It is my experience that most Christians are not poor. I do not attend a well-heeled church either. I am not hanging around only with rich Christians. Let me counter the writer's "poor Christians" statement based upon my training and experience as a Pastoral Counselor. Let us see what is fact or opinion.
Jesus did say "the poor will be with you always" but he certainly never taught that He wanted Christians to be poor. He, in fact, wore a seamless robe, not a burlap sack with a rope around his waist. That garment was a very expensive garment of the day. It was so valuable that Roman soldiers cast lots (gambled) for it at the base of the Cross. Whether the robe was a gift or He bought it doesn't matter. It was His. He owned it.
His ministry had money. Judas was the Treasurer.
His exchange with the Rich Man was a teaching about not allowing riches to be the most important thing in our lives. He was not saying only poor people get into heaven.
Just before He fed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes a disciple asked - "Should we go into town and buy food for all these people"? The crowd numbered 5,000 - plus women and children. How much would that have cost His ministry? If He was poor, why would the disciple even ask such a question?
Jesus believed in paying His taxes. When a disciple asked if they should pay the tax, He said: "Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's and render unto God what is God's". To top it off, He plucked a gold coin from a fish's mouth to pay the tax. Maybe we can't do such a miracle but we can watch how we spend our money so we never become a poor Christian!
Remember that God created everything. This includes gold, silver, precious gems, and black gold (oil). The Bible says God "owns the cattle on a thousand hills".
The Garden of Eden had tremendous wealth in it for the use of Adam and Eve.
Let us take this out of the realm of Christians and look at the population as a whole. Most people are middle-to-upper class financially in the U.S. This includes Christians. How many people who go bankrupt each year do you suppose are Christians?
The divorce rate is about 50% in the U.S. general population. It is also about 50% among people claiming to be Christians.
No matter what guide you use, Christians are no better off, or worse off, than the general population. The statistics are the same because Christians are just people with all the frailties that go with being a human being. You can throw Jews, Hindu's, Islamists, and atheists into this financial mix as well. A religious label, or lack of one, has nothing to do with rich or poor.
If your guide for being rich is based on having money, and you are not in the top 5% of the population in your country, you are poor. If your guide for being rich is quality-of-life, only you know if you are rich or poor.
I must say it drives me a little crazy to see a junker car with a Jesus bumper sticker puffing smoke and it clatters down the street but is the driver poor or is he happy with his life? One he knows. Who are we to judge?
This whole issue was raised in a thread on a forum that I participate in. I immediately saw the writer's mind on this. He thinks that Christians should all be rich and none should ever be poor. It was clear he had not studied the Bible. If he had, the thread would never have been started by him.
Yours for Blessings in Life!
Jim DeSantis
P.S. - Please forward this article to someone who may benefit from it.
Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/
Jim DeSantis is a veteran Journalist providing trusted information on Spiritual matters. Click here to go to Jim's Blog for lots of free resources and links to gaining a deeper spiritual life.
Please Rate The Above Article From The Religion and Spirituality Category
Article Title: Why Are There So Many Poor Christians?
Not yet Rated
Syndicate Religion and Spirituality Related Articles Via RSS!
Subject to Orbitaloc.com's Publisher Terms of Service, you may reprint this
article on your own website, blog, and ezine. (English only) You may also syndicate
the article via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). It is free of charge.
Free Articles on Religion and Spirituality and Other FREE Content Article Topics
The preceeding is an informative article from the Religion and Spirituality category.
