Fearing a Lack of Resources, even to Help people is Itself to Vile, Evil, Disgusting Spiritual Adultery
One professing Christian from Australia, who is the more theological and serious type, who searches the Scriptures once rudely and derisively in response to an article expose what it means to be of the spirit of mammon, asked "if we don't have resources, how can we help people?". This evil deceptive ruse of her is based on the idea that one must have one's own material things to help others. That is precisely what the problem is, to think that one must be self-sufficient materially to help others. This woman is not an isolated case. There are many in the modern western Church who share this thinking. That is probably why they cannot understand and appreciate a more profound spiritual and theological understanding of John 6:1-14:
After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
This text is not merely to communicate that Jesus had compassion. While that is absolutely true, there is also another message communicated by this passage. It is that one should not rely one's own resources, feeling anxious about not having enough to fulfill one's need. Such amounts to anxiety, and Jesus commanded His followers to not be anxious (Matthew 6:24-25). Philippians 4:6 also says: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God".
Anxiety itself is a sin (Matthew 6:24-25), the root of which is pride. This anxiety was manifested in the followers of Christ who He was speaking to in Matthew 6:24-34. He said that it is because no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), that one shall not be anxious (Matthew 6:25). It is not that one shall not be anxious because God will provide (Matthew 6:33). Although this is true, that is not the reason why one shall not be anxious for one's earthly needs. If this was the case, that would mean that God would be the servant of His people, which He is not. He is the Master and Friend of His people, and He is King of Kings! He is to be served and sought first of all things, even if He did not provide. He is to be served even if it meant going to Hell.
No! One shall not be anxious as Jesus commanded not to because that itself is to not trust God, and love God, but indeed to trust and love mammon. To serve mammon simply means to seek these earthly things, including the very basics such as food, water and shelter. Matthew 6:24-25 make its clear:
No man 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
The word 'therefore' in Matthew 6:25 indicates that it is because one cannot serve both God and mammon that one shall not be anxious. It is not mean in any way that if one lets God provide and tries to good works, such as serving one's church, reading one's Bible and evangelising, one will not be seeking to serve both God and mammon, which is what many in modern Church are trying to do. Most of the those Christians, true Christians who are trying to serve both God and mammon are indeed active in their church, give much money to it, and are doctrinally sound people. They are conservative, orthodox, Bible-believing, evangelical Christians. Do not for a moment that that because you are active in your church, are a missionary, volunteer for a campus ministry or are loyal to your family that you could not even be under the spirit of mammon, in seeking one's needs, and that of those you love in your own strength, or that you could never be anxious for such things.
It is diametrically opposed to setting one's mind on God and His righteousness, and trusting Him when He said that He will provide in Matthew 6:31-34:
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
It is very very simple as what it means to try to serve both God and mammon. It is try to seek one's own needs in one's own way according to one's will, and yet at the same time trust God. It is impossible as Jesus said: No man 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
It is sin to be anxious is because it is to not trust in God, and to seek one's own needs on one's own way. It is to think of oneself as wiser than God and to determine what one needs, rather than trust God who knows the needs of each believer, and will provide accordingly (Matthew 6:33).
God made all of us for Him and His glory alone. So, it is God who decides what each of us needs, not ourselves. It is not even that one has one's right to determine and know what one needs. No! It is the Creator who does. It is to be full of faithless, brazenly committing spiritual adultery against God. Adultery is not merely just to look in sexual lust at another. The heart of adultery is faithlessness, and the desire to seek to satisfy one's own needs, in one's own way, as opposed to trusting in God and relying on Him in faith. This explains why those who commit adultery tend to almost always be covetous, greedy people. It is idolatry, that is, to not seek after God and trust in Him and Him alone.
The Bride of Christ, that is the Church, though regenerate is imperfect. She is full of flaws (See Song of Solomon). But her Husband, Jesus Christ, is faithful to her, though she is faithless. 2 Timothy 2:13 says: "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Faithlessness is a sin that sticks of us like skin to the body, even when one is regenerate. This is because the root of it is idolatry, the ultimate sin which one commits by one's mind, heart, and soul against God in one's unregenerate state.
Being anxious for earthly things is faithlessness. It is vile, blasphemous and idolatrous. Therefore, Christ's love for His Bride is all the more amazing, in the light of her vile spiritual adultery and faithlessness.
After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
This text is not merely to communicate that Jesus had compassion. While that is absolutely true, there is also another message communicated by this passage. It is that one should not rely one's own resources, feeling anxious about not having enough to fulfill one's need. Such amounts to anxiety, and Jesus commanded His followers to not be anxious (Matthew 6:24-25). Philippians 4:6 also says: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God".
Anxiety itself is a sin (Matthew 6:24-25), the root of which is pride. This anxiety was manifested in the followers of Christ who He was speaking to in Matthew 6:24-34. He said that it is because no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), that one shall not be anxious (Matthew 6:25). It is not that one shall not be anxious because God will provide (Matthew 6:33). Although this is true, that is not the reason why one shall not be anxious for one's earthly needs. If this was the case, that would mean that God would be the servant of His people, which He is not. He is the Master and Friend of His people, and He is King of Kings! He is to be served and sought first of all things, even if He did not provide. He is to be served even if it meant going to Hell.
No! One shall not be anxious as Jesus commanded not to because that itself is to not trust God, and love God, but indeed to trust and love mammon. To serve mammon simply means to seek these earthly things, including the very basics such as food, water and shelter. Matthew 6:24-25 make its clear:
No man 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
The word 'therefore' in Matthew 6:25 indicates that it is because one cannot serve both God and mammon that one shall not be anxious. It is not mean in any way that if one lets God provide and tries to good works, such as serving one's church, reading one's Bible and evangelising, one will not be seeking to serve both God and mammon, which is what many in modern Church are trying to do. Most of the those Christians, true Christians who are trying to serve both God and mammon are indeed active in their church, give much money to it, and are doctrinally sound people. They are conservative, orthodox, Bible-believing, evangelical Christians. Do not for a moment that that because you are active in your church, are a missionary, volunteer for a campus ministry or are loyal to your family that you could not even be under the spirit of mammon, in seeking one's needs, and that of those you love in your own strength, or that you could never be anxious for such things.
It is diametrically opposed to setting one's mind on God and His righteousness, and trusting Him when He said that He will provide in Matthew 6:31-34:
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
It is very very simple as what it means to try to serve both God and mammon. It is try to seek one's own needs in one's own way according to one's will, and yet at the same time trust God. It is impossible as Jesus said: No man 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).
It is sin to be anxious is because it is to not trust in God, and to seek one's own needs on one's own way. It is to think of oneself as wiser than God and to determine what one needs, rather than trust God who knows the needs of each believer, and will provide accordingly (Matthew 6:33).
God made all of us for Him and His glory alone. So, it is God who decides what each of us needs, not ourselves. It is not even that one has one's right to determine and know what one needs. No! It is the Creator who does. It is to be full of faithless, brazenly committing spiritual adultery against God. Adultery is not merely just to look in sexual lust at another. The heart of adultery is faithlessness, and the desire to seek to satisfy one's own needs, in one's own way, as opposed to trusting in God and relying on Him in faith. This explains why those who commit adultery tend to almost always be covetous, greedy people. It is idolatry, that is, to not seek after God and trust in Him and Him alone.
The Bride of Christ, that is the Church, though regenerate is imperfect. She is full of flaws (See Song of Solomon). But her Husband, Jesus Christ, is faithful to her, though she is faithless. 2 Timothy 2:13 says: "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself." Faithlessness is a sin that sticks of us like skin to the body, even when one is regenerate. This is because the root of it is idolatry, the ultimate sin which one commits by one's mind, heart, and soul against God in one's unregenerate state.
Being anxious for earthly things is faithlessness. It is vile, blasphemous and idolatrous. Therefore, Christ's love for His Bride is all the more amazing, in the light of her vile spiritual adultery and faithlessness.
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