I have three off-the-cuff reasons, though, I’m sure they are inadequate for such a question.

1) Because Jesus didn’t just say, sell it all. He said sell it all and then afterward come follow me.  Selling everything makes one poor.  What does one do then?  People don’t know what to do afterward, so they never take the first step.

2) Because selling absolutely everything and living like Jesus did is incompatible with providing for one’s wife and children.

3) Because the only state of life that allows such radical action, the consecrated single life, is not seen as realistic option by the vast majority of Christians in this country, no matter what Paul said about it.

I believe if most Christians had someone whom they had contact with who lived the consecrated single life, serving Jesus in the poor around them, then that example would serve as a powerful attraction and transform Christian society.  Living examples of literal Christ-like poverty have done so in the past.  They can do so again.

MB

I think that if God convicts someone to give away money or items that they NEED … He’ll provide the need back in some way (and often more to bless you or share with others). But in general, to be good stewards of what is given us, we are to provide for our needs with what we have while we rely on God for every expenditure. We’ve always felt that the raises my husband receives or other ways of obtaining more money don’t mean applying it to the budget. We only apply it if we feel it is still needed for our family. We felt it was wisest to keep paying off our house and give more to others. That’s how God guided us and the freedom it has offered has been exactly what God’s plan was for our family at this time in our lives. If He had led in other directions, I hope by God’s grace we would have followed.

I think it’s a grave responsibility to have more than we need. It’s a blessing that we must rely on God to know what to do with it. It doesn’t have to go to everyone person on every corner or in every desperate letter that shows up in your mailbox (in fact, I’ve felt that God has guided me to NOT give to someone on the corner until further notice … we support those people in other ways).

Each person, each gifting (spiritual and physical), each life, job, neighbor, opportunity is so different for every person. Everyone who re-evaluates what they are doing with their resources and is continually recommitting those resources to the Lord and His guidance is in a good place. We love giving and we never miss the money. And we’re thankful for all the extra gifts we’re given.

We’re also thankful for the times when we were clearly the ones in true need and were gifted to by others. God is a good God. We have striven to follow the principles and commands regarding giving in the Bible … give generously, often, and cheerfully … follow the Holy Spirit for how much and to whom … we think that 10% is only a good guideline … probably not enough in most cases. We actually don’t believe the Christ continued the 10% rule in the NT … we believe He did as He did with all the commandments … explained how it’s not a matter of numbers or checking off a list, but a matter of the heart, a matter of much more than a percentage …

… okay, enough from me,

brooke

But “born again” most certainly appeals to our Greek-out-there-in-the-gnostosphere tendencies.  Especially for us protestants, it as far away from a work as we can get.  However, I don’t see Jesus meaning born again as something separated from following him, believing in him, or feeding the poor, or selling of your possessions if he so asks… It is all about the repentance and obedience.  “If you love me, obey me.”

If I’m not mistaken, he said two things more than anything else:  1.  Fear not, 2. Repent.

I prefer “believer” to “Born Again Christian”

I have the same problem with being called “evangelical.” There are many spiritual gifts and the gift of evangelism is just one.  Why not “teachical”?

I don’t have the gift of evangelism and neither do a bunch of Christians who think they do and they do and do more damage than good because they’ve been guilted into passing out fliers when they should be cooking their sick neighbor a good meal or teaching a sunday school class.

Alas, my wife ended up having to have surgery last Wednesday, and I may be looking at surgery in a few weeks myself.  That money we just freed up that we were going to apply to more ministry is now going to, for the foreseeable future, be paying what insurance will not.

The emergency fund that Shannon mentioned comes to mind in this case.  While we didn’t really have an intentional emergency fund, the newly freed-up money is now going to be our emergency fund.  While I initially was bummed about having to change the plans I had for that money, I’m now thankful that it’s going to be there to pay these medical bills over time.  But if we had put ourselves in the position of only living off of what we need to provide our daily bread, I wonder where that would have left us with the surgeons and hospitals?

And more than that, if the only money we had at our disposal was the money for daily bread and the money we use to support our Compassion kids and our missionaries, we’d have had to use that money for medical bills, leaving the missionary families short of what they need to live on, and the Compassion kids without sponsors.

A while back I found myself vilified by a number of friends on church staffs because I felt like, by and large, many American churches were more concerned about bigger buildings, flashier programs, etc., than they were with ministering to the poor.  I even went so far as to wonder aloud why the local church couldn’t work off the Compassion model (80+ percent to the kids and the rest to administrative costs, instead of the other way around).  I discussed this with my advocates relations manager at that time, and he said that while he thought that was an unrealistic goal for a local church, he did know of a number of churches that gave 50% or more of their income to missions.  After that email exchange, I got convicted about my personal finances and decided I had no business speaking about about the church’s finances until I got it in gear on a personal level, which was the beginning of our push to give as much of our disposable income to missions and ministry as possible.

We intend to cut even more corners and free up more money for that, but so far, I’m not getting the sense that the Spirit is calling us to give it all away, and I’m not getting the sense that He’d call every believer to that, either.

I know it sounds like lack of faith in God’s ability to provide if we were to give it all, but I believe that God’s provision can take many forms, including the knowledge and ability to generate one’s own income.  It may not be possible to live off only the daily bread and remain in suburbia, but maybe that isn’t what God is calling you to.

And now I’ve also violated my “left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing” clause…

Thanks for your thoughtful response.  I respectfully disagree that we (I) should be living on “only on my daily bread.” The car is paid for but old and is in constant need of repair, the kids have medical bills that just keep coming, and impending storms are brewing on the horizon (that I hesitate to get into as it is not the point of this discussion).  If I give all except my “daily bread” then I will become one of those who is dependent on others for help instead of someone who is capable of supporting my family while still helping others. 

In other words, I have to have an emergency fund squirreled away and be prepared to care of my kids, myself , and the needs of others as they arrise.  Living on just “daily bread” is just not wise for everyone.

That being said I tithe first and foremost (no matter what)and teach the kids to save, spend, and GIVE.  I try to model caring for others in both monetary and non-monetary ways. 

Just a side thought, and I am not sure if I should mention it, but one way to approach this topic is to ask God to speak to both you and your wife about this.  If you you both have a strong word from God (seperately but in agreement) then maybe it is the path for you to take. ….I hope you don’t mind the thought.

God Bless!

The thing is, I don’t think there are many Americans living on only daily bread.  I’ve worked with our welfare recipients, for instance, for short stints of time – enough to know that our “poor” often have cable and money for alcohol and tobacco, ice cream, Coke, etc.

So, I think God wants us to have daily bread (though I’m not sure the widow who gave her last mite did) but I’m not we’re to hold onto more than that.  I’m assuming – please forgive me – that in spite of your present financial difficulties, you’ve got more than your daily bread and have therefore been blessed with the opportunity to give to someone who has less than you.  And it is a blessing. A gift.

Now, what I continue to think through and pray about is what on earth it looks like to live on only my daily bread, to give everything else away, and still live in suburbia with a wife and three kids.  Is that possible?  This post is one more stab at thinking that through with you all.  Thanks for all your insights so far.  It’s helping.

I can understand your desire to help “the least of these.” I share your thoughts and Compassion for others. 

It is true that in Revelations Jesus asks if we fed the poor, orphans, widows, etc.  However, I am a single mom w/2 small children to raise without any help at all.  I just don’t believe God would want me to sell all that I own to give to the poor.  Don’t get me wrong…I do tithe and my kids and I sponsor children through Compassion International.  But if I even gave up every spare penny I had…how would I be able to take care of these kids.  1st Timothy 5:8 says “If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever,” (RSV). So while I believe some may be called to give all, I can’t believe it a universal command to all believers.  If it were I believe God would have made it more clear…as he did with the 10 commandments.  Just a thought.  I enjoy your blog.  God Bless.

T in A…

I agree with you that American Christians definitely have it better than our brothers and sisters around the world.  In one of my much earlier comments, I said something to the effect that Western Christianity appears to have very little resemblance to biblical Christianity.  Way too much emphasis on bigger buildings, more “stuff” and the mentality that the poor people among us are poor because of their politics or their laziness, and are therefore undeserving of our help.  And as you said, the poor are more generous and give away higher percentages of income, but in regards to Jesus’ command to the rich young ruler to give it ALL away, for the poor and destitute believer to comply with that, his percentage would not just have to be high (or higher), it would necessarily have to be 100.  In the end, each one of us has to listen to what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do, and be obedient to that.  THAT (being obedient to whatever the Spirit tells us to do) I believe fulfills the “what you do is what you believe” statement you had made last night… not necessarily zeroing in on one instance of Jesus telling one person what He expected him to do in order to follow Him.

I appreciate the opportunity to hash this out among fellow believers, in a place where no one has to worry about being torn down or torn apart over our different points of view!

It’s long, but speaks to exactly what you said, that basically Zacchaeus was offering everything to God and then the author explains why this was not foolish as far as being “destitute.”

Goes right back the beginning of why do we take certain things to be hyperbole?