MONEY AND THE CHRISTIAN–What Does the Bible Say

Posted by on Aug 13, 2013 in Feature, Sermons/布道 | 0 comments

 

基督徒应如何对待钱？

3， 我们如何花钱

  • 保障家庭的基本需要如果有人不敬重属自己的人，尤其是家里的人，他就否定了信仰，比不信的人更坏。（提摩太前书 5:8）
    • 家庭在神创造中的位置是很重要的
    • 这是神的神圣的次序
      • 婚姻
      • 家庭
      • 教会
      • 政府
    • 在有教会或政府之，神先创造了婚姻和家庭
    • 当我们把次序打乱时，就会产生严重的问题
    • 因此，基督徒的第一个责任是提供家庭所需
  • 对有需要的信徒但如果有人拥有世界的财产，看见自己的弟兄有需要，却封闭情感，那么，属神的爱怎么能住在他里面呢？（约翰一书 3:17）
    • 基督徒不应只是说神的爱，更要活出神的爱
    • 如果你看到或知道其它基督徒有需要，并不要只说“我为你祷告”，要在行动中行出神的爱
    • 三周前，我们学习了路加福音16节中的关于精明的管家的故事
    • 在那个故事里，耶稣教导我们“要藉着那不义的财富为自己结交朋友，这样当财富无用的时候，你们会被接到永恒的居所里。”
    • 我们能够用钱作为工具帮助别人，让我们以后在天堂里有更多的朋友
    • 如果你看到有基督徒有需要，就要用钱来帮助他
    • 这样你将在天堂里多一个朋友
    • 有的人可能对于收别人的钱感到害羞，那就应该买成需要的东西帮助他
  • 存钱懒惰人哪，你去察看蚂蚁的动作就可得智慧。蚂蚁没有元帅，没有官长，没有君王，尚且在夏天预备食物，在收割时聚敛粮食。（箴言 6:6-8）
    • 蚂蚁不强壮，但是他们很聪明、勤劳，储存冬天的食物。智慧人家中积蓄宝物膏油；愚昧人随得来随吞下。
    • 聪明人知道存钱而愚蠢的人花完所有
    • 为未来计划是聪明的
    • 但不可过头，不要买承受不了的保险或借钱投资
    • 记住，神是我们的提供者，他给我们资源是让我们好好管理
    • 一个好的管家会尽责管理好主人的事情
    • 我们如何管理好钱是测量我们灵性生活的一把尺。就象我们如何处理家里关系，如何管理时间，这些都是检测我们灵性生活健康的尺子

这带我们到另一个重要的概念：如何管理我们的钱

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HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS HANDLE MONEY?

3. HOW WE SPEND MONEY

  • On our family to provide for their basic needsBut those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. (1 Tim. 5:8 NLT)
    • Family plays a very important part in God’s order of society.
    • This is God’s divine order of society:
      • Marriage
      • Family
      • Church
      • Government
    • Before there was a church or government, God instituted marriage and the family.
    • We get into serious problems when we mix up God’s divine order.
    • So, our first duty as a Christian with our money is to provide for the needs of our family.
  • On fellow believers who are in needIf someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? (1 John 3:17 NLT)
    • Christians don’t just talk about God’s love. We have to live God’s love.
    • If you see or know another Christian who is in need, don’t just say, “I’ll pray for you.” Demonstrate God’s love in your heart by doing something to help.
    • About three weeks ago, we learned about the parable of the Shrewd Manager in Luke 16.
    • In that parable, Jesus taught that we should “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9 NIV)
    • We can use money as a tool for Christ while we are still on this earth so that we have many friends who will welcome us in heaven.
    • If you see a fellow Christian in need, show your love and use your money to help meet the needs of this person.
    • You will add one more friend who will welcome you in heaven.
    • People may be shy to accept money. Instead of giving money, take practical steps like, whenever you buy groceries for yourselves, buy extra of the same item and give these to the person in need.
  • On savingsTake a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labour hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. (Proverbs 6:6-8 NLT)
    • Ants are not strong, but they are smart and hard working, storing food for winter (time of need) (Proverbs 30:24)The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. (Proverbs 21:20 NIV)
    • Those who are wise will save but fools spend all they have at once.
    • Planning for the future is wise and Biblical:
    • But, don’t go overboard. Don’t be obsessed by buying large insurance policies when you cannot afford it or to borrow money to invest – not wise at all!
    • Remember, that ultimately God is our provider. He gives us resources and He wants us to manage them as a matter of stewardship.
    • A steward who loves his master will do his best to manage the master’s resources.
    • How we handle money becomes a measurement of our spiritual life. Just like how we manage our relationship with our family, how we manage our prayer time and Bible study time – these are all measurements to show the health of our spiritual life.

This brings us to another important aspect of how we manage money.

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