Sell the buildings. Stop using tithe money for letterhead, electricity bills, and staple guns. Sell everything within the buildings. The chairs. The fancy fountains. The swank pianos. The projectors. The organs. The tables.
Sell everything you have, and help provide for the 3 billion people who are living in extreme poverty. Sell everything you have and help give food to the 25,000 people a day who die of starvation. Sell everything you have and give water to the millions who have no access to clean water. Sell everything you have and give shelter to the 500 million people who are homeless in the world.
Buy a big tent, and hundreds of blankets, and each Sunday you can all meet under the tent, sit on the blankets, and love Jesus just the same.
Sell all you have and use it to reach into the communities. Give your money to the poor, assist the orphans, take care of the widows. Love your neighbor.
And when there is no longer any need in all the world, then build your big buildings. But until there is no need; until every human has been fed, every human has been given a drink, every human has heard the truth - until that time comes, we must not indulge ourselves in the things that are unnecessary.
Come to the streets. See the eyes that I am seeing. Hear the stories I am hearing. Feel the emptiness that I feel from those I spend time with. See where they sleep. Then you'll know. You'll understand.
1 John 3:17 reads, "if someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister[ in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?"
I love the church. I need the community, the love, leadership and accountability.
Does that require a sound system? No. Does that require a multi million dollar budget? No. Does that require a suit and tie? No. Does that require a video system? No.
A church under the sky, as the sun rises on a crisp Sunday morning would do just fine. Me sitting on a blanket, enjoying the breeze in my hair that God created. Singing worship songs and laughing with my fellow believers near the trees and under a tent would work for me.
Then everything we had could goes to those who do not have. The hungry would be fed. The homeless housed. The thirsty satisfied. The lost, found in God's truth.
Should the hungry go hungry because I want top of the line video? Should the thirsty go thirsty because I want a comfortable pew? Should the homeless go without a home because I want my church service on television? No.
There's too much need for our greed.
Does that require a sound system? No. Does that require a multi million dollar budget? No. Does that require a suit and tie? No. Does that require a video system? No.
A church under the sky, as the sun rises on a crisp Sunday morning would do just fine. Me sitting on a blanket, enjoying the breeze in my hair that God created. Singing worship songs and laughing with my fellow believers near the trees and under a tent would work for me.
Then everything we had could goes to those who do not have. The hungry would be fed. The homeless housed. The thirsty satisfied. The lost, found in God's truth.
Should the hungry go hungry because I want top of the line video? Should the thirsty go thirsty because I want a comfortable pew? Should the homeless go without a home because I want my church service on television? No.
There's too much need for our greed.
