Our Lord Jesus spent a great deal of time talking about money and possessions. When Christ taught the parable of the faithful and wise manager, he concluded that, “from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). 

This summer we want to consider corporately why God has given us the possessions He has. How does the Lord intend for us to use our wealth and possession? Why has He given them to us? How are we using them?

At least one billion of the 6.4 billion people in our world live in poverty. It is estimated that, within a few years, twenty-five percent of the earth’s population will be poverty stricken. Two million children die every year from poverty-related diseases. The number of people who lack access to safe drinking water is estimated at 1.3 billion.

Yet, nearly 200 million of the earth’s poor profess Christianity. We cannot help but wonder what they conclude about the affluent Western Christian as they learn about us through TV, radio, missionaries, or foreign visitors. How should our theology of possessions and wealth affect how we use our finances? How does our philosophy of affluence and poverty influence our care for and interaction with the poor? How do we discern how much we value the things God has given to us in comparison with the value we place on the welfare of our fellow human beings?

Jesus words, “where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21) are very sobering to the average American evangelical. In this series we will be considering what Moses said about wealth and possessions. We will then examine the poetical and prophetic literature of the Bible to see what they had to say about earthly riches. We will finish this series by studying what Jesus and Paul had to say regarding the gathering, saving and spending of our finances. As I have prepared for this study, the Holy Spirit has moved and convicted my soul regarding what I treasure and count as ”valuable.” My prayer is that God would touch our hearts together as a congregation so that a great overflow of thanksgiving might be made to God because of our generous sharing of our worldly possessions (2 Corinthians 9:11).

Pastor Kyle