When I think of Yeshua and leadership, I am more than a little mystified. By any standard, modern or historical, He was just awful.
For the first 30 years he was just a good, oldest son. No one knew of his remarkable qualities. It seems that the only thing on his resume was that he was well liked.
When he finally did get around to doing something, he went and hid in the desert for 40 days.
He gathered up the most common of men to hang out with. He was supported by a group of women.
His followers loved him and hated him, often within minutes of these two opposites.
He didn’t have anyone write anything down. His closest friends didn’t think to write anything about him for at least 20 years after he was gone.
He talked a lot about his relationship with his father.
They only thing that really seemed to matter to him was building friendships with some very unlikely men and women. Even then, his most ridiculous teaching came in the form of washing their feet.
Even today, people don’t put much thought into his model of building friendships.
When he died his closest friends abandoned him. He was such a poor leader that if he hadn’t risen from the dead those closest to him would simply have gone fishing for the rest of their lives.
People seem to really miss the point when they talk more about his miracles and teachings rather than the startling fact that his entire plan for mankind hinged on the friendships that he had developed over the course of three years.
Would you have entrusted the destiny of the world to the likes of a Thomas or a Peter or a Martha?
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hebrew Yeshua vs Greek Jesus
Click on this link to watch a fantastic teaching video Hebrew Yeshua vs Greek Jesus
It takes about 2 hours and is time well invested if you enjoy studying the Bible.
An astonishing realization has recently gripped the Christian world: "Jesus Christ" was not a blond-haired, blue-eyed Gentile. Yeshua of Nazareth was raised in an observant Jewish family in a culture where the Torah (five books of Moses) was the National Constitution.
Yeshua's teachings, which supposedly form the basis for Western Christianity, are now filtered through 2000 years of traditions born in ignorance of the land, language, and culture of the Bible. The issues over which Yeshua wrestled with the Pharisees are simply not understood by modern Christians; nor are his most important instructions followed by those who claim to be his disciples.
Former Pharisee, Nehemia Gordon, a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar and Semitic language expert, explores the ancient Hebrew text of the Gospel of Matthew from manuscripts long hidden away in the archives of Jewish scribes. Gordon's research reveals that the more "modern" Greek text of Matthew, from which the Western world's versions were translated, depicts "another Jesus" from the Yeshua portrayed in the ancient Hebrew version of Matthew. Gordon explains the life-and-death conflict Yeshua had with the Pharisees as they schemed to grab the reins of Judaism in the first century, and brings that conflict into perspective for both Jew and Christian alike.
It takes about 2 hours and is time well invested if you enjoy studying the Bible.
An astonishing realization has recently gripped the Christian world: "Jesus Christ" was not a blond-haired, blue-eyed Gentile. Yeshua of Nazareth was raised in an observant Jewish family in a culture where the Torah (five books of Moses) was the National Constitution.
Yeshua's teachings, which supposedly form the basis for Western Christianity, are now filtered through 2000 years of traditions born in ignorance of the land, language, and culture of the Bible. The issues over which Yeshua wrestled with the Pharisees are simply not understood by modern Christians; nor are his most important instructions followed by those who claim to be his disciples.
Former Pharisee, Nehemia Gordon, a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar and Semitic language expert, explores the ancient Hebrew text of the Gospel of Matthew from manuscripts long hidden away in the archives of Jewish scribes. Gordon's research reveals that the more "modern" Greek text of Matthew, from which the Western world's versions were translated, depicts "another Jesus" from the Yeshua portrayed in the ancient Hebrew version of Matthew. Gordon explains the life-and-death conflict Yeshua had with the Pharisees as they schemed to grab the reins of Judaism in the first century, and brings that conflict into perspective for both Jew and Christian alike.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Kingdom Finances -- Equality and Freedom
Principle #1 EQUALITY
Jesus said,
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6:24
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"
Luke 16:10-11
For many years I didn’t see what the Bible taught about money. I was caught in the mindset of working, paying my bills and tithing to my local church. I experienced both success and near bankruptcy during this time. If someone said do you serve money, I always answered no.
When I was working at General Motors as a toolmaker, I had a certain amount of financial success. I gave generously to my church but the scriptures that talked extensively of caring for the oppressed were in most part, ignored and not understood by me. It wasn't that they were difficult to understand but it was like there was a cloud over my thinking to really appreciate them.
I always had small misgivings about where my trust really was, God or GM, but I managed to push those insecurities into the background. I wasn't even aware of Paul's words to the Thessalonians. "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1 Thess. 4:11,12
I even proved that I wasn’t a slave to GM when I quit this well paying, very secure job. I managed to go to Bible College for 3 years, with 3 young children and came out of that experience with no debt. I then went and pastored for 5 years in a small northern community for 5 years, making a third of the wages that I had made at General Motors. We were poor but my kids never knew it. In all of this, I really didn’t understand the basic teachings of finances that I would like to share with you.
One of my favorite studies in the past was the topic of the endtimes. A key passage that is often ignored by endtime teachers is found in Matthew 25,
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Matthew 25:31-45
I am a little shocked by how Jesus separated the sheep from the goats. It was essentially over the issue of the handling worldly wealth. Providing the basic necessities of life: food, water, clothing, and friendship to those who have less than us.
I come from a church tradition where tithes and offerings get dispersed in this order: buildings, salaries, programs, district office, missions and if anything is left over, some form of benevolence.
For some reason, a simple to understand verse that speaks specifically about caring for the poor was used by me to take up an offering for the above priorities.
1Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
I often quoted from verse 2 when taking up the offering at church. I know it is often printed on tithing envelopes. But the context of this passage was that it was a collection for the oppressed and likely people the Corinthians would never meet.
As a follow up to this passage Paul writes this about a year later.
8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
10And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:8-15
Our first priority in handling money should be the goal of equality. This is equality on a global basis.
When we hear a kingdom word like equality, our immediate response should be joy. And for some it may be. But for those who might be more like me, it may mean a big pang of fear, or a quick dismissal or maybe it feels like a small bone caught in your throat.
Some people have rejected the idea of a good God on the basic premise of “Why would a good God allow innocent children to die needlessly of hunger and malnutrion.” As a Christian, I somehow closed my ears to that argument and yet it has significant merit.
The reality is that God weeps over every person that has been oppressed and He expects His people to do something about it. My heart was closed to this concept for most of my 30+ years as a Christian. It wasn’t that I wasn’t giving away money, it was that I wasn’t fervently seeking EQUALITY in our world.
The more I meditate on this one concept I am astonished at how much of the evil in the world would be eliminated if we simply desired and acted upon this one principle.
How many trillions have been spent on war or how many millions have been spent on toothpaste for whiter teeth or how many billions have been spent buying bricks for beautiful edifices while children drink contaminated water and fill their bellies with dirt.
Equality would get our priorities straight. Surprisingly, I don’t think we would do without anything of value, in fact, we would even prosper more if we established this as a priority. How much of our taxes goes to lining the pockets of those who have the most and building bombs that supposedly have the purpose of bringing freedom? The waste and excess could be RRRRRRolled back considerably if equality became a real goal.
Praying about equality cannot be done passively. It does require a right understanding of giving and receiving. It requires us to take action but it does not allow us to make beggars of others. This simple caution steers us in a much more creative process of things like micro loans and teaching people to fish.
Let’s not confuse the kingdom principle of EQUALITY with forced equality that is advocated by power mongers in order to control the masses.
Principle #2 Freedom
Wealth and freedom should not be confused with being satisfied with gold. The streets of heaven will be paved with gold. Being satisfied with pavement is a very sad state of affairs.
Some have erroneously interpreted Paul’s caution to Timothy about desiring money to mean that money is somehow evil.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10
But take notice that in this passage Paul isn’t referring to money itself but our desire for it. In other words, when money comes first there is a corruption that inevitably follows.
Principle #1 – Equality is a very nice thing to keep in mind as I write about gold. It is difficult to bring equality to the less fortunate when you have just enough for yourself.
However we shouldn’t fear the effects of money as reflected in this prayer,
God, please don’t let me be so rich that I forget you or so poor that I curse you.
The poorest person can find peace with God and the richest person can be at peace as well. In fact there is no economic situation that can stop someone from knowing and loving God.
My goal is to somehow navigate between the extremes and see what the scriptures teach us about not being consumed by our circumstances, especially in the area of our use of TIME and our willingness to GO.
Abraham is considered the father of our faith. When he was asked to go to a land that he did know, he went. This should be normative for every child of God. When God says go, we go.
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
Genesis 12:1
But here’s what is sometimes forgotten in the equation.
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Genesis 12:4,5
Abraham didn’t go poor. In fact there were a number of people that had to go with him because they were either indentured servants or slaves. (An indentured servant is a person who willingly gives there time to someone else for an agreed upon price.)
So here is Point #1
Slaves go where their master tells them to go. If Abraham had been a slave or an indentured servant he would not have been able to obey God’s voice.
You need to pause and let this one sink in.
We live in a country of opportunity and freedom that is the envy of most of the world. Our Canadian passport is one of the most sought after passports because it opens more doors for travel than any other passport in the world. And yet, how many Canadians feel free to go wherever and whenever God tells them to?
Something happened in the past two centuries that is different than any time in history. We became indentured servants without knowing it and the cost was to give up our personal freedom, especially in the area of time.
Henry Ford was a genius in creating a system of indentured servants. He paid men $5 a day to work on his production line. He also lowered the daily work day to 8 hours. (This was so he could get 3 shifts out of a 24 hour day.)
Families literally flocked to his factories from all over the country to work for Henry. In so doing, they gave up there personal freedom for about $1,500 a year. A large sum in 1910. Henry is known as the father of modern mass production. He also amassed one of the largest workforces of indentured servants that history had ever seen.
When I left my job at General Motors to go to Bible college a number of eyebrows were raised. How could I leave the security of such a good job?
Years later, I ended up being out of the ministry and my wife and I went to Korea to teach English. After a year, I came back and attended a conference from the organization I had pastored in. I was a little dismayed that they were pushing hard for missions funding. On July 31st of 2001, I knew nothing about teaching English as a second language and on August 28 we were making money and teaching there.
Meanwhile the old paradigm of begging for money to do God's work was alive and well when I arrived home. At the same time, the world is willing to pay for people to come and teach them English with the side affect of sharing our lives with them. I wasn't even financially free, in fact I was a month away from personal bankruptcy, but I was able to go without begging.
It was in Korea that my heart began to yearn to understand business from God's perspective. It wasn't until just recently that God opened my heart and mind to the possibilities that can only come through a business model.
Financially free people never have to ask for money to Go where God wants them to go.
This leads us to Point #2
Security is a myth that is dangled by the few to control the masses. If I said that just a few months ago many would have mocked me. But with the economic meltdown that is happening right now people are shocked to find out that what they had put so much trust in has let them down. Even those with jobs are sitting on pins and needles praying that they won't be next.
The slave has no control over where he goes or what his master decides. A slave’s only hope is that his master is benevolent and makes good decisions.
It has been suggested that immediately following the abolition of slavery in the United States that the slaves’ new freedom made them worse off economically than they had been as slaves. Without the gold, freedom is simply like floating on a raft in the middle of an ocean with no destination in sight.
So how does God speak to his children regarding being slaves.
Paul said, “I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Cor 6:12)
Paul knew freedom. He travelled where he wanted, when he wanted. He not only provided for himself but others.
32"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. Acts 20:32-34
Paul’s business of tent making allowed him to travel where he wanted and when he wanted. Not only that, but it provided for others. Paul did not only talk or pray about equality, he brought it into existence. He was never diminished by doing so. The more he helped others, the more he gained. He really understood the idea of marketplace Christianity. As he ran his business he was able to mix with people and share his faith.
This story is often overlooked by many Christians who are caught in the mindset of being an indentured servant. The idea of rewards for those who increased in wealth and using it for kingdom purposes, like bringing equality, is a mystery and/or perplexes many Christians.
Luke 19:11-26 he tells the parable of the Ten Minas. A mina was equal to about 1/3 of a year’s wages. In this story, one man used the opportunity to make a mina into 10. The only way to do that would have been by using some kind of a business model. Another man made his mina into 5.
We need to pause and listen seriously to what Jesus thought of these two men.
17" 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' The one with 5 was put in charge of 5 cities.
There were also 7 slaves who went and spent the money on themselves and it was not a good day for them when the master returned.
And then there was the one who hid his mina in the ground.
20"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'
22"His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
24"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
25" 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
26"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.
Luke 19:20-26
It seems in Jesus’ view of the kingdom, the rich do get richer.
Jesus’ encounter with the man who hid his mina leads us to Point #4
With the economic meltdown that is currently happening, are the millionaires of this world really afraid? Is the guy or gal that owns Tim Horton’s afraid. They might not get their biggest profits this year but more than likely they will take their trip to Cancun or Banff just likely they always do.
What I am hearing from many people, Christians and non-Christians who are indentured servants is fear? There is an endless list in the Bible for us to not be afraid and yet many Christians are caught in its vice-like grip.
Even churches are feeling the effects of this downturn. Pastors will be laid off and/or salaries will be decreased. Building programs will be scaled back or stalled altogether. The idea that God gave the vision but our economy determines its outcome is very real. The idea is to hang on until the economy goes back to what it was and we can have our sense of security and then we can move forward with God's vision.
Slaves are always stuck with whatever the circumstances are at the moment.
Interestingly enough, I was talking with a businessman this week and he is planning a significant expansion of his business. For him, this downturn simply means there are more people available to work for him and at a lower wage to boot.
Business people think differently. They are creative and expand when others are like deer caught in the headlights. Successful business people are never motivated by fear. Even if failure does befall them, they don’t shrink away in fear but rather they learn the lesson and continue to seek freedom.
Does that mean that everyone that works for someone else is motivated by fear. Of course not. Many have learned that whatsoever state they are in to be content. Nevertheless, without funds channeling through their lives they to will have to cut back on the number of orphans or widows they are currently caring for. They will miss simple opportunities of doing more and equality in our world will be an unrealized dream.
There are many people who only dream of the opportunities that we as Canadians have. They can’t imagine someone thumbing their nose at simple opportunities that they would literally give their right arm to have. They are the ones who will face the harshest realities of this economic collapse, as help from Canada decreases. There are many people who have been hard working employees and were very generous but even they can’t give what they don’t have.
But I also know many Christians who will be caught in the trap of fear and will not explore business opportunities to overcome their financial distress. They are hoping and praying that their place of employment will survive. They never for a moment consider going after financial freedom and still desire the myth of security. The goal of global equality has never seriously touched their imagination.
Even though their place of security has left them in fear, they will not open their minds to the possibility that perhaps financial freedom might have been a better goal.
While many people were thanking Henry Ford for the opportunity of being able to serve him, Henry travelled where he wanted, lived where he wanted and used his time the way he wanted.
The goals of equality and freedom are not exclusive ideas. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin.
Are there business models out there that would allow everyone to enjoy financial freedom and more importantly freedom to go when God says go? Of course there are. Paul had one 2,000 years ago. I’m in one that allows virtually anyone to enjoy personal financial freedom.
We are living in a day when the opportunity to be in business has never been more accessible. The current economic crisis gives us the opportunity to look at the myth of security without the possibility of being equal to the person we work for. Or we can challenge ourselves to step away from the false security of being an indentured servant and become the master of our time and our wealth.
Remarkably, in a time when our governments and corporate leaders are struggling for answers, those who are willing to make a slight adjustment in their goals and aligning themselves with Biblical values of being financially free with the purpose of bringing equality, we can radically impact our world.
If you are free to go when God says GO, you are not an indentured slave. This freedom isn’t even always tied to job security or even having lots of gold but is really tied to a mindset of obedience to God, desiring equality for all and understanding God does not have slaves. We are his children.
Jesus said,
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6:24
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"
Luke 16:10-11
For many years I didn’t see what the Bible taught about money. I was caught in the mindset of working, paying my bills and tithing to my local church. I experienced both success and near bankruptcy during this time. If someone said do you serve money, I always answered no.
When I was working at General Motors as a toolmaker, I had a certain amount of financial success. I gave generously to my church but the scriptures that talked extensively of caring for the oppressed were in most part, ignored and not understood by me. It wasn't that they were difficult to understand but it was like there was a cloud over my thinking to really appreciate them.
I always had small misgivings about where my trust really was, God or GM, but I managed to push those insecurities into the background. I wasn't even aware of Paul's words to the Thessalonians. "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1 Thess. 4:11,12
I even proved that I wasn’t a slave to GM when I quit this well paying, very secure job. I managed to go to Bible College for 3 years, with 3 young children and came out of that experience with no debt. I then went and pastored for 5 years in a small northern community for 5 years, making a third of the wages that I had made at General Motors. We were poor but my kids never knew it. In all of this, I really didn’t understand the basic teachings of finances that I would like to share with you.
One of my favorite studies in the past was the topic of the endtimes. A key passage that is often ignored by endtime teachers is found in Matthew 25,
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Matthew 25:31-45
I am a little shocked by how Jesus separated the sheep from the goats. It was essentially over the issue of the handling worldly wealth. Providing the basic necessities of life: food, water, clothing, and friendship to those who have less than us.
I come from a church tradition where tithes and offerings get dispersed in this order: buildings, salaries, programs, district office, missions and if anything is left over, some form of benevolence.
For some reason, a simple to understand verse that speaks specifically about caring for the poor was used by me to take up an offering for the above priorities.
1Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
I often quoted from verse 2 when taking up the offering at church. I know it is often printed on tithing envelopes. But the context of this passage was that it was a collection for the oppressed and likely people the Corinthians would never meet.
As a follow up to this passage Paul writes this about a year later.
8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
10And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:8-15
Our first priority in handling money should be the goal of equality. This is equality on a global basis.
When we hear a kingdom word like equality, our immediate response should be joy. And for some it may be. But for those who might be more like me, it may mean a big pang of fear, or a quick dismissal or maybe it feels like a small bone caught in your throat.
Some people have rejected the idea of a good God on the basic premise of “Why would a good God allow innocent children to die needlessly of hunger and malnutrion.” As a Christian, I somehow closed my ears to that argument and yet it has significant merit.
The reality is that God weeps over every person that has been oppressed and He expects His people to do something about it. My heart was closed to this concept for most of my 30+ years as a Christian. It wasn’t that I wasn’t giving away money, it was that I wasn’t fervently seeking EQUALITY in our world.
The more I meditate on this one concept I am astonished at how much of the evil in the world would be eliminated if we simply desired and acted upon this one principle.
How many trillions have been spent on war or how many millions have been spent on toothpaste for whiter teeth or how many billions have been spent buying bricks for beautiful edifices while children drink contaminated water and fill their bellies with dirt.
Equality would get our priorities straight. Surprisingly, I don’t think we would do without anything of value, in fact, we would even prosper more if we established this as a priority. How much of our taxes goes to lining the pockets of those who have the most and building bombs that supposedly have the purpose of bringing freedom? The waste and excess could be RRRRRRolled back considerably if equality became a real goal.
Praying about equality cannot be done passively. It does require a right understanding of giving and receiving. It requires us to take action but it does not allow us to make beggars of others. This simple caution steers us in a much more creative process of things like micro loans and teaching people to fish.
Let’s not confuse the kingdom principle of EQUALITY with forced equality that is advocated by power mongers in order to control the masses.
Principle #2 Freedom
Wealth and freedom should not be confused with being satisfied with gold. The streets of heaven will be paved with gold. Being satisfied with pavement is a very sad state of affairs.
Some have erroneously interpreted Paul’s caution to Timothy about desiring money to mean that money is somehow evil.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10
But take notice that in this passage Paul isn’t referring to money itself but our desire for it. In other words, when money comes first there is a corruption that inevitably follows.
Principle #1 – Equality is a very nice thing to keep in mind as I write about gold. It is difficult to bring equality to the less fortunate when you have just enough for yourself.
However we shouldn’t fear the effects of money as reflected in this prayer,
God, please don’t let me be so rich that I forget you or so poor that I curse you.
The poorest person can find peace with God and the richest person can be at peace as well. In fact there is no economic situation that can stop someone from knowing and loving God.
My goal is to somehow navigate between the extremes and see what the scriptures teach us about not being consumed by our circumstances, especially in the area of our use of TIME and our willingness to GO.
Abraham is considered the father of our faith. When he was asked to go to a land that he did know, he went. This should be normative for every child of God. When God says go, we go.
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
Genesis 12:1
But here’s what is sometimes forgotten in the equation.
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Genesis 12:4,5
Abraham didn’t go poor. In fact there were a number of people that had to go with him because they were either indentured servants or slaves. (An indentured servant is a person who willingly gives there time to someone else for an agreed upon price.)
So here is Point #1
Only a free person can go where they want.
Slaves go where their master tells them to go. If Abraham had been a slave or an indentured servant he would not have been able to obey God’s voice.
You need to pause and let this one sink in.
We live in a country of opportunity and freedom that is the envy of most of the world. Our Canadian passport is one of the most sought after passports because it opens more doors for travel than any other passport in the world. And yet, how many Canadians feel free to go wherever and whenever God tells them to?
Something happened in the past two centuries that is different than any time in history. We became indentured servants without knowing it and the cost was to give up our personal freedom, especially in the area of time.
Henry Ford was a genius in creating a system of indentured servants. He paid men $5 a day to work on his production line. He also lowered the daily work day to 8 hours. (This was so he could get 3 shifts out of a 24 hour day.)
Families literally flocked to his factories from all over the country to work for Henry. In so doing, they gave up there personal freedom for about $1,500 a year. A large sum in 1910. Henry is known as the father of modern mass production. He also amassed one of the largest workforces of indentured servants that history had ever seen.
When I left my job at General Motors to go to Bible college a number of eyebrows were raised. How could I leave the security of such a good job?
Years later, I ended up being out of the ministry and my wife and I went to Korea to teach English. After a year, I came back and attended a conference from the organization I had pastored in. I was a little dismayed that they were pushing hard for missions funding. On July 31st of 2001, I knew nothing about teaching English as a second language and on August 28 we were making money and teaching there.
Meanwhile the old paradigm of begging for money to do God's work was alive and well when I arrived home. At the same time, the world is willing to pay for people to come and teach them English with the side affect of sharing our lives with them. I wasn't even financially free, in fact I was a month away from personal bankruptcy, but I was able to go without begging.
It was in Korea that my heart began to yearn to understand business from God's perspective. It wasn't until just recently that God opened my heart and mind to the possibilities that can only come through a business model.
Financially free people never have to ask for money to Go where God wants them to go.
This leads us to Point #2
Security does not equal Freedom
Security is a myth that is dangled by the few to control the masses. If I said that just a few months ago many would have mocked me. But with the economic meltdown that is happening right now people are shocked to find out that what they had put so much trust in has let them down. Even those with jobs are sitting on pins and needles praying that they won't be next.
The slave has no control over where he goes or what his master decides. A slave’s only hope is that his master is benevolent and makes good decisions.
It has been suggested that immediately following the abolition of slavery in the United States that the slaves’ new freedom made them worse off economically than they had been as slaves. Without the gold, freedom is simply like floating on a raft in the middle of an ocean with no destination in sight.
So how does God speak to his children regarding being slaves.
Paul said, “I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Cor 6:12)
Paul knew freedom. He travelled where he wanted, when he wanted. He not only provided for himself but others.
32"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. Acts 20:32-34
Paul’s business of tent making allowed him to travel where he wanted and when he wanted. Not only that, but it provided for others. Paul did not only talk or pray about equality, he brought it into existence. He was never diminished by doing so. The more he helped others, the more he gained. He really understood the idea of marketplace Christianity. As he ran his business he was able to mix with people and share his faith.
Jesus himself, put a high value on us increasing in wealth which leads us to Point #3
Wealth Gives Freedom and Authority
Wealth Gives Freedom and Authority
This story is often overlooked by many Christians who are caught in the mindset of being an indentured servant. The idea of rewards for those who increased in wealth and using it for kingdom purposes, like bringing equality, is a mystery and/or perplexes many Christians.
Luke 19:11-26 he tells the parable of the Ten Minas. A mina was equal to about 1/3 of a year’s wages. In this story, one man used the opportunity to make a mina into 10. The only way to do that would have been by using some kind of a business model. Another man made his mina into 5.
We need to pause and listen seriously to what Jesus thought of these two men.
17" 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' The one with 5 was put in charge of 5 cities.
There were also 7 slaves who went and spent the money on themselves and it was not a good day for them when the master returned.
And then there was the one who hid his mina in the ground.
20"Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'
22"His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'
24"Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
25" 'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!'
26"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.
Luke 19:20-26
It seems in Jesus’ view of the kingdom, the rich do get richer.
Jesus’ encounter with the man who hid his mina leads us to Point #4
We are not to be afraid.
With the economic meltdown that is currently happening, are the millionaires of this world really afraid? Is the guy or gal that owns Tim Horton’s afraid. They might not get their biggest profits this year but more than likely they will take their trip to Cancun or Banff just likely they always do.
What I am hearing from many people, Christians and non-Christians who are indentured servants is fear? There is an endless list in the Bible for us to not be afraid and yet many Christians are caught in its vice-like grip.
Even churches are feeling the effects of this downturn. Pastors will be laid off and/or salaries will be decreased. Building programs will be scaled back or stalled altogether. The idea that God gave the vision but our economy determines its outcome is very real. The idea is to hang on until the economy goes back to what it was and we can have our sense of security and then we can move forward with God's vision.
Slaves are always stuck with whatever the circumstances are at the moment.
Interestingly enough, I was talking with a businessman this week and he is planning a significant expansion of his business. For him, this downturn simply means there are more people available to work for him and at a lower wage to boot.
Business people think differently. They are creative and expand when others are like deer caught in the headlights. Successful business people are never motivated by fear. Even if failure does befall them, they don’t shrink away in fear but rather they learn the lesson and continue to seek freedom.
Does that mean that everyone that works for someone else is motivated by fear. Of course not. Many have learned that whatsoever state they are in to be content. Nevertheless, without funds channeling through their lives they to will have to cut back on the number of orphans or widows they are currently caring for. They will miss simple opportunities of doing more and equality in our world will be an unrealized dream.
There are many people who only dream of the opportunities that we as Canadians have. They can’t imagine someone thumbing their nose at simple opportunities that they would literally give their right arm to have. They are the ones who will face the harshest realities of this economic collapse, as help from Canada decreases. There are many people who have been hard working employees and were very generous but even they can’t give what they don’t have.
But I also know many Christians who will be caught in the trap of fear and will not explore business opportunities to overcome their financial distress. They are hoping and praying that their place of employment will survive. They never for a moment consider going after financial freedom and still desire the myth of security. The goal of global equality has never seriously touched their imagination.
Even though their place of security has left them in fear, they will not open their minds to the possibility that perhaps financial freedom might have been a better goal.
While many people were thanking Henry Ford for the opportunity of being able to serve him, Henry travelled where he wanted, lived where he wanted and used his time the way he wanted.
The goals of equality and freedom are not exclusive ideas. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin.
Are there business models out there that would allow everyone to enjoy financial freedom and more importantly freedom to go when God says go? Of course there are. Paul had one 2,000 years ago. I’m in one that allows virtually anyone to enjoy personal financial freedom.
We are living in a day when the opportunity to be in business has never been more accessible. The current economic crisis gives us the opportunity to look at the myth of security without the possibility of being equal to the person we work for. Or we can challenge ourselves to step away from the false security of being an indentured servant and become the master of our time and our wealth.
Remarkably, in a time when our governments and corporate leaders are struggling for answers, those who are willing to make a slight adjustment in their goals and aligning themselves with Biblical values of being financially free with the purpose of bringing equality, we can radically impact our world.
If you are free to go when God says GO, you are not an indentured slave. This freedom isn’t even always tied to job security or even having lots of gold but is really tied to a mindset of obedience to God, desiring equality for all and understanding God does not have slaves. We are his children.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Healthy Conflict - Iron Sharpens Iron
Life in Healthy Conflict by Mike from ROCK Canada
We co-hosted a weekend gathering in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada. It was an opportunity for people from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives to share the journey of faith they are experiencing; the good, the bad and the ugly. For my wife and I this was an exceptional weekend, we enjoyed ourselves and were challenged in wonderful ways.
There were folks from a variety of backgrounds, some who were “free range” Christians to those who are ardent supporters of institutional forms of Church. While I was well aware of the diversity of people attending and the potential for conflict, I was more concerned that it would be just another gathering of Christians where we all put on our “best face” and never say what we really believe / think. What a surprise when people were pretty darn open and honest, and while this created some mess it was a real gift from God.
A friend wrote his Master thesis on Conflict from a business perspective and focused on two kinds of conflict; 1) Conflict that ends relationship and 2) conflict which inspires creativity and innovation. The latter being a very healthy and very necessary form of conflict but one which is often times missing in western evangelical / charismatic Christian circles. It seems, though unfortunate, in matters of religion often disagreement ends with schism, formally like church splits or with informal factions within a body. So the tendency in many church settings is passive aggressive by simply playing nice while playing “respectable” politics aka “power games”. This seems to be appealing to many because it is the preferred modus operandi. After all it keeps the peace (gingerly though it may be) but in reality it is one of the biggest road blocks to authentic healthy community. Why? Simply because we never really deal with our issues together, hiding our true thoughts and feelings – our very selves – from others. Community cannot form and be nurtured in this climate. The best we can hope for is some congeniality and some cooperation, but I suggest Christian community is so much more!
There is a misnomer that the absence of conflict is the sign of a mature healthy community, and conversely, conflict in a church must mean it is somehow unspiritual or unhealthy. I strongly assert this is a completely erroneous distinction. The reality of life with real people is that when we are truly honest, we admit we are broken people. We all have issues and these issues manifest themselves in a variety of ways – some of which are more socially acceptable than others. Regardless, we all have our issues and conflict is inevitable. The demarcation of healthy or unhealthy, spiritual or unspiritual church communities is not the absence or manifestation of conflict. Health is determined by how we deal with conflict when it arises – and it will. How we deal with conflict will directly have an impact on the depth to which communities can actually form and become safe places to be. To become safe communities we must embrace conflict and deal with it in love and allow Holy Spirit to inspire us, to heal us and give us creativity to address our personal and corporate challenges together.
The emphasis needs to be on relationship and the path of healthy relationship is intersected by conflict. Our church communities prefer the efficient operation of the service and programs – this is the ultimate goal. As such we have no time to address real issues as the schedules and demands of our “product” trump the needs of relationship. As such, unhealthy power will be exerted to force or manipulate parties back into their service to the machine. Rules and hierarchy will be instituted to manage the brokenness. Positional power is often invoked along with political power to bring about conformity. Unfortunately these never deal with the issues and only hide them requiring a bigger and more “violent” use of power to keep the issues under control in the future.
The other means of avoiding conflict is through “busyness” and the “new and shiny”. The old adage “idle hands are the devils workshop” seem to lead us to keep very busy, too busy to get into trouble. Workaholism is very alive and well in evangelical Christianity but even busyness doesn’t avert conflict but will very often inhibit our ability and resources to deal with it. Likewise, the shiny and new also seeks to take our mind off the relational issues and put them on a new project, new mission, etc. Unfortunately this is not unlike a married couple attempting to keep their struggling marriage together by having children. While it diverts attention from the issues, they will no doubt surface in the not to distant future!
So what do I mean when I say things like relationship over issue? I mean that we must value healthy relationships over mission (aka the efficient operation of our services, programs and activities). I would dare to say that healthy loving relationships are the primary mission of the Kingdom of God. Consider “they will know you are my disciples because you love one another.” John 13:35
Again, conflict is a part of reality, a manifestation of our brokenness, however, Jesus has taught us to embrace the conflict, deal with it and disarm it! How? Is any of the following familiar?
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”
“Forgive one another”
“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you”
“If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and offer them your left”.
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned”
“Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”.
“Seventy times Seven”
“If someone demands your shirt, give them your coat as well”.
“If you are told to go a mile, go the second”.
“Serve one and other”
“No greater love than this than a man lays down his life for his friends.”
“ A new command I leave you love others as I have loved you.”
All these and many more are practical examples of how we deal with conflict in spiritually maturing communities. These scriptural values will convert conflict to a catalyst for deeper relationships – authentic, honest, safer and caring communities.
I have heard it said that God will often offend the mind to reveal the heart and my experience affirms the truth of this. So in the bit of the mess of our gathering last weekend, a gift of God was made manifest which I hope we do not over look. The process of the conflict with others and their ideas may in fact be God himself challenging us to deal with our own blind spots and brokenness. Failure to do so will perpetuate relationally shallow church and faith. Many of us have higher hopes for the Church and are prepared to step out with courage and love into the joyous mess that life can sometimes be.
We co-hosted a weekend gathering in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada. It was an opportunity for people from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives to share the journey of faith they are experiencing; the good, the bad and the ugly. For my wife and I this was an exceptional weekend, we enjoyed ourselves and were challenged in wonderful ways.
There were folks from a variety of backgrounds, some who were “free range” Christians to those who are ardent supporters of institutional forms of Church. While I was well aware of the diversity of people attending and the potential for conflict, I was more concerned that it would be just another gathering of Christians where we all put on our “best face” and never say what we really believe / think. What a surprise when people were pretty darn open and honest, and while this created some mess it was a real gift from God.
A friend wrote his Master thesis on Conflict from a business perspective and focused on two kinds of conflict; 1) Conflict that ends relationship and 2) conflict which inspires creativity and innovation. The latter being a very healthy and very necessary form of conflict but one which is often times missing in western evangelical / charismatic Christian circles. It seems, though unfortunate, in matters of religion often disagreement ends with schism, formally like church splits or with informal factions within a body. So the tendency in many church settings is passive aggressive by simply playing nice while playing “respectable” politics aka “power games”. This seems to be appealing to many because it is the preferred modus operandi. After all it keeps the peace (gingerly though it may be) but in reality it is one of the biggest road blocks to authentic healthy community. Why? Simply because we never really deal with our issues together, hiding our true thoughts and feelings – our very selves – from others. Community cannot form and be nurtured in this climate. The best we can hope for is some congeniality and some cooperation, but I suggest Christian community is so much more!
There is a misnomer that the absence of conflict is the sign of a mature healthy community, and conversely, conflict in a church must mean it is somehow unspiritual or unhealthy. I strongly assert this is a completely erroneous distinction. The reality of life with real people is that when we are truly honest, we admit we are broken people. We all have issues and these issues manifest themselves in a variety of ways – some of which are more socially acceptable than others. Regardless, we all have our issues and conflict is inevitable. The demarcation of healthy or unhealthy, spiritual or unspiritual church communities is not the absence or manifestation of conflict. Health is determined by how we deal with conflict when it arises – and it will. How we deal with conflict will directly have an impact on the depth to which communities can actually form and become safe places to be. To become safe communities we must embrace conflict and deal with it in love and allow Holy Spirit to inspire us, to heal us and give us creativity to address our personal and corporate challenges together.
The emphasis needs to be on relationship and the path of healthy relationship is intersected by conflict. Our church communities prefer the efficient operation of the service and programs – this is the ultimate goal. As such we have no time to address real issues as the schedules and demands of our “product” trump the needs of relationship. As such, unhealthy power will be exerted to force or manipulate parties back into their service to the machine. Rules and hierarchy will be instituted to manage the brokenness. Positional power is often invoked along with political power to bring about conformity. Unfortunately these never deal with the issues and only hide them requiring a bigger and more “violent” use of power to keep the issues under control in the future.
The other means of avoiding conflict is through “busyness” and the “new and shiny”. The old adage “idle hands are the devils workshop” seem to lead us to keep very busy, too busy to get into trouble. Workaholism is very alive and well in evangelical Christianity but even busyness doesn’t avert conflict but will very often inhibit our ability and resources to deal with it. Likewise, the shiny and new also seeks to take our mind off the relational issues and put them on a new project, new mission, etc. Unfortunately this is not unlike a married couple attempting to keep their struggling marriage together by having children. While it diverts attention from the issues, they will no doubt surface in the not to distant future!
So what do I mean when I say things like relationship over issue? I mean that we must value healthy relationships over mission (aka the efficient operation of our services, programs and activities). I would dare to say that healthy loving relationships are the primary mission of the Kingdom of God. Consider “they will know you are my disciples because you love one another.” John 13:35
Again, conflict is a part of reality, a manifestation of our brokenness, however, Jesus has taught us to embrace the conflict, deal with it and disarm it! How? Is any of the following familiar?
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”
“Forgive one another”
“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you”
“If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and offer them your left”.
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned”
“Don’t let the sun go down on your anger”.
“Seventy times Seven”
“If someone demands your shirt, give them your coat as well”.
“If you are told to go a mile, go the second”.
“Serve one and other”
“No greater love than this than a man lays down his life for his friends.”
“ A new command I leave you love others as I have loved you.”
All these and many more are practical examples of how we deal with conflict in spiritually maturing communities. These scriptural values will convert conflict to a catalyst for deeper relationships – authentic, honest, safer and caring communities.
I have heard it said that God will often offend the mind to reveal the heart and my experience affirms the truth of this. So in the bit of the mess of our gathering last weekend, a gift of God was made manifest which I hope we do not over look. The process of the conflict with others and their ideas may in fact be God himself challenging us to deal with our own blind spots and brokenness. Failure to do so will perpetuate relationally shallow church and faith. Many of us have higher hopes for the Church and are prepared to step out with courage and love into the joyous mess that life can sometimes be.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
How to Steal From the Poor and Give Everyone a Clear Conscience
I read this from a church budget update that I saw online.
Weekly Budget | $25,000.00 When a financial goal for a particular project has been reached, ****** Church reserves the right to allocate additional funds to the most urgent need at that time.
What does this mean? Let's say the project was "Care for the Poor in Honduras". And the budget amount is $20,000. If 50 church members felt God lead them to give $1,000 to this cause, $50,000 in total, the leadership could use $30,000 of their giving to go to another budget item like advertising. The people that gave to the poor in Honduras would never know that this happened. But at least they've done their part and followed the leading of the Lord.
When people designate their giving to a particular budget item, it usually isn't in the category of paper clips or cleaning supplies. Understandably, a project could be fixing the roof and therefore surplus dollars should be allocated elsewhere.
Some people take a different approach to their giving and don't designate any of their offering. The assumption they have is that a percentage of their giving would go to worthwhile projects. The Honduras project is 1.5% of the church budget. Therefore for every $100 that they give they would be happy to know that $1.50 would go to the poor. But if $20,000 of the Honduras budget came in through designated offerings, maybe even through just 1 person giving the full $20,000, that would mean that no one else even gave 1.5% of their offerings to that particular project.
How would you know if this has happened? You could ask but you will likely be given the impression that you are not trusting the leadership simply because of your question. And I've got a hunch that if that scenario did happen that way, that they wouldn't tell you how much had been designated and how much was re-allocated.
Would the leadership do this? What if the church does not reach its budget target each week? You do the math.
p.s.
This is actually a common practice in many churches and pastors teach each other this. It is the modern day application of what Jesus denounced the Pharisees for.
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
Matthew 15:3-9
Weekly Budget | $25,000.00 When a financial goal for a particular project has been reached, ****** Church reserves the right to allocate additional funds to the most urgent need at that time.
What does this mean? Let's say the project was "Care for the Poor in Honduras". And the budget amount is $20,000. If 50 church members felt God lead them to give $1,000 to this cause, $50,000 in total, the leadership could use $30,000 of their giving to go to another budget item like advertising. The people that gave to the poor in Honduras would never know that this happened. But at least they've done their part and followed the leading of the Lord.
When people designate their giving to a particular budget item, it usually isn't in the category of paper clips or cleaning supplies. Understandably, a project could be fixing the roof and therefore surplus dollars should be allocated elsewhere.
Some people take a different approach to their giving and don't designate any of their offering. The assumption they have is that a percentage of their giving would go to worthwhile projects. The Honduras project is 1.5% of the church budget. Therefore for every $100 that they give they would be happy to know that $1.50 would go to the poor. But if $20,000 of the Honduras budget came in through designated offerings, maybe even through just 1 person giving the full $20,000, that would mean that no one else even gave 1.5% of their offerings to that particular project.
How would you know if this has happened? You could ask but you will likely be given the impression that you are not trusting the leadership simply because of your question. And I've got a hunch that if that scenario did happen that way, that they wouldn't tell you how much had been designated and how much was re-allocated.
Would the leadership do this? What if the church does not reach its budget target each week? You do the math.
p.s.
This is actually a common practice in many churches and pastors teach each other this. It is the modern day application of what Jesus denounced the Pharisees for.
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
Matthew 15:3-9
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