Paul writes in another passage,

"So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the Gospel to get their living from the Gospel. But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things that it may be done so in my case, for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. For if I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That when I preach the Gospel, I may offer the Gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel." (1 Cor 9:14-18).

Paul tells us that what he did he did as an example for us to do. He writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9,

"For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example."

In essence he was saying, "Hey! I’m nobody special. If you live your life for Jesus by working and using your own resources for the Gospel, you will be blessed and have a reward like mine in heaven also." Because Paul used his life, free time and resources for the Gospel he could say, Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. Within the sphere of Paul’s life he could honestly say that all men who touched his life heard the message of the Gospel so that if they ended up in hell, it was not his fault. Paul tells us he lived this way as an example for you and me.

What is God’s ideal will for you and me? It is to labor with our own hands and then use these resources to preach the Gospel to men so that they may be saved. God’s will for our lives is not purchasing expensive cars and million dollar homes. This in no way glorifies God. Why? Because there is something wrong with owning things? No. Because when you invest your resources in this life, you tell your brethren and the world there is no heaven and eternity that will last forever that is of greater value to invest in than this temporary life that will be burned up with fire. You tell your brethren and the world that you do not have faith at all.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it." (Matt 13:44-46).

If you choose to store up treasures here, you may be saved and get into heaven, so as by fire as Paul tells us, but that is all you will do. You will be in heaven, but you will be poor and your privileges in eternity will be limited. But Jesus says something more astounding in this passage. He tells us that if we give ourselves to Him and let him use us to bring His kingdom on the earth as it is in heaven, not only will we have treasure and privileges in heaven, but they will last into eternity. In heaven there is no stock market crashes. In heaven you are not rich and have plenty for a season and then circumstances take it away like on earth. Our treasures in heaven are forever and do not rust and cannot be taken away by men.

If you are putting your trust in this passing life, Jesus says that you are being a fool. "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’" (Luke 12:20). You are being a fool because this life is temporary and will not last. You are a fool for a second reason: you may be saved and get to heaven, but when you get there you will not have anything because you stored up your treasures on earth and Jesus says that treasure will not only not last but will be burned up with fire. The Apostle Paul writes,

"For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Cor 3:11-15).

What does God the Father advise us to do? The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 2:15-17,

"Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever."

John tells us in this passage that if you are making the world and the things of the world your focus, you do not love God. You do not love Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us that you are an enemy of the cross of Christ. Brothers and sisters there is no middle road. You cannot be a friend of the world and a friend of God. James the brother of Jesus tells us, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4).

What are these writers of the Bible telling us? Are they saying that if God blesses you with a good paying job and gives you the power to make riches that you are his enemy? Of course not. But if you become rich by compromising in your walk with God, by stepping on your brother, by not speaking up against injustice, the murdering of innocent children, by never bringing up the fact to your fellow employees that you are a Christian and that they need Jesus to be saved, by not speaking up and defending those who are being treated unjustly whether in the Church or about a fellow employee who is fired for being accused falsely, then God’s Word states that you are His enemy. If your things, your relationship with your spouse, your relatives, your Church, is more important than justice and the salvation of men, Jesus says you are His enemy. If you use your riches to buy expensive homes and cars and suits and travel rather than to invest in and further the Kingdom of God, then God says that you are His enemy.  Jesus said "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Matt 12:50).

The reason Jesus told the rich man to go and sell all he had and give to the poor was not because having things in themselves is evil, but because Jesus knew that the things this man had would hold him back and keep him from saying yes to the Holy Spirit in service or witness of the Gospel to others when saying yes might mean the loss of any of these things. This was why when John the Baptist was asked by those who came to him what repenting meant he said, Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise. (Luke 3:11). The more you own, the more afraid you are of losing those things. The fear of losing things will cause you to say no to God when He comes to you through the Holy Spirit. For this reason John the Baptist admonishes us to live a simple life style, to have only what you need, nothing more. Why? If you have nothing to lose then there will not be any reason for you to not say yes to God because you have nothing to lose. But you do have everything to gain forever in heaven.

Brothers and sisters, when Jesus created us He gave us a free will. He gave us the freedom to choose to put Him and His Kingdom first or this life first. He won’t force you to serve Him. He will not force you to love and put him first above all else, but only those who do will have treasures in heaven. Those who do not, do not deceive yourselves. Love is not a feeling. To love Jesus and to serve Him and let Him use you to reach out to others is a decision of the will, it is not a feeling.

It is so easy to serve Jesus in America. The worst you can suffer is the rejection of men. In Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, China, and other nations, to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord means certain death. it means entering the Kingdom of God by force, because to do so means total destruction to your earthly life. It means losing your all.

Right now in America to preach the Gospel means possibly the loss of a job, the rejection of a spouse, financial hardship. Compared to what Leah is enduring, American Christians have no excuse for not taking two hours out of their busy weeks to reach out aggressively and share their faith with others.

Am I promising you will not be rejected? That Satan will not attack your finances? That he may not try to get to you through your spouse, and if he cannot he may not push your spouse to reject and divorce you? Am I promising you, you will not have hardships? Paul wrote, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." "And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (Acts 14:22, 2 Tim 3:12). No, I cannot promise you that you will not suffer these things in this life by the Devil and by the world as well as by the Church. What I can promise you is that Jesus will be very pleased with you and you will have treasures and reward in heaven that will last not for a few years on earth, but for eternity in heaven; and those treasures and reward are more real and more permanent than anything this earth has to offer you.

When Jesus comes back, will he find faith on the earth? When you make your focus in life storing up the treasures of earth, you are saying to Jesus, "Jesus, I do not have faith that if I give up this world for service to You and to the reaching out to the lost, hurting and scattered that You will give me greater reward in heaven that will last throughout eternity, than I can accumulate right now on this earth." You are saying to God and to the world, "This life is all there is. I better grab what I can now and make the best of it." You are showing that you have no faith at all. "So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:21).

"Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him God the Father has set His seal." (John 6:27).

Jesus needs you to reach out to the lost the hurting and the scattered. There isn’t anything more important in life than this. NOTHING!