2011 | SOS Ministries

January 2011

Welcome to Heaven

Dear Christian friends,

Many of our Lord’s teachings were about giving. One of His most difficult parables, found in Luke 16, is known as the “Parable of the Unjust Steward.” This parable is sandwiched between two other stories about waste and riches: “the prodigal [wasteful] son” and “the rich man and Lazarus.” The steward was accused of wasting his master’s wealth and would soon be unemployed. He couldn’t dig and didn’t want to beg, so he decided to go to each of his lord’s debtors and reduce their debt. They would be so grateful to him that they would gladly take care of him when he was unemployed.

His lord commended him for his wisdom, “for the children of the world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Jesus added, “make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that, when you fail [or it fails], they may receive you into everlasting habitations….If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? …. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The “unjust steward” was wise in that, knowing his job would soon end, he planned for the future. Many of the “children of the world” save a lot of money for their retirement, which is the only “afterlife” they believe in. But the “children of light” often store up very few treasures in Heaven. We are to be “wise as serpents.” The people of this world act in their own best interest to prepare for their future (at least on this earth). But we Christians often fail to act in our own best interest by preparing for our eternal future.

Jesus said that we should use the “mammon of unrighteousness” [money or wealth] to make friends so that, when we die [or the money runs out], they [our friends] will welcome us into everlasting habitations [Heaven]. The New Testament does not teach that “10% of our money belongs to God and the rest belongs to us to use for selfish purposes.” It teaches we are a steward of all that we have. We should use as much as possible for things that matter in eternity.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to lay up treasures in Heaven. Here, He tells us to use our money to make friends who will welcome us into Heaven. How do we do this? We can use our wealth to support full-time evangelists. We can go on mission trips. We can purchase gospel tracts. We can give away food and clothing to the poor, and share the gospel with them. We can reduce our work hours so we will have more time to preach the gospel. We can cut our expenses and use the extra money to further the gospel. In this parable, Jesus teaches us that those who are won to Christ through our giving will welcome us into Heaven. Those Christians we help in time of need will also welcome us into Heaven.

We all know about earthly treasures and the pleasure they sometimes give us. But what good are heavenly treasures? We have no personal experience to guide us, so we must trust Jesus. He says storing up treasures in Heaven will benefit us eternally.

Jesus taught that there will be degrees of punishment in Hell (Luke 12:47-48). The concept of “heavenly treasures” suggests that there are also degrees of joy in Heaven. Having many people in Heaven who are grateful to us for the help we gave them on earth will somehow increase our eternal joy. These heavenly treasures are infinitely more to be desired than earthly treasures because they produce eternal joy, not temporary pleasure.

Daniel wrote “they that turn many to righteousness [shall shine] as the stars forever and ever” (Dan. 12:3). Peter wrote about an entrance being “ministered unto you abundantly” into Heaven (2 Peter 1:11). Many Christians will enter into Heaven with few or no rewards. Some will enter abundantly, with many eternal rewards.

Finally, Paul wrote that “those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel” [receive financial support] (1 Corin. 9). Then he [and I] must add: “I [haven’t] written these things, that it should be so done unto me.” There are ministries and churches that misuse God’s money and do not deserve our support. But there are also many excellent ministries that are doing much to spread the gospel.

God has made us stewards over the wealth He has entrusted us with. We need to be prayerful and wise in our giving. “If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”

From the book Lifestyle Evangelism by Joseph Aldrich:

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the angel Gabriel approached Him and said, “Master, you must have suffered terribly for men down there.” “I did,” He said. “And,” continued Gabriel, “do they know all about how you loved them and what you did for them?”

“Oh, no,” said Jesus, “not yet. Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know.”

Gabriel was perplexed. “Then what have you done, to let everyone know about your love for them?”

Jesus said, “I’ve asked Peter, James, John, and a few more friends to tell other people about Me. Those who are told will in turn tell still other people about Me, and My story will be spread to the farthest reaches of the globe. Ultimately, all of mankind will have heard about My life and what I have done.”

Gabriel frowned and looked rather skeptical. He knew well what poor stuff men were made of. “But what if Peter and James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down in the twentieth century, people just don’t tell others about you? Haven’t you made any other plans?”

And Jesus answered, “I haven’t made any other plans. I’m counting on them.”

On the Street

Last month’s newsletter teaching was on showing hospitality. As soon as that newsletter was written, I received a call from Adrian Simila at the Lord’s Ranch in Spokane that 11 men from his discipleship program were on their way to San Francisco that evening. They would arrive around 3 AM. He has brought teams to our house several times, and they are always a blessing. This time was no exception.

On Friday night, we witnessed at Powell & Market. Soon after we began playing music, a police captain told us about a new San Francisco noise ordinance, which has very severe regulations on decibel levels. This could potentially cause us problems, since the noise limits in the law are unreasonable. The captain said he would not enforce the law without a complaint, but a short time later, two police officers approached us and told us they would enforce it even without a complaint. We turned down our volume and they left. A highlight of the evening was when Adrian’s son Ben (age 13) preached. He is an excellent preacher and drew a sizeable crowd.

Larry DuBois also stayed with us for 3 weeks in November and will be with us for two more weeks in December. He is on a west-coast preaching tour. It has been great having him with us again.

On Saturday, we witnessed at Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a beautiful, sunny day, with thousands of people on the street. Tim Moon sang, and several of us preached. I witnessed to two barefoot men with white robes and beards. I recognized that they were part of the Christ Family cult, which has been around since 1970 and whose leader claims to be Jesus.

I also witnessed to a 16-year old boy, Merril. I told him about the Old Testament prophesies that Jesus fulfilled. He was quite intellectual, but seemed receptive to the gospel. The following Saturday, we returned to the Wharf. Paul Coca sang. Dave had another chance to witness to Merril. Dave also witnessed to James, a homeless man who had been a soldier in Iraq. He was backslidden but said, “I think God is calling me back to himself.”

Coming Events

Note: Outreaches are subject to change. Call (510) 761-6120 to confirm outreaches or for more information.

Friday January 14, 21, and 28 Witnessing in San Francisco neighborhoods. 7:30-10 PM (Call for location).

Sat. January 15, 22, and 29 San Francisco or Berkeley Outreach. Location depends on weather. (Call for location).

Ministry News and Needs

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support for this ministry. I use an internet site to get competitive quotes for printing our gospel tracts. I got a very low bid of $1070 to print and ship 60,000 tracts. This was $400 less that the quote given by the company we used last time. I was concerned that this company was not legitimate, so I withheld payment until we received the tracts. The tracts were delivered to us this week, and they are printed nicely.

I hope some of you will join one of our outreaches this next month.

Yours in His love,

Larry Rosenbaum

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