Standing on Our Heads

When I read my Bible and see what New Testament Christianity was like back then, as demonstrated in the Book of Acts, and I compare that to our modern Christianity today, it's two worlds apart. Somehow we have turned it all upside down as to what it should be. It was said of the apostolic Christians that they turned the world upside down.

If that was said of worldly Christians today, we'd be standing on our heads. And that's the title of my message today, friends, standing on our heads, because of fear we have gotten our Christianity upside down here in the West today. I want to look at this subject from the aspect of how we view our money, because I believe you can learn a lot about a person in regard to how they deal with money.

I want us to be confronted today, friends, with how the early church viewed worldly possessions, and I want us to chew on that for a while. We see how New Testament believers viewed money by Acts chapter 2 and verses 44 and 45. And all that believed were together and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Notice it doesn't say anything about tithing ten percent and keeping the rest. Rather, they held what they had very loosely to advance the kingdom of God. Their material wealth was used to meet the needs of others.

It advanced the gospel of Christ Jesus. Now look at the apostle John and how he viewed money, as seen in 1 John 3.17, which states, But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? In other words, friends, the New Testament believers busted out their retirement nest eggs and dispersed it as needed within the body of Christ. Now, that's upside down to our thinking about money today.

I like what William McDonald wrote about in regard to vital Christianity. He said, In writing to the Corinthians, Paul taught that our material possessions should be fluid, not frozen. Whenever we are aware of a genuine need, our funds should flow to meet that need.

Bill McDonald believed a Christian should live frugally and keep only what was necessary for basic necessities, and give God the rest, and trust God for tomorrow. Now that's upside down to how we think. Christian financial gurus tell us to save for a rainy day and a sound retirement, where we can kick back and live well off our nest egg.

That's how we think today. That's upside down to New Testament Christianity. Most Christians rely on their bank account rather than rely on God.

I'm going to give you a personal example, friends, of what I'm referring to. Years ago, I was in a bad financial jam, and I had run out of resources. I had no way out.

My rent was past due, and I didn't have it. I turned to a church friend, who was a millionaire, and made him aware of my need. He lived in a million-dollar home, owned and flew a million-dollar airplane, and had a garage full of luxury automobiles.

I thought surely he would help me. He said he would pray for me, but offered no financial help. I soon learned that it was the American way for most church folk, who learn about a genuine need but don't want to get involved.

So they just respond by saying, we'll pray for you. I get that a lot. You think God was dead because he's not answering their prayers, because your prayers don't rise any higher than the ceiling if they had the means to help, and they don't.

I'll pray for you is what James speaks about in James 2, 15 and 16. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? I can't tell you, friends, how many times I've gone to bed hungry, when a multitude of Christians knew of my desperate need and did nothing about it, but to tell me, I'll pray for you. I repeat, our so-called Christianity is upside down from the New Testament standard.

I'll put this in perspective by contrasting American Christianity with Third World Christianity as far as I know it. Remember my millionaire friend who wouldn't lift a finger to help me? Well, the other person I shared my need with was an African pastor on the other side of the world. He was a friend of mine, and he lived in a country where the average annual income per person was $300 a year.

When this man heard of my need, he called me on the telephone and said, My wife and I have been fasting and praying all night for you and your family. My mother has recently died, and she has left me $500 for my inheritance. My wife and I want to give that to your family.

He then hung up the phone. I couldn't believe a man was giving me his entire inheritance. He then called me back four hours later and said, I know you need $1,000 to pay your rent, and $500 is only half the amount.

My wife and I went back to God in prayer, and that's where we've been since I spoke to you last, and we feel led to do the following. I have set aside in the past $500 to pay for my mother's funeral, and the cost of an African funeral here is $500. We are sending you this other $500 that would have covered the cost of my mother's funeral, and we are trusting God to bury her.

Then he hung up the phone, and I learned a valuable lesson that year, and that lesson was this, that there are Christians in this world who still live by the New Testament standard, but not many of them are in America. Now that's my personal experience, friends. Most Christians in this country give only what they feel they can afford to give, if they give at all.

Christians in other countries give sacrificially, because where they live, you pay a price to be a Christian because of hot persecution. Money doesn't mean anything to those kind of Christians. All they want is more of Jesus.

Here in the West, we want more and more of this world, and more for me and mine. It's hard to sort things out rightly when you're standing on your head. Let us pray.