The strangest investment advice

People love sharing investment advice: Buy gold. Buy stocks. Buy real estate. Even buy crypto. But here’s one strategy you probably won’t hear:

“Use your money to buy friends.”

Buy friends? That sounds crazy, right? Who would suggest that? Actually, Jesus did. He says,

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9 NIV)

What does Jesus say to do with wealth? First, He says to “use” it. Why? Because it’s going to disappear. That’s what “when it is gone” means. The Greek phrase describes an event that definitely will happen. The only thing we don’t know is when.111 It will soon be gone. So, use it while you can!

Jesus says to use it. How? Use it “to gain friends.” What kind of friends? The kind that will welcome you when your wealth is gone.

Why? Because the wealth will definitely disappear. But some friends won’t. In fact, they last forever. These are friends bound for “eternal dwellings.”

More strange investment advice

Jesus gives this unusual investment advice. But Paul echoes the same idea. Where do we find these eternal friends that Jesus describes? We find them in the church’s fellowship community. This is called the koinōnia. (Also, a friend, partner, sharer, or companion is a koinōnos.)

In 1 Timothy 6:17-18, Paul says to enjoy wealth by using it “to share.” But this Greek word is koinōnikous. It’s not just sharing; it’s koinonia-sharing. It’s sharing with the fellowship community. We can use wealth

We can use wealth to strengthen the fellowship community [koinōnia] and our connection with it. That’s a great way to enjoy wealth!

Use it or lose it

What does Jesus say to do with wealth? He says to use it. Why? Because we can’t keep it. It’s definitely going to disappear. What does Paul say to do with wealth? He says to use it. Why? Because we can’t take it with us when we leave this world. We either use it, or we lose it.

But notice something else. Both Jesus and Paul say to use wealth “for yourselves.” Jesus says

“use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves” (Luke 16:9b NIV)

Paul says to use it

“to share [koinōnikous], storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future” (1 Timothy 6:18b-19a)

You can’t keep it anyway. So, use it. Use worldly wealth to gain eternal friends for yourself. Both Jesus and Paul agree: it’s a good long-term investment!

The deeply bonded family: Everyone (together) shares (together)

1 Timothy 6:17-19 starts with instructions for wealth holders. But in the middle, it broadens to include everyone. It describes,

“God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy: to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share”

God richly supplies each of us, just with different things. The wealth holder is no different from the one gifted in serving, teaching, preaching, encouraging, leading, or caregiving (Romans 12:6-8). We each face the same choice. Will we bury the gift in the ground? Or will we put it to work? Will we use it

“to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share”?

The koinōnia is a fellowship community of mutual sharing. Everyone shares. Even the poorest widow has the same responsibility as the wealth holder. She, too, must be known for doing good works (1 Timothy 5:10).

This isn’t about giving “down” to outsiders. Nor is it about receiving without responsibility. It’s about mutual sharing across a community of equals (2 Corinthians 8:13-14). It’s sharing as a deeply bonded family.

Wealth and isolation

Connecting to a mutually sharing fellowship community is important for everyone. But it’s especially important for wealth holders. They are at greater risk of isolation.

When most people need help, they turn to friends, family, or a fellowship community. But with enough wealth, we can simply pay for services instead. Being “independently wealthy” makes social isolation easier.

Wealth can also make it harder to trust others. It raises a constant question: Do they care about me, or just my money? Also, Paul warns that some wealth holders can become “high-minded” (1 Timothy 6:17).112 This too causes separation.

Among the wealthy, social isolation is much easier. But social isolation leads to a poor life experience. It’s no way to live.

What’s the opposite of this isolation? It’s being a valuable member of a deeply connected fellowship community. That’s what it means to be a fellowship-community sharer. That’s what it means to be koinōnikous. That’s the path to a truly enjoyable life experience!

Don’t just give away your money

We’re instructed to enjoy wealth through fellowship-community sharing [koinōnikous]. The church family is this fellowship community [koinōnia]. But we can also take this approach with other giving.

Some giving opportunities help us connect with a community. They aren’t just giving away to an outsider. They’re sharing together. This is not just fulfilling some obligation by writing a check. It’s connecting deeply with a mutually sharing fellowship community.

Part of this depends on us. We’ve got to get involved. But part also depends on the charity. Some charities offer this kind of community to donors. Others don’t.

Some charities invite your friendship and involvement. They offer ways to participate and belong. Others just want the money. They want you to write a check and then go away (until you write the next check). But you can’t be koinōnikous with that kind of a charity. They’re not offering you that opportunity. They’re not offering fellowship-community sharing.

If they don’t offer community, give somewhere else. If they want your money but not your friendship, give somewhere else. Why? Because it’s more fun to give as part of a connected community of friends. It’s a better way to enjoy wealth.

And that’s the point. Enjoyment is the purpose God had in mind when He blessed you. Being koinōnikous fulfills that purpose. It’s a great way to use God’s rich supply “for enjoyment.”

For more on this topic, see Chapter 13 in

Joyful Wealth Management: A Bible Study Discussion Guide 113

Wealth Enjoyment Strategy 5: