- [David Platt] Dr. Ellis.
- [Carl Ellis] A lot of people quote that mythological scripture that says that,
"Money is the root of all evil." It's the love of money that's the root
of all evil, okay. So money is a resource, it's neither good nor bad and I think if
we think of money or resources as belonging to God, then what we are then
are stewards. And it seems to me that whatever we spend on we should think
in terms of, "How does this glorify God? How does this advance the Kingdom?"
I think a lot of times we see money or resources as something for our own
convenience for our own comfort. Now there's nothing wrong with being
comfortable per se, but if I am doing that, let's say, at the expense
of being generous, that's a whole other issue. I think one of highest values I
think for a Christian is to be generous. But sometimes though generosity should not
be done in such a way that it confirms bad values, bad behaviour, that kind of thing.
It's like a lot of the welfare programs that we have in the States right now,
they actually fund dysfunctional culture. But so, in my generosity I'm going to be
discipling, too. I'm going to be helping people understand
how much better-quality life can have when one follows the principles of the
Kingdom of God.
- [Phillip Holmes] This is a recent conviction of mine and a topic that's very dear to my
heart just because I recently came to the understanding of how poorly I was managing
my finances. So, a little bit of my story is that I was making, with my wife,
both our combined income, we were making six figures.
And before that, when were we first married, we were broke and we
just assumed, "Man, we're not making progress because we're not making
enough money." And then finally we were able to start making money with both of us
working during the season. And at the end of it we had nothing
to show for it. Like all of it was gone. And it began to really reveal to me that
the amount of money that I'm making is not the problem, the problem is me and my
spending habits and me not stewarding my money well. And then slowly after that I
began to learn how to budget, I began to learn what it looked
like to really steward my finances and keep track of my spending.
Because a lot of people are afraid of budgeting, we like to call cash
flow planning. But a lot of people are afraid of it because they feel like,
if I budget that means that I'm not going to be able to.... Somebody else is telling
me what to do with my money and all that. And I get those fears,
they're irrational but I understand them. I think it's also a misunderstanding
of budgeting. When you budget, you're actually intentionally telling your
money what to do. So you're taking dominion over your money,
as opposed to letting your money take dominion over you. Because there are a lot
of people who live with this pot in the sky attitude that they're spending their
money just fine like, "Oh, I'm not." But if you begin to go back and actually
track what they're spending their money on, and could actually show them, "Hey,
this is actually where your money has gone." Some of them would blush,
a lot of them, I think, would blush. But when you budget,
you can't lie to yourself. You can't make yourself believe that your
money is doing one thing and reality it's doing another, right? And you have
to give accountability to that.
- I understand that. I'd even just take that picture
in broader [inaudible]; intentionality, if we're not careful sinful hearts
with money will veer toward all kinds of unhealthy... I mean we live in a culture
that is not telling us Biblically how to handle our money and so there's got
to be an intentionality that's saying, "Okay how am I going to be
intentional in my spending, in my giving? What does that sacrificial giving look
like in each of our lives?" and to really intentionally ask those questions informed
by the word has got to be a pattern. And not to say that, as you pointed out,
it's not that making money is bad, it's what we do with that money.
And to your point... Jesus made it clear, "Where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also." Our money is a reflection of where our heart is.
That's a frightening verse. And our culture, and even the church
are not [inaudible], if we're not intentional...
we've just got to be intentional about where we're going to put our heart.
- And, David, I would even say that it's not just a problem within the world,
per se, but like, it's a sleeping giant in the church I think. I mean,
I meet Christians after Christian and not just Christians, not just lay people,
but pastors as well who have no idea how to manage their money well, and I think
that this is something that Christians need to talk about more.
It's a conversation that needs to be had. We need to figure out how we can get the
resources and tools in the hands of our people, but also in the hands of our
leaders as well because I think a part of discipleship process should be how
to manage your finances any way.
- Absolutely, absolutely. A lot of it has to do with what do I want
the money to do for me? What do I want the money... For example,
okay I'm driving an old beat up car, I need a new car. Well okay there's a
utilitarian reason for why I need a new car, something that's more reliable.
But on the other hand, I want it with style.
Why do I want it with style? Because I'm looking for something that
style is going to give to me namely, peace. The interesting thing is that God
gives us the peace already. He gives us the contentment.
So now I don't have to put the burden on the new car to do something for me that
it can't do. See that's what happens. I get the new car, it feels good for a
couple of weeks then after a while, okay now what? Then I get the next thing,
now what? But if God gives me the thing that I'm really looking for,
peace of God which passes all understanding, then I can appreciate the
things that I have for what they can give me and I don't expect them to give me
what they can't give me.
- That's what it totally says, "Godliness with contentment is
great gain." That kind of contentment and, what does Paul say, "With food
and covering, I will be content." And so it's, the Christian life uses money
totally differently. If we will be intentional,
to let the Word and the gospel inform the way we think about it.
- Absolutely, and I will close on this: we cannot be afraid to talk about money
in the church just because it seems like we're going to make much money.
I think if we talk about it in the way that's biblical, I think if we talk
about it the way that Jesus talked about it, I think that will not only help
our people, but it will also be a light to the world and how to steward our money
well for the glory of God. Amen. Thank you, brothers.
- Amen.