Category Archives: Money

5 Loaves + 2 Fish

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But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” Mark 6:37

Lets set the scene…there is a large crowd composed of men, woman, and children. They have traveled from great distances to see the Son of God speak. Its getting late, everyone is hungry and tired. The location they are at is remote, it would take hours to travel back into town, so the disciples decided to send them all away

But notice what Jesus says “You give them something to eat!”

The disciples are perplexed, they don’t have any food or shelter to give anyone. How are they going to feed a crowd of over 5,000 people?

And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Mark 6:38

Notice how Jesus responds, “How many loaves do you have?”  Meaning instead of saying all the things we don’t have , tell him what we do have to give!”  This is a lesson even today all of us can learn from. We have many reasons and excuses to not help people out, limited money, limited time, limited resources. But God doesn’t want to hear our excuses he wants to know what we have and he will bless it!

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. Mark 6:41

Jesus took what the disciples did have to offer, blessed it, and multiplied it! There was more Bread and Fish , then the disciples knew what to do with. God is our provider, not us. We need to take the gifts that God has given us and use them to serve others, and God will bless and provide for us in Jesus Name Amen!

The Young Rich Man

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And, behold, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? Matthew 19:16

The story about a young rich man and his conversation with Jesus, this man was pretty sure he was going to Heaven. But Jesus told him exactly what he needed to do to truly become his disciple.

And he said to him, Why call you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 19:17-19

First Jesus went thru the Ten Commandments handed down by God, notice as Jesus said he didn’t come to abolish the law but fulfill it. Many Christians falsely believe the new covenant wiped out all the laws by God from the old covenant. Here Jesus clearly shows you he still expects us to follow those same laws.

The young man said to him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Matthew 19:20-21

The young rich man was pretty holy and has been following Gods commandments since he was a kid, so he was pretty sure he was good to get himself into Heaven. But Jesus read his heart and told him how to be truly saved.

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:22

Why did the young rich man become so upset when Jesus told him to give it all away? It should be simple right? But this is exactly what Jesus is trying to teach us, you can’t serve two masters.

We become obsessed with material things that are just temporary, to the point where if Jesus said you could have eternal life if you just give up these things, we still can’t even walk away from them, that is idolatry.

Is there one thing that is keeping your heart from truly following Jesus? Are you consumed by the material things of this world, don’t let the temporary pleasures of this world prevent you from your eternal destiny in Jesus Name Amen

Den of Thieves

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And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Matthew 21:13

 

When Jesus came to the Holy Temple, instead of finding a house of God, he found a Den of Thieves. Multiple people selling all kind of merchandise instead of respecting and honoring God.

How many of our churches these day have become a “Den of Thieves”? Is your church you attend today one? This has been one of the primary failures of religion, man continues to worship money instead of worshiping God.

(Matthew 26:13) “And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”

 

Judas is probably the most notorious thief in history, a chosen disciple of Jesus, only to sell him out for 30 lousy pieces of silver. Judas had the opportunity of a lifetime to be in the inner circle of our Messiah, rather he followed his own lust for money, which he found couldn’t by him his own peace and ended up hanging himself.

How many false prophets and teachers nowadays are selling out Jesus for there own financial gain? We see them on TV and online everyday, bringing in millions of dollars to repeat scriptures that are in the Bible for free. It amazes me how far people are willing to go to make a buck, they believe they can even fool God, good luck with that.

(Jeremiah 7:11) “Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

 

As God told Jeremiah, he is watching all the churches and he knows all there perversions of the gospel. How foolish is it for these false prophets to believe they can rob Gods children and not go unpunished.

As Jesus said it will be easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than a rich man pass thru heaven, why is that? Because at there very heart is the love of money and not the love of God.

(1 Corinthians 3:16) “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

 

When we accept Jesus as our Lord, we become the Temple of God. The spirit of God lives in us and we must make sure we don’t allow ourselves to become a “Den of Thieves” also. People should see Jesus living thru you and not the world. Jesus never wanted and never profited anything from the gospel.

As Jesus warned us of false prophets he also warned us about churches becoming Dens of Thieves, if this describes your church, get away from it, for God knows their corruption and they will be judged. Stay true to the real purpose of the gospel to lead people to Christ and not lead people to  fund your bank account in Jesus name Amen

 

Can’t Buy Faith

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Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Acts 3:6

I love this story in the Bible, as it shows you Peter healed the man by their faith in Christ and not by money.  Isn’t this the approach and attitude our Christian Churches and Ministries should be using? You can’t go to a church service or watch a service on TV without being begged for money. What faith do these Christians really have?  Well they’ll bring up we must tithe. Let’s examine tithing from the Bible.

(Deuteronomy  14:22)” Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year”

There are a couple of Old Testament scriptures about tithing; here Moses gives the command to give 10% of all that you have to God. Problem is this is part of the Old Covenant. If you truly a Christian your part of the New Covenant. Let’s see what Jesus said about money.

(Matthew 19:21) “Jesus 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.””

When a man asked Jesus about following the commandments, Jesus told him to sell everything and give to the poor. How many Christian churches follow this practice? My point is Jesus never asked for or required money to spread his Gospel. If you have money and want to praise God help someone in need with it.

(Matthew 6:24) “”No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

I know that it takes money to operate a church or ministry, but in the pursuit of fulfilling the budget needs I think a lot of Christians have lost their real purpose and reason for the Gospel. You don’t need an elaborate Church to worship God, Jesus would spread the Gospel anywhere and everywhere.  This is why I believe Jesus said to just give it all away. He knows once you make money a priority you cannot serve two masters.

(Matthew 7:15,16) “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ant-Church or ministry. My point is don’t lose your focus on Jesus. Instead of putting financial burdens on your members, put your faith in God. He will make a way if you truly have faith in him. And beware there are a lot of false prophets and ministries out there that are will cash in on your faith and generosity.  As Jesus said you will know the false prophets by the fruit there producing. Are they leading people to Christ or leading money to their bank accounts?

I pray for all the churches and ministry’s that they remember the real reason they started was to bring people to Jesus Christ. Please help us seek and see the truth in Jesus name Amen

Root of all Evil

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For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10
Isn’t it amazing that even back in Biblical days, people were obsessed with money. What is it about money that people are literally willing to sell their soul? Is it the false sense of power? Is it the collection of material things? Whatever it is, Satan knows you want it and will use it to manipulate you.
Remember the story of the disciple Judas who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Luke 22). Judas who was literally a disciple of Christ sold his soul for a few dollars. It didn’t end well for Judas either as the guilt overcame him or eventually he hung himself. I think Jesus said it best (Matthew 16:26) “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Consider what Jesus said about wealthy people in Mark 10:25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Why is Jesus being so harsh on wealthy people? Is it a sin to become wealthy? To understand let’s examine what Jesus said in (Matthew 19:20-22) 20The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.…
Jesus was asked about the possession of wealth and he simply told the man to give it all to the poor, obviously the man was not happy. Why is it so difficult for us to be willing to give to others? In my opinion this is the main root why Jesus has a problem with wealth. In order to be wealthy you need to continually obtain money and possessions, most likely more than we need.
Therefor becoming wealthy essentially makes you selfish and greedy because you’re constantly wanting or withholding more from others. We probably heard the phrase “Share the Wealth” sometime in our life, this is exactly what we should be doing as Christians. In Jesus Name Amen