The Church and Money

When it comes to money and church, there is probably no other subject that causes problems more. As a pastor, if I want to ensure that people leave the church, I just do a sermon series on stewardship. There is probably no more dreaded sermon series during a year then the tithing series. Churches have split because of money. No one thing has caused more problems for the Church of Jesus Christ than money, specifically the love of money. Money is such a touching subject, that many pastors and church leaders never talk about it in fear of upsetting their congregations. But it is important that we understand what God does say about money, and for us to approach this subject with great care, and humility. So the question was asked: “What does the Bible say about Church finances and what does the Bible say about fund-raising?”

First what does the Bible say about church finances? The church is people, not an organization. So it is important for us to talk about what does God say to Christians about money first. Here are just a few things that God says to do and to not to do with our money.

What God says not to do with our money:

• Trust it – 1^st Tim. 6:17
• Withhold it from God – Mal. 3:8
• Love it – 1^st Tim. 6:10
• Hoard it – James 5:1-6
• Covet it – Ex. 20:17
• Pursue it – Luke 12:15
• Worship it – Mt. 6:19-34
• Give it to receive praise – Mt. 6:1-4

What God says to do with our money:

• Give it to Him – Mt. 22:15-21
• Share it – 1^st Tim. 6:18
• Pay debts – Rom. 13:7-8
• Care for family – 1^st Tim. 5:8
• Pay Pastors – 1^st Tim. 5:17-18
• Use to meet needs – Acts 2:45
• Give cheerfully – 2 Cor. 9:7
• Give generously – 2 Cor. 9:6
• Good stewards – Dt. 8:17-18
• Give to poor – Gal. 2:10
• Give anonymously – Mt. 6:3-4

These are just a few things that God says, this list is not exhaustive and neither are the scriptures attached to them. These are simply a few things that God says about our money. As a church we should always want to bring Glory to Jesus and his kingdom by being good stewards of what he has given us. Everything the church has was given by God (Dt. 8:17-18.) As good stewards we are to use what God gave us wisely.

Now what does the Bible say about fund-raising? First and foremost the primary source of funds for the church must first come from the members of the church through their tithes and offerings (Lev. 27:30.) But we know that the Apostle Paul calls the Corinth church, the churches of Galatia, and the churches of Macedonia to collect a special offering for the church of Jerusalem (1Cor. 161-2, 2 Cor.8:1ff.) They are “raising funds” for their brothers in Jerusalem. The Scriptures do not specifically mention fund-raising, but it does give us a warning not to do anything for financial gain (1^st Tim. 6:5.) Fund-raising is about raising funds to meet needs in the church not to gain a profit. I do not see a problem with doing “fundraisers” to help meet needs in our church as long as we are not using it simply to get “profit.”

When it comes to the money and churches finances, I believe that we must simply be good stewards. We must always remember that what we have was given to us by God, and as good stewards we should give freely, generously and cheerfully, and that godliness must never be a means of financial gain.

Wedding Dress

Well, Derek Webb, has done it again for me. This weekend My wife and I were at this Christian book store that was closing, and I found a Derek Webb album that I did not own. It was an album called One Zero acoustic version, just him and his guitar, and its great. I then went on Itunes and bought the rest of his first two albums that I didn't own which are great.

While listening to "One Zero", I came across this great song called "Wedding Dress." It has become my new favorite song of Derek's . I know that it is an older song, but I just found it, and I love it. In this simple song, he has one the most honest discussions about us, the church, as the bride of Christ, and Jesus our husband. The melody is haunting as he sings "Cause, I'm a whore I do confess, I put you own just like a wedding dress, and run down the aisle ." Derek honestly calls all of us to ask "is Jesus enough for us?" Or do we need something else? Shouldn't Jesus alone be enough for us?

After a couple of minute into the song you can understand why Christian radio does not pick up on Derek's music. Especially when he sings "can you love this bastard child?" Wedding Dress is a great song, and everyone should take listen.

Here are the Lyics:
If you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I?d ever need
or is there more I?m looking for

and should I read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
I'm a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
Though I don?t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side

I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
a husband?s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

Greatest Quote

This is the greatest quote and it came from one of our high school students....


"When you joined the Kingdom of Heaven, you gave up your right to say 'thats not my problem'..."


just a thought

Can a building hurt intimacy?

"Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life...(John 14:6)" For his Jewish listeners, Jesus makes an unbelievable statement."He is the way." For a Jew, God had made away to him. It was called "the Torah." Torah is often called "the law" but it really means "the way," and Torah is more than laws, rules, and regulations. Torah is about a way of life. It is how humanity lives in relationship with his/her creator. A Jew by the name of Simon the Just said "Upon three things the world is based: upon Torah, upon divine worship, and upon acts of benevolence."In the book of Deuteronomy God says "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.(Duet.6:6-7)" God had made a covenant with humanity, and a covenant was more than a deal, it was a relationship.

At the beginning of Torah, God describes this relationship. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground...The man and his wife were both naked, and felt no shame (Gen. 1:27-28, 2:25) God describes four parts of our relationship. (1) Relationship with Him, (2) Relationship to others, (3) Relationship the earth, and our(4)Relationship with ourselves. The Beginning of Torah reminds us that we are not only deeply connected to ourselves, and to creation but also deeply connected to God. There is this unique intimacy between all of creation and their creator. Man and his wife were both naked, fully alive and fully present before each other, and before God. And God blessed them and called it "good."

If we follow the story a little further, sin enters, and notice the first thing sin attacks: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Gen. 3:7)." Sin's first attack was on intimacy. The intimacy between the man and his wife, between two people, then it moves to their intimacy with God, they run and hide. And we have been playing this game ever since then. So what does this say about us the church?

Well, if Jesus is "the way," Then he is this living, breathing Torah, this walking, talking relationship.In Jesus, we find the reconnection to our disconnect. He is the way back to our deeper connections, our way back to being "naked and without shame." He is what it means to be fully alive, and fully present before our God, and with all creation. But we, the church, continue to fight this. This kind of intimacy is to raw for us, and so we build church buildings. We build these neutral places, safe away from our homes. Safe from the prying eyes of others. It is safer to have a gathering, bible study, potluck, worship in a place not our home. When we allow people inside our home, they see how we really live. They can see the glimpses of our pasts in our pictures. They see toys, or lack there of that we can or cannot afford. Maybe we never think about the intimacy and risk it is to allow people into our home. The first followers of Jesus are described as "breaking bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts (Acts 2:46). Maybe it is easier just meet a central building. But as the church moves forward on its journey, and we begin to ask questions about what should the church look like to 2008. Maybe it should see more of our homes. Maybe we should decentralize our church buildings, and centralize our homes. Maybe we centralize on finding true intimacy.

Maybe this is the reason the first followers of Jesus called themselves "The Way."

Just a thought

Cravings?

We as church take time in our year to go on an inward journey, and I am in the middle of planning this time for 2008. So I thought I would ask a question.

What do we as humans crave for?

What do you think are our deepest cravings?

Please no food, or sleep answers, I mean what are the things that our souls crave for. I am finishing Erwin McManus' book Soul Cravings, and I have been pondering on this...

Please I would love some answers...

just a thought

Share in the Blame

I've been listing to the new Caedmon's Call album, and I came across this song called "Share in the Blame." And I thought I would share to the lyrics...

Don’t blame the bullet for the wars you have sown
Don’t blame the winter when you’ve forgotten your coat
When you make the same deals for a hundred years
and you wanna make a change
You gotta hold up the mirror and share in the blame

Don’t blame your brother for the color of his skin
don’t blame your neighbor for the house he lives in
from the same cloth, we are made of, we are just the same
you gotta hold up the mirror and share in the blame

(chorus)
like a coming of age, I am learning how to say
all the failures I’m dragging behind
Finding freedom to speak, freedom to release
Oh tonight I wanna make peace with you

Don’t blame the writer for the doubts in your head
Don’t blame the preacher for the lovers in your bed
When you find out that the world is round, everything is rearranged
You gotta hold up the mirror, and share in the blame

(chorus)

Don’t blame the president, don’t blame the king
Don’t blame your history for what might have been
we will be free where the grass is green and the lion is tame
if we just hold up the mirror now and share in the blame

The Communal Church

As I ponder on the church more and more, I am struck by the communal aspects of the early Church. In Acts 2 its says: "All the Believers were together and had everything in common (vs.44)." It goes on to say they "sold their possessions" so others would not have a need. I also find people like the Quakers motivating my thinking. Though we may disagree with some of the different doctrines of the Quakers, they have created places like Pendle HIll in Philadelphia, PA. Pendle Hill is a Quaker retreat center and community where people can go live, work, worship and study together. Now I am not interested in creating a holy huddle, but I am interested in capturing the communal spirit of Quaker communities.

Within these communities there is a real since of living together. These are not people who simply show up and interact with each other once or even twice a week. These are people who work together, who share with each other on a spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and even a physical level. Churches have become simply gathering spots for fragmented individuals. Individuals who live separate lives with no clue as to the lives of others they worship with. But imagine churches, communities where life is celebrated,and people are deeply connected. Communities, churches were people "really do have everything in common."

There is a power in this kind of communal living. There is a power when people are connected by faith, hope and love. There is beauty to this kind of living, when people are moved by the same things, and motivated to change the world around them. Sadly this beauty can be marred, and this power can be abused, and sadly has by some (i.e. Jim Jones, and David Kerish) But when it used for good, then "even the gates of hell cannot stop it."

I want to throw out 4 things about church that has been on my heart. 4 things that I am beginning to believe about the church.

1. Communally Owned - Usually I am nervous when people use the terms ownership and church together. Often times people have since of entitlement when it comes to the church. Because they give there money and it should be as "they" say. This is what happens when selfishness creeps into the communal way of thinking. It no longer becomes about the community or more importantly about the "Kingdom" and becomes about the individual. But there should be some since ownership. Some since of pride for the community that you live, serve, and worship. It always funny to me that people will ask me permission to get a bottle of water out of the fridge in our kitchen in our church. They ask, and I simply respond, "of course, its your fridge and your water too." Our church is in the process of purchasing a bus and I remind people that it is a communal purchase. It belongs to all of us, and we all have responsibilities to it, and privileges. Church is communally owned. We all have responsibilities to it. We all receive privileges from it. The people in the hospital are ours, and the kids in the children's program are ours. The mission of the church is ours. We take it upon ourselves, we are responsible to see that it's done.

2. Communally Designed - Church should be a reflection of everyone. As everyone begins to become more and more like Christ, as every one's heart begins to beat in tune with the heart of God then the church reflects this change. As we begin to care about things God cares about as individuals then we as a corporate group begin move and step in the directions God is calling. Sadly to many preachers, pastors, and leaders try to force the church to reflect them. And when the church begins to look like any one else other than Jesus, then we are moving out of step and out of tune with God. I think the church leadership must be the catalyst and maybe the ones who focus the community ultimately bring us to common ground. As we become more passionate worshipers of God, and follower of Christ then the church begins to take shape, and our shape will determine our step.

3. Communally Driven - It is the communal passion for God that drives the community forward to new locations, to new uncharted territory. The church needs everyone passionately invested in each other, and in the mission. Too many people attend worship gatherings, bible studies, and/or service projects because someone forced them (for men it would be their wives). Church needs people who really do want to be together. Who really want to see the kingdom of God built. The church needs people who are deeply connected to each other rather than just because they go to the same building once a week. The communal passion acts as the fuel that accelerates the church into the world. It is when every one's heart is fully engaged, and everyone is "fully present" that the church can have its real power and reaches it full potential.

4. Communally Executed - The mission of the church is communally executed. It requires all hands, all voices, all minds, all hearts, to see the mission accomplished. Paul speaks of the church as a body with everyone having their own role. Here at Bayonet Point, my role is as teacher. I'm a mouth. In our church we have hands, feet, ears, hearts, lungs, all are vital to the life of our community. What happens to often is the mission of the church is placed on the shoulders of one or a few.

We were created for each other. We were created for community. We need each other. Our souls long for the intimacy that can only be found in living in deep relationships with others. It is in our deepest relationships that God can make himself known. It is the love of others that gives us a glimpse into the love of God. It would seem that for us to live in the fullest since of our humanity is to live in community with others. It is in these communities that we learn what it means to serve, to love, to give, to speak truth, to show compassion, to be generous and to be people of sacrifice. And its in these communities that we begin to discover faith, hope and love.

These are things that are running through my mind, and are on my heart. As I look at the church and community in which I serve, I understand that I must lead it into the next 30 or so years. I must move the church into the future.
So I am simply trying to reconcile the things I feel, and my place in my church.


just a thought