Book 2 of Musings Making Friends With the World

If you are not going to serve Christ faithfully, then make friends with the people of the world so there will be someone to receive you when you die.

You know, I have had a difficult time understanding the parable about the unjust steward. Maybe you have not had the same problem.

Probably the issue revolves around the word "mammon," or "riches." The adjective "unrighteous"-the unrighteous riches. The idea seems to be that of money used in the wrong way, or worldly riches. There is no question in my own mind that Antichrist to a great extent represents the unrighteous monetary systems of the world. Money is the power of Antichrist. I think the mark in the head and hand means we are living in the economic system of the world and trusting in it, rather than seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

The story is about a rich man's manager who was accused of wasting the possessions of his employer.

His employer fired him because he had demonstrated incompetence.

The incident concerns an incompetent, dishonest employee.

So far so good.

This lazy crook thought to himself, "I've been fired. I have nowhere to go. I will curry favor with my employers debtors so they will receive me into their houses."

Clear so far.

So he went to the people who owed money to his employer and had them falsify their bills so they didn't owe so much for the oil and wheat they had purchased.

The employer said the dishonest employee was wise to make a place to take him in, now that he had been fired from his job.

No problem to this point.

Jesus comment was that worldly people, such as the employer and the dishonest manager, are more shrewd when it comes to dealing with others of their kind, than is true of those who follow Christ.

Let me pause to note that since the employer had found out what his former employee had done, and that his debtors had participated in this crime, he undoubtedly had the employee and the debtors thrown in jail for their perjury.

But let us proceed.

Jesus' thought on this was that since you have been unfaithful to God you are wise if you use your participation in the world economic system to make friends for yourselves with worldly people. Otherwise you will have neither the Lord nor the world to take care of you.

I will tell you how I believe this applies to us. I am basing my interpretation on the following comment made by the Lord, which is in context with this story:

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Luke 16:13)

I think the Lord is telling us that we have to decide whether to serve Him or serve the deceitful riches of the world. If we do not choose one or the other we will have no place to go.

I believe the story of the faithless employee applies also to preachers. If we are not faithfully declaring the Lord's demands, He will fire us. Then we had better tell the people what they want to hear. We might tell them that the Lord Jesus doesn't actually expect us to present our body a living sacrifice, take up our cross, and follow Him each day.

If the Lord dismisses us from His service, and we don't make friends with the congregation by compromising the demands of discipleship, then we won't have the support of the Lord or the people.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27) The following verse is of interest:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9) Notice the expression "eternal dwellings." This tells me the Lord is speaking of being received in the spirit realm after we die.

This brings up the possibility that the worldly people will have a place in the spirit realm, and they will welcome us after we die.

The same may be true of the lukewarm believers to whom we have borne a false witness so they will "love" us.

I do not understand about worldly people or lukewarm believers having eternal habitations. But it is certain there are no eternal habitations on the earth at the present time. Maybe the spirit realm is not like we picture.

The Lord concludes by advising us that if we do not use money in a trustworthy manner, we will not be given true riches.

It really is a warning to the incompetent manager, who wasted the property of his employer. But it also tells us that we have better be hot or cold, for the Lord is not going to accept lukewarm believers.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16:10-12) We are wise if we choose one path or the other. If we don't, we will have no place of welcome in eternity.

This is all I can get out of it.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Rev 3:15-16)