The Cure for Materialism – Dr Tony Evans
By Church News
The Cure for Materialism – Dr Tony Evans
In His Presence: 3 John 1:2
When Simon offered money to the disciples, Peter responded: “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:20). Materialism carries with it a heavy curse. It began when Adam and Eve wanted to satisfy their own appetites, and the whole world fell under the curse of sin. Materialism causes people to forget about God, and where God is not the focus, life will be pointless. Matthew 13:22 says: “The worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
The good news is that there is a cure for materialism. The cure is repentance. In Acts 8:22-23, the disciples told Simon: “Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
God doesn’t want money to bind you or chain you down. Deuteronomy 8:18 says: “It is [God] who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant.” His blessings are meant to free us up to do more for Him. Giving of our blessings means that people are saved, the gospel is preached, and the poor are helped. God never blesses us to keep it for ourselves; He blesses us to share that blessing with others. Our financial prosperity and our spiritual prosperity are intertwined; they go hand in hand.
Dr Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and the author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies.
Dr Evans holds the honour of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,400 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.