Do not follow the rich to damnation [Mark 10]

I don’t know why when I read this I thought of the modern church and what we are going through. Because the modern church is rich. The modern church has buildings; the modern church has professional music. It has choirs. There is much to lose, and much of this is good.

But we are probably going to have to lose it. This world is against us: do you think it will let us preach the truth? The truth is now labelled hating, and lies: it is unthinkable, unjust. For we must all worship this state and the cultus of this state: we must all follow the elite into damnation.

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

	And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

(Mark 10:17-31 ESV)

There is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s useful to be able to help the poor, and the poor cannot do this as well as the rich. However, your bank balance is not a measure of your righteousness, no more than the beauty of your music an indication of the holiness of your congregation.

[On music, my taste is towards the old hymns and the more carefully arranged: adding that the Hillsong Acoustic sessions probably cost more to film than Kari Jobe at a conference]

What we have to watch for, if we are rich, if we are powerful, is the entryist. The person who thinks they can either buy high status in the church, without reforming: Peter had something to say about that in Acts 4. And those who want to compromise, so we can keep our nice buildings and PA system. But we will not have those in a short period.

Because we are probably going to be shunned, taxed, regulated and then persecuted. I pray that I am wrong, but the culture is not merely carnal, it is anti-christian. The current praise of the Pope when he say something that can be seen as tolerating those who live in sin — either sexual or economic — is a sign. As is the persecution by the SJW.

The next battle in our society is for our souls, for the elite think they have won the economic wars, and that they have peace and prosperity, and will never mourn or be a widow. However, that is a lie: it was a lie for the women of Babylon and Gomorrah, and it is a lie now.

Do not be deceived. There is opposition. You are not promised prosperity, but suffering for your faith. So do not follow the elite, be the celebrities, politicians or corporate spokespeople. They are all heading for hell. Do not be them, and do not be like them.