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"Though he was so very rich, yet to help you he became so very poor,
so that by being poor he could make you rich"! (II Cor. 8:9 TLB)
We have all heard the sermon on how poor
Jesus was while on this earth — and compared
to His home in heaven this is true. In heaven He
walked on streets of gold; on earth He walked the
dusty roads of Galilee to Jerusalem. Foot washing
was not just a sign of humility; it was a practical
need — a person’s feet just simply got dirty walking
to his destination!
By the way, too much is made of Jesus’ poverty.
He had all His needs met and was supporting twelve
men and their families. Judas carried the purse
which contained contributions from many of the
(mostly) women followers:
"Joanna, Chuza’s wife (Chuza was King
Herod’s business manager and was in charge of
his palace and domestic affairs), Susanna, and
many others who were contributing from their
private means to the support of Jesus and his
disciples” (Luke 8:3 TLB).
Jesus also had a house and a seamless robe,
which was very valuable. But, as stated earlier,
compared to heaven He was very poor.
So, some preach that since Jesus was poor in
earthly material things, we too should be poor if we
are to be like Jesus. However, the Scripture says
that, “HE BECAME POOR THAT WE MIGHT
BECOME RICH”! But, of course, the argument
goes that the riches Jesus brought us are strictly
spiritual. And, of course, spiritual riches are a part
of what Jesus brought us. But, may I ask: Was Jesus
poor spiritually while here on earth? Certainly not!
The Word declares that He contained the Holy Spirit
“without measure.” Jesus NEVER BECAME
POOR SPIRITUALLY. So, Jesus’ poverty was to
make us rich both spiritually and materially! Let’s
examine the Scripture again carefully:
“He [became] so very poor, so that by being
poor he could make you rich” (II Cor. 8:9 TLB).
Again, I ask: Did Jesus become poor spiritually?
Certainly not! How could He heal the sick, open blind
eyes and even raise the dead if He was poor spiritually?
The only poverty Jesus endured was MATERIALLY!
So, His poverty was to make us rich materially!
Remember: He was never poor spiritually. Here is the
bottom line. Jesus came to earth spiritually rich, but
He came to earth in poverty to make us
materially rich!
The larger question begs an answer: Why does
Jesus want us to be rich materially? Oh, how the heresy
hunters howl about all of this! They cry, “Jesus was
poor so we should be poor, like Him.” Well, let me ask
an even larger question: HOW ARE WE to obey His
command to “Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)? If every
child of God were in poverty materially, who would
finance the going “into all the world”?
TBN is doing our part, but the cost for 63 satellite
channels feeding 12,000 plus stations, cables, small
dishes, the Internet, and all the supporting technology
costs nearly 200 million dollars a year. God has blessed
thousands of precious partners like you to make this
possible.
This is why God wants to make us rich. Not to live
in extreme luxury while the world is going to hell! Yes,
God wants you to have all your needs met and He wants
you out of debt — but, He wants you rich so that we
can finance taking the Gospel to every human being
on earth! Oh, how this Scripture has been distorted by
Satan and even well meaning Christians. But, here is
the final KEY from Jesus’ own lips:
“For if you give, you will get! Your gift will
return to you in full and overflowing measure,
pressed down, shaken together to make room for
more, and running over” (Luke 6:38 TLB).
Yet here is the final, final KEY to having all you
need and being rich in the way God wants you to be rich:
“Whatever measure you use to give—large or
small—will be used to measure what is given back to
you” (Luke 6:38).
Jan and I love you more and more with each passing
year. We have proved the message in this newsletter to
be true for 34 years, and we know that multitudes of
you have too!
Join us this Fall Praise-a-Thon® November 4-9
Let’s let Jesus give us the riches we need to
finish touching our whole world!
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