“Show me the money!” – we hear that infamous line from Jerry Maguire every single day. We hear it from the public responding to a carbon tax proposal, from shareholders after the latest crash, from the government after a natural disaster; but most often we hear it from our hearts. We want more. We want more of it, more often. Money is everywhere and it’s incredibly attractive. It’s therefore hard to hear from Jesus that ‘you cannot serve God and money’ (Matthew 6:24).

On the other hand, it’s not money’s fault that we’re prone to love it, live for it, and even die for it. God’s provision is a gift (Deuteronomy 8:18), the Lord grants wealth (Proverbs 10:22), and “money answers everything” (Ecclesiastes. 10:19). If our hearts belong to Jesus and our lives are devoted to his mission, should we have to avoid, demonise, or fear money? Can’t we love God, love people, and use money to enjoy life and do ministry?

Welcome to ‘God or Money’ a series devoted to understanding God’s perspective on money. Craig Blomberg names materialism as “the single biggest competitor with authentic Christianity for the hearts and souls of millions in our world today.”

This issue is important. How do we live faithfully in a world so driven by money, and with hearts so drawn toward the lifestyle it promotes? This series is going to give you both a broad sweep through the Bible’s teaching on money, and practical guidance for how to live faithfully with money and use it for your good and God’s glory.

Ultimately we hope that the challenge of Jesus might be the challenge of this series – who will you serve? God or Money?