Eternal Social Battles: Poverty, Wealth, and Mindsets

Eternal Social Battles: Poverty, Wealth, and Mindsets     by Kelly Durant

Mark 14: (1-8) 7. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

2. There was a time in the past our Church/Corps we had a drummer bio that was 10 years old! He was very amazing on the drums! His family was quite poor and he taught himself, do you know how? Ever since he was about 3 years old, he would get out every pot in the kitchen, turning them upside down and practicing on them like a drum set daily! Now that’s determination! People like that go far in life!

For the people that want to progress in life, usually their income level is not a limitation! What limits success is not usually resources but the mindset and vision (or a lack of it) of the individual! There are many millionaires and stars that have risen out of poverty; poverty sometimes is often an excellent motivator as it causes the person to try much harder than others who think they will always be able to live comfortably. People with few resources, or a disability, know they have the disadvantage so they work extra hard and usually they succeed and gain wealth.

But to the contrary, how many rich kids from rich families go through Orlando, FL hoping they can get fame and be famous like Britney Spears (who self-destructed) and a few others? It is usually only one out of dozens of thousands that make it big so what causes so many to fail? It is because with money they have always gotten everything easy, and if it doesn’t come easy, then their spoiled nature over rides their ambitions and desires and they just give up! To appreciate wealth or talent gained by hard work, you must first have to fight for it! (However in the case of gaining fame from the Orlando crowd, your parents have to pay to be in their “big Club”, and those are very evil manipulative slave drivers!)

3.  Today we are looking at the extremes, between in the haves and have nots. Jesus replies rather abruptly that, “Ye have the poor with you always” when some of the disciples protested over the expensive perfume being applied to His body. The sinner woman who poured it on him washed his feet with tears as well, do you recall?  

Why did some of the disciples protest? The mindset was that Jesus should not be entitled to a luxury since he was one of them (of the people); the view was that only the corrupted priests and Romans indulged in riches. But looking at the whole picture, Jesus never had luxury. He and his disciples always stayed in the homes of other people while preaching and ministering. The mentality of the disciples was that it would be a sin to not give as much as possible to the poor! They felt a social responsibly and concern to feed and take care of the poor. This is a compassionate mindset, but Jesus can make the exception to the rule if He wants to!

Take note that this acceptance of the perfume was the only luxury Jesus ever accepted and it was to prepare him for his death and burial! This action was to allow a poor sinner woman to make things right and give all she owned to Him as well. So, is anything wrong with accepting one nice gift before dying? Nothing! When the disciples heard Him say the word ‘burial’, they should have questioned, burial? Yours? What? Explain this please! But instead, they, like most of us as humans are, were more focused on the material aspects of the matter rather than the spiritual. 

4. Today sadly, many religious leaders and governing officials think that wealthy gifts to them should be the rule rather than the exception! I’ve seen a few disturbing sermons on TV where the preacher says, ‘God is touching someone here to lay $50,000 on the altar right now!’ What!? A sad truth is my mother even had a friend that gave a televangelist preacher all her savings! So, this selfish mindset is opposite of that of the disciples, the disciples wanted to give all the income to the poor as customary. Materially focused people, are heartless! They collect all the millions of the country for their selves, while the millions of people under them are in survival mode! God’s judgment soon will reverse this picture though, as the poor and humble will inherit the earth! 

Is it God who speaks to some shameless proud person preaching a distorted gospel so that he could keep getting richer? No! We need to expose this evil! James 4: Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Please, everyone expose these ever increasing false prophets and false churches or those not Christian will think we agree with these types of beliefs, deceptions and exploitations! 

And we must keep up with the outcry over the evils in our governing bodies as well. What an injustice it is that evil people involved in scandals, like those of the IRS and NSA who targeted, harassed, and persecuted opponents, most of them conservative and Christian, for political and financial gain do not get punishment after gaining their wealth, but rather these same employees keep getting mega millions in bonuses! Just keep claiming Psalm 37 over all the injustices in the world! Fraud and theft is always out of control without correction!

5.  Basically, some people are like stars emitting energy, life, and light to all while other people are like black holes, sucking in and destroying light, life, and everything in their path! The phrase, “For ye have the poor with you always”, can be taken in 2 ways, to imply we always do have the responsibility to take care of them that they are always going to be present, or to the contrary as others have suggested that since the poor will always be around, we don’t need to worry about them, just let them be while we enjoy our wealth! The compassionate context still remains considering the context of all the Bible.

Jesus continued on and said, “And whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always”. Jesus made it clear the poor are a part of the mission. He fed the 5,000 with fish and bread, and He never collected any wealth nor owned a home and He had no place to lay his head except in the homes of strangers.

Never accept the lie that Jesus was wealthy and this justifies any of us becoming uncompassionate as evil human nature aspires. Here is a good verse to live by, Proverbs 30: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

6. Ecclesiastes 10:20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. We have to be thankful in the end for those that have riches and can provide work for thousands in the cities. 

I am not sure how many of you have worked in a factory like I have but the divide between the workers and the upper management is usually quite drastic. Many people curse those who have a higher position of authority and more income. The person in management went to college and rightly deserves a higher position and more income with more administrative knowledge but many people don’t see it that way.

The nature of fallen man full of envy, jealousy, and pride causes him to believe he is better than others and knows what to do. So many people do not know their limitations and they do some terrible things to others quite often. In a steel factory where I worked one time I recall people mumbling insults about the bosses and being rude to them, purposely messing things up for them when they could.

7. Today we live in a confusing world concerning who is responsible for who. Jesus did require that the rich ruler must practice compassion. Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 

It is the responsibility of Christians to care for the poor and to do all things with love for them. Consider Proverbs 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. 

8. In the last century we are experiencing grave hypocrisies and practices when it comes to caring for the poor. Satan desires to usurp the role of the merciful compassionate Christians in caring for others. Communism does not share the wealth but rather shares poverty and only the high officials get to own the luxury, and they got it by the point of a gun barrel. It is the anti-thesis of compassion! 

Satan, through murderous ruthless dictators wants to show he cares for the poor by implementing his copied-from–the-Bible ideologies. The disciples first had it right. He is an imitator, and all he seeks is to rob, destroy, and kill. Acts 2:44-45

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 

Recall also Jesus words in Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 25:38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

8. Sharing the wealth on earth is Jesus’ idea and He deserves the glory for being the savoir of the poor and he will save the rich as well if they repent. We conclude that all governments throughout all history have a terrible record for providing for the poor and doing what they say they will. They collect the wealth keep most all of it and then make everyone else stand in long lines for bread!

The rich will always exist until Jesus returns, and we should never envy the headaches they have! Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

Only Jesus had the right solution, to share all things in love as He and His disciples did. What did Jesus tell his disciples, those that had shared their personal wealth for the cause of preaching the gospel?  Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

Be generous to help those in need! Don’t envy the rich either! Only desire this: Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.