There are massive needs for the gospel around the world and for physical needs. We look in the word and there are 2,300 plus verses that deal with money. All the major passages on money: God is the owner, as followers of Christ we don’t have the right to determine the direction of our money, therefor if he calls anyone to sell all they have—and not everyone is—we must. - David Platt
Wealth and money are not inherently sinful, but it’s dangerous in the hands of sinful man. - David Platt
Asceticism is wrong and so is materialism. - David Platt
Christ has called us to a radical abandonment, and that looks different for each person. - David Platt
When Christ transforms us spiritually he also transforms us materially. - David Platt
We give because of the urgency of eternity. We’re here for a short time. We need to invest in eternity. - David Platt
I live in a context and community of major self-indulgence. We have to wrestle with these things. - David Platt
I tell people to make a lot of money, but in their making money, just because salary increases doesn’t mean that their standard of living needs to increase as well. God gives enough for us and gives excess for others. - David Platt
What can happen with younger leaders, they’re not thinking a wise man lives an inheritance to his children. - Mark Driscoll
I don’t disagree with Christ lordship. I don’t disagree with using our resources. The issue comes with the people like you and Francis Chan reading and attaching a spiritual value to poverty. - James MacDonald
It’s kids in their 20’s not doing anything reading John Piper and attaching value to poverty. - James MacDonald
They’re empowered to live without ambition by a distortion of what you’re preaching. - James MacDonald
I have a couple checks about radical distribution of resources. We are desperately in need of a more fully orbed theology of joy in the church today. - James MacDonald
We need to extend our theology of joy in God down to a theology of joy in the good gifts God gave us. - James MacDonald
It’s not wrong to have. It’s wrong when things have you. - James MacDonald
The problem comes when everyone else sees poverty as normative and attaches spiritual value to it. - James MacDonald
Generosity breaks bondage to wealth. Not poverty. - James MacDonald
I think we don’t realize how much things have our hearts. - David Platt
Your heart follows your money. - David Platt
When we pour our resources into bigger, better things, our hearts follow there. When you give in generosity your heart follows there. - David Platt
It’s not either/or, like so many things. What I’m objecting to is an impoverished, can’t-make-ends meet living that is seen as spiritual. Poverty is not spiritual living. - James MacDonald
The way we’re using poor and poverty is really irresponsible because we’re not poor. - David Platt
I understand destitute poverty, but there’s also working-class poverty. I can tell you being the son of a dry-waller who snapped his back, times are hard. Making ends meet is hard. - Mark Driscoll
It isn’t that more equals a problem and less doesn’t. - James MacDonald
We see money as the answer to so many things. - James MacDonald
Here’s what’s getting lost here. David and John at the end of the day aren’t saying let’s take our money and give it to the guy in the hut so they can get DirectTV. They’re saying there are thousands of people groups who have never heard the gospel. What’s our responsibility financially to give the gospel globally. - Matt Chandler
Missions is so broken, it’s just flat out broken. Why do we have to keep hearing about 1,000 people groups who haven’t heard the gospel? We’ve given enough over the years that that should be addressed by now. - James MacDonald
I think we need to do [missions] right but it’s worth making major sacrifice in order to make and support it right. - David Platt
We looked at our budget, and our staff cut 83% of our budget, including snacks for the kids, in order to recommit to missions. - David Platt
I think that’s sucktastic. *sarcasm* - Mark Driscoll
The tenderness in your heart for lost people is exemplary. But you pastor a church. But I’ve seen what it looks like for kids to grow up in poverty theology. I really fear the stingy, cheap—the wives have to work because the church doesn’t pay the pastors enough—it’s pathetic that you cut Cheez-its from kids. The people in your congregation have enough to provide snacks and missions. - James MacDonald
You went cheap on the church side and your congregation swiped the residual. - James MacDonald
If you took crackers from my kids, I’d be doing prison ministry from the inside. - Mark Driscoll *sarcasm*
Be careful making what you do normative for all churches. - Mark Driscoll
It’s the cheap mentality. None of Jesus parables were about giving. It was about stewarding. The people who write about money who don’t understand money should stop. - James MacDonald
You’re not supposed to divest your money. You’re supposed to multiply it. - James MacDonald
There’s eternal multiplication that can happen as well. - David Platt
The idea of immediate divesting of money is not healthy. It’s not money that is evil. It’s the love of money that is. - James MacDonald
We’re supposed to multiply and enjoy money. There is a theology of joy that isn’t fully developed yet. - James MacDonald
I think we live in a culture where we have sought our joy in more and more things. The reason I’m passionate about this is because it’s as much for others as it is for us. - David Platt
I agree. I’m just calling out and saying there is a real danger in cheap, on the half, do it for less, make the pastor poor…there is alot in that that is crushing people in ministry. We’re swinging too far the other way. - James MacDonald
I want Mark’s kids to know that blessing flows to fruitfulness. - James MacDonald
Our budget is $500,000 per week, but that doesn’t even closely resemble the resources in our church. I don’t want to beat down the budget. I want our people to give more. - James MacDonald
There’s a way to love kids besides giving them crackers. - David Platt
At our church, it’s just that. Only crackers. They have to eat their way out of the room. - James MacDonald *humor*
How long have you been in ministry? Mark Driscoll to David Platt. Answer: Five years.
You don’t yet understand the toll that ministry takes on your family. I want you to understand that some of the abundance that comes from writing a best-selling book, don’t cut your kids off from the rewards that come from faithful ministry. Don’t feel guilty about giving your family some joy and enjoying the abundance God gives you. - James MacDonald to David Platt
