Sitting in the Bombay-Howrah Mail train, on my way to Australia, whiling away the hours, with the clickety-clack rhythm of the carriage, and the pervasive foul cigarette smoke in the air, and loud and animated conversations going on around me, i was thinking and praying, Lord, why can’t Christians in India see that the religious system is so bad? Why don’t more awake to righteousness? What is this blindfold which is preventing them from seeing? Why do the majority not seem to understand or obey even your most basic commands? Why do your ways seem so strange, peculiar and threatening to most? Why is it that the supposed leaders of the church are so ignorant concerning spiritual things? It’s like there is a barrier preventing them from seeing!My heart cried out to Father for answers. Then I believe the Lord put a scripture on my heart, so i pulled out my Bible and searched it out. It’s Luke 16:11, which reads:
If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous riches,(mammon), who will commit to your trust the true? (true riches, spiritual things)
Could it be that our heart-attitude toward such a simple and basic and earthy thing as money, be the doorway or barrier, to the unfathomable riches of Christ, and all that His Spiritual realm and Kingdom holds? Jesus seems to be saying just that in this scripture. It then became more evident to me than ever, that the bottom-line underlying all the errors inherent in, and by virtue of, the christian-religious power system (a.k.a. the whore, or babylon) is related to money, either directly or indirectly.
http://www.youareallbrothers.com/current/show_article.php?id=025,20020901
Wrote this in 2002, and i’m still meeting Christians here, in ‘the ministry’, whom God is withholding the true riches from bcos He cannot trust them with money, bcos their heart is not right toward it. The ‘bottom line’ of all that they do in ‘ministry’, and every aspect of their life, is still dictated by money, by covetousness, by looking to man to supply, and not to God to supply. The fundamental basis of everything they do as ‘church’ is dictated by money, ultimately, therefore they are spiritually bankrupt.
Ian Vincent 
January 5, 2010 at 6:25 pm
What an interesting insight. And that verse you shared – so powerful. I think you are right on point.
Rachel
Stirring the Deep
January 5, 2010 at 6:26 pm
“Could it be that our heart-attitude toward such a simple and basic and earthy thing as money, be the doorway or barrier, to the unfathomable riches of Christ, and all that His Spiritual realm and Kingdom holds? ”
Wow….amen. What a transformation there would be if believers really came to understand this. What true freedom they would find! The cares of this world, the decietfulness of riches, and the desire for other things would not longer choke the life out of them and keep them from being unfruitful in Christ.
January 6, 2010 at 1:02 am
Thanks Rachel and Sean.
Yes, this scripture fits exactly:
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Yes, did not the rich young ruler, whom Jesus loved, miss out on the true riches bcos he wasn’t willing to let his earthly riches be God’s property?
If a person can’t give their possessions to God, how can they give their heart to Him? Their heart will not be God’s. How can my heart be yielded to Him if i have not yielded my possessions, and become free from the love of money, and free from trusting in it for security?
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? Lest perhaps, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sits not down first, and consults whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation, and desires conditions of peace.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:25-33)
July 11, 2010 at 12:41 am
This subject seems to recur.
There’s a dear brother i know here. He was powerfully saved. Got to mixing with corrupt pastors and then he lost his innocence. Now it is money which sways his decisions and controls his life, which calls the shots.