Money, Power and the Bible
Posted: Saturday, May 30, 2009
by Mark Parsec
Wordcasters
Most everybody is looking for a deal… and when we find a special sale going on at our favorite market we try to take advantage of it. One of my favorite sales is the Buy One – Get One Free coupons for hamburgers… I love hamburgers. And when the price is right, I'll go down and get two hamburgers for the price of one. That's about all I can afford on my budget.
It has been suggested for some time that the political leadership of our country is no longer elected… but bought and sold. Such wealthy individuals as Dale Carnegie, Henry Ford, the Duponts, John D. Rockefeller, Howard Hughes and even such recent individuals as Dick Cheney and Oprah Winfrey, have been accused of buying the presidency. And we can only speculate as to the tremendous power and influence of the Banking, Insurance and Medical lobbyists in Washington.
Yes… money is power! There's no doubt about it. And, unfortunately, some individuals who are rich have absolutely no morals and will do anything, say anything, buy anything or sell anything that will increase their wealth and power.
Now, I'm not saying that everyone who is rich is bad or evil. For we all know wealthy individuals who are good people and outstanding Christians. Yes, there are rich people who have done wonderful things with their money to build the Kingdom of God and make the world a better place. But, Jesus himself taught us in the Gospels that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it would be for a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Jesus also told us in Luke 16:13 "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
And most of us know the Word of God teaches us in 1 Timothy 6:10 that it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil.
I would like to clarify that it is not the money itself that is the problem… it is the unrighteous things that people choose to do with their money that becomes a problem… it is the love for the things money can buy, pleasures, treasures, influence and power! And, sadly for many the quest for money and power go hand in hand.
Money and Power… the Bible has a little bit to say about that subject.
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven he told his disciples in Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
You see the promise to us Christians was that we would receive POWER… not money, when the Holy Spirit came upon us. And not long after Jesus had made this promise the disciples DID receive power on the day of Pentecost. And from that point on, the entire Book of Acts is filled with one story after another about how the Christians walked in the power of the Holy Spirit performing miracles, and signs and wonders.
Acts 3:1-10 (NKJ) Gives us one such story…
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them-walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.You see Peter and John did not have silver, but they had something satisfying. They didn't have gold, but they had God. They didn't have money, but they had a miracle! They didn't have a fortune, they had faith. They didn't have financial prosperity, but they had power. They had power in the Holy Spirit to bring healing to a lame man's life in the name of Jesus Christ. The lame man had nothing and they gave him everything… a new life.
Acts Chapter Eight provides another interesting biblical perspective on the quest for power with money. Stephen had just been stoned to death and became the first martyr for Christ. Persecution began against the Christians in Jerusalem and they were being dragged off into prison and scattered to… Judea and Samaria, as Christ had foretold. And in the midst of this terrible persecution power was increased in the life of Christians!
Acts 8:4-24
4Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. 5Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. 6The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 7For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8So there was much rejoicing in that city.
9Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; 10and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, "This man is what is called the Great Power of God." 11And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.
12But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. 13Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.
14Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
18Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 9saying, "Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21"You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22"Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. 23"For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."
24But Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
There are a few lessons to be learned from this account out of the eighth chapter of Acts.
1. Holy Spirit power increases during times of persecution (Acts 8:4-8).
2. Holy Spirit power is manifested through miracles, signs and wonders (Acts 8:4-8).
3. Holy Spirit power may be received by the laying on of hands from someone who has already received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
4. Holy Spirit power cannot be bought or sold (Acts 8:18-23).
The quest for money and power will make people do some really strange things. We're no longer surprised when we hear stories about politicians taking bribes or corporate executives receiving dishonest profits. But, sadly, during times of economic troubles we sometimes hear of Christians engaging in the same kind of behavior. When bills pile up and go unpaid, when creditors start calling, when cars get repossessed and homes foreclosed… people panic. And Christians are no exception. Perhaps it is because of a sense of powerlessness over their financial circumstances that people sometimes compromise their values. Perhaps they somehow believe that money, however gained, will give them power over their unhappiness.
To those who hunger and thirst for the power that money would seem to provide the Word of God still rings true…
Isaiah 55:1:2
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
And for those who stand firm in their faith and know the power that is available through the Holy Spirit it would do good to remember the words of our Savior when he said…
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. (Matthew 10:8)
Note: The author gives his permission and encourages others to copy or use this sermon in any way that brings glory to God.
This Article has been viewed 427 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Hi Mark, Good to see you back - love the message. Amen and Amen. We need this reminder, especially during these tough times. It's too easy to equate power and success with money. But as the Bible says, and as you so wonderfully laid out, it is from God and God alone. Thanks for responding to the call of The Spirit and sharing this message with all of us. Blessings, TeresaHi TeresaThanks for your comments. Been missing my friends at SearchWarp. But, as someone told me one time... sometimes life gets in the way.Good to hear from you. Keep Michelle in your prayers.God bless you always,MarkI hear you loud and clear!! I will be praying for her. Should I be giving her a buz?Yes... You may want to try calling her early in the day. That is usually when she is at her best. We appreciate your prayers and concern.Mark
Great Article! There is a lot about money in the Bible, for sure. Money is a spiritual test for us. It reveals our true priorities and what we really put our faith in. One passage that comes to mind for me is Proverbs 22:7 - The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the lender's slaveThis passage is rich with wisdom. It reveals a lot about why we are in economic trouble as a country and as individuals. When we borrow for any reason, we then place ourselves in the position to be serving two masters - God and the lender. And as you said, that is a problem.Thanks for your message. Praise God! and AMEN!Thank you, Jim. I appreciate your comments and perspective.God bless you.Mark
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.