No man’s heart is in Heaven who is not distributing to the necessities of the saints – especially those hazarding their lives for Christ and those working tirelessly in the various mission fields in the ‘hard’ places of the earth. We doubt whether those who dwell in ceiled houses and allow God’s many temples (we speak primarily of the brethren) to lie waste are laying treasures in Heaven! Therefore, we doubt also whether the hearts of such are in Heaven. To such this Word of the Lord is expressly given: “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways” – Haggai 1:4.
It is probable that any of the headquarter churches of the leading denominations in our various countries today could be richer, in monetary terms, than Bible’s New Testament churches in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria put together. Whereas possessors of money and properties in Bible days essentially see themselves as caretakers and distributors of God’s provisions, and so were able to take the gospel out like wild-fire, launching to and conquering sundry mission fields and diverse strongholds; today, we are sadly landlords and owners of what God puts in our care for the benefit of His Church.
Again, it is probable that the wealth God has already bestowed say on some country’s churches or denominations is enough to take the gospel of the everlasting Kingdom to all the nooks and crannies of Africa or any other continent for that matter. But alas: The wealth is ‘privatized’! Yet, the heart could still be so deceived to think those personalizing God’s provisions for His Church (or the Commonwealth) are Heaven bound. They think so even when they prevent many from coming to the Kingdom and, or making others to go out of the Kingdom by their too little actions or inactions. In the sight of God the wealth of such people are cankered.
Brother James by the Holy Spirit comes strongly hard on similar group of people, and we know that the ways of God are equal. Hear James therefore. “Go to now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” James 5:1-3.
We may also want to critically consider Job 20:15 which read: “He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again. God shall cast them out of his belly”. Cankered, and the rust of which would be a witness against them! Those of us in the last days may want to understand the Preacher in the light of eternity when he said: “There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt”- Ecclesiastes 5:13. How are we laying treasure!
Because of these people some (or many) of the brethren of Christ have backslidden, moved backward to Satan; because of these people many a missionaries have packed it up; because of these people many a satanic strongholds remain unattended to by the gospel (the good news); and many of such being reached with the gospel are seemingly proving to be impenetrable, because whereas money answers all things, mission fields and missionaries are starved with funds. Because of these people many believers have died of poverty before their time. You can go on and on.
Whereas believers who are earnestly distributing God’s provision to area of God’s special need in His Church (foremost being the mission fields) and are therefore so laying up in store for themselves a good foundation and getting ready to lay hold on eternal life (at the Last Trump, when the Voice of the Arch-Angel sounds), these offenders (Matthew 18:18:6), ‘smiters’ (Matthew 24:49) and killers (James. 5:1-6) of the brethren have heaped (cankered) treasure together for the last day – those damnable days that are ahead: Days originally prepared for Satan and his hosts and only by extension for sinners who refuse to repent; and now, sadly, for stumbling-blocks in the church. Whichever way, our treasures now is a key factor on how we shall spend eternity.
Those earnestly and readily distributing and communicating are laying up in store for themselves good foundations against the time to come; that they might lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:17-19); and those whose treasures are cankered, corrupt or rust have (also) heaped treasures together for the last days when they shall howl for their miseries that shall come upon them as their cankered bank accounts, ceiled houses etc witness against them (James. 5:1-3).
Child of God, how are you laying up treasures? Unto life or unto death! Jessie H. Brown has this wonderful counsel:
Oh, scatter seeds of loving deeds
Along the fertile fields;
For grain will grow
from what you sow,
And fruitful harvest yield.
Refrain
Then day by day,
along your way,
The seeds of promise cast,
That ripened grain
from hill and plain
Be gathered home
at last.
Though sown in tears through
weary years,
The seed will surely live;
Though great the cost,
it is not lost,
For God will fruitage give.
Refrain
The harvest home of God will come;
And after toil and care,
With joy untold
your sheaves of gold
Will all be garnered there.
Refrain
