Message vs. Money

USGN article
by Barbi Franklin
July 1996 #2

For the next few months, Terry and I are going to share a few paragraphs from a composition I wrote on Christian music in the 90's. We have seen many changes as the industry has evolved, and we have a number of thoughts we would like to share from a biblical view to help us all make godly and wise decisions in our music ministries. The whole 8,000 plus word manuscript is available upon request by writing: Franklin Ministries, Inc., PO Box 17164, Nashville, TN 37217, or call 615-773-8480. You may also download it from our Internet site at: http://www.heartfortheworld.com.

Although I relate everything back to "Christian music," it can apply to many aspects of our lives in the Lord. As we look at these concerns, my prayer is the same as the Apostle Paul's for every Christian reading this article: that God would give us..."the Spirit of wisdom and revelation"(Eph 1:18), because these truths are not discernable apart from the Holy Spirit's enlightenment.

Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." God has called us to be good stewards of every aspect of our lives, including our finances. But II Peter 2:19 says, "A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him."

We are never told to make money our focus or motive. When we serve money, it clearly will divide us from God's will. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (see I Timothy 6:10), and greed is a form of idolatry (see Colossians 3:5).

Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:15-23 against so-called Christians that don't do God's will. Apparently, there will be some that even call Jesus Lord and have "successful" ministries that don't really know, love or serve God. They will be wolves in sheep's clothing and will perhaps lead others astray...all to benefit their own plan.

The way Jesus said we will know these false "ministers of God" is by their fruit. If being with them tends to inspire you to grow closer to God and develop a deeper love for Him and His Word and His will, those ministers are probably authentic. But if, by being with them, you are seeing a growing desire for the things of the world and signs of disunity and strife, and it's harder for you to love God, His Word, His will and fellowship with Christians that love Jesus with all their hearts, then you know something isn't right!

From Genesis to Revelation, God seems to emphasize the same principle over and over again: You can't mix darkness and light, you can't join with or put yourself under the advice of the ungodly without being corrupted. So, what if we sign a binding contract with a person or a company that has promised great things for our future, but they have a different foundational motive other than God's will, message and ministry...such as...money!

I believe we are in grave danger of being influenced, distracted or seduced away from God's will when we yoke ourselves in this way. Perhaps we can be strong for a while, but the principle and consequences of unequal yoking will inevitably come to pass.

(... to be continued next month)

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©1997 Terry & Barbi Franklin.