Brothers, Tell Them Copper Will Do | John Piper

Deep Dive into Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry by John Piper - Brothers, Tell Them Copper Will DoGod defines a person as a "fool" when they mishandle prosperity and possessions. A fool uses excess money to increase personal comforts and believes money's main purpose is earthly ease. Instead of alleviating suffering or being "rich toward God," they lay up treasure for themselves on earth, demonstrating that money, not God, is their ultimate security.Surplus money, according to God's design, should be used for purposes opposite to increasing personal comfort. Its primary use is to alleviate suffering and meet the needs of others, especially the unevangelized, uneducated, unhoused, and unfed millions. This means investing for heavenly dividends by giving to the needy, funding global evangelization, and helping the world's poor. The principle is "Enough for us; abundance for others."Jesus desires a lifestyle of simplicity, stewardship, and a focus on heavenly treasure. This is characterized as "joyful, wartime simplicity," where believers act as "conduits for God's grace," allowing resources to flow through them to others rather than accumulating wealth for personal luxury. This challenges consumer culture's mindset that if you earn it, you deserve to spend it all on yourself.God blesses people by increasing their yield and providing abundance, not for their personal comfort, but so they can prove that God is their true treasure and abound in every good work. This divine provision enables them to have sufficiency for themselves and abundance to share, aligning with the biblical push to "work to get in order to give."Luxuries transform into perceived needs through their constant accumulation. When individuals continuously acquire luxurious goods, they gradually lose their status as mere wants and are soon felt to be essential for daily life, setting a new, elevated baseline for perceived necessities.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730