Who is really rich? The first time I went to visit a partner Presbytery in Northeast Brazil, I was expecting to be bringing the riches of the US to a poor region. I found the opposite to be true – they had few financial resources, but were filled with joy and determined to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were the rich ones, while we were poor.

But far from material things being essential to the spread of the gospel, Jesus said they are actually a hindrance: “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23) It’s just too easy for people to put their faith in the material blessings that they have instead of in the God Who gave them to us. When you think you have it all, you’re unlikely to think you need a Savior.

And yet we still tend to plant churches in the fast-growing, wealthy parts of America, thinking that they’ll be able to become self-sustaining more quickly. And yet we wonder why we are not experiencing the same sort of explosive spiritual growth we see in the Book of Acts, or even in countries like Brazil.

So, it turns out that we should do exactly the opposite of what James observes in verses 2-4. We Christians ought to welcome those without financial resources because they are much more likely to listen to the gospel! And we should ask the Lord to keep us from putting our faith in whatever material resources we have, so that we might truly rely on Jesus, not just for saving us, but for making it possible for us to spread the good news to everyone.

James 2:1-7 (NAS)

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?