²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. -Matthew 6:21

When I hear someone say, “The church just wants your money” I cringe. I know where they’re coming from though. I remember when I was in high school and not living for God, I passed a large church, my friend looked at me and said, “That’s a cult! They have video games and a basketball court in there!” I agreed with him and hardened my heart toward the church.

Then God rocked my world when I graduated and I started attending and serving at a large church. A church that just a few months earlier I would have labeled a “cult”.

7 years later my view of the church and money has completely changed. I can truely say that the BIBLICAL principles I’ve learned about money and the church has changed my life for the better. Which is why I cringe when I hear things like:

• The Church just wants your money

• The Pastor just wants your money

• The church could have spent that money on the Poor

• They don’t need that stuff, that building, a cafe, etc…
  

• If you work for God, you’ll never have any money
  

• I’m not giving the church my money

• If you’re a Christian, you have to be Poor

• Being poor is a virtue and it shows how humble I am and how much I love God
  

If you’ve said and agree with any of these statements, I’m going to challenge you over the next few blog posts. My hope is that you’ll be open to see what the Bible has to say on these issues and that you’ll change the way you see money, God, and the Church . . . because it matters. It matters not only for you and your famlies lives, but it matters for all the people God wants to use you to reach through your finances.

What other things have you heard people say in a negative context concerning money and the church?

Giving Away Experiences and Opportunities Will Produce Vision in Others

Tomorrow I’ll be leaving for vacation in North Carolina – so pumped! I’m going with a family that offered to take me for free. A free vacation… Such a blessing. It got me thinking though… This family is choosing to love me and allowing me to have an experience that I wouldn’t have been able to have on my own. Here is what I know about Experiences and Opportunities in my life:

• Because someone introduced me to Starbucks, I now enjoy the Starbucks experience

• Because people have taken me on vacation with them I’ve been to places I would have never gone in my life: NYC, Chicago, Bar Harbor, Maine, DC, etc.
  

• Because someone gave me an opportunity to speak and develop my gifting, I’m now able to speak to large audiences often.
  

• Because people modeled what an awesome Godly family looks like, I now have a vision of how I’ll raise my family.
  

• Because someone was willing to share Christ with me, I’m now able to experience God everyday.
  

These experiences and opportunities all expanded my vision for my life. My vision for what life could be like, what a relationship with God could be like, what wearing nice clothes would be like, what raising a Godly family would be like, what annual vacations with my family would be like,  the list goes on and on.Edit Post ‹ BubbaSmith.net — WordPress

What’s my point? Some people have never experienced a cup of coffee at Starbucks, have never been on vacation, have never owned a pair of nice clothes, have never got to use their gifting, have never seen what a healthy family looks like, or have ever experienced God in their lives.

All too often we take these things for granted, not recognizing that if we’d share our experiences with people or giving them an opportunity that they wouldn’t normally have, that we’d increase their vision for their life and ultimately, their quality of life.

Imagine someones life being changed forever cause you shared Christ with them or someone getting a vision for their future,  or career, or family, etc. because you shared your own experiences with them. Imagine someone changing the world with their gifting because you gave them a chance to use it. Is there any greater privilege?

What experiences are you sharing? What opportunities are you giving?

¹¹ Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. ¹² So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem^[f] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.¹³ As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.                                                                                                     II Cor. 9:11-13

Tuesday we took our Youth Group to Cedar Point.  As usual, it was an awesome time! As I’ve mentioned several times every time I go somewhere with large throngs of people, I love to people watch and dream.  I saw thousands of people enjoying Cedar Point and I got to thinking… They all came to have an “experience of a lifetime” riding all the thrilling rides Cedar Point offers. They had no problem paying hundreds of dollars for their families to come to the park to enjoy the  rides that last less than 1 minute. I started looking into the cost of these Minute and a half joy rides:

The Cost of Building the Millennium Force – $25 Million

The Cost of Building the Top Thrill Dragster – $25 Million

The Cost of Building The Maverick – $21 Million

It’s estimated that Cedar Point has spend for $120 million building rides since 2000. Yet, I’ve never heard anyone complain about Cedar Point spending too much money to build rides. I never hear anyony tell Cedar Point that all that money could be given to the poor.

But, as soon as the church starts spending millions to build a new building, start a new program, and do stuff for people, people go crazy. “The church just wants my money” “The pastor just wants my money” “They could be giving all that money to the poor”. Here is just a few thoughts I have about money, giving, and the church: -

• The Result of Us Giving and the Church having Money is Changed Lives – I’ve never heard of anyone whose life was changed forever cause they went to an amusement park. Can you put a price on someones life turning around forever? A restored marriage? Getting purpose? Developing a relationship with God? Without money Cedar Point could not provide the experience they do, without money, the church can not provide the change that they need to.
  

• You Choose Where You go to Church – The reason most people complain about giving and how churches use their money is because they have been in a church that has not managed their money well. You choose where you go to church, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than going to a church that uses their money wisely to reach people. How do you know if they do or not? Look to see if lives are being changed on a continual basis.

• Receiving is Overestimated, Giving is Underestimated - I promise you’ll get no greater joy in your life than when you give of your time, talent, and money. I’ve never met anyone who tithes and gives offerings consistently that has ever complained about it.
  

• There is so Much Money in the World – I think it’s easy to think that there is a shortage of money in the world, but that is not true at all. In fact, there is a ton of money in the world. Watch Cribs, go to Beveryly Hills, go to Qatar… you’ll see there is no lack of wealth in the world.

• A “Whatever it Cost” Mentality - Cedar Point never thinks about what its going to cost to build a top-quality ride. Why? Because people will love it and it will get paid for because of that. We need to adopt the same mentality… We should never think about what it costs to reach people. As people get their lives changed, they’ll start to give in order for others to have their lives changed. We need to reach people no matter what it costs.

• Everybody Wants Your Money - Cedar Point wants your money, Nike, Giant Eagle, Banana Republic, etc. above the church wanting your money, God wants your money. It’s all over scripture and the church is the God’s tool to use to reach the world. The purpose of God and the church having your money is to change peoples lives. So, if peoples lives are getting changed, I’ll never scoff at the price.

The Bible says where your money is, your heart is.If you were to look at your checkbook and see where you’ve been spending your money, my question to you is, are peoples lives getting changed as a result of where you give your money? If not, you’re missing out on one of the greatest joys you can experience. Being involved in changing a life…

Long post… have a lot of this on my heart and so much more… but I’ll save it for later..Thoughts?