Embracing Kingdom Economics
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Alliance Life Magazine.
Shifting our Focus from Worldly Wealth to Faithful Generosity
I recently completed a two-year program that presented the ins and outs of banking. I'm sure this is also exactly how you would love to spend your free time! One of the early courses in the program was a high-level view of economics. In it, I was reminded that the economy of a nation is ultimately built on various cultural beliefs and values and not simply on economic principles.
As an example of how this plays out, during the founding of the European Union, merging the various European economies into one agreed-upon monetary system was a challenge. Everything went well at first, but during the Great Recession of 2008, things started getting rocky. Ultimately, it wasn't simply a conflict over economic policy as much as a conflict of the beliefs and cultural values that drove these decisions.
Our Sacred Stumbling Block
We all live according to underlying values and beliefs that drive our actions, often without realizing it. As believers, some of these values and beliefs are shaped intentionally through Scripture, while others have a way of creeping in from the prevailing culture. This was much of what Jesus came to confront. As the “stumbling block” (see Isa. 8:14; Matt. 21:44; 1 Cor. 1:23), He causes us to stop and reconsider how we’ve been living and pay closer attention to the values that underpin our mindsets, behaviors, and choices. The challenge is that the shift from a world-economy perspective to a Kingdom-economy perspective requires a full leap. If we want to experience the deeper life God intended for us, there is no halfway investment. We must commit to living out Kingdom-economy principles regardless of the cost.
One area that seems to be the hardest for us to embrace as Western individualists is our relationship with money and things. Part of this is likely because of the many voices in our society that extoll the values of worldly success, comfort, and individual rights. Emotionally targeted ads continually bombard us with alluring invitations to have it all. After all, you deserve it! The answer to life's woes is just one purchase away. While we can easily recognize the fallacy in these statements, swimming against the current in our daily decisions can be a bit more difficult.
Many writers note how much time Jesus spent talking about money. I believe there are several reasons for this, but I don't believe money, in and of itself, is at the center of His teachings. Instead, He's addressing the core heart issues that money seems to ignite within us. If you struggle with control, it'll show up in your relationship with money. Are you living a Kingdom-focused, missional life? Or a self-seeking, comfort-preserving existence? Take a look at how you use your money, and you'll have your answer. Jesus forewarns us in the parable of the soil that if we fail to address our relationship with money and things, we will face an insurmountable obstacle in our journey toward the transformed life He promises.
Most Christ followers have hit this wall somewhere along their discipleship journey. We reason, “God, you can challenge me in many areas of my life—but not money. That's mine. I've earned it.” Or, more commonly, we ignore the issue altogether and continue to walk the broader path forged by the prevailing values and behaviors we've grown so content to live by.
Reclaiming The Transformed Life
So, what's at stake if we fail to address the biblical theology of money? The first issue is our hearts and the deeper life that God intends for us to live. We can't fully experience the joy of the deeper life without surrendering all of who we are.
We must acknowledge that no area of our life remains untouched by Christ's Lordship-including our plans, purposes, and possessions. Yet, as Scripture often reminds us, these elements are often the most difficult to surrender (see Mark 10:17-27). Our culture promotes individualism, materialism, and hoarding wealth. We need God's help to avoid these cultural pitfalls, resist material temptations, and rely fully on His all-sufficiency. His Word assures us of His power, presence, and provision along the way (see 2 Pet. 1:3).
This is clearly a lifelong journey of sanctification that the Holy Spirit works in us. However, we can't expect to grow or progress if we're unwilling to address or even admit that we need help. The late Tim Keller once noted, “Over the years as a pastor, I've had people come in to talk to me about sins, but I don't remember anybody coming to me to confess the sin of greed.” Our tendency in this area is to ignore the issue and refrain from taking the difficult but necessary steps of surrender and growth.
Sowing Abundantly To Harvest Abundantly
Another issue at stake is our ability to participate in the mission that we've been set apart to fulfill. God has called and resourced The Alliance since its inception to extend all of Jesus to all the world. Throughout our history as a gospel-advancing movement, Alliance people have been characterized by faith-filled risk-taking and radical generosity toward our God-appointed mission. Can we still claim those traits today?
While God doesn't need us to accomplish His work on Earth, He has invited us to be active participants—not out of Christian duty or obligation but out of the joy that comes with aligning our hearts with His-delighting in the things that delight Him and grieving over the things that grieve Him. It's an enormous privilege to participate with Him in reaching, loving, and caring for others through our praying, giving, going, sending, and serving. We sow abundantly to reap abundantly. And, as one international worker pointed out at an Alliance Council several years ago, “All of Jesus for All the World takes all of us.”
The greatest reward in forsaking world economics and embracing Kingdom economics is the immeasurable impact on our souls. There's an indescribable joy that comes with Kingdom generosity that cannot be replicated through earthly means. And we're not left to stumble alone in the darkness. God's covenant promises assure of His redemptive intent that He will do the deep work that needs to be done if we are willing to fully surrender to Him. And He surrounds us with others who can spur us on as we reclaim our Kingdom values together.
Faith & Finance Perspective:
God never calls us to a task for which He hasn’t equipped us. As 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. That’s His part, and He always delivers on His covenant promises. Our part? Surrender. Sounds simple, right? Not so much. Many of us face moments in life where the pressure to control every outcome becomes overwhelming—an untamed desire to steer our lives down a meticulously planned path.
In her article, Embracing Surrender: Finding Peace in God’s Plan for You, Stephanie Reeves reminds us, “In the realm of faith, surrender does not equate to weakness; rather, it signifies a profound strength found in trusting God’s love and plans for us. Surrender involves relinquishing our need for control and placing our lives confidently in God’s hands, knowing He has our best interests at heart.”
Once fully surrendered, we are free to accept God’s call on our lives with the assurance that He will provide all we need to carry it out.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
- Proverbs 3:5-6