God’s Definition of Being Rich

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Recently, Toni and I were teaching Forgiving Forward in Costa Rica. On the Sunday we were there, I had the privilege of sharing the message in a church in Santa Cruz. Each week around 40 people meet in a small cinder-block building with light circles on the floor from the holes in the tin roof. There was no AC, fans, projector or screen for media. There was no worship team or worship band. The worship was led by the pastor who played prerecorded worship songs from his phone through a small PA system. It was hot and dusty with little airflow. It lacked anything that many consultants would consider to be “essential elements for an effective worship environment.” But did it really?

I can’t adequately describe what we witnessed that morning. As the worship songs rang from the speaker, the pastor leading the congregation in worship became enraptured in praise. He wept, dropped to his knees, arms stretched toward heaven, seemingly unaware that anyone else was in the room. Toni and I stood there in awe of the humility, depth of devotion and submission that we witnessed in this man who, from all outward measures, had nothing. Yet, out of his poverty, the wealth of his worship shone brightly through him. I was humbled to speak after such a holy moment.

As I pondered what we witnessed that day, my mind went back to Revelation 2:8-9 where Jesus had this to say to the church in Smyrna:

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! ...” Revelation 2:8-9

The church of Smyrna was impoverished and oppressed, yet, because of their faith, Jesus declared that they were rich. As the lesser always gives way to the greater, the natural must give way to the spiritual. Their poverty had given way to faith and their tribulation yielded to gratitude for His presence. This is what we saw in the church of Santa Cruz. Seemingly, they had little, yet from a spiritual standpoint, they may be as wealthy as any church we've ever known. Their lack did not diminish the extravagance of their worship but rather deepened it to a level Toni and I have rarely seen.

There’s another church in Revelation that stands in contrast to the church in Smyrna. The Laodicean Church is the only one of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 that the Lord did not give a commendation to, rather only issued a rebuke to them.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.’” Revelation 3:14-16

The Laodicean Christians thought they were rich—that they had it all. They were even bragging about their wealth. To them, financial resources + personal comfort = wealth. Yet in God’s economy, it’s just the opposite. Money and ease often pull our focus off Jesus and blind us to our true need—His Presence. Poverty and pain had driven the believers in Smyrna to their knees, where the only option for them was to look up at Jesus. When all is stripped away, we realize that Jesus is all we need and our faith deepens and gratitude flows. So often, as with the Laodiceans, the more stuff we have, the more distracted we are from our greatest treasure, knowing Jesus intimately.

As I reflected on this, it seems that there are questions we must all wrestle with. Which church would God see us in, Smyrna or Laodicea? Are we rich in God’s eyes or the world’s eyes? By what standard are we measuring poverty? Have our material circumstances drawn our focus toward Jesus or away from Jesus? Have they caused us to be more dependent or independent? Is our worship white-hot, like our new pastor friend in Costa Rica, or have we grown tepid in our praise?

Please understand that I’m not suggesting that we have to give everything away and worship in hot concrete buildings. That’s not the point. But I do believe that we may need to do a heart check to see if we need to refocus when it comes to our praise gatherings. Have we become reserved in our expression, concerned about what others may think or do we, in grateful abandonment, pour ourselves out in worship of the One who is our everything?

As we were leaving the “Rich Church” that morning, a little elderly saint said to me, “Pastor, thank you for coming to teach us.” She then handed me a mug that read, “Happy Father’s Day” in Spanish. Somehow the most impoverished people can give the most extravagant gifts.

That mug now occupies a special place in the Freedom Center, a reminder of the true meaning of being rich.