Jesus and the Wealthy With John Cortines

Episode 376

At the most recent Kingdom Advisors Conference, John shared an incredible story about some friends of his and an inheritance decision they made:

“I’ve got some friends who are a super sharp young couple in their 30s. His Father shared that he was about to give them a vast, multi-million-dollar inheritance. Amazing! But they had been reflecting carefully on money and faith for months.

They said, ‘We are so grateful for this, but we’re already OK. And if we got this money, we’d start to rely on the shifting sands of this money for our security, instead of the firm foundation of Christ.’

Long story short, they worked with his Dad to use that money to advance God’s Kingdom through giving. I was blown away by that decision.”

Three Ways That Jesus Interacted With Wealthy People

So, if we go through the four Gospels and find the times Jesus interacted with a wealthy person, it happened a lot. He had a pretty unique pattern, and it was three things:

Love
Invitation
Challenge

So for us, in our wealth today, Jesus loves us, invites us, and challenges us.

Jesus said You can’t serve God and money. Money promises us Pleasure, Possessions, Protection, and Position, but it can’t give us those things. We have to look for God to get them eternally and in truth.

Is Jesus challenging us to sell our possessions and give everything to the poor?

While he might ask us to do that, this is the only time Jesus tells anyone to sell it all in Scripture.

Zacchaeus gave away half of his wealth, Peter left his boats, and Nicodemus, after the crucifixion, spent a fortune on the burial spices for Jesus, gaoing public with his faith.

The beauty is that it will look different for each of us as we read Scripture carefully and listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But we can be sure God will challenge us to mobilize our wealth in this world to bless people and to bring Him glory.

How can we use our wealth to honor God and bless others?

We want to invite them into a deeper, right relationship with God and others. There are four areas where we can do this:

Family: Caring for those we are responsible for is godly and right.
Generosity: Scripture is clear we’re called to invest money into God’s Kingdom work.
Hospitality: In today’s isolated culture, opening your home and sharing meals with people is a radical and good step.
Employment (if you own a business): God calls many of us to employ others in good jobs in healthy, God-honoring work environments.

When we use our wealth for the benefit of others, it makes us richer spiritually. God is with us in that.

How can people can learn more about biblical generosity?

There’s a great ministry that works closely with Kingdom Advisors. It's called Generous Giving, and its video stories of Christian givers could greatly encourage anyone. Going to GenerousGiving.org, you can find dozens of sermons, stories, and resources to encourage you.

On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: