In a previous post we discussed the giving pattern of the early church, it was seen that those who had more sold their possessions, and the money was distributed to those who had less (cf. Acts 2:45-56; 4:32-35; 6:1). This is the true biblical model of “redistributing the wealth.” But notice what is not involved anywhere in this redistribution: the government.

Wealth Redistribution: Great Idea. Bad Practice

Redistribution of wealth is a wonderful idea, is commended by God, and we find numerous examples of it within the pages of Scripture. But wealth redistribution is not something that can be commanded, required, or legislated. You cannot create laws which are enforced by the government to take money from the rich and give it to the poor. This has never worked in the history of the world, and never will. Why? Because if the rich want to remain rich, then threating to take their riches will only cause them to hide it better, or find other ways to become even more rich than before.

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Yesterday, we briefly considered the account of Jesus telling the Rich Young Ruler to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor.

Does this tell us anything about how God views money?

Jesus probably isn’t so concerned with the wealth the rich young ruler had, and He probably isn’t overly concerned about the buildings that churches own. His primary concern is with how these possessions are viewed, and what we do with what we have, especially for those who do not have as much. Jesus wanted to challenge the whole way of thinking which says, “Those who have more are loved more; and those who have less are loved less.”

Could it be that God has given some people more than others, not so that they can feel extra special, or become puffed up about how great of people they are in God’s eyes, or how wonderful their ministries are for the advancement of the Kingdom of God, but so that those to whom God has given more can use what they have to bless others who have been given less, and in so doing, be blessed in other ways in return?

Could it be that wealth distribution has nothing to do with righteousness, morality, and God’s blessing, and has everything to do with God’s plan to make a people of God for Himself where everybody works together and provides for one another in a vast array of interconnected friendships and mutually dependent relationships? For the physically poor often have spiritual, emotional, and relational wealth which those who are physically rich know nothing about.

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When a rich, young ruler comes to Jesus to ask how to inherit eternal life, Jesus tells him that he must sell all he has and give the money to the poor (Luke 18:18-23). Despite how this passage is sometimes used in sermons and books as an attempt to get the rich to give more money to the church, the point of this passage actually lies elsewhere.

In Jewish ways of thinking, much like today, money and wealth was a sign of God’s grace and blessing. The Mosaic Law promised that if a person obeyed God and followed the Covenant, then God would bless them with land, crops, cattle, peace, prosperity, and health (Deut 28:1-14). If, however, someone did not have all these things, then it was a sign that they (or their ancestors) were sinful and had rebelled against God, and so God was punishing them (Deut 28:15-68).

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Churches often debate how to budget their money.

Jesus might have something to say to us about this.

Jesus: “Here is How to Budget Your Money”

If Jesus were to show up at the annual meeting of the typical church when the church budget is analyzed and discussed, He would probably sit in the back and wait for the pastor or one of the elders to ask His opinion on the church budget. If they did, He might say, “You should organize your budget so that people do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and honor their father and mother.”

And the church elders would glance smugly at each other and answer Jesus, saying, “Good Teacher. This is what we have been doing for many years! People have been trained. Disciples have been made. Hatred is being replaced with love. Marriages have been helped. Men are loving their wives, and wives are respecting their husbands. Youth and teens are being taught to honor and obey their parents. And as a result of all this, God has blessed our church! Membership is up thirty percent, we paid off our mortgage last year, and we are looking at purchasing some prime real estate across town to launch a satellite campus.”

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There are many things a church could be doing with the money it receives.

One of these is that the church could become a church that gives.

The Church that Gives

Rather than spending the majority of our income on buildings, salaries, and church programs, so that only what is left over goes to help the poor and needy, maybe churches could reverse this practice, so that a majority of the money that a church receives goes toward feeding the hungry, helping the poor, and serving those who are outcast and rejected in society.

Though there is no hard and fast rule, it seems that if loving and serving others really is a priority for our church, our church budget should reflect this by setting aside a majority (51% or more) of the church income for such service-oriented ministry. Such a move would be impossible for most established churches, but they could begin to move in that direction by portioning off an ever-increasing percentage of their annual budget for serving the community in this way.

Majority to Missions?

I am aware of several churches that actually do this, but most of them are in the mega-church category, and have annual operating budgets of $5 million or more. These churches often pride themselves in giving 51% of their budget to “missions.” This is wonderful, and is to be encouraged and praised. And yet I sometimes think that for churches like these, 51% is not nearly enough. They still spend thousands of dollars a month to air-condition their empty building. They spent tens of thousands of dollars a year on new choir robes, colorful bulletins, professional cleaning for the padded pews, and on and on it goes.

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