| Gaining Friends for Heaven by Lloyd Tiegs (May-August, 2000) |
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may
receive you into everlasting habitations. Luke 16:9
The story has been told: a little grandson came to his grandfather and said, “Grandpa, make the sound of a
frog.”
The grandfather refused. The boy kept pleading with him, but the grandfather would not comply. Then the boy
went to his sister and asked her to urge the grandfather to make the sound of a frog.
The sister said, “Please, grandpa, would you make the sound of a frog?”
The grandfather said, “What is going on? Why do you want me to make the sound of a frog?”
The little girl said, “Because, Mom said that when you croak we can all go to Disney World.”
In verse 9 of Luke 16 Jesus is saying, “Spend your money to buy friends who will get into heaven as a result of
your spending, so when you get to heaven some of these friends will be there to greet you.”
I believe that God has given us: money, things, property and time so that we may enjoy His blessings—even
Disney World— but the portion we use to gain friends for heaven will have lasting value.
Luke 16 would bid us to take a look at the ungodly and see what they do with their money. They use it to
advance their own goals. In the last 40 years the ungodly have changed our country and damaged its moral
fiber. They have destroyed the faith of thousands. They have murdered millions of babies and called them a
“tissue mass” as though they were a cancer to the mother.
Jesus bids us to see how effective they have been and to take an example from their zeal and use of money to
further their wicked ends. He tells us we can use money to get friends into heaven as well as they can use
money to keep them out.
It is interesting that Jesus would use the term friends. Often well-meaning Christians think that all they have to
do is use the Word of God and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. That is true, but oftentimes the Seed of the Word
falls on stony ground. Many times that soul stays as hard as stone and nothing can be done to change it.
If we can make friends with the person, he is at least ready to be curious about our faith and then we can share
it. Some of them will then believe as the Holy Spirit works in the heart. LSI
—Lloyd Tiegs, president
receive you into everlasting habitations. Luke 16:9
The story has been told: a little grandson came to his grandfather and said, “Grandpa, make the sound of a
frog.”
The grandfather refused. The boy kept pleading with him, but the grandfather would not comply. Then the boy
went to his sister and asked her to urge the grandfather to make the sound of a frog.
The sister said, “Please, grandpa, would you make the sound of a frog?”
The grandfather said, “What is going on? Why do you want me to make the sound of a frog?”
The little girl said, “Because, Mom said that when you croak we can all go to Disney World.”
In verse 9 of Luke 16 Jesus is saying, “Spend your money to buy friends who will get into heaven as a result of
your spending, so when you get to heaven some of these friends will be there to greet you.”
I believe that God has given us: money, things, property and time so that we may enjoy His blessings—even
Disney World— but the portion we use to gain friends for heaven will have lasting value.
Luke 16 would bid us to take a look at the ungodly and see what they do with their money. They use it to
advance their own goals. In the last 40 years the ungodly have changed our country and damaged its moral
fiber. They have destroyed the faith of thousands. They have murdered millions of babies and called them a
“tissue mass” as though they were a cancer to the mother.
Jesus bids us to see how effective they have been and to take an example from their zeal and use of money to
further their wicked ends. He tells us we can use money to get friends into heaven as well as they can use
money to keep them out.
It is interesting that Jesus would use the term friends. Often well-meaning Christians think that all they have to
do is use the Word of God and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. That is true, but oftentimes the Seed of the Word
falls on stony ground. Many times that soul stays as hard as stone and nothing can be done to change it.
If we can make friends with the person, he is at least ready to be curious about our faith and then we can share
it. Some of them will then believe as the Holy Spirit works in the heart. LSI
—Lloyd Tiegs, president
