Titus 1:10-11 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the Circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
The term filthy lucre means money hungry. When money is the motivating factor of a church leader the result will always be destruction within the Body of Christ. This Passage was a warning to Titus and should be a warning to us today.
These people are the false teachers who seek power and money and are not truly concerned about, or motivated by the Holy Spirit for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Some will say they can seek God and the Kingdom and monetary gain and power all at the same time, but the Word of God clearly states, What communion has light with darkness? Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus declares this to be impossible. Anyone not totally devoted to God and the building of His Kingdom is ultimately devoted to the world and everything in it. The word “mammon” is often defined as money which is not incorrect, but incomplete.
Mammon is an evil spirit that works through money. It causes people to worship money and material gain. This is filthy lucre; the worship of money. The evil spirit of mammon, if left to run rampant, will destroy the faith of the individual as they seek more and more of the world and what it has to offer. The evil spirit of mammon is what causes greed in an individual.
Greed is defined as: the obsession of accumulating more. The Word of God has much to say on the subject and in Isaiah 56:11 we read, Yes, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough. Greed can never be satisfied. The more a greedy person has, the more they want. It is an addiction caused by the spirit of mammon.
With that said, let’s look at the statement made by Jesus in Matthew 6:24 again. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
We are spirit beings and we are controlled by spiritual forces. There are two kinds of spirits: Good and evil. God is spirit and mammon is spirit; Good and evil. When the spirit of mammon dominates an individual, greed rules their life. They are addicted to accumulating more; never satisfied with what they have.
This evil spirit of mammon controls much of the world today. It is prevalent everywhere, even in the leadership of the Body of Christ. The spirit of mammon ministering to people causes them to want the biggest church in the area with the largest number of people in attendance. When this spirit takes over the focus turns from serving God and building His Kingdom, to serving mammon; money, material goods, and power.
Jesus made it clear when He said that no one can serve the Spirit of God and the spirit of mammon at the same time. They are diametrically opposed to each other; Good and evil; white and black; light and darkness. We each must choose which spirit we will serve.
Serving the Spirit of God can……..turn the tide
Choice made, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
