Emphasis on Money

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Sometimes the complaint is registered that “the church emphasizes money too much.” A preacher friend once told me of hearing this complaint from a family where he preached. The circumstances behind the complaint were that they seldom (about once a year) attended worship assemblies and the time they decided to come happened to be a Sunday on which he preached on “giving.” They went away saying, “All he ever preaches on is money!”

What about this complaint? Is money emphasized too much in the pulpit, classroom, church bulletin and in other ways in most congregations? I doubt it seriously from my own observations and experiences. Money may be emphasized in the wrong way in the church sometimes, for, after all, preachers and teachers are human and do make occasional mistakes. My personal opinion is that instead of emphasizing money too much in the church, the opposite is more nearly true — it is not emphasized enough.

An impressive list of reasons demands a proper, strong and Scriptural emphasis on the proper use of the money God has entrusted to us. Consider the following:

1. The proper use of money is a major theme of the Bible. One cannot read the Bible very long without reading about covetousness, theft, honesty, helping the helpless, etc. Neither can one preach the “whole counsel of God” without preaching some on this subject. I doubt not the claim that there are many more passages dealing directly with the proper use of one’s money than with baptism.
2. We are commanded to emphasize the proper use of money. This could be illustrated from several passages, but none is clearer than 1 Timothy 6:17–19:” Charge them that are rich in this present world, that they be not high minded, nor have their hopes set on the uncertainty of riches . . . .”
3. It takes money to preach and distribute the Gospel, to help the helpless and to build up the church, even more so now than in the first century.
4. Some Christians are yet untaught or unconvinced of the seriousness of the matter of their accountability to God for the use of money. All need to know that “Covetousness is idolatry” (Col. 3:5) and that “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).

Have you ever heard anyone who is giving generously to the Lord’s work complain about too much emphasis on money? I doubt it!

[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Edifier, weekly bulletin of Pearl Street Church of Christ, Denton, TX, November 3, 1987, of which I was editor.]

Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.