Posted on 03/18/2020 10:54:57 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour” (Proverbs 19:4).
“The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty” (Proverbs 10:15).
If a man has wealth, people will try to proselyte him quicker than they will a poor man. Why? Rich people pay the bills. It is better to have 100 people all giving $10.00 out of their poverty, than one rich man writing a $1,000 check and thinking that he can run the church because of his money. Many churches have been split to pieces because of a few that wanted things to run their way rather than the Lord’s. And they had the financial clout that if they were to leave, the church would suffer. Some churches put more faith in tithers than in the God that established the work; and some churches quickly become other than what they were originally called to be. Likely it was that that attracted the rich man to join in the first place.
What this verse deals with is real segregation and it is expounded upon by James: “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” (James 2:2-4).
Segregation in the Bible is not racial. Segregation has to do with rich and poor. Separation has to do with true and false, as with doctrinal truth. Having respect to rich people while disrespecting the poor is true biblical segregation. The poor are really the people that Jesus came to preach to (Luke 4:18).
If you run around with faithful Christian people, you are going to find out that the majority of them are poor. They are not going to have a whole lot of what this world has, or what this world considers important. They just don’t get into all those new cars and new boats. They are simple and content with such things as they have. Most Christians are more interested in supporting their church, and sending their kids to a Christian school, and doing what they can to further the missionary program of overseas evangelism. Worldly people just spend a whole lot of money on things that are foolish.
Most wealthy people are interested in wealth, not in God. They are not interested in winning people to Christ. Most of the most common complaints I heard during the bus ministry days was, “Why are we busing in all these poor kids. They are smelly and don’t contribute anything toward the cost of the busses. Those kinds of words used to turn my stomach and I lost a lot of respect towards some that I had formally looked up to.
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