Human beings and God

4.1. How does God feel about humans?

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Since God created us in His image, He is the source of our ability to reflect and feel, to recall and hope, to contemplate and evaluate.

- God feels love for human beings

God’s love toward humans is:

• Steadfast - Psalm 86:15

• Unconditional - Romans 5:8

• Selfless - John 15:13

• Stronger than a mother's love - Isaiah 49:15

• Everlasting - Jeremiah 31:3

• Sacrificial - John 3:16

- God our Father

The God of the Bible refers to Himself as our Father. He does not only refer to Himself as the creator, but as our parent.

Let us look at how God refers to Himself in the Bible.

Psalm 68:5 says, “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”

Psalm 103:13 says, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.”

James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Matthew 10:29-31 says, “29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

- What does the parable of the prodigal son teach us about God's love?

Luke 15:11–32 includes the "parable of the prodigal son." The character of the forgiving father, whose love remains constant throughout the story, is a picture of God. In telling the story, Jesus identifies Himself with God in His loving attitude toward the lost, symbolized by the younger son.

The main focus of this story is the restoration of a believer's fellowship with the Father. The father waits and watches expectantly for his son's return, which demonstrates God's love for every person and His personal devotion toward all humanity. As the recollection of the father's love drives the prodigal son to repentance, we observe in this narrative the gracefulness of the father covering the sinfulness of the son (Romans 2:4).

- God is personally loves more than your parents do and wants you have a relationship with you.

Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

Isaiah 49:15 says, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

Psalm 27:10 says, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up."

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

 Hebrews 13:5 says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

4.2. Why would God allow His Son to die to save humanity?

- God wanted to die for us and the Bible says that He did.

1 John 3:16 says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

However, God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and He could not die. Only humans can die because they are mortal. God could not come as Himself as a Spirit, and therefore He had to become a human being to die for us.

1 Timothy 3:16 says, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

- Jesus is God manifested in the flesh 

There are Bible verses in the Old Testament say that God will come in human form.

First proof

Micah 5:2 says, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Jesus was born in Bethlehem according to the New Testament. He is God because He is from old and from everlasting, which means that He was there from the beginning.

Second proof

Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.”

According to Matthew 1:23 in the New Testament, the name Emmanuel means God with us.

Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Third proof

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 says that the Son that will be born is the mighty God.

Fourth proof

Isaiah 40:3 says, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

According to Matthew 3:1-3 in the New Testament, the voice was John the Baptist, announcing the coming of Jesus, who is God.

Matthew 3:1-3 says, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, 2 Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

- Evidence from Genesis that God planned to come to earth to die for us

The genealogy in Genesis: Names in the Hebrew language have meaning and Genesis 5 shows the genealogy from Adam to Noah:

- Adam means Man

- Seth means Appointed

- Enosh means Mortal man 

- Kenan/Cainan means Sorrow

- Mahalalel means The Blessed God

- Jared means Shall come down/To descend

- Enoch means Teaching / Dedicated

- Methuselah means his death sends/His death shall bring 

- Lamech means the Despairing

- Noah means Rest, or comfort

If you put the names together, you get a message that says:

Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come downteaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest.

God included His DNA through the power of the Holy Spirit in Mary in order to form Jesus, who is the human version of Himself. 

- How do we know Jesus has God’s DNA?

• Jesus is the creator.

John 1:3 says, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

John 1:10 says, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”

• Jesus has the same nature, character and physical appearance of God.

John 14:9 says, “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?”

• Jesus is the king and has dominion over even angels.

Matthew 28:18 says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him”

• Jesus had power over nature.

Mark 4:36-41 says, “36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

• Jesus has the ability to give life and resurrect anyone.

Revelation 1:18 says, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Philippians 3:10 says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

John 11:25 says, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”

No other human being who has ever lived has the above characteristics, qualities and power. 

- If Jesus is God, why does the Bible also say He is the Son of God? 

Why does it not just only say He is God in human form?

God the Father did not come to earth as Himself; He implanted His DNA into Mary. 

Somebody is your son if they have your DNA. Since Jesus has God's DNA, it means that Jesus is the Son of God the Father. Jesus also has the DNA of a human being because He has a human mother. God technically does not have a mother. 

- Why did God not make Himself human instead of implanting His DNA in Mary?

For practical reasons:

• The issue is that God the Father wanted to continue to be omnipresent. Being in a human body has limitations and restrictions because you can only be in one place at a time. God the Father could not be both in heaven and on earth as a human at the same time.

• By having Jesus being born, God can be on earth and die as a human, but also be in heaven. Although Jesus was God, He could not be omnipresent and know everything that was happening because He was stuck in a human body. Therefore, He frequently needed to pray to God the Father to ask Him what was happening and what to do.

• If God came as Himself and was dead for three days and nights, who would be ruling the universe during that time? God is the one that ensures that everyone stays alive and that everything in the world functions properly. Who was going to make sure that the sun rose in the morning and that the water in the rivers continued to flow?

• God has an enemy called the devil (Satan) who wants to destroy us and He must always monitor his actions. The devil would have destroyed all of us before God resurrected on the third day. If He had died as Himself, we might have also died.

- Could God not have saved us another way without Him dying?

The Bible says that the death of Christ on the cross results in our salvation. But why did Jesus die on the cross and endure such a painful death? Was there not an alternative way God could have used to save us from our sins?

• How did sin enter the world?

According to Romans 5:12, sin entered the world because of Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden. The result of sin also resulted in death entering the world, and every man on earth has sinned, according to Romans 3:23, and fallen short of the glory of God.

• What are the consequences of sin?

Sin is disobedience to God and an offense against God’s holiness and authority. When we sin, it implies that we disrespect God’s authority because we think we know better than He does about what is good and evil.

Before we can understand why did Jesus had to die, we first need to understand the consequences of sin. The Bible says that the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and that the soul that sins shall die. But God does not want anyone to suffer eternal death and end up in the lake of fire. Therefore, He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal life, according to John 3:16.

- How did people get their sins forgiven before the death of Jesus?

Since the consequence of sin is death, God decided to introduce a system where a clean animal will die from a person’s sin instead of them dying.

So, a person would take an animal without blemish, place his hands on the animal’s head, and transfer their sins to the innocent animal.

Then the animal will be killed, and the person will be declared sinless. This animal sacrifice had to happen every day.

We can read Exodus 29:10-14 to tell us what used to happen in more detail.

- What happened when Jesus died?

When Jesus died, it ended the sacrifice of animals that could not permanently take away our sins. Jesus was innocent and without sin. Nevertheless, our sins were transferred to Him, and he died on our behalf (Hebrews 9:28).

However, instead of Him dying every day like the animals had to, He only died once (Hebrews 10:10).

The blood of goats and bulls cannot permanently take away our sins (Hebrews 10:4), but the one sacrifice of Christ did take away our sins.

- Why is Jesus' death important?

Jesus is a substitute, meaning He paid the penalty of sin instead of us.

In our legal system, if someone is fined $100,000,000.00 and cannot pay, it is acceptable for someone else to pay the fine on their behalf. The judge does not care who paid the fine, as long as the fine is paid. Therefore, we sinned, but it was Jesus who paid the fine for our sins, not us.

According to the severity of the offense, God must punish sin in accordance with His holiness and justice. God did not want to destroy us even though we would have deserved it, but out of love and mercy, He decided to clear the fine by paying for it Himself. The God of the Bible became human to die on our behalf and is, therefore, a substitute.

The death penalty for all human crimes was paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. Therefore, a person is free if they accept the substitute. On the other hand, they shall have to endure the just condemnation of their sin if they do not accept Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.

- Why was the cross used as a form of punishment?

Why did Jesus have to die on the cross instead of dying in another way? For example; why was the cross preferred to stoning? There is direct no answer to this question. However, His horrifying and shameful death is fitting for the horrifying and disgraceful nature of the sin that was punished.

- Could any person accomplish the task of saving us?

The answer is no. Only a sinless person could stand in for others. I cannot pay the fine for anyone else if I am already bankrupt or in debt. No one is sinless, and everyone has polluted themselves with numerous minor and large acts of disobedience to God. It reminds me a lot of the story of Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice his son, but God himself provided a replacement for the victim. Jesus is the substitutionary lamb who died in our place.

- What would have happened if Jesus did not die for us?

To be forgiven of our sins, we would have to sacrifice an animal every day, like in the Old Testament.

This would be a laborious task and many animals would have to be killed daily.

- What if I sin after getting saved/ becoming a Christian?

Responding to this question requires us to consider what Jesus is doing now in heaven. The Bible says that Jesus is our High Priest who makes intercession for us. Now, what is the role of a high priest? His role is to receive the confessed sins of the people and atone for them. Jesus now receives confessed sins and atones for them, and we find grace and mercy because Jesus was also tempted like us and emphasizes our weaknesses.

1 John 1:9 says that if a person confesses their sins to God, then He will faithfully forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Therefore we should confess our sins after we are saved so that Jesus can cleanse them since He is currently our High Priest.

- What happens to those who refuse to accept the death of Christ?

If a person refuses to accept that Jesus died for their sins, then they will not receive eternal life, according to John 3:36.

Therefore, Jesus had to die for our sins for us to be saved and any other way to get us saved would not have been good enough. Therefore, there is nothing that you can do to save yourself and there is no good deed good enough to save you.

Conclusion

Why did Jesus have to die to save us? When reading the Bible about salvation, it is reasonable to conclude that there was no alternative way for God to save us, but by Jesus dying on the cross. The penalty of sin is death, and it is either you die or someone dies on your behalf. There is no other way. There is also no deed good enough to save you.

4.3. Why is God against homosexuality?

Leviticus 20:13 says, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

Romans 1:26-27 says, “26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites” (NKJV)

God only has rules to protect us and His rules are not restrictions. The Bible does not directly say why God is against homosexuality. However, we can understand why when we examine the effects of homosexual acts.

- Testimony of a gay man who left homosexuality.

I heard the testimony of a gay man who stopped living the life of a homosexual. He did not stop because of religious reasons, but because the homosexual acts were jeopardizing his health. He said that the act of sodomy damaged his anus, resulting in him not being able to hold back fecal matter. The feces would come out and he could not stop this, leading him to wear adult diapers. Wearing the adult diapers was problematic because although they held the feces, they did not remove the smell. Therefore, he was continuously embarrassed in public because he would stink and people would move away from him.

He eventually decided to perform surgery to correct the problem and stayed in the hospital for more than a month. His doctor warned him that if he continued the acts of sodomy, his problem would worsen. Therefore, he felt he had no choice but to stop being gay and left the LGBTQ lifestyle.

- Fecal (Bowel) Incontinence

This ex-gay man suffered from a condition known as fecal incontinence. It is also called bowel incontinence and it is whereby you cannot manage or control your bowel movements and end up defecating in your pants.

There are two types of fecal incontinence:

• Urge incontinence: You feel the urge to poop but cannot make it to the toilet fast enough to prevent soiling yourself (having an accident). 

• Passive incontinence: Your rectum (which holds your poop) has stretched too much, or there is nerve damage. Your body does not warn you that you need to go to the toilet. In this situation, you will pass the movement (poop) without realizing it.

Since it is not only men that engage in sodomy, women who allow themselves to be sodomized by their partners have suffered from the same problem.

Anal intercourse linked to increased risk of incontinence in both males and females

As per the above screen shot, medical researchers analyzed data about this condition from 2009 to 2010. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicates that women engaging in anal intercourse were 50 percent more likely than their peers to report having fecal incontinence at least once a month. However, the odds of incontinence nearly tripled for men.

- Men who engage in sodomy have a higher risk of getting STDs

Investigations done by the CDC (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention)

Gay and bisexual men have higher risks of STDs like HIV than straight men

- What is wrong with lesbianism?

Women may transmit certain sexually transmitted infections to one another. Among those infections are bacterial vaginosis and trichomonas as well as human papillomavirus (HPV). Oral sex is the main way that these STDs are transferred. Female sexual contact may also spread HIV, especially the exchange of sex toys. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS and some other sexually transmitted diseases, such as genital herpes.

Screenshots - Articles from the Mayo Clinic

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

The Bible does not specify what is wrong with homosexuality, but it does say that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God is against us hurting our temples. 

Christianity promotes the principle of love. If you are performing acts that will hurt somebody else even if they consent to it, then you are not being loving to that person. 

Romans 13:10 says, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Homosexual acts hurt the people who do them and their partners. If you truly love somebody, you will not intentionally hurt them.

4.4. Why are some Christians poor?

Money is not prejudiced nor discriminatory. It does not care about your family background, race, gender, or age. In order to get money, you need to have six things.

1. You need to be a hard worker.

2. You need to be patient.

3. You need to be wise. 

4. You need self-control.

5. You need to get it honestly.

6. Have wise friends.

- What the Bible says about money and how to get it?

Proverbs 13:11 says, "Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow (NIV)."

Proverbs 10:4 says, "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth (NIV)."

Proverbs 21:20 says, “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.”

Proverbs 10:2 says, "Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death (NIV)."

Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty (NKJV)”

Proverbs 15:27 says, "He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live (NKJV)”

Proverbs 20:4 says, "The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing (NKJV)”

Proverbs 22:16 says,  “He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty (NKJV)”

Proverbs 14:23 says, "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty (NIV)."

Proverbs 24:33-34 says, “33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.”

Proverbs 23:20-21 says, "20 Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat; 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags (NKJV)”

Proverbs 13:20 says, "He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed (NKJV)”

Proverbs 22:29 says, "Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank."

Proverbs 22:7 says, "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."

Proverbs 21:17 says, "He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich."

The main reason why some Christians are poor is because they are too lazy to work or study to get money. Not everyone in third world countries is poor. How did they manage to be in the middle class or upper class?

- Who are the two groups of people who are not poor in this world?

1.  Business owners

2. People who have studied hard and have university or college degree that most corporations want.

All poor people have five things in common:

• They are poor either because they are too lazy to start a business and work hard to make it profitable. Some people work hard, but they do not have the wisdom to make it profitable.

• Or they are poor because they were too lazy to study hard at school to get good grades to go to university or lacked self-control and could not discipline themselves to study hard for long hours.

• Or they do not do thorough research about the career they want. They were diligent students, but they were not wise when it came to choosing their careers. They decided to study for a degree to get a qualification that nobody wants, and they struggle to get a job. There are people who advise that a person should study what they are passionate about and they will be successful. This is a deception, because your passion might not result in you getting an income. You might be passionate about art, but if nobody wants to buy your paintings, you will end up poor. You need to get a degree that is in high demand, which means that there is a high possibility that you are going to get a job. At the same time do not get into a career that you hate, but a career that you can learn to enjoy although it might not be your passion. Then do your passion as a hobby. You also need to do research about how long a job will be in demand. There are some jobs that will not exist in the future because of AI. Therefore, it is better not to study degrees relating to those jobs because you will become unemployed soon.

• Or some Christians also make the mistake of studying at institutions that are not accredited or that are not recognized as reputable by most companies. 

• Or when some Christians realize that their degree is not getting them a job, they are too proud to get what is regarded as a "low-grade" job because they are educated. If you are not getting an income, then humble yourself and try to get any job that you can even if you are over-qualified. I know of people who realized that the career that they had chosen had few job opportunities, so they went back to university and studied another degree. If you are fortunate to have enough money to study something else, then do so or try to get a bursary.

Multi-millionaires and multi-billionaires are all hard workers. They worked longer hours than the average employee to get their riches. If you want to get rich, you need to start your own business. Working for somebody else will not make you wealthy. They have been patient in accumulating money and learning from their mistakes. They have been wise enough to think of selling products or providing a service that people wanted. They have self-control and are not big spenders who use their money wisely and do not waste it. They are constantly reading and educating themselves to better understand economics, business and changes in technology so that they can better compete with their competitors.

People who study hard and get a university degree end up in the middle class on condition that they were wise enough to choose a qualification that is needed by most companies. Some unwise people have studied to get qualifications, which resulted in them not getting any job because they possessed a skill that few companies wanted. In general, it is difficult to get a decent job without a university degree.

Some wise Christians have both a normal job from Monday to Friday, but an additional small side hustle/business which they do in case they loose their normal job. By having a small business, they will still have an income if they get fired or retrenched from their normal job. However, working as an employee and having a business is not easy. You will have no free time and having both might strain you.

Laziness among some Christians is also worsened by the false teaching of the prosperity gospel and false “name it and claim it” gospel. According to these false teachings, you do not need to work hard or study to obtain wealth. You become wealthy by giving the pastor money (prosperity gospel) and speaking positive affirmations over your life, declaring wealth and prosperity over your life (name it and claim it gospel). 

Making people rich is not God’s priority, and the Bible tells us not to focus on temporary things on the earth (2 Corinthians 4:18). In the parable of the talents, Jesus indicates that He views laziness as sinful (Matthew 25:26).

- What are the disadvantages of trying to get rich?

• Loving money can cause you to be tempted to do evil to get it.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 says, “9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Proverbs 28:20 says, “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.”

• You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24 says, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money).”

Some men end up not having a good relationship with their families. They do not spend time with their children and spouses. Some marriages end up in divorce, and they end up dying alone.

Some people overwork, which negatively impacts their health and ultimately leads to their premature death. They have too much stress and do not get enough sleep, resulting in them always being moody and remaining unhappy, although they have a lot of money.

- What are the true riches that every Christian should be going after?

• Treasure in heaven

Matthew 6:19-20 says, “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”

• Be rich in faith

James 2:5 says, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?”

• Be rich in good works

1 Timothy 6:18 says, “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate”

Before chasing money, remember that life on earth is temporary, and your money will be enjoyed for a brief time.

When you die, you cannot take your riches with you. Both rich and poor end up in the same place.

With Nothing

Refer to Chapter 6, Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 that explains other reasons why Christians suffer.

4.5. Why does God not answer prayers to get jobs?

Question: What if I was a studious Christians and studied a degree that is wanted by most corporations, but I am still unemployed?

Answer: God is obligated to do what He has promised in the Bible. There is nowhere in the Bible where God promises to give anybody a job. God promises to provide our needs, not our wants (Philippians 4:19). However, He does not specify how He does this. He can provide your needs by allowing you to get a job, but He does not have to. God can provide for your needs in many ways other than giving you a job.

People, not God, create businesses. The more businesses there are, the more jobs there are.

The reality is that very few people start businesses. If there are 10 thousand businesses in a country and the population grows by 10 million within 20 years, but there are still 10 thousand businesses after 20 years, then millions of people will be unemployed.

Platforms like LinkedIn specify the number of people who have applied for a specific job. Sometimes one job posted has more than one thousand applicants. This shows that there are not enough businesses in the world to employ everyone. Let us say 800 of the applicants are Christians, and they all pray to get a job. At the end, only one Christian will get the job, leaving 799 disappointed Christians unemployed. It is not God's fault that a business only accepts one applicant and that people are not starting their own businesses.

God cannot give you what does not exist. If there are no job vacancies, then you will remain unemployed. God is not going to magically create a building and include a CEO and managers that will start hiring people.

The issue of unemployment is worsened when companies close down. Many companies have closed down since the lockdowns have happened, which has increased unemployment. According to economists, the use of AI in corporations is going to result in the loss of more jobs in the future and certain jobs we have today, will not exist in the near future.

- What the Bible says about prayer?

1. Many Christians do not read the entire Bible regarding how prayer works. 

The Bible discusses a topic in many places within it, so never read one verse about a certain topic. You must read all of the verses on that topic, especially in the New Testament.

Matthew 21:22 says, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

The above verse implies that you can ask for anything and get it. Many Christians love this verse and this is the only one that most of them know regarding prayer. However, you should read other verses that discuss prayer and situations where prayers do not get answered.

1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”

Therefore, whatever we ask, if it is not according to God's will, He will not do it. God’s will is written in the Bible.

2. God does say that we should work.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

Those who do not work should not eat. However, God does not specify where we should work, whether we should work in a company, or whether we should be paid.

- Gardening is also work.

- Preaching the gospel is also work.

3. God only does what He has promised.

Romans 4:21 says, “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”

God never promised that every Christian would get a secular job from a corporation. Therefore, you cannot blame God if no company wants to hire you.

4. God provides needs, not wants.

Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

People want a job for many other reasons than to get money to buy food and clothing. For example, you might want to buy a new car, house, jewelry, appliances, phones, and other gadgets to impress others.

5. God only classifies food and clothing as needs in the New Testament.

1 Timothy 6:8 says, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

Matthew 6:31-32 says, “31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

• I have met Christians who are upset at God because they cannot afford to buy a car. But God does not classify a car as a need.

• Your feet are your transportation. Jesus walked everywhere; He did not have a horse and had to borrow somebody else's donkey one time. The other disciples of Jesus and the apostle Paul also walked.

• They did not live in expensive houses. If you wanted to live in a house, you had to build it yourself.

The above is an indication that the prosperity gospel is a lie.

God promises a mansion in heaven, not on earth (John 14:2).

6. God says He will provide you with food and clothes, but He never specified how He was going to do this.

There are other ways to get food, such as having your own garden. If there are no jobs, then you can start your own business. Find out what your community's needs and wants are and fulfill those needs in exchange for money.

If you are getting food and clothing, then the promise of God has been fulfilled. Whether you are getting it from your parents, other family members, donations, a government assistant, or from ravens like Elijah, your needs are being fulfilled.

I repeat again: God never said that He would provide for your needs by giving you a secular job.

7. God examines your motives. Some Christians want a job for the wrong reasons, other than to provide for their needs.

James 4:3 says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

Lust does not only refer to sexual desire. Another word for lust is desire. Some Christian men want to get a job to get money to buy an expensive car to attract many women. Some Christians desire a job that allows them to purchase expensive items to boast about them on social media.

Some of you are not getting the job when you go to the interview for the following reasons:

• You never thoroughly prepare.

• Your resume or CV has spelling mistakes and looks unprofessional.

• You consistently fail psychometric or aptitude tests because you never practice them.

• Interviewers look at your social media accounts to see what you are posting. Many Christians are not getting jobs because of what they have posted.

• Some people’s body language or appearance turns the interviewer off.

• If 10 Christians go to a job interview, only the one who has prepared will get the job. There is information online about how to ace an interview.

• You also need to be marketable and stand out from other candidates by continuously studying. Review the skills that most companies want and upgrade your knowledge by doing courses.

However, God overall is not interested in giving Christian jobs. His main interest is Christians being involved in spreading the gospel. God's main concern is the salvation of souls, not us living comfortable lives on earth. The things of the earth are temporary and we are told to focus on eternal things. 

If you are unemployed, spend your time doing God's main will and job for you, which is spreading the gospel.

- Who  gets a job is also dependent upon the number of people who will benefit.

If there are two types of Christians who both go to a job interview. The first spends money only on themselves, family and returns their tithes. The second spends money on themselves, family, returns tithes and also donates to orphanages which help over 100 children.

Question: Who will God allow the job to be given to?

Proverbs 22:9 says, "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor (NIV)."

Proverbs 11:25 says, "A generous person will prosper;  whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (NIV)."

God in general does not answer the prayer requests of selfish people, who never help the poor and spend their money only on themselves.

Proverbs 21:13 says, "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard."

1 John 3:17 says, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

- What is the difference between the first Christian church and the churches of today?

• The first Christian church in the book of Acts

The original church was unified. These Christians cared about each other and did not join the church to identify what they can get from church.  They were focused on spreading the gospel to others and worshipping God. Everybody was selfless and became Christians because they wanted to repent from their life of sin and spread the gospel. Their focus was on others and not on themselves.

Acts 2:41-47 says, “41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

• The churches of today

Few Christians have read the entire Bible and choose for themselves which part of the Bible they will believe. They are not in one accord and do not have all things in common.

The churches consist of a pastor preaching every week to people who already have knowledge of the gospel. Some Christians eventually get bored and start attending church less and less until they eventually stop. However, the church of Acts had Christians who accepted the gospel and preached to non-Christians, thereby increasing number of Christians. It was not only the pastor who was preaching.

1. Churches of today are similar to AA meetings

• The churches of today are similar to AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings. You have people coming to the church because they either have a physical, mental, financial, or psychological problems and hope the church will help them. They come to church because it is their last hope and they have given up on trying to solve their own problems.

• They come to church wanting to be helped, unlike the first Christians in Acts, who came to church to provide help to others (Philippians 2:4).

The difference between AA meetings and the church is the following:

• The members in an AA meeting know that they are all in a helpless situation and that they cannot help each other and do not expect help from other members because they cannot help themselves.

• The members in an AA meeting depend on the instructor to help them.

• Many people who attend church have problems, but assume that the other church members do not have problems. They expect love and support from other church members who also expect love and support from them. They attend the church because of selfish reasons and desire assistance from other church members. The result is frustration because everybody is expecting help from each other and did not come with the intention to give attention and love to others.

• For example, in some churches, over 90% of the church members could be struggling with sin and other problems. But none of them are aware of this. So a situation can arise whereby a drug addict comes to church expecting to receive love, acceptance and support to overcome his drug addiction. However, sitting next to him is another drug addict expecting the same treatment. Both are unaware that they are both addicts and expect support from each other. Since they are there for selfish reasons, both of them do not get what they want, resulting in them feeling frustrated and leaving the church.

• The other church members might realize that their fellow church members are also there for selfish reasons and will never help them, so they try to seek help from the pastor. This results in the pastor experiencing burnout in an attempt to help so many people.

I have interacted with people who have told me about their interest in becoming Christians and most of them want to be Christians for wrong reasons. They see Christianity as a way to escape their problems and assume that it is the church’s responsibility to help them. They come to church mainly because they have messed up their lives and cannot solve their problems, and he church is the last hope and resort. They are not interested in loving others, helping others, supporting others, or spreading the gospel. This is different from the first Christian in the book of Acts.

People should be going to God to help them, not church members or their pastor. The first Christian church did not expect other church members to help them. They were selfless and wanted to help others. They knew that their only helper was God, not people. Their main interest was evangelism.

2. Churches of today are like hospitals, but where people do not seem to recover.

Some Christians like to refer to the church as a hospital. They have this mindset based on the words of Jesus, when He said, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mark 2:17).

The issue is that in a normal hospital, the people recover from their sickness and leave. But in most churches, Christians remain spiritually sick for years and never recover. They do not repent, do not change, but remain sinful. Few read their Bibles and few spiritually grow. They do not want to be told about their sin and they do not want to repent. They love motivational talks that make them feel good. They want health, wealth and happiness.

The churches of today are not a place of spiritual growth, nor a place to get closer to God, nor a place to understand the Bible more. A Christian can only grow by reading the Bible themselves, praying and abiding in Jesus. Many pastors are interested in increasing the number of church members, but do not care about the quality and character of church members. They do not care whether they are genuine or not.

- Why there are different church denominations?

There are different denominations to suit the desires of every heart.

• There are churches that suit Christians who do not like to hear about sin.

• There are churches whose primary aim is to have worship music and style that the congregation desires.

• There are prosperity churches that teach that you can become rich by just giving the pastor money and not working hard for it.

• There are churches that accept gay marriages.

• There are churches that accept female pastors.

• There are churches where people perform false miracles and speak in tongues.

• There are churches that have a lot of fun activities to do and social gatherings.

• There are churches where you can dress however you like.

Many Christians lie to themselves and say that they want a Bible-based church. However, they will leave a church and tell you that they left because they did not like the music or that the church preached about dressing modestly. The choose a denomination that preach parts of the Bible that suit them.

Their human desire and not God’s will is the reason for their selection of a certain church denomination.

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