Are rich Christians commanded to downgrade their living standards?

It's a question from Kevin, a listener to the podcast in South Dakota.

Pastor John, thank you for this podcast and for your ministry and thank you for preaching

against the prosperity gospel and for your personal model of contentment and generosity.

All of this is prophetically needed in our age, but I also have a remaining question on

wealth, specifically about 1 Timothy 6 verses 17 to 19, I am a middle class American,

not fabulously wealthy according to the cultural standards of my day, but in the global

perspective, and historically, I am wealthy. Whenever I hear you teach on Paul's text,

I hear you imply that the Christian wealthy are called to intentionally downgrade their

lifestyles. They should live in smaller homes than they could manage, believe forward,

and enjoy the simpler pleasures of life. There's a wonderful warning here about trusting

and wealth that we should all be aware of. However, Paul does not seem to say in this text that

the wealthy should downgrade their personal lifestyles. I read Paul and presume that a wealthy Christian

today could live in an 8,000 square foot, two million dollar mansion, drive a new BMW,

and still also have their hope set on God, the giver of all these gifts, as they magnify Christ

in their honest business dealings. But in that situation of abundance, Paul would tell them,

don't be proud, die the self-sufficiency, enjoy it all as a gift, and never set your hope on

riches. Instead, be rich and good works and be generous and ready to share. Verse 18,

I can see him discouraging the rich from seeking greater wealth accumulation or barn building,

as Jesus called it. But Paul also does not seem to be too concerned with calling the wealthy to

purposefully downgrade their own living conditions, either. Am I missing something here?

Well, let's start by saying something controversial.

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