Serve God or mammon

 The Greek word for mammon, which appears four times in the King James New Testament, is mammonas(Strong’s Concordance #G3126). It can mean money, material wealth or the personification of riches as a false deity (idol) worthy of our time and devotion. Mammon is mentioned in Luke 16:13 and Matthew 6:24. In some translations, Luke 16:9 and Luke 16:11 also personify mammon.

“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”—Luke 16:13 (World English Bible)

God entrusted His people with treasures (wealth and possession), talents (abilities and gifts), and time to be used for good works and righteousness. But why did these become an issue when serving God? What does it reveal in our hearts as His children?

What Is Mammon?

The etymology of the word mammon in Middle English, from Late Latin mammona, from Greek ‘μαμμωνάς’ mamōna, from Aramaic māmōnā riches, from Hebrew ‘ממון (mmôn) means money or wealth or possessions.

Princeton’s Wordnet defines it as wealth regarded as an evil influence and a personification of wealth and avarice as an evil spirit. Chambers 20th Century Dictionary defines it as a god of riches and devoted to money-getting or to gain, to riches and worldling. And Britannica mammon, a biblical term for riches, is often used to describe the debasing influence of material wealth.

Mammon[1] is the deity of money and wealth. It is a name of a demon. He is the personification of greed and the god of excess. It is ranked as treasurer of hell, attributed as the 43rd spirit listed in Dictionnaire Infernal (book of demonology). During the Middle Ages, Mammon was commonly personified as the demon of gluttony, richness, and injustice.

Interesting to note that Gospel of Luke 16:9, the phrase “mammon of unrighteousness” (BLV, KJV, ASV, ERV) was mentioned and has been translated as:

• unrighteous wealth (ESV)
• worldly wealth (NIV, CSB)
• dishonest wealth (NAB, NRSV)
• money of evil (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
• wicked wealth (CEV)
• worldly resources (NLT)
• wealth of unrighteousness (NASB, AMP)
• unrighteous money (HCSB)

What Does “You Cannot Serve God And Mammon” Mean?

“You Cannot Serve God And Mammon” is often used as a cautionary symbol to remind God’s children to love the Lord above all things with all their heart, mind, and strength (devotion). Making God the only one master worthy of devotion and time. Whether you are working with earthly masters (employers) or you are an earthly master itself, you are working and leading for the sake of God’s glory alone.

The motive of the heart is an important factor in the acquisition and use of money and wealth. We call this Christian stewardship, where God is the owner, and we are His managers (trustees). The scripture says,

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”—Luke 16:10–12

Worldly wealth or mammon is one of the greatest tests for God’s people. Judas fell into temptation, for just thirty pieces of silver betrayed Jesus. Jesus, Himself was tested in the wilderness by the devil by showing Him all the splendor of the world. the devil said,

“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”—Matthew 4:9–10

These passages clearly state that the god (master) of this world is Satan, who governs the temporary riches and splendor of this world (mammon). When people desire to get rich (money-making), fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires (as the result of the working demon spirit that influences),which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money, have wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves with many griefs. We cannot serve two masters means we cannot serve God Almighty with half-hearted devotion and serve another god (mammon, demon spirit) at the same time. Serving a master requires your wholehearted commitment to his purposes. Serving the purpose of God and the purpose of mammon are totally different things.

How Do We Know If We Are Serving Mammon?

God intentionally gives money, wealth, and possessions for two purposes.

• Meet His people’s needs.
• Meet the needs of His church to advance the Kingdom of God in the world.

As we serve God while on earth, we need financial support to sustain the evangelism, discipleship efforts, and other needs of the church and His saints. We do this through our giving of tithes, offerings, love gifts, seeds, pledges, and charity giving. The Holy Bible says,

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.”—2 Corinthians 9:8,10–12

How do we determine if we are serving mammon in our life? There are seven clues in this checklist:

1. Withholding the giving of tithes and offerings.
2. Busyness with the things of the world, such as business, career, and any money-making opportunities, results in lacking and having no time for God (devotion) and His business (the Great Commission).
3. The obvious display of vanity, pride in possession, materialism, and conceitedness.
4. Performing charity for the purpose of giving honor to himself (self-gratification).
5. Love of money results in corruption and dishonest gains.
6. Compromising your faith principles.
7. Serving God and mammon is a half-hearted service that results in inconsistency and unfaithfulness to one’s callings.

How Can We Free Ourselves From Mammon So That We Can Serve God?

The fundamental truth is that you cannot serve both God and money. Scripture quotations are clear and absolute guides to free ourselves from mammon so we can serve God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ wholeheartedly.

1. Trust God’s abounding provision (2 Corinthians 9:8, 10–12; Philippians 4:19; Psalms 23:1).
2. Be a good steward of God’s resources (Luke 16:10–12).
3. Be faithful in our callings or service (Matthew 6:33–34; 1 Corinthians 7:17).
4. Eternal or spiritual mindset (Colossians 3:2).
5. Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16–18).
6. Be aware of seemingly good opportunities that are traps and open doors of the enemy (Romans 16:19; 2 John 1:7–8).

Conclusion

Jesus called Peter and other apostles into a new life meant to be His apostles. He called Matthew from his career of dishonest deals of tax collection into a totally different life. They left behind what they knew (education) and what they were working on (career) just to follow Jesus. This is the cost of discipleship.

Cross references to interviews with famous people and millionaires, who testified that money could not buy true happiness. Having mammon leads to emptiness and discontentment. There is a section in man’s heart that only Lord Jesus Christ can fulfill. Time to examine our hearts—who is seated there as the master of our lives?

What Does it Mean ‘You Cannot Serve God and Mammon’?

Posted onJuly 28, 2022

In Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13, the Bible records that Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon. 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 NKJV

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke 16:13 NKJV

What did Jesus mean when He said you cannot serve God and mammon? 

‘You cannot serve God and mammon’ means that you cannot serve God and the spirit of mammon at the same time. It is impossible. You can only serve one or the other. 

What is Mammon? 

Actually, the correct question is not what is mammon, but WHO is mammon. 

Mammon was the demon god of Syria whose name meant the power of riches. 

Today, mammon is the spirit that deceives people into trusting money in place of God. Mammon tries to get you to look to money the way you should look to God. 

Mammon is not money. Mammon is a spirit that uses the deceitfulness of riches to control us, thereby causing us to serve it rather than God.

The spirit of mammon wants our trust, our devotion, and our obedience. It wants to be served in place of God. 

When we are trusting and obeying the spirit of mammon, we are not trusting and obeying the voice of God. 

The spirit of mammon has one main goal: to lure us away from trusting God and to cause us look to other things as our true source.

It’s all about our trust.

Mammon does not want us trusting God with our life. It constantly whispers “God won’t provide, you need to do it on your own”. 

God says “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything you need will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). 

The spirit of mammon tells you “what God said is not true, you need to focus on money and how you will earn it”. 

How to Know if You Are Serving Mammon Or God 

Notice that Jesus said you can NOT serve both mammon and God. This means that if you are serving mammon, it is impossible for you to serve God at the same time. 

The spirit of mammon usually works together with spirits of poverty, pride, and fear.

The spirit of poverty causes a state of continual want, but never having enough. God says there is no want for those who fear Him (Psalm 34:9).

The spirit of poverty also causes us to feel shame about the blessings we do have. It will cause you to believe that prosperity is for other people, but not you. 

The spirit of pride kills our ability to obey God and follow his plans for our lives.

Proud people will not trust the Lord. Pride causes people to turn away from God and seek to obtain riches their own way. 

Remember that Jesus said it is impossible to serve God and mammon at the same time. This makes it quite important to uncover if you are serving mammon without knowing it. 

Here are 6 signs that the spirit of mammon is at work in your life: 

1. You Have Worry and Anxiety Over Money

Worry and anxiety are to mammon what praise and worship are to God. 

Every time you are in fear about your finances, you are worshiping mammon. You’re bowing the knee to mammon rather than to God. 

God is your source, and He says He will always provide. As we renew our mind to this reality, we can trust that God is not a liar and there is no need to worry about money. 

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33

2. You Withhold More Than You Should

There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. Proverbs 11:24 NKJV

The spirit of mammon causes people to hoard whatever they have. It does not want us to truly know that God is able to make all grace abound toward us, that we, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

3. You Are Always Trying to Save a Dollar (at the expense of others)

Most people think that saving every dollar they can is a good thing. But it’s really quite nasty and selfish when saving money means that you take from others.  

Being a good steward means doing with the money what the OWNER wants you to do with it. 

This may not always mean buying the cheapest item. The owner may want you to buy a specific one. If God says to buy the shirt that’s $40 but you refuse and choose to buy the shirt for $10 just to save money, who are you obeying? 

What does being a good steward of money actually mean? A steward is someone who manages money for someone else.

If  you are truly managing money for someone else, you will do what they say with the money. If they say they want the more expensive option, a good steward will carry out the wishes of the owner.

Being cheap is not always better.  

4. Money Dictates Your Decisions

If God tells you to do something and you are under the influence of the spirit of mammon, you will obey moneyrather than God. 

For example, if God tells you to move to another city, but it will cause you to lose your high paying job, many people will obey the money rather than God. 

The spirit of mammon disguises itself as “being a good steward” or “being frugal with my money” or “being smart with my money, not being wasteful, etc. 

Those are good qualities, but when these principles are obeyed over and above the voice of God, then the spirit of mammon is the one leading. Money is dictating your decisions, instead of the Holy Spirit. 

5. You Think There’s Never Enough Money

The spirit of mammon tells you that there’s not enough money. You have to hoard, you have to hold on to everything you can get because it might run out. 

Or on the other hand, it tells you that even when you have plenty of money, you always need more. Mammon will never allow you to be content and satisfied in the Lord. 

6. More Money in the Bank Makes You Feel More Secure 

The spirit of mammon wants to make sure you trust money rather than God. If you feel more secure when you have more money in the bank, that’s a sign that you are getting your security from money rather than God. 

Your security is supposed to come from God, not the size of your nest egg. 

Is it Wrong for Christians to Prosper? 

The Bible is over and abundantly clear that it is not wrong for a Christian to prosper financially. 

In fact, having an abundance is part of the blessing of God. God wants us to have more than enough to meet our own needs, so that we can be a blessing to those in need. 

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT

Poverty is a curse, and Jesus paid for our freedom from poverty on the cross. 

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT

God is all about abundance and increase. Following the ways of God’s wisdom will always lead to wealth. 

That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries. Proverbs 8:21 NKJV

Prosperity is clearly a blessing from God when we allow Him to bring it into our life. When we try to obtain riches separate from God and His ways, we wind up in the bondage of the spirit of mammon. 

The issue is where your trust

Most of what God does in our lives happens without money:

1. We are saved by faith and redeemed without silver or gold but by the precious blood of Jesus.1 Peter 1:18-19 MKJV knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, (19) but with theprecious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot;

2. We receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands and it is a gift that cannot be bought with money.Acts 8:18-21 MKJV And when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, (19) saying, Give me this power also, that on whomever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. (20) But Peter said to him, May your silver perish with you, because you have thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. (21) You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

3. We are healed without the need for cash: Acts 3:6 MKJV But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!

The world of money and the world of spirituality are entirely separate. God created the heavens and the earth without money, parted the Red Sea without money, sent fire down on Mt Carmel in answer to Elijah's prayer -without money and Jesus fed five thousand people, healed hundreds of people and raised the dead without needing cash for any of those activities.

In the end the separation between cash and the Kingdom will be total: 

Revelation 13:16-18 MKJV (16) And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads, (17) even that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name. (18) Here is the wisdom. Let him having reason count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

In the end you will be either in the economy or in the Kingdom, you will either be able to buy and sell in the market, or you will be able to go to Heaven. Those who still buy and sell will be those go to Hell, and those who are renounce money will be those who go to Heaven.

There are two worlds here:

1. The temporary commercial world called Babylon or the “kingdoms of this world”. It is run by “the god of this world” - Satan. During the temptation in the wilderness Satan offered this whole system to Jesus and Jesus refused. Babylon is alluring and powerful but is passing away and is perishing. This commercial world operates by human and demonic effort and involves earning, buying and selling. It is arranged according to wealth and power. It is a jungle and the ruthless do very well. It is proud, fierce, destructive and sometimes even deadly. It consumes people and uses them up.1 John 2:15-17 MKJVDo not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, (16) because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (17) And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

2. The eternal world of faith and grace and glory known as Heaven, the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom operates by grace and by giving and receiving, it is gentle and healing and lowly and humble and alive. It restores and redeems people and blesses them. Matthew 10:7-16 MKJV And as you go, proclaim, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. (8) Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. You have received freely, freely give. (9) Do not provide gold nor silver, nor copper in your purses, (10) nor a bag for the journey, nor two coats, nor sandals, nor staves. For the workman is worthy of his food.

These two worlds are spiritually separate and under totally different Masters. One is run by the Devil and the other is run by God. But God is ultimately in charge! The Devil does not own all the money - rather God does and God will shake it out of the Devil's pockets:

Haggai 2:6-9 MKJV For so says Jehovah of Hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land. (7) And I will shake all the nations; and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, says Jehovah of Hosts. (8) The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says Jehovah of Hosts. (9) The glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the former, says Jehovah of Hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says Jehovah of Hosts.

The silver and gold are God's but Satan has usurped them into an evil trading system. The bible says Satan fell because his abundance of trade corrupted him. (Ezekiel 28:5,15). Mammon is the bible's term for this demonic use of money. It is money used and as an idol or as an evil and oppressive power which takes hold of people and dominates their lives.

If we serve God, then He will provide what we need, when we need it -including the silver and gold needed to build His temple. But if we chase after money we can be spiritually destroyed:1 Timothy 6:6-10 MKJV But godliness with contentment is great gain. (7) For we brought nothing into the world, and it is clear that we can carry nothing out. (8) But having food and clothing, we will be content. (9) But they who will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which plunge men into destruction and perdition. (10) For the love of money is a root of all evils, of which some having lusted after, they were seduced from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Christian Simplicity - Do Not Lay Up Treasures For Yourselves On Earth
Jesus tells us not to lay up treasures for ourselves on earth. In other words do not be materialistic (lay up treasures) or selfish (for yourself) or spiritually short-sighted (on earth). In chapter 12 of Luke's gospel Jesus tells a well known parable to illustrate this point:

Luke 12:15-21 MKJV And He said to them, Watch and keep yourselves from covetousness. For a man's life is not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. (16) And He spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. (17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room in which to store my fruits? (18) And he said, I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and I will store all my fruits and my goods there. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat drink and be merry. (20) But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul shall be required of you, then whose shall be those things which you have prepared? (21) So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

The proper Christian attitude is illustrated in chapter 8 of Mark's gospel:

Mark 8:34-38 MKJV And calling near the crowd with His disciples, He said to them, Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. (35) For whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's, he shall save it. (36) For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? (37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (38) Therefore whoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man shall also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

In other words Christians are to take up their cross and live lightly and simply for the sake of the gospel. Living lightly and simply is not the same as living for ten years in a brown paper bag on a barbed wire fence. You do not have to be extreme, you can keep your job and praise the Lord if you earn a good salary. But it is how you use that salary that matters. If your salary is simply a means to purchase ever more and more possessions and to fill up your barns to overflowing so you can selfishly sit back and take your ease - then you are like the fool in Luke's parable. But if your salary is being used to help the poor and support your relatives and bless God's servants wherever they are and is an active instrument for good, and you live simply so that other may simply live - then your salary is being used well.

Now I am not going to dictate what sort of car you can drive or what sort of house you can own. An extremely wealthy person may be able to drive a Rolls-Royce without being unduly materialistic. A simple question that might help is: 

• Are the good things you own in circulation for God?

• Do you lend your time, talent and treasure to good causes? 

• Are your possessions seen as God's possessions to be used for His glory? 

• Are you giving and receiving, sowing and reaping? 

Now I am not saying this out of concern for Minda and I or out of concern for the church finances. Minda and I are doing fine and are happy with what God has provided. The Church will manage. My concern is with the state of your own soul. I want you to be free of materialism and able to earn a lasting eternal reward.

Which bring us to the next point of “laying up treasure in Heaven”.

Christian Savings - But Lay Up Treasures In Heaven For Yourselves
Now at first the idea of “treasure in Heaven” sounds like a confidence trick made up by a televangelist. It seems shady to promise people a reward they cannot see and a time they cannot determine with no human method of verifying that such a reward exists. That is why I spent so much time marking out the difference between the commercial world and the eternal world. The eternal world is on a whole other plane of reality to that which we commonly experience and is much deeper, more lasting and more significant.

Lets look at two completely contrasting people - Moses and the Rich Young Ruler

Hebrews 11:24-26 MKJV Having become great, Moses by faith refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, (25) choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a time, (26) esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

Mark 10:17-31 MKJV And when He had gone out into the way, one came running up and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? (18) And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good except one, God. (19) You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother. (20) And he answered and said to Him, Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth. (21) Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him and said to him, One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, take up the cross and follow Me. (22) And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possessions. (23) And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, How hardly those having riches will enter into the kingdom of God! (24) And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answering again said to them, Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! (25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich one to enter into the kingdom of God. (26) And they were astonished beyond measure, saying to themselves, And who can be saved? (27) And Jesus looking on them said, With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible. (28) Then Peter began to say to Him, Lo, we have left all and have followed You. (29) And Jesus answered and said, Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospel's sake, (30) but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life. (31) But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Moses and the Rich Young Ruler were both people of power and privilege. But Moses walked away from it all and chose the Kingdom instead. Moses remains in history as a spiritual giant while the Rich Young Ruler is forgotten. 

Jesus tells us that people who trust in riches find it very difficult to enter the Kingdom of God. They just cannot take up their cross and follow Jesus. They cannot walk away from it all. They think they can, but when it comes down to the actual moment, they cannot. At the final moment when their soul is at stake they chose to dwell in Babylon.

But some people do escape the gravitational pull of riches and this world and break through into the Kingdom of God. One of them was the rather spoiled son of an Italian cloth merchant.

Francis Bernadone was born in Assisi in 1182 to Pietro and Picca Bernadone. Pietro was a cloth merchant and probably the richest man in Assisi. He anticipated even more wealth as the young Francis had demonstrated keen business skills. Francis, however, was unlike his greedy father. Rich in natural virtue, he was always quick to share his good fortune with his friends and even with the poor. Known as the king of youth, for his joyful nature and popularity, his primary aspiration was to be a knight.

In 1205, an opportunity arose to fight for Pope Innocent III. Francis jumped at the opportunity, but thirty miles into the excursion he fell ill. As he recuperated, he heard the voice of God asking him: Francis who can do more for you the lord or the servant? Francis answered, the lord. God replied: Then why do you leave the lord for the servant, a rich lord for a poor man?And Francis asked, Lord, what would you have me do? God said, Return home and you will be told what to do. From then on, Francis began to desire to serve the King of kings and to be a holy knight in His court. 

Francis was a changed man, but the interior battle every soul must face had just begun. His love grew for the poor, and Francis himself began to embrace a life of poverty. In 1206, while on a journey, Francis met a leper and was immediately repulsed; but overcoming his lower nature, he reached out and embraced the man. Afterwards, he exclaimed, what had formerly been bitter, had become sweet; and what was formerly sweet, had become bitter. As he came to recognize Jesus in the poor and His beauty and Providence in nature, his conversion deepened. 

One day while Francis was praying before the now famous San Damiano crucifix, especially pondering Our Lord's will, Jesus spoke to him from the cross: Francis, repair My house which, as you can see, has fallen into ruin. Immediately, Francis began to rebuild the church of San Damiano, which was in ill-repair, and other churches as well. He begged supplies for the love of God. At first people mocked Francis thinking he was crazy, but his Gospel witness soon inspired a band of followers which included his former party friends, nobility, and clergy. He even won the support of Bishop Guido of Assisi who recognized grace working in the Poverello. His father, however, remained indignant. 

In 1209, a formal way of life was adopted by Francis. After Mass, he was inspired to open the Scriptures three times. The three verses were as follows: 1) If you would be perfect, go and sell all you have and give to the poor, and follow me; 2) Take nothing with you for the journey; and 3) If any man will follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Francis determined that he and his followers would observe these words of Our Lord without interpretation, and that they would be known as the Penitents of Assisi. 

In 1210, Francis and his early followers journeyed to Rome to seek the approval of Pope Innocent III. The Holy Father, moved profoundly by Francis' apparent sanctity, blessed him and his companions and verbally approved the early rule. (The formal rule of the Friars Minor, still observed by Franciscans today, was written much later and approved in 1223.) Having labored joyfully to rebuild three churches, and ever sensitive to the Holy Spirit, Francis came to realize that God was using the order not merely to restore dilapidated buildings, but to rebuild the Church weakened by the secularism that threatens her in every age. His charity, humility, penance and preaching, and devotions, inspired many to return to the Gospel. His imitation of Jesus Crucified and countless miracles sparked a great renewal. 

I do not know if you have seen the movie “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” about the life of St. Francis of Assisi but it gives a very moving account of his life and his Kingdom lifestyle.

There is treasure in heaven and people such as Moses, Jesus, Paul and St. Francis see this clearly. Once you get a glimpse of the glory of eternity and the temporary nature of human wealth and status then logic alone will make you change to a free and non-materialistic lifestyle. Consider living for a million years, what use is a 2005 Lexus then? It has rusted away long before! All this stuff will be dust and rust. Only who we are in Christ will matter then. If you are going to live forever there is no value in anything that is temporary.

Simplicity vs. Poverty

Because this is a confusing topic for some people I want to clarify the main fear-that Jesus is asking us to be impractical and poor. In fact I will show that Jesus is asking us to live lightly and generously in confident God-blessed Christian simplicity. The difference between simplicity and poverty is that with Christian simplicity we are in control, it is our choice and we live obediently and reverently and generously under the blessing of God. With poverty the circumstances are in control and people are pushed down in life. Poverty is always a bad thing. Simplicity is liberating and joyful. Poverty is oppressive and miserable. Simplicity says, “I am not going to let “things” or “fashions” be in control of my life.” It is taking control of how you live and not letting Madison Avenue and Hollywood run the show for you. Simplicity frees us from being controlled by “the world”. The first step in Christian simplicity is knowing where your finances are going so you can decide how to use money in a godly manner. You first have to take control of your money-and then direct it to where the Lord wants it to go. There are seven main priorities for Christian finances:

1. Supporting yourself, your family members and your aged parents. (1 Timothy 5:4,8) 

2. Supporting those who teach you the Word. (Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:17,18)

3. Paying taxes to the government. (Romans 13:6,7)

4. Blessing itinerant apostles, prophets and evangelists. ( 3 John 1:5-8)

5. Giving to the poor and needy. (Matthew 19:21)

6. International relief especially for suffering Christians so there may be equality in the body of Christ. (2 Corinthians 8;10-15)

7. Giving to worthy Christian projects such as building the Tabernacle. (Exodus 35:22-29)

Now it is up to each Christian to decide how to implement these Scriptural guidelines -under the gracious guidance of the Holy Spirit. Giving should be free and willing and “not under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 8;12, 9:7, Exodus 35:22-29). Christian simplicity is living free from “the world” so that we may serve Christ in His Kingdom. So we have a choice between a temporary economy that satisfies the flesh or an eternal economy that satisfies the spirit. We can look at our bank account and say 'all is well' or at Christ and say 'all is well'. We can trust in the greenback or in God. We can run ourselves into exhaustion on the materialistic treadmill of the world or we can join Jesus in the refreshing life of the Kingdom.

Christian Seeing - The Heart And The Eye (Desire)

Jesus then goes on to talk about the way we see life:

Matthew 6:21-23 (21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (22) The light of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is sound, your whole body shall be full of light. (23) But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

In Bible language the eye is the source of desire:

Ecclesiastes 2:10 MKJV And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I did not withhold my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my part of all my labor.

And when this desire is out of control it is called the “lust of the eyes”:

1 John 2:16 MKJV because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Our heart tends to follow after what we treasure and admire and value. As Jesus says; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

So what we desire and aim for has a huge bearing on our inner life. If people desire pornography and images of lust fill their inner world - how great the darkness! If people desire power and ego and images of dominance fill them so they become dark and ruthless - how great the darkness! And if people crave wealth and money and possessions so they become cold and selfish and materialistic - how great the darkness! By contrast if people visualize compassion and grace and revival and healing and desire the things of the Kingdom and the glory of God. If people desire a community of love and peace - then they are full of light and glory and are children of God.

Christian Service - God Not Mammon

In the end Jesus leaves us with no room to wiggle out of His sayings. We cannot have it both ways:

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Money is a useful slave but a terrible Master. It is the commandments of Jesus not the dictates of Wall St that should decide the directions of our lives. It is not a case of “he who dies with the most toys wins”. When push comes to shove we must always obey Christ. If it is a choice of obeying the budget or the Bible, we must obey the Bible.

Some Christians manage vats amounts of money, but they rule that money and manage it and it serves Kingdom interests. You must own the money, the money must not own you!

How do we know we are free from the love of money? Here are four tests:

1. If we can give our money away freely without having regrets.

2. If we see finances simply as a tool and a servant of a higher agenda. 

3. If the ups and downs of our finances do not produce any greater anxiety in us than the natural ups and downs in the weather. 

4. If we find it easy to be honest, to pay our taxes and show financial responsibility. 

If you can do these four things then you are free from the love of money. We need to live as citizens of heaven and participants in the Kingdom of God participating in the economy of Heaven of giving and receiving, of living by the commands of Christ, with our eyes and hearts set things above.

Philippians 4:8 MKJV Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things.

It is interesting to see that even though Jesus referred to Satan as "the ruler of this world" (John 14:30). He never referred to Satan as the alternative master to God, whom people have the choice of serving. When Jesus spoke of two masters whom men could serve, He said that the two were God and Mammon (Luke 16:13). In Christendom, generally speaking, preachers have always urged people to choose between God and Satan. Jesus however urged people to choose between God and Mammon.

Satan is a master schemer. He knows that if people are told to choose between God and Satan, no one will choose Satan. But when the choice is between God and Mammon, Satan knows that even believers will find it difficult to make a decisive choice.

Satan knows that most Christians choose their jobs and their place of residence, etc., based on their passion for Mammon (property and money) rather than on any desire for the promotion of God's kingdom. Satan knows that all such believers are useless for God's purposes, irrespective of the amount of religious activity they engage in.

Satan also knows that most of the Christian work in the world is more dependent on Mammon (money and property) than on the power of the Holy Spirit. Satan knows that all such Christian work will not have any eternal value - even if the reports of such work appear impressive when presented attractively by "public relations experts" in colourful Christian magazines!!

We must not be ignorant of Satan's wiles. It is against Satan's wiles that we are told to stand firm, and not against his wrath (Eph.6:11). Satan's wrath has never hindered the work of God at any time. Persecution has only made the church of Jesus Christ flourish in every country and at all times. But Satan has often succeeded with his wiles, where he has failed to accomplish anything with his wrath (see Rev.12:11, 12).

Satan is happy to be hidden out of sight, because he knows that he can deceive people better that way. He knows very well that when a believer is influenced by the love of mammon in his decisions, he is actually serving the prince of Mammon, even if he imagines that he is serving God!!

When a believer's attitude to Mammon is wrong, he will be wrong in every other area too - because he then becomes a part of this world system that our Lord came to destroy. Such a man is a traitor to the Lord's cause on earth, even though he may not realize it. He is actually working on Satan's side, without knowing it. This is the fundamental problem with many believers today. They have not understood Satan's schemes.

Before Jesus went to the cross, He told His disciples, "The prince of this world comes and he has no power over Me" (John 14:30 - Living). Mammon had no power over Jesus. And so Satan could find no foothold in Him and could not touch Him in any way. But Satan finds plenty of foothold through Mammon in the lives of most believers. Thus he is able to divert them from God's perfect plan for their lives.

Throughout the last 20 centuries, the greatest opposition for the Lord's servants has always come from "Christians" and so-called "believers" who are Biblical in all their doctrines except the doctrine of "the love of money"! It is not at all surprising that "believers" who worship Mammon oppose God's true prophets. Jesus Himself faced such opposition from the leaders of the Pharisees who had all their other doctrines right (Matt.23:3), but who loved and served Mammon (Luke 16:14).

Christians who pursue after Mammon have plenty of money to travel whenever they like, and wherever they like. They also have enough to buy whatever they like, whenever they like. Only lovers of Mammon can afford such expensive habits. But those who have an extravagant lifestyle can never be witnesses for the Lord in the midst of a suffering world.

It is dangerous to have money far beyond what we need. It was because Jonah had plenty of extra money that he could afford to buy a ticket to go to Tarshish - in plain disobedience to the Lord's command. How safe Jonah would have been from such a temptation, if he did not have any excess money available with him at that time.

It was to save His apostles from such temptations, that Jesus left them poor in the world. The Lord Who made Job, Abraham and David rich could easily have made His apostles rich too. But He didn't. Why? Because new-covenant apostles, unlike Old Testament saints, had to wage war against Satan. And when Satan came against them, it was essential that Satan should find "no love for Mammon in them"? Otherwise the Lord's purposes could never have been fulfilled through them.

What about you? When Satan comes against you, does he have power over you, because he finds the love of Mammon in you?

The battle against Satan is not fought on earth, but in "the heavenlies" (Eph.6:12). It is there that Satan's power has to be bound by us (Matt.18:18). Only those who are heavenly-minded can fight this battle. Those who love Mammon are earthly-minded and are useless in this battle. Satan knows that very well, even if believers don't.

In heaven, the saints walk on golden streets. Heaven has been prepared for those who have learnt to put gold under their feet even on earth. Our fasting and praying cannot accomplish God's purposes, if we love Mammon and are earthly-minded. It is only the prayer of "a righteous man" - one who has been freed from attachment to earthly things, like Elijah - whose prayers are effective before God (James 5:16, 17). This is why God allows us at times, to lose large amounts of money - to deliver us from the love of Mammon and to make us effective for Him.

It will be very difficult for a disciple of Jesus, if he is totally honest and wholehearted, to become rich through his business in a world that is under the dominion of Satan. To become a wealthy man in such a world, one would have to follow Satan's principles in some area or the other, and disobey the principles of God's Word. The Bible clearly says,

"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." (1 Tim.6:9). One who seeks to be "rich towards God" can never become "rich in this world" (Luke 12:21; 1 Tim.6:17).

This applies also to preachers who become rich through preaching the gospel and selling Christian books and tapes. Another gimmick these days, is to conduct tours to Israel ("the holy land"??). If a preacher can gather 10 people for a trip to Israel, the travel agent will give him one free ticket. All such preachers are worshipping "the golden calf" and are servants of Mammon, and not of the Lord Jesus Christ. [Someone asked me once if I had ever been to the holy land. I told him I was walking there every day!]

The "prosperity gospel" was invented in the latter half of the 20th century by Mammon-loving preachers who had to find some "Scriptural" explanation to justify their extravagant lifestyles and the immense amount of wealth that they had accumulated from the tithes and offerings of their "devotees". So they hunted up Old Testament promises that God had given to Israel and began to proclaim those promises as the unfailing mark of God's blessing today. And money-loving believers gladly lapped up this new gospel!

A secular journalist in the U.S.A., who heard of such a church where the "prosperity gospel" was being preached, wanted to find out if this teaching really worked. So he went to the church's parking lot and checked out the makes of the cars parked there. He found that the cars parked in the spots reserved for the "Pastor" and "Assistant Pastors" were expensive cars!! But most of the other cars were cheap ones! He concluded that the "prosperity gospel" did work - but only for those who lived off the tithes and offerings of the congregation!! The rest of the congregation remained in the same condition that they had always been in!

Even in poor countries like India, preachers are becoming rich, off the tithes and offerings of poor people, through this counterfeit gospel.

What must the Lord think of the Christian "church" and its leaders today, who have pursued after Mammon, become tolerant of sin, and thus made themselves powerless in the battle against Satan. The gates of Hell have prevailed against this "church". And that is the clearest proof that this "church" is not the church that our Lord is building - for the powers of darkness can never prevail against that church (Matt.16:18).

Whenever a genuine Holy-Spirit revival comes anywhere, it will be a revival that delivers believers from the love of Mammon. Only such a revival will drive the prince of Mammon out of the church.

Any other so-called "revival" is a counterfeit.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.