money to be generous, but if you pursue making too much, you will crash or lose faith.  You also have to save money to give money – wisely spending to have some left over, and by having stability in order to help others.

Question: How else do you think a follower of Jesus looks at money differently from someone else?  How does gaining/saving/giving all you can impact retirement, debt, etc.  Why?

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - May 21, 2014

Wednesday - Change It - Pioneer People

We read an important passage yesterday, and today we’ll focus on just the ending. Here it is again: Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:32-41 ESV) The audience were “cut to the heart”. Peter’s words transformed them, not into a state of sadness, but into action. They asked, “What shall we do? How do we make this right?” Peter has three steps: Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit. Repent means to turn. This is the first step of change and transformation. If you’ve been heading the wrong way in life, away from God, then the moment of regret and decision to turn around and head back to God is the moment of repentence. Being baptized is a sign that God is washing away someone’s sins. By washing that person on the outside, we show the invisible washing on the inside that only God can do. It’s a public act of having sin washed away from your heart, and having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Receiving the Holy Spirit speaks of continued transformation, well beyond the moment of repentence and baptism, and into the future. The Holy Spirit enables Christians to keep going that new direction, even when it’s hard. What did the Holy Spirit do for disciples? We saw last week that he enabled them to speak of Jesus in every language. These brand new disciples, too, will be sent by Holy Spirit to proclaim good news to everyone in the world. Their numbers are growing, and this good news is meant for everyone of all ages and around the world. 3000 people took on this challenge in one day. They became pioneer people – some of the first members of the church, the global phenomenon of people following Jesus and being transformed by him. Next week, we’ll see what they did, their practices when they gathered, and how their actions changed. But first, Question: What do you think changed for those 3000 people? Internally, spiritually, but also relationally?

Related Topics: Early Church, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Pioneer, Spirit, Transformation | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

From Series: "Pioneer Story"

We read through the Book of Acts as a Pioneer Story for the church.

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