Be Happy = Be Poor

I met these kids in Haiti. Their abject poverty doesn't seem to
keep them from being happy. Is this what Jesus means?

Jesus had a favorite sermon (it's in Luke 6) that began like this:

^20…“Blessed (happy, content, joyful) are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Then he further clarified:

^...24“But woe (miserable, pity) to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Did that get your attention? It should.

There’s no question that this was jarring for those who heard Jesus say it. Unlike Matthew's Sermon on Mount, there’s no qualifier (“Blessed are the poor in spirit”) to soften it. Also there’s the contrast in v. 24, “woe to you who are rich,” which further clarified that Jesus was not talking about a metaphor, but someone’s monetary worth. 

Some poor people in India. The poor are truly everywhere there.

Did you get that? He is NOT talking metaphorically. He IS talking about money. Does it make you uncomfortable? 

In Jesus’ day, the poles were even further apart between rich and poor, and the vast majority were the latter. Yes, some lived in relative comfort, but without a fair justice system and consistent laws protecting private property, and with the normal tyranny and corruption of government—especially in occupied nations under Rome—if you were wealthy, you were a target! 

The wealthy hearing Jesus must have been shocked! They had never heard, never conceived that they were to be pitied. They had enjoyed a life of privilege and pandering, quite aware that everyone wanted to be like them! The poor in attendance would have also been stunned! Perhaps they’d fantasized about being rich (a practical impossibility in that day), and had been taught that the rich were better, and were blessed by God. The rich certainly acted so. Judaism, in Jesus’ day, fed this idea and accommodated the rich. Some Proverbs seemed to support this attitude of wealth being a reward from God.

Proverbs 10:22 "The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it."

Proverbs 22:4 "The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life."

I spoke through an interpreter to this Haitian mom. She seemed
completely unaware of her poverty. 

But in my own study, I've found that there are about twice the number of verses in Proverbs that exalt the poor and warn the rich.

Proverbs 27:24 "for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations?" 

Proverbs 28:6 "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Proverbs 28:20 "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."

The Proverbs tell of the real wealth in God’s wisdom (8:17-19), and urges us to practice moderation (30:7-9 and 23:4).

There is much more outside of Proverbs! For a proper perspective on wealth, read Psalms 49, 73, 112, and many others!

Here's one: Deuteronomy 8:17-19

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth… And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods…I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.

Jesus says the poor get the kingdom of God. Does that mean all poor go to heaven? Of course not! 

We came across this homeless man who'd passed out drunk in a
box on a sidewalk in Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic.

But he IS saying those not entangled in riches are more likely to long for God, seek him, and surrender to him. The way is clearer for them. He says the rich are to be pitied because they have received [their] “consolation” (Greek: paraklēsis). We’ve seen this word before in Luke. Simeon was waiting for the Messiah, Israel’s consolation. This is also the same root word often used for the Holy Spirit, translated Comforter. Jesus is saying the rich have chosen their Messiah, their God—their earthly riches. Psalm 52:7 says it: “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

"So," Jesus says, "You wanna be blessed? (Happy, truly content)" Here's how.

• Know that wealth poses a very real danger to your soul. 

Luke 9:25 What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?  

Luke is loaded with Jesus' warnings about wealth. Chapter 8 speaks of those who hear the Word but are choked by the cares & riches and pleasures of life. Chapter 12 speaks of the rich fool who planned to build more barns to hold all his wealth and then take it easy, when God took him. In that same chapter Jesus urges us not to be anxious about food, clothing, etc., but to trust God to provide. In chapter 16 Jesus tells the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. And who can forget Luke 18 when Jesus met a rich young ruler who chose his wealth over following Jesus. After that man walked away sad, Jesus called out, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Thankfully, Jesus continued by saying, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” You can’t avoid it! Jesus clearly warns the wealthy that they are in danger.

Some of you are asking, “So are you saying we need to sell all our stuff and empty our bank accounts and give it all to the poor?” Probably not. Here’s what Jesus is saying:

A favela (slum) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where we worked.

• Turn over ownership of everything you have to Christ. 

Luke 14:33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. 

Did you catch that? In that verse, we see what Jesus means. We understand how we can be poor and be blessed. Read it again.

Acknowledge that everything you own is God’s and give it to him. Sign it over. Surrender! You then, in essence, bankrupt yourself. Become a [poor] manager rather than an owner. Now that you are poor, use his stuff like it is his.

Another favela in Rio. Our team and our church in Rio did some
great work here to show love to the people.

Think about this. That's not your car. That's not your house. That's not your bank account. When you turn it over to him, it's now God's. This changes everything! Now you buy stuff you think he wants you to have that brings glory to him. 

Now, you’re free! And now you can do the rest…

• Get your mind off of stuff and wealth for self. 

Walking through the favela and meeting people.

Live contentedly within your means. Debt is now no longer a temptation! Now you can simplify because you're not trying to show others how much stuff you have. Now you are simply a manager of God's stuff. Life is so much better! Have you ever been "poor" (I know, that's such a relative term, especially in America)? I've been through times in my life when I had very little (by American standards, anyway). It's not so bad. There are many blessings. You appreciate everything more. Are you poor now? Thank God! Look at what James wrote (1:9-11): “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”

• Don’t envy those who have/pursue/worship wealth. Pray for them. A millionaire friend of mine once said to me sadly, “Wealth is such a burden.” I can tell you confidently that I would have never traded places with him. The wealthiest man in the world in his day was King Solomon of Israel. He wrote:

Duncan with some great kids from the favela.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost…he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. (Ecclesiastes 5:10-17)

Some seemingly happy school kids from a poor
neighborhood in Nepal.

If you’re poor, know this: you’re free from many trials, pressures, and troubles. Your friends are true. You have more opportunities to truly, daily, place your faith in God. (I’ve not met many poor atheists, by the way). 

• If you have wealth, use it for God’s glory. 

It is his, after all! 

1Timothy 6:17-19 

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 

It was when I went to Kenya while in college that I learned
what poverty was like. This pastor killed his goat to serve me a
meal in his humble one-room home. I slept next to him on a
piece of cardboard on the dirt floor. That's not unusual for him. 

Some of you reading this blog post will be millionaires. And that’s ok if it’s for God’s glory! We are to do everything with all our might (Colossians 3:23, Eccelesiastes 10:9). Some of you may inherit wealth. Some may be placed in positions of wealth by God’s providence and not because you sought it. There is a reason God allows you to manage (not own) wealth! Here are seven biblical ways you can have wisdom with your wealth (I might have to do another post on this part later):

1. Humble yourself—Don’t flaunt it! Proverbs 13:7 One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
2. Fight to keep your family from feeling entitled or being enamored with stuff of earth. There's a reason why people make fun of "trust fund kids," and I've known some who totally live up to the pitiful stereotype. It's sad. 
3. Give firstfruits to the storehouse. Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. Unfortunately, I have known several wealthy people who just couldn't bring themselves to tithe to their church. Some claimed that it would overwhelm the church. Please. I'd love to prove them wrong. I think the real issue is that they would lose control of their money if they gave it to God.
4. Make it your ultimate objective to make disciples.
5. Be generous in helpful ways. You can hurt by giving. This takes wisdom and thought.
6. Don’t get in the way of God being praised. Anonymity and humility are virtues when you give. Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give...sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give...do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:1-4).
7. Finish having given it all. Malcolm Forbes famously said, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Really? He who dies with the most toys...dies; and then faces God. He who dies with the most toys...wasted his life. He who dies after giving the most away so that others may know Christ wins...and then he goes to heaven. That's an accurate understanding of what Christ meant by "Blessed are you who are poor. 

So are you wealthy? You can be poor. And you too can have the Kingdom of God. 

And one more thing:

• As an American, see the role you play for international missions.

The “poor” in America are still in the wealthier half of the world’s population. God has given us so many resources. Let's utilize them for his glory.

If we all chose this kind of poverty, think of how happy we would be. And even more, think of how much different the world would be! The more I think about it, the more I pray that we will rid ourselves of listening to the world's siren song of materialism! We must stop drinking the Kool-Ade! God help us!

Let's be poor. Let's be blessed.

Hear this message as it was given here.

God Wants You to be Blessed

There are some things God wants us to hear. Jesus, we Christians believe, is God in the flesh. While he was living on this planet, he traveled around claiming to be God and doing miracles proving it. But that's not all he did. He taught. And like speakers, preachers, and politicians today, Jesus had a "stump" sermon he repeated, tailoring it to the occasion and makeup of the crowd. 

In Matthew a version of it is called the Sermon on the Mount, in Luke another is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Plain. Many believe these are two different reports of the same sermon given at the same time. After obsessing over this issue for many months, I disagree (and I'm not alone). I believe strongly that these are two similar sermons given on two different occasions. They may start and finish alike, but the setting, audience, and content are quite different.

Yes, this matters! Luke gives us a setting (Luke 6:17): 

And he came down with them (the newly named Apostles) and stood on a level place, (on a plain, a flat area) with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,  

This seems much different than what Matthew 5 describes: 

¹Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²And he opened his mouth and taught… 

There are already significant differences. Remember, Luke almost certainly had access to Matthew's Gospel, which suggests that he deliberately identified this sermon as different. In Matthew Jesus escapes the crowd to teach the disciples. Here, Jesus comes down to a huge and diverse crowd to teach. Already by simple comparison, the burden of proof lies with those who say this sermon in Luke 6 and the one in Matthew 5-7 are the same. And what's more, in my opinion there’s just too much different about the content. And this matters regarding how we interpret both of them! If you want to know much more about this read this excellent paper on the subject. 

Now, let's get back to Jesus in Luke 6. This huge crowd was there of Jews and Gentiles from all over Palestine:

 ¹⁸who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. 

So they came for 3 essential reasons: Intellectual-to hear him teach, physical-to be healed of diseases, and spiritual- to be freed from demonic oppression. Note: this is what the OT said the Messiah would do, even though that was different than what they wanted. By the way, shouldn’t we (Christ's followers) be about these things too? But I digress.

²⁰And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:“Blessed… "

Let’s stop. What follows are Jesus’ instructions on how to be blessed.

What does it mean to be blessed? We see the word all the time. Tattoos, Facebook quotes, tweets (#blessed is everywhere). We all want to be blessed. What does that mean to you? More money? Better looks? Attractive date? Having fun? More stuff?

Being blessed isn’t just an obsession of our day. People desired to be blessed in Jesus’ time, too. 

The Greek word translated "blessed" is makarios. It means happy, fortunate, blissful, contented. Homer used it to describe a wealthy man. Plato used it for one who is successful in life. Homer and Hesiod used the word to speak of the Greek gods who were unaffected by the poverty, disease, weakness, misfortune, and death that men must experience. 

So "blessed" is complete happiness and inward contentedness unaffected by circumstances. 

The Bible speaks of blessedness as an attribute of God. It’s the happiness and joy God has in himself:

1Timothy 6:15-16 “[God] who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light…” 

Blessedness is what God enjoys, and that’s what he wants for you. So Jesus, in this repeated sermon, communicates it. And although the people came for different reasons to see this guy who claimed to be God’s Messiah, they all wanted to find blessing. 

Don’t you want it? 

This past Sunday, we began five weeks on HOW TO BE BLESSED according to JESUS. 

^20…“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 

²¹“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. 

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

²²“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! ²³Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

In that way, Jesus gave descriptions of blessedness. Not quite what you thought, huh? But just so that we wouldn't miss it, he repeated them another way by contrast, using an opposite word: "woe" (ouai) which means miserable or pitied. In the Old Testament, “woe” is a warning of inconsolable misery to come to those who continue to rebel against God.

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 

²⁵“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. 

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. 

That’s essentially what we’ll unpack for five weeks. 

As you can already see, this is radically different than how our world says one can find happiness, contentment, and blessing! But according to Jesus who wanted us to know, this is how you do. I have found that he is exactly right. 

Here's the challenge: Think deeply about each of these "blessed" and "woe" statements. For example, 

What does it really mean when Jesus says you are blessed if you are poor and miserable if you are rich?

Can I give you a hint?

These statements are probably not metaphors. 

Come each Sunday in April and find out how you can be blessed!

(You can actually hear the first message, "Blessed Are You Poor" here, or read a blog post on it here.)