BE CAREFUL IN WHOM YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST
YOUR SALVATION DEPENDS ON IT

“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matt.6:24

     Many ministers seem to think that these words do not include them. Make no mistake, if Christ came to walk among men today, and repeated His counsels on stewardship and the importance of obedience to GOD’S Holy Law whereby the Holy Ghost may dwell in the soul, every church minister who lives in the lap of luxury would “gnash with his teeth” and stand with the Orthodox Jews, the pope, and the common sinner, and cry, “Crucify him, crucify him!” “We will not have this man to reign over us.” Ps.112:10; Lu.23:21; 19:14.

     Although this cannot happen due to Scripture’s prophetic timeline, should the fulfillment of Christ’s 2nd Advent occur today, these ministers who are revered by tens of thousands would be the recipients of “the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation” (Rev.14:10):

“Woe be to the shepherds that do feed themselves!” “And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Eze.34;2; 14:8; Rev.6:15-17.

     All throughout the Scriptures GOD warns the rich of their spiritual danger in hoarding wealth for themselves. Nevertheless these men will not hear because the LORD is not their IDOL. “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.” Ps.115:4. These "rich" ministers are no different than the unconverted souls because "while they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." II Pet.2:19.

     David recognized the evil of man’s lust for wealth: “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.” Ps.73:3-5. David’s son, Solomon recognized the insatiable nature of this sinful tendency: “the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” Eccl.1:8. And all too often we see the evil expression of this frailty of human character, even among those professing Christ’s service: “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” Isa.56:11.

     While it is good to have a secure and safe life, and “that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion” (Eccl.3:22), to live an exorbitant lifestyle denies the never ending cry of woe from multitudes who only desire the bare necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, and above all, to receive love and care.

     Therefore the LORD admonishes: “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.” “For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.” Prov.8:10; 3:14.

     The key to understand the threat of riches against the soul’s salvation is to understand the virtue found in the Tenth Commandment: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Ex.20:17. Today’s ministers who live lavish lives stand blind to their being a stumbling block to those who struggle to make ends meet. With this cruel indifference to GOD'S call for justice, mercy, and love, let us see just one example recorded in the books of heaven. It is a story that is all too common:

     A man who loves the LORD with all his “heart,” “soul,” “mind,” and “strength,” and his “neighbor” as himself (Lu.10:27) sells his only winter coat in the middle of winter, and with tearful joy gives the proceeds to his church that others may find the joy of the LORD. The minister then takes this tear-stained money and buys a $20,000 Rolex watch. These are the abominations we see in today’s evangelical Christianity who flagrantly deny the Standard of Christian living that Christ set forth, and His Apostles honored in their lives. The Apostle Jude warned of this betrayal of spiritual trust: "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots" (v.12).

     It always gets back to the minister’s responsibility before GOD as expounded in Ezekiel 34: “Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock…Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Of this warning Jesus added: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Lu.12:48.

     Sparing no expense for themselves in their mansions, their silk suits: the gaudy and boastful "Lifestyles of The Rich And Famous" (Robin Leach), whether in or out of the church, Christ declared this to be a snare: “For after all these things do the Gentiles seek.” Matt.6:32. But the true wealth is found in the counsel the Scriptures to show the world that Christ’s way is the only way. And yet, He is publicly denied throughout western Christendom; and thus they bring reproach on "the Son of God." Nevertheless, Christ's way is the only way “that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Phil.2:15.

     The words of Jesus condemned the ministers of His day for the very thing that today’s ministers evangelize as being acceptable service to GOD. “But all their works they do for to be seen of men...And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.” “Be not ye therefore like unto them.” “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.” "And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." Matt.23:5-7; Matt.6:8; Lu.16;15.

     The Apostle Paul likewise addressed this sin: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Rom.7:7; 13:9.

     And James identified how a singular “transgression of the law” is the equivalent of violating them all: “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Ja.2:1-17.

     The opulent ministers have missed the entire theme of salvation, which is GOD’S deliverance from sin. They have removed the meaning of what it means to be “under grace” and juxtaposed the license to sin; and therefore refuse Christ’s definition of repentance. “For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.” Ps.10:3.

     For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Eph.5:5

“Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” II Pet.2;13-15.

“The love of money is the root of all evil.” I Tim.6:10.