Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money - Religion - Nairaland
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| Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by Nobody: 3:19pm On May 22, 2008 |
Money : Tithes and various types of offerings are being given so much emphasis in the church today and in some cases this money collected is being used to finance that flamboyant lifestyles of the church pastors yet the bible states clearly that pastors must not love money albeit material things. The passage below explains. 1 Timothy 3 Church leaders 1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being a church leader,[a] he desires a noble task. 2Now the church leader must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by naijacutee(f): 10:01am On May 23, 2008 |
Very true. No one really should love money, but one way or the other we end up falling in these areas. Pastors are human also and sometimes they make mistakes and get more concerned about their pockets than God's kingdom. They shouldn't be crucified for this, as the crucifier might have done the same if put in the pastors shoes. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by GentleSoul2: 5:15pm On May 23, 2008 |
Many pastors will gleefully ride to hell on the wings of "offerings". |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by AKO1(m): 5:25pm On May 23, 2008 |
I think that they and we all need to strike a balance. The bible says the love of money is the root of all evil, it also says that money answereth all things. I am not one of those that believe that God is a dum-dum, that He contradicts Himself. So there has to be a Godly balance. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by Nobody: 5:39pm On May 23, 2008 |
@AKO i don't understand what you mean by balance o, but most churches over emphasize money, in my church at least three different types of offerings and tithes are collected during each service under different guises and my church is relatively conservative to some others i know. it is almost as if there is a monetary cost to salvation  I beleive money should be seriously de- emphaisized in the church, the church should focus more on salvation of souls than prosperity of the flesh. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by AKO1(m): 5:46pm On May 23, 2008 |
lol I get what ure saying. I was actually not referring to Pastors alone and sorry if you feel I am in any way deviating from your thread. What I mean is that we are not supposed to hate money in the name of not lusting after it. at least three different types of offerings and tithes are collected during each service[b] under different guises[/b]If you cannot prove it then its better not to make wrong assumptions. But if you can, seriously consider packing your bags from that church. I beleive money should be seriously de- emphaisized in the church, the church should focus more on salvation of souls than prosperity of the flesh.Yeah, the bible says that God wishes above all that we prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by PastorAIO: 6:07pm On May 23, 2008 |
But not just the Pastor individually but the church as a whole. I witnessed a very tedious sermon once. I won't mention any names, but the pastor was preaching financial independence. Basically the entire sermon was about how to take advantage of the housing market in order to be financially independent. After the sermon I had a discussion with those I was with. I was being critical but the other's jumped to the pastor's defence. They explained to me that the biggest problems affecting most christians was financial buoyancy and as a concerned pastor it was right to teach financial know-how to the congregation. I was out numbered and out talked so I gave up but yet I remained very disturbed by it. So God now gives financial advice to his congregation. That's well enough, but at least I would expect God's financial advice to be a cut above the rest of what you'd get normally. Not so. The Pastor was only regurgitating the conventional wisdom of the time about how to invest etc. He was basically advising his congregation to take out mortgages and invest in property and then that property will be the cornerstone of their financial tower. That was the conventional wisdom then but of course it isn't now. I wonder how many of his congregation that followed his advise are in hot water now. I've always thought that if one sought the kingdom of heaven first that all those other things would fall into place. Well obviously it hasn't been falling in place for these churches and so they have decided to concentrate their full attention on it to the point of dedicating whole sermons to humanly concieved ideas for financial buoyancy. At the cost of taking the eyes off the ball (the kingdom). |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by Nobody: 6:13pm On May 23, 2008 |
@AKO How can you mistake soul prospering for pocket prospering  , that is the height of bible manipulation. I know a lot of pastors have mis-quoted this passage when they are preaching their favorite subject (prosperity of the pocket) if you go back to the scriptures were apostle paul spoke about soul prospering read it from the beginning, you would understand he was talking about salvation and not material wealth.  |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by PastorAIO: 6:28pm On May 23, 2008 |
I do have the sneaking suspicion too that most christians go to church in search of a way out of financial difficulties. Of course they have other problems as well but the financial ones are the most pertinent. Pastors in churches realise this and the rest is just basic supply and demand. The demand is there for a financial prep talk and so the pastors deliver it. If they didn't they would lose their congregations who require it. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by AKO1(m): 7:05pm On May 23, 2008 |
Jagoon: Precisely. I did not misquote anything. The degree of our material prsperity is proportional to the degree of our soul's prosperity. That is how I interpreted the passage. Read agian. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by PastorAIO: 7:53pm On May 23, 2008 |
So Bill Gates must be the most spiritually advanced man in the world. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by cgift(m): 8:00pm On May 23, 2008 |
A simple question for Pastor AIO: Would you prefer that you remain poor (as a Christian) and always in want and depend on someone else who is an unbeliever? In all my studies of the scriptures i have not seen a place where is said i should lack. The bible is a whole book teaching you all the secrets of life including financial prosperity asides soul prosperity. Wisdom is the principal thing, the Bible says, in all thy getting, get understanding. How do you prosper in life without wisdom and the power to get wealth. That you are a christian does not mean that you automatically become a millionaire in financial terms. You must acquire knowledge and skills to be relevant and impact your world positively by meeting needs of all kinds. What then i the advantage of being a christain you might ask since i can always get all the knowledge and skills required to make it by being even an infidel? Well, i will answer you that asides the physical and spiritual benefits of direction, the guaranty of a place of rest is most important. I for one thank God for what impact i have been able to make in the lives of men financially by being their keeper. This is no boast or pride but it has made me seen the reason why i am blessed: to bless others and this my wife supports me generously in doing. I then imagine, how people (even christain brethren) would have made it through life in great difficulty at that point when they needed help most. So, i would prefer they teach me nuggets for wealth that is biblical whie still teaching me to stay focussed. Indeed, needs if not met can kill even a Pastor so, what is the glory in having not enough to bless others? |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by PastorAIO: 8:42pm On May 23, 2008 |
cgift: What I would prefer as a christian is to be free from the notion that I will be happy or happier if I had more money. I have only one source of joy and satisfaction and that is what I turn to at all times. If I am poor I know that it's alright, it isn't the end of the world. My needs will always be met. I would never depend on someone else, a believer or unbeliever. I only depend on God, however I acknowledge that God can use both a believer and an unbeliever to bless me. The scriptures never said that you must lack, however the clinging to wealth as if it is the be all and end all of life's issues is definitely detrimental to the spiritual life. Besides I don't think that wealth is for everybody. Just like Artistic talent is not distributed evenly across humanity, nor footballing talent etc. So it is that money making talent is not distributed evenly to all mankind. But further to that I would go as far as to say that those to whom it has not been given to handle wealth will not enjoy whatever wealth they acquire dubiously. Thus you might have a rich man whose wealth has only brought him misery in life, he trusts no one, has no real friends (though he is surrounded by all and sundry), isn't sure his wife really loves him for himself (is it true that she is shagging the gardener), He's drunk so much champagne that his liver has failed etc etc. A Christian in clinging to Christ should come into true knowledge of himself and his purpose in life. The idea of 'Financial Security' should be incongruous to him. Why? Because Security cannot be gained from finances. There is only one source of security in life. A multimillionaire can lose everything in a week so I don't know how much money you want to have before becoming secure in it. That security will be a delusion anyway. When you come to true self knowledge you will not hanker after things that will not fulfill you soul. cgift: I hear you, but I believe that the only positive impact I can have on the world is not derived from the skills I acquire but rather from fulfilling my being as a creature of God (with or without 'relevant' knowledge and skills). |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by mnwankwo(m): 8:55pm On May 23, 2008 |
Earthly richness is not a measure of ones closeness to God. Material wealth is a blessing only if it is acquired according to the laws of God and used according to the laws of God. Among those that serve God truely, there will be those that are rich and those that are poor. Emphasis should be placed on seeking the kingdom of God and what man must do to get there. Recognition and obedience to the WILL OF GOD should be the emphasis. This is because he who recognises and lives according to the WILL of GOD bears peace within himself irrespective of his or her earthly circumstances. To such a man, richness and poverty, health and sickness, blessings and trials etc are just experiences necessary to make him a better person in the sight of GOD. If such a man is blessed with wealth, he knows that the wealth was given to him not for personal self aggrandisement but to use the wealth to bring joy to his fellowmen. If however he is not materially blessed, he accepts his condition and prayerfully works to improve it. He does not go about with bitternes and envy against those those who are material blessed. Every single person has at one point or the other in their spiritual history enjoyed material wealth as well as poverty. True servants of God teach there flocks the will of God and how to find the kingdom of God. 1 Like |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by AKO1(m): 9:24pm On May 23, 2008 |
Pastor AIO: So could you do us a favor and interprete the passage? |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by PastorAIO: 9:58pm On May 23, 2008 |
A_K_O: Let's get this straight. The [b]Elder Joh[/b]n wishes that his friend Gaius should prosper and be in good health even as his soul prospers. God hasn't said anything here. Just because it's in the bible. . . St. Paul advises a runaway slave to return to his master who is also a christian. Does that mean that God advises all runaway slaves to return to their masters? Or is that Paul's personal advice? St. Paul advices against marriage (an institution directly ordained by God), but this time he states quite explicitly that this is his own personal advice not the word of God. Should we favour this passage with the same authority as the other passages where God explicitly gives directives. The new testament is full of personal banter between people who know each other quite well and if you are not involved in their relationship then you cannot get what is really going on. I personally feel that Gaius is recovering from illness at the point of writing the letter (or some such setback) and John is encouraging him that as his spiritual life is advanced he hopes that his physical prosperity and health will recover too. Secondly that prosperity is not necessarily financial. It could be in his emotional life with his wife and kids. It could be in society. |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by PastorAIO: 8:58am On Jun 09, 2011 |
m_nwankwo: WISDOM!! |
| Re: Pastors Should Not Love Or Emphasize Money by Nobody: 9:16am On Jun 09, 2011 |
Pastor AIO: |
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