Reflections | Sunday, 27th October 2013

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What Pleases God by Andrew Wommack (taken from: http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/pleases_god)

During a Sunday morning service in St. Joseph, Missouri, a few years back, I asked the congregation how many of them really want to please God more than anything else. Every hand went up. Then I asked them, "How many of you think God is really pleased with you?" Out of at least 400 people, one 11-year-old boy and one 10-year-old girl raised their hands. That was all.

Very few believers actually believe that they are pleasing to God. Most feel some degree of forgiveness and maybe acceptance, but to think that the Lord is actually pleased with us is another matter. A person can choose to love you because of his or her own goodness, but to be pleased with you, they actually have to like your performance. Right?

With God, no one could ever be pleasing to Him based on performance. His standard is perfection, and no goodness on our part can ever compensate for our sins. We may please man with our actions, but "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). It takes the precious blood of Jesus to do that.

The way we receive the forgiveness that's available through Jesus' blood is by faith (Rom. 10:9-17). When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we are pleasing God. Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him."

Faith comes from the heart (Rom. 10:10), and God looks on the heart — not the actions (1 Sam. 16:7). Of course, God sees our actions and will deal with us about them, but only because they are inseparably linked to our hearts (Prov. 23:7). It's our hearts that really concern God, and faith in Him (trust, reliance) is what He is searching the heart for.

A person whose actions are not right but who trusts the Lord is more pleasing to God than an individual who is doing the right things but has no faith in God. It's not a case of those who act the best will get accepted, and those who act the worst get rejected. That would put some of the followers of other religions ahead of many Christians, but that is not what the Bible teaches.

This is exactly the point Paul is making in Romans 11:6: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." That's old English for saying, "It's one way or the other but not a combination of the two." We're either saved by God's grace through what Jesus did for us, or we're saved by what we do without Jesus, but not a combination of the two. The choice should be the obvious.

Elijah is an example of a great man who lived a holy life and didn't earn God's pleasure with his actions. He made some serious mistakes. He ran in the face of persecution and became so depressed over it that he asked the Lord to kill him (1 Kin. 19). The Lord gave him three direct commands in an audible voice (1 Kin. 19:15-16), and Elijah never did two of them (refer to my teaching entitled "Elijah's Downfall?"). Most people would think God couldn't have been pleased with Elijah, yet Elijah was translated.

Even though our heart conditions influence our actions, we all fail in our performance to some degree. Elijah did. If God used performance as the basis of whether or not He was pleased with us, no one would ever pass the test. "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3).

Satan used to accuse me and say, "What makes you think God will use you?" The truth is that none of us are perfect, we don't deserve the blessings of God. Now I put my faith in Jesus. It's hard for some people to accept this. It has been ingrained in us that if we aren't holy, God won't bless us. When God looks at you, He doesn't see your goodness — He sees Jesus.

If you're walking in faith, you use faith as the rate of exchange between you and God. God is pleased with you even though your actions don't measure up. Your life may be a wreck, but God is still pleased with you. Our religion says that is hypocrisy. On the contrary, the worst sin is self-righteousness — the attitude that God owes it to you because you've been good.

The difficult thing is that there are no role models for grace. Your employer hires you based on performance. The parent-child relationship is based on performance, even though it shouldn't be. When it comes to God, your performance can't earn you anything. If you sin, you need a savior. It is your faith in Jesus that will grant you access to God.

Most people accept this level of grace when it pertains to salvation. However, some of you may think that after you're born again, God expects you to pray and study; and if you don't do these things, God won't bless you. After you are born again, it doesn't change! Colossians 2:6 says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." When we are born again, we come to Jesus just as we are. In fact, if a person has a lot of sin, it's even more reason to come to Jesus. When it comes to being healed, it's a different story with most Christians. They think if you haven't read your Bible today or you had a fight on the way to church, it will keep you from being healed. That's a double standard. That's saying that the way you approach God after you're born again is different. Your actions may not please God today, but you can be healed or delivered in spite of it.

Some of you may think I'm advocating sin. I'm not — your actions are important to you. Your holiness is important because it changes your heart toward God and not God's heart toward you. Unholiness will hurt you. Even though God will love you just as much, you won't love God as much. It will harden your heart toward God. It's like eating. You must eat to stay alive, but eating is not life. If you miss one meal, will you die? If you constantly live in sin and never feed yourself spiritually, it will kill you. I am not saying you should ignore your actions. You will never do everything perfectly, but don't let it keep you from receiving the blessings of God.

Luke 22 shows us an example of someone who had faith and pleased God. In verses 31 and 32 Jesus is talking to Peter before the crucifixion. "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Peter did blow it tremendously. He denied the Lord three times. He cursed and blasphemed God, and yet Jesus prayed that his faith wouldn't fail. Jesus' prayers were always answered. Peter's actions failed, but not his faith. If Peter hadn't repented it would have killed him. He was restored to God and went on to become a pillar of the church.

Some of you may be thinking, This is great — I can live like the devil and still get what I want from God." If you think that, I'd say you aren't born again, because a Christian wants to please God. This word is for Christians who have a desire to serve God but who still sin. When that happens, you go on and catch up and stand there with confidence in your Savior. Your faith in Jesus pleases God. None of us get saved and head straight on the path to God. We bounce around, but we're still heading in the general direction.

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6). You do please God through your faith in Jesus as your Savior, and you must perceive that you please Him.

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Reflections | Sunday, 20th October 2013

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Mixing Grace with Works: It’s Not About the Widow (Luke 18:1-8) 

(Taken from: http://escapetoreality.org/2010/06/10/mixing-grace-with-works-it%E2%80%99s-not-about-the-widow-luke-181-8/)

Most Christians who’ve read Galatians know it’s a bad idea to mix grace with works. Paul wondered of the Galatians:

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Gal 3:3)

Most believers know that we cannot finish with human effort that which was begun by the Spirit. Yet the great irony is that many Christians are trying to do exactly that. Instead of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, they get caught up in dead works of the flesh. Instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of their faith, they get distracted by their own performance. And when you think you’re being blessed because of your effort, you nullify the grace of God.

How do we mix grace with works?

Let me give you an example based on the Parable of the Persistent Widow. I am sure you are familiar with this story. It starts like this:

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men…’” (Luk 18:1-2)

…and you know what happens next. A poor widow comes pleading for justice but the uncaring judge ignores her. She gets no justice. Unperturbed, the widow doesn’t give up. She keeps pestering the bad judge until he finally relents. He thinks to himself,

“because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” (Lk 18:5)

The lesson that most Christians take from this story is that we need to persistently bang on the doors of heaven, crying out to God day and night, until we get what we ask for.

And so they completely miss the point of the story and end up mixing grace with works.

There is nothing wrong with God’s hearing

Prayer is simply conversing with God. We can talk to God about anything, anytime. If you are facing a problem that won’t go away, by all means talk to your loving Father about it. He cares for you. He wants to take your cares off you. Give them to him.

If you have prayed for a breakthrough and it hasn’t happened yet, it’s perfectly fine to pray again. There is no prayer-limit. It’s also perfectly fine not to pray again but stand in the faith that the prayer you prayed once was heard.

But what is not fine is to subscribe to a method of praying that suggests God rewards our praying effort, that if God doesn’t hear us the first time, that we need to pray again and again and again until he does. To pray like this suggests that God is either deaf or reluctant to help, neither of which is true.

Does God hear our prayers, even our short ones? You bet! Jesus said so:

“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt 6:7-8)

Who is the one that prays with many, repetitive words? It is the one who does not have a revelation of the nature and character of God.

Now you may say, “but Paul, isn’t that exactly why the widow in the story got her breakthrough? Because she was relentless in asking and never gave up?” Maybe, but this misses a larger point. Jesus did not tell us the parable to get us to strive for things in our own strength. Besides, why would he suggest we “keep it short” in Matthew 6 but “pray long” in Luke 18? It doesn’t add up.

The little widow that could

It’s human nature to cheer for the underdog who never quits. But Jesus did not tell us this story so that we might be inspired by the persistent widow. He did it so that we might get a better understanding of our good and gracious Father who, in stark contrast with unjust judges, cares for us and wants to bring about justice for his chosen ones.

Jesus preached the negative to accentuate the positive. The judge in the story was a lazy and wicked man. He kept stalling. He didn’t do the right thing. He didn’t even do what he was paid to do. But God is nothing like that. God is good! He loves justice! He longs to act quickly! Look at what Jesus said:

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (Lk 18:7-8)

How do you pray?

Depending on whether you have more faith in the power of human effort or the power of God, there are two ways to read the tale of the persistent widow:

1. The works-oriented preacher says, “Look at the widow, she’s weak but never gives up.”

2. The Christ-oriented preacher says, “Look at God, he’s mighty and he wants to help you.”

Do you see the difference?

Listen to the first guy and when trials come your eyes will be on yourself. Listen to the second guy and your eyes will be on your mighty Father. Big difference!

If your focus is on yourself and what you are doing or not doing, you are likely to miss out on the grace of God. If you get a breakthrough, you may be tempted to think it was because of your many prayers. Don’t misunderstand me. There have been occasions where I have prayed for years to get a breakthrough (e.g., a friend coming to Christ). But there is huge a difference between standing on the unfulfilled promises of God and thinking that God is impressed by our praying efforts.

The works preacher says we must do stuff to get results. The grace preacher says trust God for the results. Of course we should pray. But pray with faith, with an attitude that says “both me and God fully expect his will to be done in my situation.” If you don’t know what his will is, ask for wisdom. Then pray with a conviction that God will do what he says, that his kingdom reality will soon invade your earthly reality.

The problem with the widow

Why do I have a problem with making the widow the hero of the story? Because you don’t need any faith to identify with the widow in her plight. She was in a bad situation. She took it upon herself to fix things and she succeeded. It’s a good story, but it is a godless and graceless story, a mere triumph of the human spirit. You don’t even have to be a believer to preach on the persistence of the widow.

Why would Jesus want us to be inspired by a widow who succeeded apart from God? He doesn’t! He uses her to show that we are a gazillion times better off because we have God. We do not need to depend on our own effort because we can trust in the grace of a good God who knows what we need even before we ask him.

In fact, God is so good and he knows us so well that he even answers prayers that we haven’t got around to praying. I experienced this just last Sunday. During the service I made a note to pray for something with Camilla. It was a family need and I sat there thinking, “we haven’t even prayed about this – we must do it tonight.” Straight after the service I went to find Camilla (she was out back with the kids), and even before I had a chance to speak she gave me some news that told me that God had answered our prayer. And we hadn’t even prayed it yet!

Who do you trust?

Does your praying testify to the strength of the human spirit or the strength of the Holy Spirit? The best test is to look at what you do when your prayers seem to have no effect.

When the breakthrough doesn’t come, the preacher of works says, “Pray harder! You must do more.” But the Christ-oriented preacher says, “Keep trusting in the goodness of a good God! He has not forsaken you.”

Again, did you spot the difference?

Trust in yourself and you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. Trust in God and you’re setting yourself up for a miracle. It’s not how big your prayer is, it’s how big your God is. That’s why we need to remind ourselves just how big he is when we pray. We need to magnify him. Like David in Psalm 103 we need call to mind his many blessings: God forgives us. God heals us. God redeems us, crowns us and satisfies us with good things. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.

Your choice: trust in your own efforts or trust in God. Jesus wants us to have a revelation of our loving Father when we pray. He doesn’t want us to identify with the persistent widow, but to have faith in a good and gracious God who cares for us and helps us in our weakness. Have no faith in your own efforts but receive the grace of God. In the second part of this two-part study, I want to look at the reason why Jesus told this parable.

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Reflections | Sunday, 13th Oct 2013

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Taken from:  http://www.josephprinceonline.com/2012/11/thank-your-way-to-greater-blessings-2/

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

Luke 17:15

People who have a grateful heart are always praising God. You often hear them say, “God is good!” They know that God is the reason for every blessing they get.

But there are those who look to God for blessings and when they get blessed, they just go on their merry way. Their hearts are captivated by the blessings instead of the One who has blessed them.

Jesus had an encounter with both these types of people when He walked into a village one day. Ten lepers cried out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13) Now, when you call out to Jesus for mercy, He always hears you. On another occasion, when two blind men cried out to Him, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” He took the time to give them their miracles. (Matthew 9:27–30)

So these 10 lepers cried out to Him for mercy. He stopped, looked at them and said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And “as they went, they were cleansed”. (Luke 17:14) But only one came back and fell at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Notice the very sad words of Jesus that followed: “Were there not 10 cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17)

The other nine obviously knew that it was Jesus who had cleansed them. Yet, they did not bother to go back and thank Him. My friend, let it be said of you that when the blessings come, you remember to give God the praise, glory and honor, and acknowledge that He is the source of every blessing in your life.

Do you know that when the man came back to thank Jesus, he received the additional blessing of becoming whole? Jesus said to him, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19, KJV) He was not just cleansed of leprosy, he got his missing fingers and toes back!

My friend, when your heart is thankful toward God, you position yourself for even greater blessings!

Thought For The Day:
When you praise God and give Him thanks for His blessings, you position yourself for even greater blessings!

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Krish Fernandez - Renewing the Mind - II

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Watch video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AE-nEe6gXo



Join Krish Fernandez (www.krishfernandez.com) as he teaches on the Renewal of the Mind at Global Fellowship of Christ Ministries, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India (http://globalfellowshipofchristministries.blogspot.in/)

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Reflections | Sunday, 6th October 2013

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“This one sentence, ‘The just shall live by his faith,’ produced the Reformation. This one seed, forgotten and hidden away in the dark medieval times, was brought out, dropped into the human heart, and made to grow by the Spirit of God so that it produced great results. The least bit of truth, thrown anywhere, will live!” –C.H. Spurgeon “Advice for Seekers” (Banner of Truth) p. 67

By Faith by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin (Taken from: http://hopefaithprayer.com/word-of-faith/sermons-kenneth-hagin/by-faith-hagin/)

“The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17

“The faith life is the most beautiful life in the world! It is the life God wants us to live, and the walk God wants us to walk” 2 Corinthians 5:7

Let both your words and your actions agree. If you talk faith, you must walk faith -you must act faith. Your actions and your words must agree that you are a believer. It won’t do any good to talk faith if you’re not going to act faith. And if it were somehow possible to act faith without talking faith, that wouldn’t do any good, either, because your words and your actions must agree.

Some people declare one minute, “I’m trusting God to meet my needs.” Then, with the next breath, they say, “Well, it looks like I’m going to lose my car. I can’t make the payments.” One minute it sounds like they’re talking faith, but in a few moments their actions prove otherwise.

Some even quote God’s Word, saying, “I know the Lord said in Philippians 4:19, ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ And I’m trusting Him to meet our needs – but it looks like we’ll have to have the phone taken out. We can’t pay the bill.”

They mentally agreed to the truth of this scripture, but they didn’t act as if it were so.
Start acting like God’s Word is true.

Confession: I live by faith – faith in the Word of the Living God. I act like His Word is true.

Copyright © Kenneth Hagin Ministries

 

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Reflections | Sunday, 29th September 2013

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The Rich Man And Lazarus (taken from: http://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/the-rich-man-lazarus/)

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is found only in the gospel according to Luke (Luke 16:19-31) and is the clearest picture anywhere in Scripture of the afterlife. As such it is essential reading for anyone attempting to counter the plethora of books by believers and non-believers alike who claim to have visited heaven or hell and been sent back. It’s also an argument against the eastern notion of reincarnation.

The Book of Job, arguably the first book of the Bible to be written, was the earliest to mention life after death.

I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27),

Later David, Isaiah, Daniel and others also wrote about the life that comes after death as a reward for righteousness. Daniel was the first to clarify that the unrighteous will also rise from the grave, and it’s from his explanation (Dan 12:2) that we’ve come to understand that everyone who is ever born lives forever. (Bodies are killed or wear out and expire but spirits, the repositories of life, are eternal.)

An angel explained to Daniel that while all who have died rise from the grave, for some the resurrection brings everlasting reward and for others it brings everlasting shame and contempt. This is clarified in Revelation 20:11-15 where we’re told that the unsaved dead will return from the grave for the purpose of being judged for their behavior while living. This is where we learn about about the 2nd death, actually a conscious state of eternal and solitary separation from God accompanied by never ending torment, as the outcome of this judgment. Christians think of this as “hell” but as we’ll learn from the Rich Man and Lazarus it’s really much worse. Let’s get started.
What’s The Story?

Here’s a summary of the story. A rich man lived in the lap of luxury, while a beggar (Lazarus) languished outside his gate hoping for scraps from his table. In due time they both died. Angels carried Lazarus to “Abraham’s side (bosom)” a popular Jewish term in that day for the abode of the dead. The part reserved for believers was also called Paradise. Jesus promised one of the men being crucified with Him that they would meet there before the end of the day (Luke 23:43). The Hebrew name for this place is Sheol, while the Greeks called it Hades from which the English word Hell is derived. The rich man also went there upon dying, but while Lazarus was being comforted, the rich man was in constant torment. This tells us he was not a believer. Asking Abraham for relief, he was informed that while they were within sight and speaking distance of each other, they were actually in two different areas and there was no way to cross from one to the other. (Luke 16:19-26)

The rich man then asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his brothers, still alive, to make sure they came to the place where Lazarus was instead of where he was, but Abraham refused, saying, “They have Moses and the Prophets (the Old Testament), let them listen to them.” “No”, said the rich man, “But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” Abraham responded, “If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:27-31)
What’s The Point?

And there’s the whole point of the story. Three points actually:

1) The only place to secure your eternal destiny is here on earth before you die (Hebr. 9:27). The rich man never asked for a 2nd chance for himself, only that his brothers be warned while they were still living so they could avoid sharing his fate. Having experienced the alternative, there’s no way he would have turned down an opportunity to join Abraham and Lazarus if one existed for him. Abraham made it clear that it was impossible to cross from either area to the other.

2) The Bible contains all the facts you need to make an informed decision about eternity and is the Lord’s chosen method for bringing His children to Salvation.

3) When folks aren’t convinced by Scripture, even someone coming back from the dead will fail to persuade them, a fact the Lord Himself proved all too convincingly a short time later.
Grace Through Faith

Before the cross, those who had died in faith of a coming Redeemer as the Scriptures taught them went to a temporary place of comfort to rest until in the fullness of time the Redeemer’s shed blood finally erased the penalty for their sins. This is the place called Abraham’s bosom in the passage.

When Jesus came to Sheol after His death on the cross, he commended them for their faith (1 Ptr. 4:6) and took them to Heaven (Matt 27:52-53, Ephes. 4:8)). His crucifixion had removed the final obstacle to their entry into God’s presence. All who have died in faith since the cross go straight into the Lord’s presence (2 Cor 5:7-8) where they await reunion with their resurrection bodies (1 Thes. 4:16-17).

The unsaved dead will continue to languish with the rich man until the end of the Millennium when they too are raised, judged, and then banished to a place of eternal torment, but this time in utter separation and darkness (Revelation 20:15).

Many in the liberal church, in cults, the New Age and in the Eastern religions speak of another chance to reconcile with God following physical death. Some even claim we’ll be reincarnated in a series of lives through which we can work our way toward perfection, eventually earning our place with God or even becoming a god. The Bible speaks of no such things, teaching instead that “man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment” (Hebr. 9:27). The Lord’s own words in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus confirm this.

Trick Or Treat?

What a great trick of our enemy, persuading supposedly learned theologians to teach their biblically ignorant followers to ignore the clear admonitions of Scripture and seek an alternate way, only to discover after it’s too late that they were misled. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. (Matt 7:13-14). In the context of these 2 verses all are seeking the path to salvation, but only a few find it. Most choose the complex over the simple, the wide over the small, the broad over the narrow. Here’s the simple, small and narrow truth. God, Who created us, requires us to live by His law. Sin is the violation of God’s law and the penalty is death. Because you can’t avoid sinning you can’t avoid the penalty, but because He loves you so much Jesus offered to die in your place. God agreed to this and has issued you a full pardon. You need only believe He did this for you to be forgiven of all your sins, past present and future and receive your pardon. When you do your eternal destiny changes from torment to paradise, from separation to union, from death to life. But remember, you only have this life in which to do this, and you have no way of knowing how soon your life will end. If you haven’t already accepted His pardon, better do it now while you can.

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Reflections | Sunday, 22nd September 2013

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Taken from: http://www.awmi.net/bible/luk_16_01

Luke 16:1- And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

Note 1 at Lu 16:1: This parable of the unjust steward has been interpreted in more diverse ways than possibly any other teaching that Jesus ever gave. Although most of the interpretations expound sound Biblical truth, this one parable cannot be teaching all these different doctrines. In an instance like this, where the meaning is somewhat unclear, how the teaching harmonizes with the context must be the primary consideration for interpretation.

Here in this verse, the words "and" and "also" are used to introduce this parable. The word "and" is a conjunction and means "together with or along with; in addition to; as well as." "Also" means "in addition; besides; likewise; too." These words make it clear that this parable is a continuation of Jesus' teaching from the parable of the prodigal son and his brother (Lu 15:11-32).

In Lu 16:14, the Pharisees are shown taking offense at the interpretation of this parable (Lu 16:9-13), because they were covetous. This reveals that any interpretation of this parable must expressly counter covetousness. Also, in Lu 16:15, Jesus responded to the Pharisees' covetousness and continued His teaching on through the story of the rich man and Lazarus.

Therefore, this parable, taken in context, is continuing Jesus' teaching begun with the parable of the prodigal son and his older brother (see note 6 at Lu 15:25 and note 8 at Lu 15:29). It deals with covetousness and is compatible with the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Lu 16:19-31).

The unjust steward was certainly covetous. He had not been faithful to his master or to his master's debtors. He had wasted his master's goods on himself. When found out, his self-serving nature, after considering the options, decided there had to be a change. He decided to use his lord's money to make friends so that when he was fired he would have someone to help him.

His master was apparently wealthy enough that he didn't take offense at the steward discounting the debts owed to him (see note 5 at Lu 16:6), but rather he commended the steward. He didn't commend his dishonest ways, but he was commending the fact that he had finally used his lord's money to plan for the future instead of wasting it on himself. Although the steward was motivated by what he would ultimately gain, his actions showed a prudence that was lacking before.

In this sense, the children of this world (lost people) are wiser than the children of light (born-again people) because they plan for the temporal future. Jesus began His interpretation of this parable in Lu 16:9 by telling us to use money (the unrighteous mammon) to make to ourselves friends who would receive us into "everlasting habitations." The use of the word "everlasting" denotes that Jesus was talking about our eternal future.

Our material possessions have been given to us by God so that we are actually stewards of His resources. The Lord gave us this wealth to establish His covenant on this earth (De 8:18), not so that we could consume it upon our own lust (Jas 4:3). If we consume all that the Lord has given us on earthly things, then we are unjust stewards. The Lord was instructing us to use money (the same would apply to talents and abilities) to further His kingdom and bless others, and there will be eternal rewards (Mt 6:19-21). The people who have been saved and blessed by our investments in the kingdom of God will literally receive us into our everlasting homes when we fail (Lu 16:9), or pass on to be with the Lord.

Money is not true wealth. But if we haven't been faithful stewards of the money that the Lord has given us, then He will not entrust to us the greater riches of the kingdom. Our material stewardship mirrors our spiritual stewardship and determines what the Lord will entrust to us (Mt 25:20-23 and Lu 19:17). Lu 16:13 is identical to Mt 6:24 (with the exception of the words "man" and "servant"). In Mt 6, Jesus' teaching is very clear and leaves no doubt that He was preaching against laying up treasures (covetousness) for ourselves here on earth (see note 36 at Mt 6:19, note 37 at Mt 6:20, and note 38 at Mt 6:21).

This certainly went against the Pharisees' beliefs and practices. Jesus said the Pharisees devoured widows' houses (Mt 23:14). In Mt 15:3-9, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for allowing money that should have gone for supporting parents to be given as an offering, and it is very likely that they were taking more than their fair share of the offerings. Lu 16:14 makes it very clear that it was because of this covetousness that the Pharisees were offended by Jesus' parable.

Jesus continued His rebuke of the Pharisees in Lu 16:15-18 by exposing their hypocrisy and followed with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. That story once again shows the vanity of making provision for this life only and is perfectly compatible with the teaching of this parable of the unjust steward.

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Also read: http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/financial_stewardship