The Great Transfer of Wealth: Financial Release for Advancing God’s Kingdom by C. Peter Wagner

Author:C. Peter Wagner [Wagner, C. Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whitaker House
Published: 2015-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

26. Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14–28, Vol. 33B of Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), 734, 737.

6

WHEN DOES MONEY BECOME

“FILTHY LUCRE”?

The phrase “filthy lucre” (1 Timothy 3:3, 8 kjv; Titus 1:7 kjv; 1 Peter 5:2 kjv) in the title of this chapter comes from the King James Version of the Bible. Modern versions use phrases like “dishonest gain” or “what you can get out of it,” but “filthy lucre” seems to me a bit more descriptive. Whatever it may be, I don’t want any of it. But, at the same time, I want money—as much of it as God will allow me to have!

The rather enigmatic wording of the paragraph above is intentional. My purpose in this chapter is to draw out some of the obvious implications of not wanting certain kinds of money, while legitimately wanting other kinds of money.

The Bible says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Taking this statement literally should put the fear of God into all of us, because we all, to one extent or another, deal with money in our daily lives. As I think about it, almost everyone I know personally would like more money. I say “almost” because, offhand, I can think of two friends, namely, Betty Sue Brewster and Jackie Pullinger, who profess not to want more money. These two ladies have been living examples of receiving and acknowledging the spiritual gift of voluntary poverty (see 1 Corinthians 13:3) and ministering effectively with this gift for years.

Just a quick word about the spiritual gift of voluntary poverty, which I described in chapter 4: It is not the same as the spirit of poverty, which I also attempted to expose in chapter 4. The spiritual gift of voluntary poverty comes from God, while the spirit of poverty comes from the devil. I elaborate on the gift of voluntary poverty in my book Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow. In it, I give it this definition: “The gift of voluntary poverty is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to serve God more effectively by renouncing material comfort and luxury and to adopt a personal lifestyle equivalent to those living at the poverty level in a given society.”27 Notice the phrase “to certain members.” Not everyone in the church has the same gift or gifts. The Bible says that the whole body cannot be an eye. (See 1 Corinthians 12:17.) Most parts of the human body are not eyes. Likewise, most believers do not have the gift of voluntary poverty. But some, like my two friends, obviously do. The rest of us need to give serious thought to avoiding filthy lucre while we are seeking the prosperity that God desires to give us.

Money Is Not Evil

Contrary to popular assumption, the Bible does not say that money itself is the root of all evil. Again, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

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