321. Money – Economics in God’s Kingdom
Christians often have two opposing views regarding money, prosperity, and economics in their understanding of the Kingdom of God. One states that God wants us poor. The other states that God will make you rich. Both of these, if understood without spiritual insight and godly character, will take you far off into error. God wants us prosperous according to His definition. He does not want us to stay poor and ineffective. However, we need a good and accurate understanding of godly prosperity.
I believe a lot of Christians are having a hard time because they are seeking their finances from man and not from God. This is especially true of people who are in full-time ministry. It is true that the Body of Christ gives to support ministries, but the ministers are not supposed to be seeking the gift. They are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added (Matthew 6:33). If you are truly trusting God, you will not be manipulating people and trusting wealthy people to support you.
What is the definition of prosperity?
Prosperity with God is defined in 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 which says, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: ‘He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.’ Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.”
I believe that godly prosperity is God giving you enough to accomplish what you are called to do, and more than that so you can give and be a blessing. The problem with some people on the far right side of prosperity is that they thought God would feed their greed. He will not! God does not want us to hoard up money so that we can trust in what He gave us rather than Him. Neither is He into giving us things for our own lust. Neither does He want us to begin to trust the wonderful job or business that He gave to us.
God’s purpose for blessing us financially is to establish His covenant.
Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Notice that God’s prosperity is for the confirming of His covenant, or for ministry. We are all to be ministers in the earth as His representatives.
You are God’s ambassador.
If the President of your nation sent you to a foreign country on assignment, do you think that he would say, “While you are working for me, you need to work out your own finances”? No, he would provide for all of our needs while we were on his assignment. We are foreigners living in this world, but we don’t have to live within the limits of its economic and financial system. Many Christians feel that they just have to make it within the bounds of the world’s financial system. Philippians 3:20 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
There are two financial kingdoms. Most people do not understand this.
There is much controversy within the church and denominations on whether or not God wants us to prosper financially. Much of the confusion is based upon the fact that most believers do not understand that there are two separate financial systems and many of them try to operate according to both systems. They attempt to straddle the fence rather than operate in God’s Kingdom.
The two systems are the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the world. Satan is the prince of the world, and Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon is simply the name given to the world system of acquiring wealth. I believe that Mammon may also be the name of a high-ranking demon.
In Matthew 19, Jesus had an encounter with a wealthy man we call the Rich Young Ruler. He asked Jesus what he needed to have eternal life. Jesus told him to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. The man was sad because he was rich, powerful, and religious, and did not wish to give away what he trusted in. Here was a man who attempted to live in both systems, and it did not work. He had plenty of money, but he missed eternal life! Had he given to the poor, Proverbs 19:17 would have worked for him. It says, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (King James Version). Can you imagine what kind of return on this investment he would have received?
A testimony.
When the Lord saved me, I did indeed give away all that I had materially. I gave primarily to the poor and to ministries. My resources ran dry, but I never lacked food or a place to live. I did not go into debt in order to survive. Slowly, He increased my finances, and I knew each increase was supernatural. Eventually I saw that the “bread I had cast upon the waters” was coming back in abundance. The Lord has not increased my finances to a point that I was able to “trust in them.” I have always been in a place of dependence upon Him!
The world has several systems for finances. Communism says that all will share equally in the common wealth. It sounds good on paper, but it does not work. What has happened historically is that the few bureaucrats at the top take much more than their share. This leads to the need to go and conquer a neighboring country in order to take its wealth.
Another system, capitalism, sounds good on paper as well, – everyone for themselves, free enterprise, etc. It has produced a lot of prosperity in America and other Western cultures, but it has also produced a lot of poverty. The problem is that the few very successful people hoard the money and do not keep it in circulation.
Increase.
The problem with all of the financial systems in the world is that they have no “increase.” With God’s Kingdom there is “increase”. What is “increase”? When a seed is planted, it only weights a fraction of gram. But when it grows into a tree, it has much increase and increases in weight. It has taken from the elements of the ground and water and has, in an amazing way, increased itself.
The Kingdom of God financial system; supernatural increase.
Mark 4:26-34 says, “And He said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crop by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’ Then He said, ‘To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.’ And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.”
Another example of increase is one of the times when Jesus fed a multitude of people with just a few scraps of food. John 6:1-13 says, “After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.’ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’ Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.’ Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.”
Notice in this story that Jesus prospered the disciples through increase, but it was not just for them to store up. He gave each one of them enough to be generous givers to almost 1,000 people each (5,000 men plus women and children could have numbered 12,000). Not only were they generous givers, but also they all ended up with a full basket of food for themselves. It looks like the disciples took their “lunch money” and bought the food from the boy and gave the food to Jesus.
Jesus told us that even the worldly people know how to operate their financial system better than we know how to operate ours. Luke 16:8 (KJV) says, “And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.”
The economy of the Kingdom of God.
This is a real economy in a real government. However, this economy and government is invisible and must be seen by faith.
Jesus explained His economy. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Mark 4:11 says that the mystery of the Kingdom of God is embedded in the Parable of the Sower. Briefly it works like this. We position ourselves to hear God speak. His Word enters as a seed and is planted in the ground of our heart. Satan attempts to steal the Word by persuading us to live in ungodly character. As we repent our way through to the harvest season, the Word produces everything we need. It produces all the things that the ungodly people (Gentiles without a blood covenant) strive, fight and kill for. Eventually all the things we need would simply overtake us. I can testify that this works! However, it takes patience, faith and a godly walk with the Lord to produce this type of crop.
In Luke chapter 4 Satan tempted Jesus with all the kingdoms of the World. Luke 4:5-8 says, “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” If the financial kingdom could be seen in a moment of time, therefore the financial kingdom must be spiritual! Jesus saw it and was tempted, but He did not take the temptation.
But look what happened after Jesus’ resurrection. Revelation 11:15 says, “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”
If Jesus were walking on the earth right now, He would have dominion over the financial kingdoms of the world. Actually, He does – through you and me! We are to be ruling and reigning with Him! So why are we having such a hard time? There are several reasons. We are on a battleground. Satan is trying to keep this knowledge from us. Then after we get this knowledge, he resists us trying to wear us down and keep us from succeeding. Also, we are not perfect in our faith, and as we grow we have ups and downs, but hopefully we are always making progress and growing.
The Blood Covenant.
Looking back at John chapter 6, the people who were fed ended up following Jesus for another miracle. Jesus confronted them and told them that He would give them something better than another miracle of food. He promised them something that would guarantee that their bread would never run out. John 6:35 says, “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”
Jesus was speaking to this group and to you and me about the blood covenant. He was in effect saying that if you have a blood covenant with God through Jesus, all your needs will be met by the blood covenant.
Jesus promises that everything that is His will be yours, and all that is yours, including your poverty, will be His. Then He inferred that whoever eats His flesh (which was just a way of speaking of the blood covenant) remains in Him and has eternal life (John 6:54, 56). Many of His disciples had a hard time accepting this teaching.
John 6:61-62 says, “When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?’”
Jesus was saying that He would leave, but if they wanted this covenant, they would get it through His Word! “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). So our financial provisions are provided through the blood covenant via the Word of God.
The authority of your blood covenant with God.
This entire concept is based upon the law of authority in the blood covenant. If you submit to a covenant partner who is in authority over you, then that partner must take care of you. If you do not submit, then that partner cannot take care of you. This is why so many Christians ride the fence with the Kingdom of God and the world system. They have a rebellious spirit and do not want to totally take up their cross and follow Jesus.
Become a candidate for increase. You can’t separate God’s financial principles from the rest of His principles. They all work together. So you have to take the whole Bible in order to have a good foundation for godly prosperity. The primary commandment Jesus gave us, for example, is to “love one another” (John 15:12). To the casual observer that commandment may seem to have nothing to do with money, yet to have true prosperity, love must be the guiding force of your life.
I have discovered that the Word of God does not only act as a seed for finances, but it must be lived out in our life in order for finances to operate properly. When I first became a believer in 1979, the Lord had prompted me to pay back some income taxes to the government, which I owed. Actually, I had illegally avoided paying them. I obeyed and paid the back taxes voluntarily. Afterwards He spoke to me through the story in Matthew 17:27 in which Peter supernaturally found the tax money in the fish’s mouth. I can tell you truthfully, the Lord has supernaturally provided for my taxes ever since then, and has provided for my family’s income also. We must live and operate in truth and integrity, and when we do so, we will experience God’s blessing.
You must be quick to apply scriptural principles for living as described in 1 Peter 3:8-12 which says, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For ‘He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.’”
Think of it this way. Every right action you take, every godly decision you make, every time you go love’s way instead of the selfish way, you’re putting another block on your foundation of prosperity. When you pray for your enemies instead of hating them, you become a candidate for increase. When you turn away from immorality, you’re turning toward blessing. When you see things in your life that you know aren’t right and you correct them according to the Word of God, you’re preparing yourself to handle greater financial abundance.
We are not perfect at this, but we can keep our eyes on Jesus.
Hebrews 2:6-9 states it well: “But one testified in a certain place, saying, ‘What is man that You are mindful of him; or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in sunjection under his feet.’ For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Even when our ruling and reigning is not perfect, we “see Jesus!” That is enough. He takes over where we leave off.
In the book of Proverbs, the word Wisdom means ‘God speaking to you.’ This can be verified by studying the first eight chapters of Proverbs. When God speaks, a seed is planted and the Kingdom of God goes to work in your heart to bear fruit.
Look what Wisdom says in Proverb 8:17-21:
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries.
The book of Proverbs is full of God’s wisdom about everyday things and decisions. It will help you learn how to handle your affairs in a way that is pleasing to God. And since it has 31 chapters, by reading a chapter a day along with your other Bible reading you can finish it in just a month, and read it over and over throughout your life. In Proverbs you’ll find out, for example, that the quality of faithfulness and the blessing of prosperity are tied together very closely. Wherever you find one, you’ll find the other. For as Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man will abound with blessings...” According to Webster’s Dictionary, a faithful man is one who “adheres to duty, of true fidelity, loyal, true to allegiance, and constant in the performance of duties or services.” Luke 16:10 (Amplified Bible) says, “He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much.” So if you want to be trusted with more and be promoted to a better job, be faithful and honest in the job you have right now. You may think Christian people don’t need to hear about honesty and faithfulness, but they do.
Often, real abundance comes after refining. Refining makes us a candidate for increase.
Psalm 66:10-12 says, “For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” God is more interested in your character being conformed to Jesus’ character than in your comfort! When your character lines up, more and more, with Jesus’, then your abundance will begin to be manifested, and often that comes through the process of refining.
Tithing.
There is much to be said about the tithe (which means ‘one tenth’), but we will just cover it briefly here. The law of the tithe is stated in the Old Testament. The Law of the first fruits in Deuteronomy 26 leads to the blessings or curses of Deuteronomy 28 and 29. Basically, it provides a way for us pilgrims to use the earthly goods without the curse that they are under.
Cleanse your money! The money of this world is from the system of this world, and it is under a curse. However, if we dedicate the first 10% of our income to God, then the 90% that we have left is free of the curse. Our money or crops are blessed, not cursed. That is the Law of the Tithe as stated in Deuteronomy 26.
Remember the curse Adam got after he sinned? The whole earth is subject to it. But if you tithe, your goods are blessed. Malachi 3:8-12 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the LORD of hosts; ‘and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
The tithe belongs to God. It is not giving. It is returning what is His. If I borrow a plow from you and I give it back to you, I am not “giving you a plow,” I am returning what is yours. Giving is over and above the tithe. I believe that we should ask God to increase our faith to increase our giving to 20% and more of our income. I have heard of some who are giving 90%. Giving becomes seed for more receiving. Increase your giving a little more each year, and you will be amazed!
Use your “lunch money.”
In 1985 the Lord asked me to give money to a person in an amount that I could not afford, just under $400. Actually, I had the amount of money, but it was earmarked for my living expense. At that time my income was not enough to meet my living expenses, so I was using a little from my savings account each month, my “lunch money.”
I did not feel that this person had a legitimate need; I felt that this person had squandered the money on a luxury and now needed money for a necessity. I was not going to give, but then the Lord spoke to me through the story of feeding the 5,000 people. He said, “If you will give this person your “lunch money” I will multiply it many times.” I obeyed immediately. This person was blessed. Within one month, the Lord brought a big business deal into my lap, totally unmerited and not based upon my ability. Actually, it was way beyond my ability. This business deal provided for my family in the form of a good salary for the next five years! I was able to utilize much of this money for ministry. Another time the Lord had me give away an automobile to a person who I felt did not deserve it. He told me that this gift was a seed for my future, when I would need grace that was undeserved. He provided me a new car, and in the future, much grace! In both cases, I gave to an undeserving person out of grace, and I received grace as an undeserving person. The Lord made that real clear to me!
The following quote is taken from “The Lord my Portion” – Watchman Nee – May 13th.
“A child of God asked Him for a promise concerning her livelihood. One day she read these words: “Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). She was both surprised and gladdened by this word. Such promise is conditional; one must first be free from the greed of gain and be content with what he already has before he can experience the Lord’s abiding support and supply. She said amen and amen to this promise. In her past twenty years, she on the one hand maintained the principle that “if any will not work, neither let him eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) and on the other hand experienced the Lord’s causing neither a handful of meal in the jar to waste, nor a little oil in the cruse to fail (1 Kings 17:8-16). The Lord had not failed her nor forsaken her.”
Summary.
Here are the two main points I rely upon:
1. Learn to be happy with whatever your condition; but expect an increase (Philippians 4:11).
2. “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, KJV). Notice that it says that our needs are supplied in glory. Glory is His presence.
In my life I need daily contact with God in His presence. If I do not obtain this, I can get very far off track. He will prompt me to do what I need to do in every situation. We cannot live by rules and laws, but by a Guide, the Holy Spirit, and His presence. My advice is to use the “Flowing River” prayer guide and enter into His presence often.
Finally, there are some interesting statistics about desperate people and church growth.
Poverty and Church Growth. Date: Mon., 17 Aug. 1998
“Out of 1.9 billion church members worldwide, some 13% are in a state of absolute poverty, or 247 million individual Christians. They have no personal televisions, radios, or computers. Their basic situation is one of seeking daily for the means to simply survive. ‘There are some interesting parallels between church growth and poverty,’ says Justin Long, editor of Reality Check. ‘Of 79 countries where the average person’s personal income places them in a situation of absolute poverty, 61% of those countries have churches growing faster than the population, while 39% are growing slower. In those countries, which are simply “poor” 41% of the churches are growing faster, while 59% are growing slower. In “rich” countries, 18% are growing faster, while 82% are growing slower. One can argue that when people have little, there is less to distract them from Christianity, Christian living, and Christian evangelism.
History also shows us that where Christianity and the church expanded, that society in general improved, including financial, health and other areas.”
Source: Reality Check
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