Is it wrong to spend and have the best?

Is it wrong to spend and have the best?

For the past two weeks my wife and I have been discussing a topic that came-up in one of our classes. (E.G.W. Counsels on spending much on church buildings). This has been a topic of contention for many years within the SDA church. I have sat at various levels of Administration and at one point or the other the topic always surfaces (often wearing different disguises).
Never the less, the question still remains. How do the principles of modesty, simplicity, servitude and ministry as taught by Jesus should be reflected in our balance sheets? This may apply even beyond the church structure (Schools, temples, hospitals, etc…) as specified by EGW, but carried forward to our personal life style.

Let me share with you a passage from the book Medical Ministry written by Ellen G. White, in pages 167 – 168  talking about simplicity, she says:

 ” A desire for outside appearance is like a cancer which is ever eating into the vitals. Appearance is a merciless tyrant. You need to guard against your inclinations for show and entertainment. It is a mistake to suppose that by keeping up an appearance you will obtain more patients and therefore more means. The evils, resulting from such a course have not yet appeared to you, but they will appear if you are not guarded…” 

What really called my attention to this topic was not how meaningful this message should be because of the consumerism oriented societies we live in, but because of the reaction of those SDA members around me. When I talked about the topic with some of my pears, those individuals in the lower bracket of the middle class would condemn the church for being extravagant while many members and churches are suffering because of lack of funds. On the other hand, those on the upper middle class (I may even include myself in this group) would often argue that certain commodities and luxuries are fair and even needed in order to maintain an acceptable balance within the standards of the world (and praise God, I should add!). But even as I write this I have to say that something is wrong in that statement.

As we continued to search for answers we also came across a very interesting quote that says:

“I have been instructed that it is not extravagant display which is now required in giving the last message of mercy to our world. We must go forth in the simplicity of true godliness. Our sanitariums, our schools, our publishing houses, are to be God’s instruments to represent the humble manner of Christ’s teaching. In a marked manner the Lord will be the strength and power of his people. Maintain simplicity: and pray in faith, constantly. Wherever you are, your only safety is in prayer. Hold fast the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end. ” RH-08-09-06
The words of sister White “I have been instructed that it is NOT extravagant display which is required…” that “Our sanitariums, our schools, our publishing houses, are to be God’s instruments to represent the humble manner of Christ’s teaching” continue to playback in my head as I battle with myself to find a middle grown as an administrator, a pastor, a church member, a head of the family and Christian to find the answer for the question: How do the principles of modesty, simplicity, servitude and ministry as taught by Jesus should be reflected in our balance sheets?. I continue to pray in search for this answer, I look forward to your comments and hearing about healthy discussions on this topic in your churches.
                                             
                                                 God bless   …….

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