Is it ok for a pastor or a
missionary to drive a Mercedes? Why or
why not? I remember having the mindset
that if I was going to be a pastor or missionary one day I would have to buy a
car that had rusted floor boards, had a carburetor for a fuel delivery system,
and the ac was broken.
For some reason I thought Christians,
pastors, missionaries were to be poor. If they had the chance to have material
blessings, they were to sell it and give the proceeds to the poor.
Pretty pathetic, huh? Before you judge me, let me tell you a quick
story of a wonderful lady I know.
This lady has been in the
ministry for 20 years now. Recently, one
of her kids could no longer afford their payment on a Mercedes SUV they had
purchased several years ago. She and her
husband talked it over and they were delighted to help their child out by
purchasing the car from them, while at the same time enjoying a nice ride.
As I looked at her SUV, she
mentioned to me that she was nervous about what her church and ministry would
think of her driving a Mercedes. Would
they judge her for it? Would she lose
credibility with them?
Let me ask those questions to you
(we are not talking about a leer jet, just a Mercedes). Would you judge her? Would she lose credibility as a worker of God
because of the brand car she drove?
Would you scoff at her if her husband was your pastor? Would you gossip about her and her husband,
whispering things like, “that is how they are spending the church’s money? That’s
not right.”
Romans 15:27 says, “For they were
pleased to do it, (Do what? The gentile
Christians put some money together to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem)
and indeed they owe it to them. For, if the gentiles have come to share in
their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material
blessings.
Really? You and I ought to help our less fortunate
brothers and sisters in Christ participate in material blessings? Now that’s a twist from the 1983 Ford Fiesta
I thought I would have to drive the rest of my life because I bore the name
Pastor (and in all honesty, a relief, because I really like to drive trucks).
But don’t misconstrue this. Paul is specifically talking about the poor
saints at Jerusalem, not the rich ones on TV asking for more and more money. Some saints, like my friend, are able to
purchase these things through wise budgeting throughout the years. But there
are others who need help with the basic needs of life, food, water, clothing,
and shelter.
Praise God if He has blessed you
materially, but don’t keep it to yourself.
Just as we want others to share with us in the riches of Christ, let us
also have a similar desire to take care of our poor brothers and sisters and
allow them to share in our material blessings.
