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Many pastors claim that Jesus was rich. That’s a lie from the pit. Scripture tells us that he “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7) ESV. Rich people are considered a ‘somebody’ or at least have ‘something’. I can picture Jesus like this: A young man with Dark shoulder length hair, brown eyes, tall stature, and a callused body wrapped in tattered sheets.

Well someone might ask, “What did Jesus say about the rich and poor?” Jesus says to a multitude, “No one can serve two masters… you cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24) ESV. “[Rich man] “What must I do to inherit eternal life... [Jesus] “Go, sell all you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.” [After the rich man left Jesus continues] “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
The way we as Christians should judge how we run the church system is to go back to the Early Church of the book of Acts. “There was no needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:34-35) ESV.

Last example. Pastors. Pastors shouldn’t be the richest one in the church when there are people walking to church with holes in their shoes. This is the opposite of the Early Church. In Luke 19, Jesus tells a little story about money and the right way to use it. It says in the KJV to “Occupy” which means to trade, or buy and sell. The NIV says to put the money to work. The says to invest. The way to trade is invest in stocks, and commodities, or in any business that you start.