Category Archives: Treasures In Heaven

Ethics, Treasures In Heaven

Exploring (and Obeying) God’s Instructions In Finances

For most of us it can be a challenge to focus and read through the detailed sections of the Old Testament like Leviticus where it covers many of the laws and instructions that God set forth for His people. They seem different and strange at times. We have not been taught this material as a serious part of our church life in the modern Christian church. Some of the ceremonial laws and instructions relating to animal sacrifices no longer apply.

However, there is rich insight into what our Father values and wants from His people embedded in the text. We have to treat it like a gold mine and go mining. Take as an example, Leviticus 19. It instructs us about reaping the harvest of our land and not reaping every corner or gathering fallen fruit. It may be easy to say, “I am not a farmer, so I will skip ahead”, but that is missing the point. Farming is just a context common to the people of that time. The principle is that we should not be so greedy to claim every last nickel of what is “ours” such that we leave nothing to help others who are in need. Surely this principle can be applied to all of us today, regardless of our trade or skill. Notice, the government has nothing to do with taking the extra that is left and giving it to the poor… it is direct from the person to those in need and freely given.

Not stealing… not dealing falsely… not lying not swearing falsely by His name… that is certainly still applicable and quite straightforward.

Notice in verse 13, we are not only to avoid robbing our neighbor, but we are not to oppress him either. We are to pay to others what is due them as hired workers without delay and stalling. Do not treat the blind and deaf badly just because the deaf man can’t hear what you did to him or the blind man can’t see what you did to him. To do these things is to not revere and respect God Himself.

I encourage you to fully explore the scripture and challenge yourself to ask “How might this apply to my life?”

Leviticus 19:9-37

Sundry Laws

     9‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

      11‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.

      13‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning. 14‘You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.

      15‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 16‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.

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      35‘You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. 36‘You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 37‘You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.’”

Much of this text is obvious and straightforward. Some requires additional study of the context of the culture and nearby neighboring cultures to fully understand what God is instructing. Some instructions are intended to show love to other people and some show love and honor to God. We are to seek to understand and obey if we are to truly live a life that shows love to our Father.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Ethics, Proverbs, Treasures In Heaven

The Integrity of the Upright Will Guide Them

All the riches in the world will not deliver you on the day you perish. Each of us will stand before Yahweh for judgment and go either to heaven with Him, or to hell apart from Him. The decisions we make in this life have far greater affect on where we spend eternity than most people ever take time to consider. Oh… and studies show that five out of five people perish. The thing about life is no one gets out of it alive. Let us take heed to submit to Yahweh through Jesus Christ. Our actions should reflect our faith in Him as Lord.

Proverbs 11:1-6

      1A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
But a just weight is His delight.

      2When pride comes, then comes dishonor,
But with the humble is wisdom.

      3The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

      4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.

      5The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.

      6The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

Our actions should reflect our faith. If we truly accept Jesus as the Christ, we should reject a false balance or other “cheating” in finances. We should remain humble and guide ourselves with integrity. If we truly submit to Christ, than that will be reflected in our behaviors.

Of course we must remember that it is not our “works” that saves us but rather we are saved by Yahweh’s grace through our faith in Christ. However, genuine faith is naturally demonstrated in our actions and attitudes.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Guiding Framework, Stewardship, Taxes, Treasures In Heaven

Give to God What Is God’s

Consider you are an owner of a business. Do you care how your employees spend the company’s money? Do you want them to spend in a way that is consistent with your instructions when you gave them access to the money or just spend however they feel best, even if completely selfish and not furthering the business? Is it any different if we consider a family situation in similar fashion?

Of course we care! Whether running a company or leading a family, we have limited resources, and it is important to use them wisely and consistently with our guiding values and purpose. Anyone who does not see this… just let someone have access to your checkbook and tell them to spend your money however they want… and you will quickly understand the point. You appreciate those who use the resources appropriately and correct those who do not.

Would it matter if they only wasted half of your money? What about 25%? We care about how they use all or any of the money. We gave instructions with the money and we want them followed, or next time we give the money to someone else.

So why do so many people have a problem with understanding that God (Yahweh in Hebrew) cares how we spend the money and other resources He provides to us?  Typically we struggle with this concept because we don’t want to submit to Him in regards to finances. We prefer to do things our own way. We may even be “generous” and set aside 10% of what He gave us and then tell Him we will manage the rest our way. This is not honoring God, but rather honoring ourselves. As a matter of fact, almost all of us give a higher percentage to someone who serves us food at a restaurant as a tip to thank them for serving us.

Give to God what is His. It all belongs to Him, so manage all your resources, time… talent… money, to further the kingdom of God.

Luke 20:21-25

 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

       9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

      10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Malachi 3:10

   8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Have you submitted all your finances to be stewarded on behalf of God or are you holding some back for your own purposes? This does not mean writing a big check to give all your money to a church. Not at all. It means stewarding wisely all that you have and spending in such a way as to be responsible and further the kingdom of God. Obey His general commands regarding money as we find them in the Bible. Take time to learn to pray effectively and seek God’s specific instructions for you, if any, regarding money. Remind yourself it all belongs to Him and you are only the servant who is asked to take care of it and manage it on His behalf.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Guiding Framework, Treasures In Heaven

Will It Profit a Man to Gain the World But Lose His Soul?

In order to live by our values and achieve our goals in life, we must begin by clearly defining for ourselves not only our values and goals, but also the priority in which we place them relative to one another. These basics will establish the foundation for everything else.

Paul provides an excellent example. He had a set of talents and abilities that he used first to persecute followers of Christ. He killed and imprisoned them. He was zealous for God, but did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. It affected the outcomes of his life greatly.

After meeting Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul lived a life that serves as a good portrait of one who lived submitted completely to Jesus Christ. His values and goals were transformed and redirected toward service to Jesus Christ. Paul truly died to self and took up his cross to follow after Christ.

Matthew 16:24-27

      24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.

As he prepared to leave for Jerusalem, Paul met with local elders of the church to remind them about his personal life lived as example of one submitted to Christ. It was filled with hardship and uncertainty, but also hope and joy in all circumstances. Paul provides a good summary of how we should approach our lives submitted to Christ. We do well to read carefully as if Paul were writing this to us and try to apply it in our lives today.

Acts 20:17-38

Farewell to Ephesus

      17From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. 18And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; 20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, 21solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22“And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 24“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

      25“And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26“Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31“Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33“I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34“You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

      36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.

As we consider this portrait of living for Christ, Paul reveals several key elements we should carefully consider and apply in our own lives, not matter what our work or ministry.

  • Serve God with humility, even through trials and tears.
  • Do not shrink from teaching truth and repentance, regardless of consequences to you personally.
  • Remember that our life’s purpose is not our own when we are submitted to Christ. Our purpose is to wholeheartedly seek after the work God assigns us to further His kingdom.
  • Be on guard for false teaching and those who would draw you away from Christ. The threat comes both from those outside the church as well as from among the church. People will pervert God’s word to draw disciples after themselves.
  • Do not cease to admonish one another so that we help one another to remain in Christ and in His truth.
  • In testing for false teaching, admonishing, and living for Christ we must look to God and to the word of God as our unchanging source of truth.
  • Work hard to provide for yourself and do not covet someone else’s wealth.
  • Help the weak.
  • Pray for one another in genuine love and concern. Create a community of brothers and sisters in Christ that truly love and care for each other.

Do not seek after wealth alone as your objective in life… your master. Ask yourself “How does this teaching from Paul apply to my life today?” and then take action to make any course corrections you need to live fully submitted to Christ. Pray humbly for our Father in heaven to help you.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Control Spending, Greed, Optimizing Life, Treasures In Heaven

Gaining the Right Perspective on Finances

1 Timothy 6 contains timeless wisdom for us to consider and apply in our lives. As you begin to read, consider that though the slave/master guidance may seem obsolete, perhaps you should consider it in regards to the employee/employer perspective as I believe it still applies in that context or others where you are subject to the proper authority.

1 Timothy 6

     1All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. 2Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.

      3If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. 6But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

      11But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

      17Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

      20O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— 21which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.
Grace be with you.

We are to treat one another with respect and not enmity, whether boss or employee, slave or master. We do so to shine the light of Christ for others.

We brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out. Let us be rich in good works. Let us be content, even joyful, with what we have. Let us guard ourselves against the love of money, which is the root of all sorts of evil.

Store up treasure in heaven rather than a bank, though this is not saying to spend and give away all you have. Indeed, we will have nothing to help others if we give all we have away. We should steward it carefully and thus do many good works in the name of Christ.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Ethics, Treasures In Heaven

How Should We Treat Others in Business and Finance?

Many people consider business and finance to be separate environments in which it is expected that people are aggressive or deceptive with one another in order to “get ahead”.

Is it ok to take advantage of people in business and finance? Is it ok to deceive someone to get them to buy your product? Is it ok to give poor advice as a financial consultant to sell the products your company wants you to sell?

Simply put, and hopefully obvious to you by now… the answer is “No. It is not right to take advantage of others.”

Jesus has a way of simplifying key concepts to help us remember and apply them to our lives. Many of us have heard of the “Golden Rule”, though it may surprise quite a few that it originates from Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:12.

12“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

This scripture matches closely with Matthew 22:37-40.

 37And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

In the context of Matthew 7:12, Jesus is addressing how His disciples should treat one another. He is not referring to our relationship with God. In Matthew 22:37-40, He addresses both our relationships with God and with one another.

Jesus calls us to help one another and to deal respectfully and honestly with one another whether we are at church, in our family or at work.  If we know more about a certain area than someone else (e.g. financial investing, selling phones or computers, etc.), it is an opportunity to help them. We each have different gifts and abilities. Jesus wants us to use them to help one another, not to convince them to buy the wrong product for them so we get a higher commission.

Is it ok to take advantage of non Christians? Again… a decisive “No.” What a great opportunity to show non Christians what we, as followers of Christ, are all about. Help them in matters of business and finance rather than trying to take advantage of them to make more money for yourself.

Jesus really has a way of simplifying things so we can remember. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. So simple, we can teach it to children, but the challenge is for us as adults to consistently apply it to all aspects of our lives.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Greed, Treasures In Heaven

Honor The Lord From Your Wealth

It is easy to get caught up in the mindset that all that I have is mine and I can do whatever I want with it. That is what the world teaches. I can just as easily latch on to the tithe concept as taught today, which is to say that I give the local church 10% and then everything else is mine to do with as I please. Another common excuse is “I am not wealthy, but when I am, then I will give to God”.

God, however, wants your heart. He wants you to love Him rather than money. Ultimately He has provided everything you have… either directly by intervention on your behalf or indirectly by creating you with the gifts and abilities you possess and use to earn money. It all belongs to Him. It is right to honor the Lord from your wealth… even if you don’t consider yourself wealthy.

Proverbs 3:9-10

        9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

      10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

God wants us to trust Him and rely on Him. He wants the first of all we produce, not the leftovers. Proverbs 3:9-10 is not a “magic formula” you use to control God to give you more money. That is not Biblical. We give our heart to God and thus we honor Him faithfully with the first of what we have, whether we have little or much. We trust God to provide. When we live trusting and loving God rather than money we will prosper. It is through trusting God and applying His instructions to our lives that we find contentment… satisfaction that we have enough… plenty… more than we need. If we constantly compare how much wealth we have to others rather than trusting God’s provision we will never have enough. There is always more money to earn and more things to buy with it.

Trust in God to provide. Follow His instructions… He wrote them down to help us. Pray for His help. Learn to honor Him with the first of your wealth and trust He will provide what you need.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Greed, Treasures In Heaven

How Much Should I Give?

There is much debate amongst Christians about how much we should give back to God. Many start with Old Testament guidance by talking about the tithe. Some want to give to show God their appreciation and love for Him. Others give because they feel it is required.

It may seem very confusing, but in fact it does not have to be so. God is more interested in our hearts when we give then in the accounting on whether we gave 10% or 20%.

In fact, the better question is not “How much should I give?”, but rather “How should I steward all of my resources?” or “How much should I keep for myself?” For those of us who receive the priceless gift of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior… as our Redeemer… it all belongs to Him.

Psalms 24:1-2

1The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.

2For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.

If you give your money to a financial advisor to manage for you, what percent do you want him to give back to you? What percent do you want him to waste selfishly or foolishly? Of course we want the advisor to manage all of it for us, manage it all wisely, and manage it all for our purposes rather than his own. God feels the same way about what He gives to each of us.

God wants us to give generously and cheerfully… as He has given to us. He wants us to use wisely all the resources He has given to us to steward.

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We should seek God in prayer and listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit for how to steward our finances including how to give generously and joyfully… and to whom to give. So too, we should consider carefully the counsel God has provided us throughout scripture to validate we are using the gifts He has given us properly for His purposes rather than selfishly for our own agenda.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Guiding Framework, Proverbs, Treasures In Heaven

In Whom Do You Put Your Trust for Finances?

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us would admit that at one time or another in our lives we have struggled to put our faith in God regarding how we should approach our personal finances. We may place our faith in a stock broker or career counselor or in our own ability to work hard in order to find our way, but often we overlook the wisdom God has provided in His written word, the Bible.  If we put our faith in God and seek and then follow the wisdom He has revealed through scripture we will surely not regret it!

Proverbs 3

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.

6In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

8It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.

9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD
Or loathe His reproof,

12For whom the LORD loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

13How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.

14For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.

15She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.

16Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.

17Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.

18She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.

As I reflect on this scripture today, I would always encourage you to click through to read the whole chapter of scripture… that is why I provide the link. However, I have pulled out a portion of it to comment on in this article.

A key decision we must make as we approach any element of our lives, including finances, is the following question…

“In whom do I place my trust for wisdom in this area of my life?”

Increasingly I have come to the conclusion that our trust should first and foremost be put in God and His word for all aspects of our lives, even the details of our lives associated with personal finance. Yes, we can also study and consult with others, but we must have a good standard against which to judge their specific advice. Scripture in the Bible and Proverbs in particular provides a very helpful absolute standard that can serve as our guide for evaluating our decisions.

By following God’s wisdom we will find wealth greater than silver, gold, or jewels and yet also find great advice to help us increase in our finances as well.

Answer for yourself today… “In whom do I put my trust for my personal finances?” Prayerfully consider this question and do not quickly answer. Consider how you work to generate income, how you manage spending, and how much you give to provide for the needs of others. If someone were trying to convict you of being a Christian in a court of law… would there be enough evidence, based on how you manage your finances, to convict you?

Humbly consider what changes you should make to submit more fully to God’s wisdom and guidance in regard to your finances.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .

Blessing or Curse, False Teaching, Treasures In Heaven

How Shall We Share with Others?

Many today imagine that a strong federal government that takes from the “rich” and redistributes that to the “poor” is consistent with the sharing of the community of believers in Acts chapter 4. This is quite simply not the case as there are a number of key distinctions we shall cover in this teaching.

Acts 4:32-37

Sharing among Believers

      32And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

      36Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Note that the community of believers in Acts 4 was just that… a community of believers or followers of Jesus Christ. It was not a community involving those who rejected Jesus and lived according to their own desires. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and abundant grace was upon them.  Those who rejected the values and teachings of Jesus were not part of this community. This fact is crucial in understanding why this approach worked for the Acts 4 community but has failed every time a government has tried to employ forced redistribution of wealth amongst its people throughout time.

Socialism and communism repeatedly fail. Capitalism is not a perfect system, but it gives rise to the most prosperity across a population. Even within a somewhat capitalist system, such as the current situation in the USA, the government interference in constantly taking money from some to give to others results in a burden that threatens to collapse the economic success of the nation.

Why? When a strong government forces redistribution amongst its people, inevitably the government is also denying God’s authority so as to assert its own authority as unchallenged. Further, it includes all manner of people, not just Spirit-filled believers. In this, the selfish nature of the unbeliever (and many believers who are struggling to follow Christ fully) is the downfall of these systems. Many people choose not to work or not to work as hard because it does not benefit them personally. On the other hand, in true capitalism, that same selfish nature is channeled across the population to create business, jobs, and wealth. It lifts the economic well-being of the whole nation.

For a sharing community to truly work, it must be centered on Christ and include only true followers of Jesus Christ. Those who choose not to work, choose not to eat. All work together to contribute as much as they can and take as little as they absolutely need.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

      6Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; 9not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. 10For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

      14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

In the community of Spirit-filled believers in Acts, the poor people were likely not acting selfishly any more than the rich. So we can assume they took only what they needed and worked to provide what they could to help others. It can also be deduced that everyone that had money did not sell all their possessions and give away the money or there would be no source of recurring income to support the community. Where would they meet at a church? How would they find shelter?

Lastly, we must never forget or overlook that it was a community receiving the abundant grace and blessing of God because they honored Him through proclaiming and following the teaching of Jesus Christ!

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