SOUTHSIDE CHURCH OF CHRIST

Materialism - Some Interesting Points, Sunday 24 September 2000

Dec 12, 2000

Leland R. Ping

*I must give credit to Brother Mike Sobiech of the South Rogers Street church of Christ in Bloomington, Indiana for bringing to my attention in a recent Bible study many of the following comments. Furthermore, credit is due to the Wall Street Journal and Mr. Randy Alcorn and his work, Money, Possessions and Eternity. These points were ones I found quite interesting, and I hope you do too.*


Jesus taught his disciples (then and now) that our focus should be on Heaven and not on earth and its possessions. In Matthew 6:24, Christ remarked that, "you cannot serve God and mammon." Some versions insert the word "money" for mammon. Either way, it is clear that if our focus becomes material possessions, we cannot be pleasing to God. Look carefully at the following points:

?· The average poor American has a third more living space than the average Japanese does and four times as much living space as the average Russian does. That's the average citizen in Japan and Russia, not the average poor person.

?· 97% of poor households in America have a color television; nearly half own two or more color televisions. Nearly three-quarters have a VCR; one in five has two VCRs. 64% own a microwave. Half have a stereo system. More than 25% have an automatic dishwasher.

?· Most poor children today are growing up, on average, to be one inch taller and ten pounds heavier than the GI's who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944.

?· Statistically, if you have sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a house that keeps the weather out, and own a reasonably reliable means of transportation, you are among the top 15% of the world's wealthy.

?· If you have money saved, a variety of clothes in your closet, two cars (in any condition), and live in your own home, you are in the top 5% of the world's wealthy.

These points are made to cause us all to think. Even though we all sometimes think that we aren't affected by the words of Jesus when it comes to materialism because none of us are "rich," we are in fact some of the world's most well-off people. Let's remember this in our service to God.