Sometimes those who are prosperous, there’s almost a guilt feeling, like, “Man, I’ve got so much!  Should I go around and look for people that I can give some money to?”  Let me remind you again of that principle:  We can see in the book of Acts when they’re admonished to provide for the poor, and Paul says, “I’ve always been ready and done these things.  It’s just been a part of who I am.”  I mean, this was a man that knew the Old Testament.  So don’t take advantage of poor people!

I might just give you a quick example:  If you’re sitting there, and you’re negotiating on a car with a guy, and you’re wanting to buy one for your kids or something, and you’re sitting there and you know this guy is living from week to week, paycheck to paycheck, and you’re trying to beat him down for a deal.  You know what God said about oppressing the poor?  He said your arms are going to fall off (Job 31:21-22).  How about even paying somebody more than it’s worth when we know there’s a legitimate need there?  Isn’t it amazing how many rich people feel they’ve got to have a deal?  “Not so, not so,” sayeth the buyer, “It’s not worth that.”  And then you go away saying, “Boy, I got that guy,” and boast in it.  God’s watching.  So, these are some of the practical things.  This is where we live.

The enjoyment is the gift of God.  So don’t feel guilty, but be ready always, and if we happen to come up on the guy that’s lying in the street as the Good Samaritan did, we’re ready to respond.  God brought this person into our lives for a reason.  We don’t say, “Go away, be warmed and filled,” when we have the ability to meet the need.  Amen?  Now, I’m not talking about every beggar on the street.  I believe we need to be prayerful.  There are those that are out there that try to prey upon churches.  Those people are out there.  In India, when we were there—and it was one of the things that just breaks your heart, they were showing me different children who were maimed by their parents to they’ll be more pitiful and be able to bring more money home.  That’s a powerful spirit.  The beggar, I’m talking about.  And then there are legitimate needs—that’s why we need to be prayerful.  The Holy Spirit, I believe, will guide us and speak to us as it pertains to these different things.

First Timothy 6.  As you spend time in this chapter, you’ll pick up on the spirit that’s coming to this church of Ephesus, and it’s very obvious that they were having some conflict in the church about the responsibilities of the rich.  I’m sure there was resentment, criticism, strife that was trying to manifest itself.  This is coming off the first part of that sixth chapter in the context is talking about the relationships between slaves and their masters and how, as brothers and sisters in Christ, their relationship in Christ is an eternal relationship.  It should be a stronger union than that which is held in the master/slave relationship. 

So, there were a lot of issues that were rising in the church between masters and their servants.  And in this, of course, becomes the issue of class, wealth, power, all of these different areas that, if our hearts are not renewed, are very discernible and powerful factions in society.  Most poor people dislike rich people for no reason at all, but that they’re rich.  Would anybody call that prejudiced?