I Give

Every single month, without fail, the electric bill comes, and the water bill, and the gas bill, and the city fire fee bill, and the mortgage bill, and the credit card bill, and the newspaper bill, and the life insurance bill and the car payment bill. I have a contractual obligation to pay these or I will suffer the consequences! It’s hard to live without a car, without electric and without water!

Did you notice who isn’t sending me a bill? The church. My church never sends me a bill with the threat that they will take action against me and cut off my services if I don’t pay. Nope, that never happens. In fact I just assume that whether I give or not those church doors will still be open, my kids will still have a first rate children’s center to be taught in, that the building will be heated and cooled, that the band will be rocking, that the preaching will be superb, that the coffee will be hot and the chairs will be comfortable. Now the fact may be that I’m not paying for any of that but I still expect all of that will be there for me when I arrive. And even though I’m not serving in my church to make any of that happen I still expect that it will get done.

There’s a name for that last paragraph; it’s called “the church welfare system.” Church welfare is where 20% of the people pay for the 80% who don’t contribute. Church welfare is where 20% of the people serve the 80% who don’t. What’s crazy is that the same people who always complain about the welfare system in our country often participate in church welfare! They don’t seem to have any objection to others paying their way for them or working three jobs in the church so they can be comfortable every Sunday morning.

So here’s a solution; if you’re not doing something, start now. If you’re not contributing, give now. In the early church we are told that the believers “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). They devoted themselves. They took the initiative. They made the commitment. Nobody had to beg them. There wasn’t a 20 part sermon series on “why you should serve and give.”

What have you devoted yourself too?