There is a common simile which is often used during conversations, outside the body of Christ in referring to poverty. The phrase – “as poor as a Church rat”; is used by the unsaved world in referencing their level of poverty.
This comparison of the Church with rats and poverty, is one of the most misguided views about Christians in the world today. How can this be? Rats are destructive in their quest for food. They are also the carriers of some of the most deadliest diseases in the world. This comparison doesn’t fit into who the believer in Christ really is. It is another attempt by the unsaved world, to make Christians and Christianity undesirable to anyone.
It is important to note that there is the assumption in this comparison, that only poor people do go to Church. Or that being rich has nothing to do with the Christian lifestyle. This false assumption has led many among the unsaved, to associate poverty with the Church. It has also affected Christian outreaches, in certain inner cities of some countries.
But it is the duty of the Church to help the poor in our communities. That however does not means that the Church exists only for the poor. The Church’s role primarily is to preach the gospel. And with the proclamation of the gospel, we are able to empower the poor to be rich. Poverty is evil, and it is never of God. A Christ centered solution is the only answer to help the poor.
Satan is never giving up on his lies and deceptions, with the sole purpose of preventing sinners from being saved. That’s why as Christians we need to be doing more, in projecting the correct image of our God to the world.
The world needs to know God, for who He really is – the Blessed One. Our God is the source of all blessings. Poverty, destructions and diseases are all the creations of the Devil. And all of these things are associated with rats, and not with the children of God.
You were created to bless others
In reality Christians are blessed people. We bless the world at all times, because that is the nature of our Heavenly Father. It is the nature that we received from Him, when we got born of His Spirit. It was always common within the early Church, to see Christians bless their world.
The Bible says that:
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:44-47 NIV
These were prosperous people. Poor people can’t do what these new believers in Christ were doing. Poor people don’t have properties to sell. And they don’t have possessions to share generously with others. The love of God compelled these Christians to share with others. That same love is still compelling Christians today.
The influence of the early Christians within their social world was great. They had a voluntary giving spirit, to help those in need within the Church and outside the Church. This attracted the unsaved into the Church. Many wanted to be part of this gathering of believers, who were committed to pulling their resources together, in helping one another. This was what their Heavenly Father does at all times – blessing people. They now became the ones through whom, their world would get to know God, as the source of all blessings.
This had absolutely nothing to do with communism, as some social scientists have often suggested. The Romans had nothing at all to do with the running of the Church. On the other hand we do know that, communism is an utopia system of government, which seeks always to run peoples’ lives for them. It is a form of government that actually opposes any form of religion. Communism is the very reason why there is poverty all over the world today.
But what was happening within the early Church, was the creation of wealth with the blessing of the Lord, with the sole purpose of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone who gave to the Church, did it voluntarily. It is the love of God working in their lives, that compelled their giving.
It was later during the medieval times, that some theologians within the Church started seeing the creation of wealth, as being a hindrance to faith in God. They were the ones who first started calling poverty a blessing. This was a wrong and negative picture of who God really is. There is no place in scriptures where being poor is ever called a blessing.
It is however important to recognize where these theologians were coming from, with their misguided views about faith and riches. There has been Christians (even today), who often do back slide away from faith in God; because they are not spiritually disciplined, to handle the blessing which is being committed to them by God.
But that is not really an excuse for putting a tag of poverty on all of God’s people. It is just as it will also be wrong to suggest that; just because Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, then basically all Christians will have to be tagged with Judas’ image of a traitor. No! There is no basis at all for the comparison of Christians with poverty and rats.
Those who are making this comparison, had often used the Parable of the rich young man (Luke 18:18-30), to buttress their point while quoting from the words of Christ in that Parable which says:
“Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:24-25 NIV
This statement by Jesus does actually suggests that, this comparison comes from a misconception, about the Christian life by the world. Jesus never made any comparison here of the Church with poverty.
What Jesus was saying here is that, our ability as Christians to create wealth with the blessing of the Lord, should not be allowed to hinder our spiritual lives as Christians. In other words your ability to be rich in this world, should never be allowed to hinder your spiritual growth in Christ Jesus.
The enemy’s tactic of comparing Christians with rats is dangerous
As Paul said:
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
1 Timothy 6:6-10 NIV
It is therefore totally wrong for anyone, to even be trying to associate poverty with the Christian lifestyle. God wants us to be contented with His blessing, but those who are greedy will end up putting a curse on themselves.
The ignorance of the unsaved world about Christians, is openly displayed in their unjustified comparison of Christians with rats. But what really makes a “Church rat poorer than a regular rat” in the world today? Is it the level of ignorance about the truth that sets free? Or is it the acceptance of this type of stigmatization by the world?
We do know that a Christian with a poverty mentality, may be misled to accept poverty, as the will of God for his life. But that is not really the way God sees any one of His children.
The scriptures reveals the will of God to us about this. God once spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah; when he said:
“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.”
Jeremiah 29:11 GNB
And again through the Apostle John in one of his letters:
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.”
3 John 1:2 AMPC
God’s will for His children is prosperity. He is never interested in anyone being poor. Poverty is the evil sent from hell, to strangle the faith in God of every human beings. The Devil wants people to believe in his lie. He wants them to see poverty, as being sent from God. That’s his tactic in comparing Christians with rats.
What about the regular rat?
But the “regular rats” that are outside of the Church, are actually getting fatter with the lies and deceptions of the Devil. The enemy does this so as to alienate them, from the people of God. What the unsaved world does not observe the Devil doing to them; is that he is getting them deeper and deeper into financial debts and sin. The Devil does not ever want to be in hell alone, together with his fallen angels. He desires to have as many people in hell together with him, to keep him in company.
The debt of sin is the greatest debt of all. It is the debt that gets the world alienated from God. The sinner may not worry so much about his alienation away from God, as long as the Devil continues to give him, the temporary relieves from his burden of debts and his lust for sin. And that’s exactly what dead religion does to people. But there is the greater price to pay for it in eternity with Satan in hell fire.
The scriptures tells us as Christians to:
“Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses’ Teachings.”
Romans 13:8 GW
That’s why Christians will need to get smarter in dealing with the world. If you are really interested in getting the sinner saved, you’ve got to start listening to Jesus, by following His leading and guidance. Jesus once said about the dishonest manager in one of His Parables in Luke 16:1-13:
“The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. Worldly people are more clever than spiritually-minded people when it comes to dealing with others.”
Luke 16:8 GW
Don’t get too spiritually minded to the extent, that you forget to use the wisdom of God in you, in doing business for the Kingdom of God. Jesus warned us as Christians here, that worldly people are somehow cleverer than those in the Church, especially as it relates to debt cancellation. That’s why the ignorance about how the blessing comes, is making some as poor as Church rats. Christians need to be creating wealth around themselves, with the blessing of the Lord in them.
You have no business being poor
Poverty is a blood sucking demon. It brings sicknesses, due to a poor healthy lifestyle management. It causes stress, strife and a breakdown of the family unit. Gun violence, armed robberies and other crimes are rooted in it. It is a destructive mentality that is programmed from hell to destroy every human being on earth. Poverty does not know a Christian from a non Christian. It must be gotten out of the mindset of every member of the body of Christ.
God’s will is to prosper you and those around you, as they remain faithful to God. Be bold in using your faith to take hold, of all that is yours before the Lord in prospering yourself spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially also. Start enjoying the blessing of the Lord, so that the unsaved world will start seeing, how your faith in God is prospering you.
It is only the blessing of the Lord, that can make a poor man rich, without any toiling or sorrowing to go with it. You can give a poor man all the money or riches in this world; but if he is still struggling with the poverty mentality in him, he will still remain poor. That’s why you will often see certain people, who do often win jackpots of money in lotteries, becoming poorer sooner later. Their mentality has never changed. And the Devil goes after them for total destruction.
But when a poor man changes his way of thinking, concerning the blessing of the Lord, he then becomes a blessing to the world around him. He will begin to see God, as the source of every good things of life.
That’s why it’s important to always sow, the seeds of faith in God and love into people’s life, before blessing the poor with anything. You will see them use the seed of faith and love, to prosper everything they touch, once they’ve received the blessing. It will not only change them. It will change you also, and empower you to do more in helping the poor.
Poverty is more than a disease. It is a curse. A man who is living in poverty today, can break that chain of the curse, and turn it around into a blessing for himself and those around him, if he really wants to. Poverty is a curse; but the blessing of the Lord is the solution for its total eradication.
Paul said:
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Galatians 3:13-14 NIV
We have received the promise of the Spirit that comes with the blessing of the Lord. That’s why no matter what the enemy does to curse you, it will never work. You are too blessed for the curse to even stand in your life.
God is richer and wealthier than everyone
God is rich and He has so much to make everyone in this world, abound with His riches and blessings today. And by the time He must have finished blessing everyone with His riches; the whole world would not have even touched one percent of His wealth. That’s how rich your Heavenly Father is.
If we as Christians are actually teaching every poor man on earth today, how to use their faith, to tap into the blessing of the Lord. Then this world would have become amazingly prosperous. This is the ministry that God has committed to every believer in the name of Jesus. It is not the government’s job. It is the very reason why the Church exists. We lift people out of poverty into prosperity.
A blessed man does not endure or struggle to prosper. When you begin to realize that your faith (God’s seed of faith in you), is all that you need to tap into the blessing of the Lord, all of your struggles will end.
God does has the ability, to make everyone of His children on earth today, wealthy beyond their imaginations. But unfortunately it is not all of His children, who are gaining access into their wealthy places in God. This is because many are not making use of their faith, to gain access into the blessing.
Most of God’s children are still struggling, to understand what it means to live by faith; instead of just using their measure of faith to prosper themselves. Your faith will always work, when you use it. Some are even equating poverty with the lifestyle of faith.
Righteous living by faith does not means, that the righteous has to be poor to be found faithful. That’s another lie from Satan. A righteous man already has the wisdom of God in him to prosper. But he has to use it by faith, for him to start prospering with it.
Some Christians do see money as the blessing itself. This is wrong. That’s what the sinners will often refer to as the blessing also. And these Christians can’t even have it, because the Devil who controls the world’s economic system, knows that they are God’s children. The Devil will not give you wealth as a Christian, when he knows that you will use it against him, in spreading the gospel. You will have to forcefully take it away from him by faith (Matthew 11:12).
The world knows who you are.
Have you ever gone to the bank on the basis of being a Christian, to get a loan? They won’t give it to you at all, because you are a Christian. But they will rather give it to those who do belong to their world.
I remember once asking a banker about this. His answer was simple:
“Christians don’t pay back borrowed money. Majority of Christians are not financially responsible” – he said.
Immediately the Lord told me:
“That’s what poverty does to My people. I really desire to bless them, but all they are seeing and talking about is their lack”.
What the Lord told me is a direct reference, to a Christian’s lack of faith with financial responsibility. Many Christians do like to talk about their needs and lacks; instead of talking about what God has given to them by faith in Christ Jesus.
The banks recognizes this, and they often will slam the door on their faces. Banks will lend money only to the people, who do have faith to pay it back.
As a child of God your faith needs to be bolder and stronger, than that of those in the world for you, to be able to receive anything from God. Living by faith in God, with financial responsibility gives you an edge, as a Christian in the world’s economic system. As your faith works in prospering you financially, the banks will trust you more.
God cannot bless a financially dysfunctional person. Especially if he doesn’t have the boldness, to apply his faith in prospering himself. That’s why he sees himself lacking in things, instead of seeing himself prospering as God sees him.
The thought of poverty has been used by the Devil, in hindering the prosperity of God’s people. The Devil knows who you are. But when you start prospering in the blessing of the Lord, it is amazing how the very banks who normally are against you, will come looking for you. Why? Because they want your money. They will forget at that time, that you are a Christian.
Money to the world is what the blessing is all about. But to a child of God, money is not as important as the blessing of the Lord itself. Money is not necessarily evil. But it is the love of it, which causes evil to get rooted in people, who are abusing its use (1 Timothy 6:10). Being contented with the blessing of the Lord is of greater gain, than money itself.
Godly prosperity is not a get rich quick scheme
You are not in God’s Kingdom just to amass wealth for yourself. No. You are in the Kingdom to be a blessing to others in the body of Christ (see Acts 2:44-47). Jesus once made reference to this type of attitude with the blessing, when He said in the Parable of the rich fool:
“And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16-21 NIV
You are blessed to be a blessing to the world around you. Stop amassing wealth just for yourself, to the extent that you forget about the Kingdom of God. Remember that you brought nothing into this world, and you will absolutely leave the world with nothing. The anointing oil for the blessing in your calling, will continue to flow, when you see yourself as the vessel of God to bless the Christian world. You are a distributor of God’s wealth to the world of believers. You replenish the earth with the blessing. That’s why Jesus said:
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 NIV
Shaken together and running over blessing is an overflow of the blessing. As you give to God’s people, God will cause men to bless you back. When you start living in the reality of these spiritual truths, the world will stop using the simile – “as poor as a Church rat” in derogating the Christians . Yes, they will begin to acknowledge that, God is living in you and working through you. You will change your world for Jesus. Yes, because you are truly blessed of God.
