So far, in our exploration of dependency, we have discovered that:
- We are, by our very design, dependent beings.
- Very early in the story, we chose to pursue independence from God. This choice was disastrous, bringing Death in all its dimensions.
- Our restoration to Life begins with the recognition of our total dependence. This has been a persistent theme down through The Story.
- Our dependence transcends spiritual/physical distinctions. We are dependent on God for both justification and daily provision. The two are linked and integral. In fact, the function of the “daily provision” aspect of our dependence is to reveal our total dependence in all areas, including the spiritual (Deuteronomy 8). (A point of emphasis – possession of abundance does not really make us less dependent, it only makes our dependence less obvious.)
- Recognition of our spiritual dependence leads us to seek God’s provision – the sending of Jesus as the Christ.
- Believing that Jesus is the Christ, we are justified – forgiven.
- Having recognized Him as the Christ, Jesus calls us to follow Him unconditionally. That is, He calls us to live in total dependence on Him, exclusively committed to His agenda, resting in His provision.
- However, even as believers, our desire to live independently of God persists. Justified, we tend to pursue our own agendas, praying that God will bless them. We seek comfort, not in the assurance of His provision, but in the accumulation of means.
This desire to live independently of God is irrational. How can we hope to find Life while persisting in the choice that brought Death? Sure, we are justified. But there is so much more to Life than just forgiveness.
Clearly, we need to acknowledge our dependence in all its dimensions.
But how? What does this look like in practical terms?
As we saw last week, Jesus said that to follow Him, we must give up all our own possessions (Luke 14:33). But what does that really mean?
For many, like Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew, it meant leaving everything – their jobs, possessions, even family businesses to follow Jesus (Mark 1:20; Luke 5:28). Likewise, Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell everything and give the proceeds to the poor, and come, follow Him (Mark 10:21).
Does this mean that we must, likewise, quit our jobs, sell all our possessions and give the proceeds to charity? Does it somehow displease God for us to have in our possession any accumulation of wealth?
No.
How can we be sure?
Well, in the first place, not everyone who traveled with Jesus voided themselves of all possessions. There were a number of women who were wealthy enough to help support the group out of their own means (Luke 8:1-3).
And, looking forward, to the experience of the early church, Paul rebukes individuals in the church at Thessalonica who were not working (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13). In context, it appears that some there were so fixated on the return of Christ that they were just sitting around, idly waiting for Him to show up.
In fact, this rebuke was rooted in Paul’s teaching and example. Although he had the right to make his living from the Gospel (1 Corinthians 3:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 3:9), Paul often chose to work to support himself. A part of his reason for doing this was because He wanted to set an example for believers. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12).
So, the command to quit your job and abandon all possessions was not an across-the-board, applies-to-everyone kind of requirement for being a follower of Christ. It does not displease Him for us to make money. Nor is it wrong for us to live in prosperity (Philippians 4:12).
A closer look at the experience of the Twelve reveals that there is more going on here than simply achieving some external status.
As we have already noted, when they responded to His invitation to follow Him, they left everything. While that seems pretty extreme, Jesus would take them even further.
After they had been with Him a while, He sent them out to preach. At this point, He placed even greater restrictions on them. No extra clothes, no money, not even a sack lunch (Luke 9:1-6). He wanted them to experience God’s provision at the most basic level.
But this was not to be their permanent manner of existence. This was simply a training phase. As they neared the end of their training, after having experienced God’s provision in such an absolute way, Jesus instructs them that, going forward, they should make provisions for their needs (Luke 22:35-38). Don’t forget your wallet. Pack a bag. Buy a sword. Now that you have learned where your true dependence lies, use these things.
This is reminiscent of the lesson of manna for the nation of Israel. It was never God’s intention that the manna would be a permanent experience for Israel. He was teaching them that He was the source behind their provision, so that when they experienced His abundant blessing, they would not shift their confidence away from Him.
The point is never how much we do, or don’t have. It’s our orientation to it. Do we view our possessions as “ours”, to be used as we want? Or, do we view them as God’s provision to us – reminders of our dependence on Him – to be used for His purpose?
So, how does God teach us these things, today? And, what are His purposes that I should be funding? We will continue, looking at those, next week.