March 26, 2009
Costly
Our leaders encourage us to give generously of our tithes and offerings, but interestingly the church itself is often stingy when it comes to giving to missions. An old time preacher told me the story of a small church back east that for years faithfully gave 50% of it’s offerings to missions. The time came when a new preacher was hired and under his direction the church grew to the point that they needed to expand their facilities. In order to build the new million dollar building however, the leaders reduced the mission budget. It wasn’t long before attendance dropped to pre-new pastor levels and the large facility became home to a small congregation. According to my preacher friend, “They built their building on the backs of missionaries.”
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Gail;
-----I see a young man in love with a young woman. He dates her often. He is sure to take her places she enjoys and give her bobbles she can treasure. He learns what she likes because he always has many questions about her. And he keeps her continuously happy by exploring new interests in accord with her answers. When they go out, a large figure sits between them. When he asks her a question he speaks it to the figure and the figure speaks it to her. When she answers she tells the figure and the figure tells him. When he wants to hold her hand, he takes the figures hand, and it takes hers. He hugs the figure to hug her, and she hugs the figure back. When he kisses her goodnight he kisses the figure who kisses her. When they are both in their beds with their heads on their pillows, they think about how much they love each other, how much they enjoy being together, and how happy they are with each other.
-----The church is the brothers and sisters come together. At least that is how the Bible presents it. But history has shaped it into a figure between brother and brother, sister and sister, brother and sister. If I want to give to a missionary I just give to the figure. If I want to know the missionary I ask the figure. If I want to help the homeless, I give to the figure. It will give everything I specifically say I want the homeless to have, then maybe a little pinch more. If I want to hang out with my brothers and sisters and their Bibles for some good study and prayer, I have the figure arrange it. If I have prayer concerns weighty on my heart I call the person the figure appointed who passes my concerns to the people the figure has scheduled. When I want to participate in the Lord’s work I just give to the figure so it can do the work, or I go to the figure to discover what I might do with my own hands.
-----Now, this is not all bad. The figure does become a good organizer of needs on the one hand and of supplies on the other. And it is very picturesque of our relationship with the Lord - for every one time we hear, “Go to the Lord,” on the streets, we hear, “Go to church,” ninety-nine. And when we go to the figure, our brothers and sisters are there so we can smile at them and shake their hands. So the figure is kind of an ice-breaker. We probably wouldn’t know each other very well if it were not for the figure.
-----But the figure is supposed to be nothing more than our interactions between each other. It is supposed to be our hugs and kisses and questions and answers, not the deliverer of them. Our need to own property together so we can have a place to hug and quarry, our need to meet there at specified times, and our need to act and think a lot like each other have all combined to thicken our interactions into a figure that we now interact with more than we do with each other.
-----But I have to admit, giving the money to the church is a lot more convenient than writing all those checks to all those different missionaries. And I well bet they are thankful for a few checks from a few figures rather than thousands from as many brothers and sisters. Besides, if the figure wasn’t between us and the missionaries we might end up arguing doctrine some. That’s no fun. So the figure really is kind of necessary, as long as we understand what it’s good for, and as long as we can scoot it out of the way often so we can exchange hugs and holy kisses and needs and supplies and just be the church.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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