The Word of Truth

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Materialism

To what extent should a Christian provide for the physical welfare of the needy?

The Church-of-Godism here, where I am now stationed, is pervaded with the spirit of materialism. People will not come to worship God with you unless you have a good building, salaries for preachers, relief programs for the needy (orphans, widows, aged, etc.), plans for help in times of burials, weddings, hospital bills, higher education fees, etc., etc. In the evangelical endeavors, we come face to face with such questions as—“Do you do this?” “Do you offer this?” “Do you help this way?”

This affinity for material benefits has almost become the ruling force in the lives of the majority here, and tends to be a dividing line between those seeking to truly serve God and those who are after materialism. How much should the true Christian get involved in such plans and provisions for the human needs where there are no social schemes to cater for some of them? (Please, do not treat this lightly. It is a real troubling issue to me at this very time. The majority of the people in our country are very poor. To deal with them spiritually has become so complicated by the exposure to so many “better” things that the quest for “the better physical life” seems to be the major objective in their living).

Reply:

If you think it is bad to be up against the spirit of materialism in that area of the vineyard wherein God has set you to labor, you should see it here. I have heard it said, and now I say it myself, “Our prosperity is killing us.” We are, as a people, a long way down the path to Sodom, for they were idle and full of bread (Ezekiel 16:49). Everywhere about us, the mirage of worldly security and entertainment has swallowed the people. And from this great covetous cesspool which we call the United States, the craving for temporal things has been advertised and broadcast across the entire world by modern communications. I have thought that the movies and television are more used of the spirit of covetousness than even the spirit of immorality. The Have-Not’s long for the what the perceived Have’s obtain, and ignore the piercings and many sorrows that come with it (1 Timothy 6:6-11). The scripture immediately following this passage reads, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God… That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”* (1 Timothy 6:12-14) We observe from this that Christianity is locked in a fight-to-the-death struggle against the spirit of covetousness, and that they that lay hold on eternal life must release their grasp on this world and the things of this world.

I remember sitting in a camp meeting with Brother H—— preaching to the congregation. He was relating some war stories about this battle in his congregation in F——. “Throw away those catalogs,” he said to the saints. “Don’t look at them! If you look at them, you know what happens. You get enticed, don’t you? You buy things you don’t really need and can’t afford.” This was a lively and invigorating picture of a man of God in a hard fight. I had never heard the like before. My parents’ home was full of catalogs. No preachers around my home congregation when I was a boy preached such things. If you needed something, you bought what you needed. It looked pretty normal to me. The idea that one must do away with the catalogs seemed strange to me.

Another brother was talking about what a certain job was paying per hour (I think it was in carpentry), and he said, “That’s too much.” I was shocked. I had been raised to “be all that you can be.” Make all the money you can, etc. Rise as high as you can. I was in the process of “being made low” (James 1:10), and the Spirit of God was dealing across the board in me to help me to escape the complacent, comfortable, fullness-of-bread mentality that had shaped me and conditioned me. Scarcely a handful of the population has escaped the materialistic high expectations. There are some, and they are not all saved people, either, but the vast majority has been swallowed up.

I perceive that the same thing is happening all over the world. Man desires to raise himself from ever feeling helpless. He would like to do away with sickness, too. He aims to be happy without God. He would like to deal with God after having successfully directed his own steps. This is not going to happen, but man desires it and labors fervently to bring it to pass. It is all exactly the opposite of utter dependence on God, of acceptance with joy. It runs completely contrary to the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 6:24-34). This sermon teaches a deliverance from earthly cares. This truth will set a man free to live for God with perfect trust in Him, to live so as to put first things first, just as Jesus did. This is the standard of spiritual living. In the following quotations, we find Brother Orr contending for this faith once delivered to the saints:

What would you think of a man who contemplated engaging in some business, but said he did not have much time to devote to it? You would advise him not to engage in the business at all. It takes time to make advancement in the Christian life. One brother said, “But we must attend to our temporal duties.” My reply was, “Shall we not attend to our spiritual duties?” When people talk of having to attend to temporal duties, it appears that they are going to do this if they have to neglect spiritual duties. Unless we have a better enlightenment than this, we shall never make progress in the Christian life.

[Charles E. Orr; How to Live a Holy Life, “The Latest Improved”]

“Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.”* (Matthew 5:5) The earth is the Lord’s and its fullness. The meek and lowly have God for their Father; consequently they are heirs to this world—to all they daily need of it. This is one blessing belonging to the humble. They inherit the earth. By this is meant that God who owns the earth and all in it will supply every need, or give to the truly humble every temporal blessing needed. Those who become a little anxious and somewhat disturbed because every temporal blessing is not in sight are not as humble as they should be: consequently faith in God is hindered.

[Charles E. Orr; The Hidden Life, “Humility”]

Those who cumber themselves with the cares of this life and give themselves much concern about the temporal things have certainly neglected that good part. To have much concern about the temporal things is very destructive to spirituality. Saints need to be watchful, or they will have too much concern about the temporal things. It might be for your good if you would make a test to see where your mind is most. Tomorrow begin to set down in one column all the thoughts and all the words you have about the temporal things of life. In another column set down all the words and all the thoughts you have about spiritual things. In the evening foot up both columns and see how they balance. You may be somewhat surprised. When your crop or your business is failing, do you lean restfully on the arm of Jesus, or have you anxieties?

[Charles E. Orr; The Hidden Life, “Wanting Nothing”]

This is the standard for a walk with God. Now you have asked me, “How much should the true Christian get involved in such plans and provisions for the human needs where there are no social schemes to cater for some of them?” To answer this question, we must look at the burden of Brother Stephen and the other men who labored with him. It is plain from a reading of Acts 6:1-6 that the apostles were not called to the work of God in taking care of the widows, and they were careful to stay in the scope of their calling. So we see that this is a certain ministry, a certain calling in the church of God, and if you are not called to it—“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”* (1 Corinthians 7:20) As any spiritual calling, it has its peculiar challenges and pressures, and the possessor of any given calling will need specific help from God to successfully discharge their stewardship. Brother Stephen’s battles can be surmised from the beginning account of the need, “There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.” We realize that we are dealing with something outside the evident physical needs; we are dealing with spiritual needs. There is a certain amount of revenue supplied to help these widows (no social programs, etc.), but you can be sure that the need was always greater than the amount of hand. How do we know that? That is God’s way. He encourages us to faith in God. We can also be certain that the brethren taking on this responsibility understood that more and more as they went. They were filled with the Holy Ghost and knew it was more important to be filled and live in the fulness than to eat well, be clothed well, or have congenial shelter. Furthermore, they were dealing with people of two cultures with two general ideas of wisdom in expectations, and out of this material, they were to hold before them a non-covetous standard.

Brother H—— had a lot of what we call “welfare mothers” in his congregation. In this country, there is a variety of programs available to single mothers with children, and there are many single-parent families (mostly headed by the mother) who live mostly or completely on the welfare check(s). Brother H—— understood that this situation produced a divided loyalty, even an unhealthy dependence on the arm of flesh, in those who endeavored to live saved, and he and others in the congregation encouraged these mothers to “get off welfare.” This was an enormous step for these mothers to take. It was launching out in God. It was right.

I will quote from your letter again: “This affinity for material benefits has almost become the ruling force in the lives of the majority here and tends to be a dividing line between those seeking to truly serve God and those who are after materialism.”

I observe that Brother H—— drew the same conclusion and took a stand against the affinity for material benefits.

Years ago, a brother advocated that the church develop its own welfare program for the needy, so that saints would be freed from this fostered dependence on the government. (After a while, a single mother is almost “married” to the government, at least in terms of financial support. The government becomes her “head” in a certain way—more than money—rules, etc.) That discussion was before my time, but I am aware that the brethren overall were not persuaded to start a church welfare plan, and I believe I perceive why. There is great danger that the church would simply replace the government in the lives of the needy, and this would not be good for the church or the needy. It is the same argument as salaries for ministers—man to man, instead of man to God and God to man. God wants to be in the middle, and free-will offerings are the way He has devised and commanded us. It is hard on our flesh, but good for us spiritually. It means living close to God; it allows little room for fleshly confidence. To the fleshly mind, it appears makeshift and unreliable; to the spiritual, it is just right and greatly spiritually profitable. Consequently, any method or procedure that God sets up to take care of needs among us is always based on this free will plan of giving, and the method or procedure will change or appear to operate erratically so as to stir us spiritually constantly.

Looking in the scriptures, we catch a glimpse of how this operated in the taking care of widows, etc.

“Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day. But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth. And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man. Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.”* (1 Timothy 5:2-16)

You will notice, I trust, the guidelines that Brother Stephen and other brethren had been taught of the Holy Ghost. Brother Paul had also gotten ahold of them and was passing them on to Brother Timothy.

There is such a thing as “widows indeed,” as contrasted with just widows. Furthermore, there was a carefulness about young widows, even an age standard. Holy Ghost wisdom had taught these brethren something about human nature. The young widows would learn to be idle and gossipy. (Would it not be well if the welfare authorities in our country were led of the Holy Ghost and observed and were careful about the same things?) Furthermore, it was not just older widows (sixty years of age and up); the standard of who was eligible is stated in verse 10.

My dear brother, we plainly see that God has answered and has the answer to the question, “How much should the true Christian get involved?” or, “How much should the church get involved?” Now, this passage of scripture is not talking about temporary help, etc., but about being “taken into the number.” Furthermore, there was a clear burden and an unwillingness to interfere with family responsibilities on the part of the children or nephews. Note especially verse 8 on this point. The whole scope comes down to a certain effort on the part of the church to administer to a real need with real limitations, and an emphasis on spirituality and what could go wrong with faith and extended family responsibilities. All of this says a great deal about the spirituality of the saints back then, and the vigor and life that was at work in the church of God. In such an atmosphere, spirituality was nurtured. Those who were minded to take the ways of fleshly complacency found that the efforts of the saints did little to give them room in their chosen, less spiritual way of life; rather it rebuked them continually. Praise God, dear brother!

“Without spot and blameless, my brother,
She lives ’neath the all-cleansing blood;
In heaven and earth is no other,
Her builder and maker is God.”*

God knows how to deal with His church on earth so as to iron out every wrinkle and remove every spot. Part of the hot, spiritual iron that He uses is deprivation (as He sees best) of things necessary for physical life, so that we can measure to the sermon on the mount.

I will quote from Highways and Hedges, an account of Sister Faith Stewart’s work in Cuba:

It was about this time that a new phase of the mission work began. They started publishing tracts and papers in Spanish. They carefully planned a real campaign in the city of Havana, with its great population of over one million souls. As a result of this venture, new people began to attend the services in some of the missions. One illustration of this is well worth telling here.

At one of the evening services in the chapel at Almendares, there came a husband and wife, a Spanish couple. They had heard the message over the radio, and because there was and had been for some time an unrest in their hearts and a dissatisfaction in their own religion, they began to seek for something better. What they heard in these messages stirred their interest to seek for something better. They were people of the world and dressed in the apparel and personal adornment that the world finds so necessary. But something in the messages they heard attracted their attention, and they began to attend regularly.

Little by little they began to remove the signs of the world from their apparel and to dress like those who were members of the mission, until they were as modest in appearance as the Christians. But they had not accepted Christ as their Savior. They lived far across the great city of Havana, and had to come a long way to be in the services. Undaunted, they searched until they found an apartment not far from the mission, then moved in and told the Christians that now they would be present every time the doors were open.

Not long after that, they bowed together at an altar of prayer and became Christians. They did not know that the Bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,”* (Matthew 6:33) and it took them some time to get ready (by laying off something this week and another thing next week) to finally decide they were ready to take the final step. They had come in the midst and seen the modest attire of the saints, and also the difference in their manner and appearance, and it caused them to feel that truly God’s people are different, obeying the Word of God that plainly teaches, “Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel, but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of the Lord of great price.”* (1 Peter 3:3-4)

After the husband really became a Christian, separated from the ways of the world, he could no longer afford to belong to the men’s club where his particular friends and associates were members. They were refined people, and the husband was employed in one of the government offices as a bookkeeper. He stopped smoking and also turned down the proffered glass of liquor. Friends at the job began to note a definite change in his habits. When asked why he would not partake, the answer was, “I have become a Christian and do not drink liquor any more.”

Not very long after taking his stand for a life of clean living, he was relieved of his position in the office and fully realized the cost of becoming a Christian.

This man and wife have worked faithfully through the years, sacrificing former means and have lived on little to be true to God. They have never wavered in the great task but stood like a rock in the billows. They have been a real pillar of the church of God in Cuba.

[Grace G. Henry; Highways and Hedges, “Hard Places and High Places in the Kingdom”]

“Our Sunday School work has been the hardest part of the work here. It never has been easy to get the children of Catholic or Spiritualist parents to the Sunday School, and from the beginning, we had to labor hard for the children we did get, but the last two years have been our very hardest.

“When they began to realize what we were doing for the children, the Catholic priests and nuns began laboring harder than ever. Then, about two years ago, an order came from their headquarters for them to make every child in Cuba a Catholic, and also every home.

“As they began working on this program, they gave orders for groceries to be given to every poor child that left us and went to their own schools, which they opened up in order to combat our work. This order of groceries was given weekly and made a temptation which few poor mothers could resist as the pangs of hunger made the offer a real test. They also furnished garments and shoes in many cases, and they gave weekly a little paper to each child who attended their Sunday School. This paper gave each child entrance to a movie in the afternoon. Can you see what this did to our work?”

If such an offer were made in America where high wages are paid to the laboring men and where so much food is wasted regularly, even there the offer of free packages would cause a great exodus from one Sunday School to another. So it is easy to see that, to a mother always just short of supplies, this offer would indeed be a boon.

Often these poor women wept as they explained the reason their children had been withdrawn from the Church of God and placed in the Catholic Sunday School. She writes:

“We cannot possibly give these things to our children, and have lost numbers. But thank God, those that remain with us will have the blessed truth planted in their little hearts and minds, and this will be an eternal blessing. Thank God, by the power of prayer and hard work, we have maintained a great number, and we feel sure in the near future, we shall see numbers of older boys and girls enjoying the blessings of real salvation.”

[Grace G. Henry; Highways and Hedges, “New Fields and New Recruits for the Kingdom”]

My heart is very full as I read these words again. For we are laboring among people who are seldom very hungry, much less starving. They are rich by comparison and full of bread, even as Sodom. Yet the gospel calls for them to turn aside from this present world and invest in treasures over there. There can be no spiritual living without this decision. We see readily that this situation has afflicted the work of God in all times and places for centuries. “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world….”* (2 Timothy 4:10)

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”* (James 1:27)

In the following chapter of James, we are taught to avoid distinguishing between people on the basis of materialism, and we are taught that it is more important to be rich in faith than rich in this world. “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”* (James 2:5) The thought keeps standing out in my mind that the spiritual effect on the human mind and heart is more important than the physical need supplied. After Jesus fed the entire crowd from just a little boy’s lunch, the effect on these folks was to attempt to make Him king. It was not a spiritual effect at all. It is the way of the flesh of mankind to misappropriate the blessings of God, to ask amiss that they may consume it upon their desires. No doubt, men would make a vending machine of God, if He would let them. (He doesn’t.)

We had better be led by Him who knows all things, else what is sacrificed and given, or even given out of abundance at times, will not only be wasted, but actually be counterproductive. Charity can actually increase a lack of spirituality, if we do not give as God sees we should. And lack of charity can damage us, too. I have often thought, that if God put in my hand the riches of Job, I would have a fearsome responsibility, a most dreadful and weighty stewardship for which to answer. It would be a full-time job indeed, and if I approached it with just my human wisdom, reactions, conditioning, etc., then it would largely be a failure and worse. God has seen fit to place just a little of this world’s goods in my hands, and I am looking to Him to use them rightly. Herein I need prayer.

Ask God to give you such a picture of the spiritual standard against covetousness and for a life of faith and complete dependence on God, that you can live, teach, and insist upon the fullness of the gospel. And pray that I will do the same. I perceive that the entire globe is desirous to go the way of the fat, bloated, materialistic-besotted United States. All about the planet, people are full of the very thing that almost got King David1 (Psalm 73), even the spirit of envy. They do not see what havoc it has wreaked upon us; indeed, most of the people in this country are rich and increased with goods, engrossed in the mad pursuit for more and more of the things which will be burned up. Oh, vanity and vexation of spirit! May their eyes be opened in time to get help to their souls! Better to dwell with Abraham than to pitch one’s tent toward Sodom.