CHURCH MONEY, POWER, EGO, & CONTROL

                                                I watch this a ton.  I always follow money, ego, control, and power in both government and church.  I often see big churches doing “youth mission trips” overseas and little is accomplished.  Air fare, lodging, etc., and have always wondered why we don’t just send that amount of money to the missionary in that location to pay the locals to do the work.  It is cumbersome on the local ministry to host and at times done outside of coordination with host nation support and security.  As you know, I am always curious about money, control, and power in both religion and politics and the youth mission trips seem wasteful.

                                                I have a feeling that if Jesus came back today and did an audit on Christianity, He would be flipping tables and it would be so-called Christians leading the charge to crucify Him.  As you know, we do not do a formal offertory and use every bit that people give in private for the church and people in need.  Out of curiosity I researched data from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity to analyze the numbers.  Remember, numbers don’t lie…people do.  Approximately 1.4 trillion dollars is given annually to Christian causes and charities.  That’s about 4 billion dollars each day or $43,000 every second. 

                                                Estimates show that it would take roughly 93 billion dollars annually to solve world hunger.  114 billion dollars annually to provide clean water and sanitation worldwide.  23 billion dollars annually to provide everyone electricity.  Lastly, 371 billion dollars annually to expand essential healthcare worldwide.  All totaling about 600 billion dollars per year.  This is less than half that is collected each year by Christian causes and charities. 

                                                My numbers are from different studies and I am the first one to say that money does not solve all of humanity’s problems, especially if there is moral absence of God—the “Jesus hole.”  But really?!  Looking at these numbers was alarming to me.  Perhaps “Christians” remind me what we are supposed to be following.  Why no one gets paid in our church…its our church and our congregation.  We believe that Jesus commanded us to take up our cross and follow Him, not the almighty dollar. 

                                                Let’s see, Jesus was a homeless teacher who fed and healed people…I don’t think He had a “merch stand” or coffee bar in the lobby at the sermon on the mount.  After all, Jesus told us that we cannot serve both God and money…sure wish my tax dollars were being used properly, how can expect any different from the church?  It seems like Jesus has become the mascot for multi-million dollar enterprises and millionaire preachers. 

                                                This is not an assault on Christians who really do a lot of work in the church each and every week, or pastors with a family to feed, rather it is questioning our dedicated stewardship going to what the need is.  My question really is for the so-called Christian causes and charities that receive the money.  Where is the money going and who is it helping?  I don’t if we put enough scrutiny nor is there as much transparency as I would prefer just because an organization is a 501c3 tax exempt group.

                                                I can save more money to help people by lessening the size of my church and focus on my on-line teaching.  Less structural overhead, the more I can do for those in need.  Jesus tells me, “whatever you do for the least of these,” and never once referenced the overhead on the marketing, IT, or whatever production department.  Instead of “following Jesus” has the church replaced that with “financing Jesus?”

                                                So, for your consideration, why don’t we stop outsourcing our support to those in need and do it ourselves?  Churches, open your doors for the homeless and feed them.  Work with people to get them jobs.  Give them clothing and warm blankets.  Christ’s church should be a church of action with VERY little overhead because we should be doing it for and in the name of Jesus and not performance art.

                                                I will tell you this with absolute authority…when God calls you out, He calls you out.  Hence, the calling.  You become separate from the people and society that you once were accustomed to.  You are no longer comfortable in a place where you don’t belong.  When God truly calls you, He calls you out of everything you once knew.  It becomes this crazy step by faith where He directs and you have nothing to do it.  Money, control, and power ALL belong to Him.  The beauty, like my life in the Marine Corps, I will do it until I die.  Unlike the Corps, in service to God, I will never find a place where I just settle.  God just doesn’t allow it…be smarter, faster, stronger, tougher. 

                                                I look at Abraham and the moment he was called, he got moved further and further away from his comfort zone at the expense of his money, control, and power.  Sometimes the loneliness and betrayal is taking you to a higher calling and a higher place.  So, I simply ask, what is your calling and what idol is getting in the way?  Money?  Power?  Ego?  Or, control?  Lay it at the cross.