Jesus Wouldn’t Drive A Rolls Royce (Revised)

“Don’t be prude, or snobbish, but let your life glow for Christ. We are lamps shinning in the darkness.” — Billy Graham

Have you ever felt out of place in a Church, like you weren’t welcome, that somehow you weren’t good enough?

This is what I call snobbish Christianity, but that shouldn’t be a thing. Jesus wasn’t a snob, he didn’t make you be wealthy, wear the right clothes, or live in the right area to eat with him.

Obviously, Jesus didn’t drive a Rolls Royce. However, I would venture to guess he’d drive a beat-up Ford pickup over a Rolls Royce, if we were to put it into a more modern context. He was a man of the people after all.

Is wealth necessarily a bad thing? A little extra money is fine as long as it doesn’t go before God. I am not here to criticize everyone who works hard and makes a decent living.

How do you greet others? Are you kind or unkind? Are you standoffish or unwelcoming?

“The Bible teaches that our homes should be hospitable and that those who come in and out of our homes should sense the presence of God.” — Billy Graham

During a time when segregation was mandated by the government, Billy Graham refused to preach to separated audiences. He saw the truth that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, no race is better than another.

He was a man of the people, he made friends with the outcasts in society, he didn’t qualify for fellowship only with the best of the best, quite the opposite actually.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham, he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Luke 16:19 – 31 New International Version (NIV)

As an evangelist, Billy Graham did not believe in being unapproachable, but he saw that God loves us. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, what matters is that you acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior in your heart!

In our society, FOMO seems to be the new normal. We worry about missing out on our pie in the sky dreams, we worry about keeping up with the Joneses, but wouldn’t it be better if we looked to love like Jesus, to welcome the least of these?

The problem is when a Church refuses to allow those who want to worship the Lord in just because they don’t think they have enough money, power, or whatever else.

Pastors who flaunt their wealth with flashy cars and mansions that would make Bill Gates envious are missing the point. No offense is meant to successful pastors, but when money becomes more important than souls, that’s not success, that’s selfishness, that’s putting yourself before others.

“I never go to see important people – or anyone else – without having the deep realization that I am, first and foremost, an ambassador for the King of kings and Lord of lords- “I am always thinking of ways I can share Christ and His message of hope with them.” — Billy Graham

It is important to keep in mind that Jesus surrounded himself with those who had less and loved more, whether they were rich or poor.

Original Copyright June.24.2022

Revised Copyright Michelle R Kidwell

July.24.2024