Stewardship

It's 1984 All Over Again

2009-12-03T15:42:07-06:00

In 1949, author George Orwell published a book titled "1984." It was a tale about the future with one of the specifics being the fact that nothing was done in secret. "Big Brother is watching you" was a perpetual theme throughout the story. I read the book as a High School student in the 1960’s, and we all kind of chuckled when 1984 came and went without anything resembling Orwell’s fantasy world.

Now, it appears that we have finally arrived. The year 2009 has some striking resemblances to the made-up world of 1984. Chief among them is the fact that someone is always watching. It does not appear to be "Big Brother," but we should be a little uncomfortable that our every move might be preserved on someone’s camera or every spoken word is maintained on a recorder somewhere.

This has been happening for several years, but it became especially apparent to me this week as I have followed the Tiger Woods incident. Unless you have been in a monastery this past week, you know the story. An apparent domestic disturbance, a fight between Woods and his wife, led to smashing his big Cadillac into a fire hydrant and a tree. This somehow gave permission to all the tabloids to drag out all the smut they had been collecting on Woods. Now, within a few short days, we have pictures, recordings, text messages, etc. that prove the golfer’s lack of faithfulness to his wife.

Like everyone else, I had a lot of respect for Tiger Woods. It did not idolize him or place him on a pedestal, but he seemed like a really good man who had his life together. I am saddened, but I realize that he is human just like everyone else. It was not a robot making those crazy winding putts at the Master’s Tournament or putting the rest of the field in his rear view mirror at the U.S. Open. He may not play golf like a human, but he lives life like the rest of us. What did they use to say, "He puts his pants on one leg at a time."

What has changed in the past few years is that our sins are so much more public. You can be confident that anytime you are in a public place there are cameras watching and recording. Even in the private places, the ones next to us have cell phone cameras or pocket digital recorders. When you speak on a phone it is likely to be preserved in some way. Whenever you send an email, text message, or some other electronic communiqué, it stays in cyberspace permanently.

It is no longer possible to deny that we did something, unless we really are innocent. It is no longer "he said/she said" because one of them was recording. It is discouraging to think that we can never keep anything a secret. If someone ever decides that others need to know, our secrets will vanish.

Those who truly know God are not surprised by this new situation of living all of life before a scrutinizing eye. I learned as a child in Sunday School that God sees and knows everything – there are no secrets from Him. I will be honest; the knowledge of God’s omniscience and omnipresence has kept me from more than one sin. Yet, not only does God see and hear every sin I commit, He is also willing to forgive every sin I commit.

This is the big difference. People today gather and save information because it might be valuable one day. Someone might be willing to pay to keep us quiet, or perhaps we can sell it to someone who wants to know everything, or maybe just to impress our friends that we have certain information. I once received a phone call from a very well-known preacher. I left his name on the caller ID for several months just to be able to impress folks occasionally. God keeps track of all our discretions so when we do go to Him in repentance and confession, nothing is left out. Our cleansing will be complete.

I suspect that Tiger Woods is angry at the media for inflating his sin into a public spectacle. I don’t blame him for that. However, I also hope he is aware that God knows his every sin, not because of a secret recording or careless lie, but because he knows the recesses of a man’s heart. I also pray that someone will have the opportunity to tell him about God’s incredible forgiveness.

Giving Thanks from a Long-Term Perspective

2009-11-25T15:23:29-06:00

I met a very bright woman the other night. Even though she is approaching ninety years of age, she looked and acted much younger. During our conversation she indicated that she had been a member of her church for more than seventy years. As you can imagine, she has been through the tenure of many pastors, more than she could remember. When the subject of people who are critical of the pastor came up, she said that she always advises those who are unhappy with the pastor to not worry about it. She added, "Pastors come and go."

This woman has learned to look at life from a long-term perspective. It is true that you might have a pastor who is unpleasant, but he will only be around for a few years, it will all work out. I think that is one of the greatest blessings of age. It allows us to have a long-term perspective, to see the big picture. It is much easier to identify what is important when we see things within the perspective of time.

For example, when you are a young parent and Junior wants no part of the dinner menu, the temptation is to draw a line in the sand and make him eat something. We are concerned about his health and nutrition. The silliest thing is when we resort to counting bites. We even remind him that people are starving in other parts of the world when he doesn’t eat. However, when we back up and take a long-term perspective, we realize this is only one of many meals that come Junior’s way. If he misses one it is no big deal, meals come and go.

I am old enough now that it is easier to see things from a long-term perspective. With that in mind, I have put together my Thanksgiving list, with less attention to the details and greater focus on the big picture perspective.

At the church Thanksgiving Dinner last Sunday, a woman stood up and said she was thankful for twenty-five years of sobriety. I was convicted that I have never thanked God for even one day of sobriety. The truth is that I have had fifty-nine years of freedom from addictive substances and behaviors (unless you count baseball). It is one of those blessings you might not notice until it is lost.

I am also thankful for new friends that came into my life this past year. Some of them were very short relationships, like Archie. Sharon and I met Archie in church one Sunday morning. He was homeless, had a history of working in the circus, and very friendly. We tried to help Archie in several ways and perhaps the biggest lesson I learned was that I don’t really know how to help some folks. We only saw Archie a handful of times, but I can honestly say he had a big impact on my thinking.

The past year brought other friends like Charlie. Everyone needs a friend like Charlie (I am fortunate to have several). Charlie makes you feel good about yourself, and when he introduces you to someone else, you wish you were half the person he described. I am honored every time Charlie calls. I am also thankful for those friends who have been in my life, some for a very long time. Because of a computer crash, I recently lost all of the names from my contact list. Nearly two hundred names and contact information disappeared. In spite of the daunting task of rebuilding this list, I am grateful to have such a big problem.

Of course, I am thankful for my family whether I look at the big picture or small screen. My parents gave me a foundation for living that is more valuable than any trust fund or huge inheritance. When something new or exciting happens, they are still one of the first ones I want to share it with. My siblings and their families have always been a source of support and encouragement to me. My immediately family is something that I express gratitude for every day. God has blessed our family in so many ways. We all like each other, enjoy being with each other, are patient with each other, and support each other. Families are not always a source of thanksgiving so I am aware of this wonderful gift God has given to us.

2009-11-20T11:24:08-06:00

Credit Card Debt - For several years we have been told that the average credit card debt per individual with a credit card is in the vicinity of $9,000. That is a huge burden if you consider that both husband and wife have a similar situation. However, upon further study, I discovered that a great deal of this debt that skews the numbers is held by just a few individuals. For example, Bernie Madoff owes $98,000 on his American Express card. The $9,000 also includes credit charges that are paid off each month by convenience users, which is about half of credit card holders.

Perhaps a more accurate picture of the credit situation in this county is provided by the median amount of debt carried by card holders. The median number means that half have more and half have less debt. The median number is approximately $2,300. This is a much more manageable amount and may indicate that debt may not be as big a problem as we thought. One thing it does suggest is that we should not limit our stewardship education to just being debt free.

2009-11-18T17:45:39-06:00

First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX recently announced plans to begin a $160 million construction project. I have heard some complain about the extravagant waste of money on a builidng when the money could better be used for missions and evangelism. Have these folks not read God's instructions for Solomon's temple? God seems to have a touch of extravagence in Him occasionally.

It is also true that most of this money would not be given for anything other than a building project, so it is not like they are taking the money from one offering plate and putting it in another. It is certainly not my job to judge what another church is doing, but I would not be so quick to criticize this project because it is "poor stewardship."

Generous Church - Part 3

2009-11-18T11:51:48-06:00

For the past fifteen years, I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of churches and to be able to worship with them on Sunday morning. Many times my involvement is just the one Sunday morning service. Other times, I work with them for a longer period of time. It does not matter the size or style of church, it does not take very long to notice something about the church that makes it attractive. It is sad to say, but the majority of the churches leave me wondering why people attend week after week. I am curious as to what I missed that makes them want to keep coming. Many others, however, are very appealing and often it is hard to describe the appeal.

For lack of a better descriptor, I simply define these appealing churches as "being alive." There is something about them that testifies of life. It has nothing to do with the music or worship, the preaching (often I am the one preaching when I am there), the facilities, the location, the attendance, or any other thing I can delineate. The church is just alive. They have something to offer that helps me experience life.

Read these descriptions of "generous churches" and see how they share the life they possess in Christ:

Church #1: "I just wonder if there is someone in this room who ought to receive, not give, today," the pastor said. "Maybe someone here doesn’t even have gas money to get home. If you’re in that type of need, would you raise your hand?" He spoke these words while introducing the morning offering time. A young, single mom timidly raised her hand. As she did, the pastor walked over to her, took twenty-dollars from his wallet and gave it to her. As he did so, many others seated nearby did the same thing. This church has a history of giving money away to those who have needs during the offering time, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars.

Church #2: This small church, consisting primarily of young families and young adults, meets in rented space. Since day one, they have made the commitment to give away fifty-percent of their income to mission and ministry needs outside of the church. Such a commitment will probably keep them from having paid staff and their own building, but it is an integral part of this church’s commitment to generosity.

Church #3: Located on the outskirts of a large Midwestern city, this church has made the commitment to give away one hundred percent of its offerings. This is possible because a small group of donors were recruited to provide for all the operational needs of the church. When you give an offering to this church all of the money is used for ministry. They recently give nearly $30,000 to a young mother with a handicapped child, which allowed her to keep from losing their home.

Church #4: Raising money to purchase Bibles for children in persecuted countries was a natural fit for this congregation. They had a deep reverence for Scripture an emphasis on children’s ministry, and a heart for missions. Rather than developing an elaborate fund raiser, they simply designated five minutes during a worship service to share the need, asking two questions – "Can you imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t have a Bible?" and "Can you imagine how these children’s lives would be enriched if they had Bibles?" This simple five minute presentation resulted in a $25,000 offering to purchase Bibles.

I would define each of these churches as generous. The reason is because they hold the money that God provides with an open hand. In other words, they do not grab and keep it for themselves, but they allow it to pass through their possession into the hands of others. The amazing thing is that each of these churches has enough money for themselves. They are able to do what God has called them to do.

Almost every church will do generous acts at one time or another. What sets these churches apart is that generosity is integral to their identity. The next article on Generous Church will describe some of the things we can do to help our churches be more generous.

The Generous Church - Part 2

2009-11-10T13:02:58-06:00

It has probably been occurring a lot longer, but fifteen years ago was the first time I was a witness. It was a Sunday morning and I missed church because I was sick. Spread out on the couch while the rest of the family goes to church was not fun, so I turned on the television to watch others go to worship. I tuned to a channel that was broadcasting a large congregation in our neighborhood and I was eager to see how they did church.

I was especially interested when they announced that it was Stewardship Sunday since I was just beginning my ministry with churches in this area. As the pastor walked to the pulpit to speak, I was prepared for a great sermon. Instead, what I got was an apology.

The first words out of the preacher’s mouth were expressions of sorrow and regret that this was the one Sunday each year that he felt that he needed to preach on money. He promised the visitors that if they would come back next week they would not hear him talk about money or giving. He would deal with more practical and spiritual matters.

Since that day, I have heard similar statements by many preachers. I have heard and read in church publicity that potential visitors are promised that they will never be asked for money if they attend church. I have listened to pastors brag about the fact that they never talk about money. Even as I am being introduced to speak to a Sunday morning crowd, I have heard the pastor say they are grateful that I am there to speak about money so they will not need to do it themselves.

While listening to the pastor apologize for talking about money, I realized the church has a serious problem. The problem is that we have taken the wrong approach to the issue of money and stewardship. In contrast, Jesus tackled the subject head on.

When the young ruler came to Jesus asking the spiritual question about salvation, Jesus told him what to do with his money. When everyone else wants to make giving a private matter, Jesus sat down "opposite the treasury" so he could observe how everyone gave. As we prepare to be judged on the basis of what we avoided, i.e. drinking, swearing, smoking, improper sex, etc., Jesus reminds us that judgment will be on the basis of what we do, i.e. providing food, water, clothing, and comfort to the outcast (see Matthew 25:35-40). While we tend to show preference to the rich and famous, Jesus had the highest praise for sacrificial givers.

How did the church change from this description - And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need, (Acts 2:44-45) – to a common opinion today that "all the church really wants is my money!"

I have never believed for one moment that the church is only interested in people’s money – that statement is blatantly false. Yet, as often as it is expressed and repeated, it must be the opinion of many. Rather than having a reputation of generosity, of giving to meet the needs of others, the church now has a reputation of greed, of needing money to keep programs running and staff members paid. When people have a financial need, their first inclination is not to turn to the church but to the government.

In order to become known once again as a place of generosity, it is important for church leaders to understand how we arrived at our current state. I make no pretense to being a church historian and some of you, much smarter than me, can help us understand how these conditions arrived, but I want to suggest three characteristics of today’s church that have contributed to our loss of generosity.

First is a failure to teach and provide practical leadership in generosity. Frequently, I have been asked by church laymen to encourage their pastor to preach on the subject of giving. Occasionally, this is even after the pastor has already told me that he often teaches on the subject. I am also of the opinion that many who claim to teach giving and stewardship do nothing more than an annual "tithing" sermon, a once a year tip of the hat to a doctrine that barely scratches the surface of what the New Testament says about giving.

It is not enough only to teach generosity, it must also be modeled. After an unusual week when I had already been approached by two or three "beggars" seeking help from the church, another one appeared in my office at the conclusion of the Sunday morning service. After listening to his story, I led him to the front door of the church where several of our men were still visiting. I introduced my new friend to the men, gave a quick recap of his story, and asked if they would like to help him. I am aware that I put them on the spot, but isn’t that the way we learn some of the best lessons in life?

Another problem that works against generosity in the church is the sense of narcissism that permeates society and has also become a problem within the church. For the sake of brevity, I will not discuss how things got this way, but these are some of the common characteristics of today’s church. In many ways, the church has become "seeker driven," which means that we cater to the desires of individuals. We structure church in a way that meets people’s needs. The subtle message is that it is all about us and our needs.

When the church does teach stewardship, the majority of the teaching sounds more like thriving in a capitalist economy than biblical stewardship. For example, one of the leading programs used by churches features participants who call in to a radio show and shout about being debt free. The strong emphasis on being debt free is often seen as the goal of good stewardship. When the sum total of our stewardship education is money management, people conclude that good stewardship means having a good net worth.

Many churches feel the pressure to offer the "best" of everything. It might be building space for children’s activities and events, state of the art video equipment used for large crowds, a coffee bar that rivals the best in the neighborhood, or a pastor who can mesmerize a crowd for forty minutes every week. These resources are very expensive and often leave a church struggling just to make the payments.

A third problem is our unwillingness to give our time for service to the church, which creates another financial problem. The number of paid staff members has increased dramatically in my lifetime and the reason is that we are all too busy. Consequently, when the church needs workers, the simplest approach is to hire more staff rather than seek out volunteers. It is not unusual for staff salaries to consume as much as sixty percent of church income.

All of these factors, and probably a few others, combine to make it very difficult, if not impossible for most churches to be generous. Maintenance requires too much and there is little left to give away. When the church lives with a barely surviving mentality, it is not surprising that individual Christians also adopt that same attitude. I understand when the pastor apologizes prior to asking me to give. It is because he realizes that he is simply asking me to help pay the bills which have been incurred because of the way we do church, and that is not exciting for anyone.

The Generous Church - Part 1

2009-11-04T16:10:17-06:00

There are many things the seminary does not teach prospective pastors that are important to know about the church. I loved my seminary experience, but when it was finished, I felt better equipped to handle the classroom than a church office. Fortunately, I had another resource. My father had been in church work for nearly thirty-years when I first started. On more than one occasion, I called home to ask for help.

He taught me two valuable lessons about church finances. The first is that there is no need to ask to see the giving records of church members. He assured me that if I paid attention, it is easy to separate the givers from the non-givers. I did pay attention and this is what I learned.

Givers:

Seldom talk about their personal financial situation
Appreciate sermons and Bible studies that deal with money
Support the work of the church with their words and presence
Do not worry about the church running out of money

Non-Givers:

Like to discuss their personal financial situation and it does not matter if it is good or bad
Are uncomfortable when the sermon addresses the issue of money
Tend to criticize church programs and efforts
Hold the church back because a ministry is "too expensive"

I realize these statements might be simplifications, but if you will pay attention to folks in the church hallway or at the coffee shop, you will seldom be surprised by their giving to the church.

The second lesson my father taught me is that there was no need to protect a person’s wallet. He assured me that they would protect it themselves. In other words, do not be afraid to ask people to give, they will never give too much. Although the church frequently is accused of asking for money too often, I am afraid that we do not ask people to give often enough. It is a shame that we ever allow people to miss the blessing of giving.

A third lesson was taught to me by the first church where I was pastor. It was a great church. By that, I mean great people! They took a chance on a young man with a serious physical handicap and allowed me to serve for thirteen years. However, when I first started, I would not have been surprised if my term would end after a year because it seemed like the church would be financially broke.

The church was located in the Texas panhandle, commonly referred to as West Texas. I have never understood the directional designations used in Texas. We lived in West Texas but in order to get to El Paso, we had to travel 400 miles west. We were less than 50 miles from the furthest northern border of the state, yet, after we moved four hundred miles to the south, we then lived in North Texas.

Our church was made up of farmers and I am a city boy, raised in Denver, Colorado. I knew nothing about farming and farmers, but I was their pastor. As I listened to these farmers talk about the economy, it became obvious to me that they were all living on borrowed time. One missed rainstorm or one too many steers dies and the whole economic system of the panhandle would collapse. I often wondered why they invited me to join them when it appeared that I would have to return home in disgrace once the church doors were closed.

One week the Church Treasurer stopped by my office to report that the church bank account was overdrawn by three thousand dollars. I do not mean we were behind budget; we were actually in the hole, owing money to the bank. Personally, I had been overdrawn at the bank before, but never by more than a few dollars. At my young age, I do not think I had ever had three thousand dollars at one time.

On Sunday morning before church, I gathered the Deacons to share the terrible financial news and to get some guidance on what to do. They acted as if it was no big deal and told me just to get in the pulpit and make an announcement that we were behind at the bank and not worry about it. I did. The money came in, and everything was fine once again.

After church, I told Sharon that I was not going to do that again. I had simply reinforced their belief that giving to the church is to be done when there is a need to pay the bills. I had promoted crisis giving which is not a good way to do church finances. So I began to teach giving and stewardship as a regular part of ministry. Folks understood that giving is a spiritual issue, unrelated to meeting needs. Fortunately, during the next dozen years we never had to do another crisis offering.

The truth is that the little country church in the Texas panhandle actually became a very generous church. Although our community consisted of only a few hundred people, our church gave more dollars to the national denomination’s mission program than several mega churches from the big cities. (I don’t mean just percentage, but actual dollar amounts.) We took on a major building and remodeling project and raised five times our annual income in less than two years. According to a statewide survey concerning pastoral salaries, I was the highest paid pastor among small churches in the whole state of Texas. As I said earlier, it was (and still is) a great church.

This kind of generosity should be the normal experience of a church. A church does not have to be wealthy to be successful, but it does need to be generous. Sadly, it is not happening often enough. Stories of churches that are barely hanging on, needing to cut back on ministry and mission opportunities because there is nothing to give, are common.

This is the first of a series of articles on the "Generous Church." I want you to think through this subject with me. I value your comments, so let us know what you think. Next, I plan to discuss the reasons the church is not experiencing generosity and it has nothing to do with the economy.

Halloween and Hypocrisy

2009-10-28T17:34:05-05:00

Sharon and I were sitting in the living room a few nights back when the dogs started barking incessantly. It was the tell tale bark that someone was actually coming to the house, not to be confused with the similar bark they utilize when a leaf blows across the front yard. Within a matter of seconds, the front door burst open and I could tell someone was in the house.

It is not unusual for a number of people to enter our house, without knocking or unannounced. However, this time as I looked up, I saw a large man wearing a dark pinstripe suit. He had broad shoulders, the size you might see on a football field on Sunday afternoon. His face was huge, similar to Sal Bonpensiero from the Sopranos. The intruder was rough looking, like the kind of guy you would expect to meet if you are unable to pay off your gambling debts. Everything about his appearance shouted stay out of his way.

However, my concern about the possible home invader lasted only a second as I quickly realized it was my son Matthew, obviously on his way to a Halloween party of some kind. It was a great costume! I don’t know, but I would not be surprised if he won a prize of some kind. When he left the house to go to the party, he was carrying a baseball bat to lend a little more authenticity to the mobster facade.

Halloween has become a really big deal for many people. Stores display supplies several weeks ahead of time, more and more people are decorating their yards each year, and costumes have become much more elaborate than the simple throwaway plastic mask and paper thin clothing we wore as children. Exotic haunted houses and jubilant parties fill the late evening for many after the kids have completed the trick or treat rounds.

Halloween was always my least favorite holiday. Although I like to eat a small amount, I have never been a true candy connoisseur. It never took very long for me to pick out the candy pieces I would eat when we spread the contents from the sack on the dining table. When I was young, it was a much more innocent time so it was quite common to receive fresh fruit or homemade goodies. Now, if you even think about distributing something that is not professionally sealed at a candy factor, they will haul you downtown for questioning and your name will start appearing on child molester lists.

The reason I did not enjoy Halloween is because I could never find a good costume. The purpose of a costume is to hide your identity. I have been in a wheelchair or walking on crutches all my life. Try to hide that reality with a costume. Regardless of how good the outfit, people would always look at me and say, "Hi Terry!"

We like to wear costumes so we can pretend to be something we are not. Hiding behind a mask opens up numerous possibilities for us. We can do things we would never do normally, but since no one recognizes us, we can be more free.

In ancient Greek theater, the actors wore masks to give them a new identity. They took on the role of the face of the mask. A man might actually become a woman if it was dictated by the mask. The term utilized to describe this actor, wearing a mask and pretending to be someone else, is the same word we use for "hypocrite." Thus, a hypocrite is someone pretending to be someone else.

Halloween is a good time to think about hypocrisy. If you have ever invited friends to attend church with you, then you have probably heard someone say no because "the church is full of hypocrites." We have heard it so long that we are in danger of believing that it is actually true.

I do not believe the church is filled with hypocrites. This criticism usually comes after a Christian is caught red-handed in some type of sinful activity. The implication is that Christians think they are perfect and then when they are exposed as sinners, it means they are also hypocrites. However, I don’t know of any church member who believes that Christians are perfect. The church is filled with sinners, not hypocrites.

That is the beauty of admitting our sinfulness. We do not need to pretend to be perfect. Notice I used the word "pretend," because we cannot be perfect. When we sin, we are not surprised. However, the difference between followers of Jesus and non-followers is that we are forgiven. Perhaps the world sees that as a claim of perfection, but it is not.

Last summer during the baseball season, Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton was exposed for being involved in a drinking party in Arizona. It would not be newsworthy except for the fact he has a well-known drug and alcohol problem. He has also been very outspoken about his faith in Jesus to help him through the personal struggles. When word got out about his fallen evening, people began quickly to label Hamilton a hypocrite. `

However, he had already confessed this sin to God, his wife, his team, and everyone else who was involved with him personally. In all the times he had shared his testimony, he never claimed to be perfect, only a sinner saved by grace. Once everything was understood, it was apparent he is not a hypocrite, but just one who has found forgiveness.

We had many laughs the other night with Matthew and his mobster costume. As much as we enjoyed the costume, we much prefer the real Matthew underneath. We know him and love him for who he truly is, not some pretend character. The next time you are tempted to put on a façade in order to impress someone, try to allow the real you to be seen. You will probably be surprised that they like the real you better than the pretend you.

Killing for Jesus

2009-10-20T17:36:03-05:00

The Civil War provides a fascinating study for military historians. The Union forces of the North were much larger than the Confederate Army. In fact, there were more than one million Union soldiers compared to approximately 200,000 Confederate troops. However, one of the most serious weaknesses of the Union forces was a succession of Generals who were not aggressive enough to attack. They always waited for the enemy to begin the battles.

One of these early Generals was George B. McClellan. President Abraham Lincoln described McClellan as "a superb organizer. He has good points, but he won’t fight." Later, he referred to his army as "the personal bodyguard of General McClellan."

Finally, in disgust, Lincoln wrote to General McClellan and said, "Would you please loan me this army if you don’t intend to use it?"

This picture of the Union army reminds me of the church. The church has a massive army of powerful combatants but is losing ground to the enemy every day. In the past forty years, since Richard Nixon used the phrase, we have turned the "Silent Majority" into a strident minority. In many arenas, the church is considered an irrelevant relic in spite of the fact that many Christians are becoming louder and louder.

I believe the church has a large enough army to share the Gospel to all nations, feed the hungry, protect the unborn, and fulfill all the other tasks God has called us to do. But, there is a problem that is keeping all of these good things from happening.

If you will allow me to continue with the military theme, the problem begins with the fact that we are attempting to fight the wrong battle. It seems that many Christians are engaged in a conflict to protect a culture that no longer exists. Some are of the opinion that it was the culture of our nation’s founding fathers that we must protect. Others, not wanting to return to the 18th century, are fighting for a culture from the middle of the 20th century,the "Father Knows Best" era.

The church is not to be about the business of defending any culture. Christianity can thrive in any environment. In fact, historically the church has probably done much better in the midst of hostile cultures than friendly cultures. While we have spent the past twenty or thirty years fighting for the culture, the center of Christianity appears to be moving to the Southern Hemisphere. We need to stop wasting our resources fighting a war that we have not been called to wage and get about the task of what God has called His church to do.

I also think that many Christians are fighting with the wrong motivation. They are at war in order to maintain their lifestyle. We all want freedom, a strong economy, the opportunity to get a good education, and the security of living in a place that is away from crime and immoral influences. However, as worthy as all of these goals might be, they are not the task of the church. The church has the higher calling of helping people find salvation that is far superior to anything culture can offer.

One of the reasons for the weakness of the church is that we want what everyone else wants. I listened to a friend recently lead a conference and he spoke about the difference in lifestyle between believers and non-believers. There is no difference, was his conclusion.

Our motivation for speaking out against sin is so that sinners can be saved. Our motivation for getting involved in the health care debate is so we can help the poor have their illnesses treated. Our motivation to fix the economy is not so we can have a comfortable home in the suburbs, but so that the poorest of the poor can be lifted up. Our motivation for being on the frontlines of the abortion battle is not to identify those who are going to hell, but to comfort those who are hurting. When sinners are saved, the poor are fed and lifted up, and the hurting are comforted, the attitude of the world toward the church will change radically.

Not only are we fighting the wrong battle with the wrong motivation, but we are also utilizing the wrong method. Our approach to the world can better be described as anger rather than love. We may not think we are angry but just expressing the judgment of God against sin. Sometimes my wife reminds me that I sound angry even though that was not my intent. If we are not careful, we can say good things in a way that communicates dislike.

The world has heard our anger, but they have not felt our love. When they are asked about Christians, they will use terms like angry, hateful, judgmental, and condescending. I grew up loving the church. The place was filled with people who loved me and took care of me. I had no doubts that the people of the church were flawed, but it did not matter because they always loved me.

I was contacted a few days ago on Facebook by an old friend from high school days. It has been at least thirty years since we had contact, but I soon as I saw Steve’s name I was transported back to those great memories of church. We sang in the church choir together and we could drown out the rest of the choir with our great tenor voices. We both stood in the front row of the Billy Graham Crusade choir in Denver. One Sunday night Steve dropped me down the stairs as we heading to the church basement for Training Union class. We spent countless hours together at church.

As a teenager, I knew there was nothing I could do nor any problem I could cause that would keep those church folks from loving me. I was never embarrassed to bring my friends to church because I knew they would be loved as well. Those who most need the church today will not turn to the church for fear of being judged or criticized.

The church is a powerful army with the potential of making a significant impact in the world. However, we are preoccupied with the wrong war, inspired by the wrong motivation, and employing the wrong method so we are in danger of being of little value to those who need the Gospel.

Lest you think I am wandering in a field that has nothing to do with stewardship, remember the Apostle Paul referred to the way he handled the Gospel as a stewardship entrusted to him, and then launches into that great passage about becoming all things to all people so that he might win some (see I Corinthians 9). As stewards, we will be judged on how well we managed our relationships to all those for whom Christ died.

Hating the Sin Because We Love the Sinner

2009-10-11T22:02:11-05:00

Years ago, a young woman who was a member of our church and her boyfriend asked if I would perform their wedding ceremony. I expressed my willingness but advised them that they would first need to meet with me for several counseling sessions. I did not know the young man and the girl attended church very rarely.

They came for counseling and after a couple of sessions, it was apparent that they were not ready for marriage. I have always felt the church was too lax by just performing a wedding ceremony for anyone that comes along, so I decided to take a stand. I advised the couple that I would not perform the ceremony because I was confident the marriage would not last six months. Tact has never been one of my strengths.

They found another preacher and got married anyway. I was wrong! The marriage lasted seven months.

I have always taken marriage very seriously and considered divorce a total failure that should be utilized only in extreme circumstances.

At about the same time, I noticed the adult Sunday School classes had a Bible study lesson on divorce. We were a small church with two adult classes, one for older and one for younger adults. After the lesson, I asked several from each class about the study. To my surprise, the older adults were much more forgiving and accepting of divorce than the younger ones. I quickly surmised that the older adults were more experienced with life, and they had more first-hand encounters with the reality of divorce. It was not so easy for them to be dogmatic.

My lesson continued when a family member went through a painful divorce. It was a difficult time for the whole family. He worked hard to make the marriage work. I remember one evening sitting next to him at a restaurant and telling him it was time to give up, it was not going to work. He replied that he could not give up, and he did not for many more months.

As our family walked through this experience, we learned a great deal. Malachi 2:16 says, "God hates divorce…" In my younger days, I probably had the tendency to claim this meant that God hates divorced people. However, as I matured, I realized God does not hate people; He hates the sin of divorce. Now, after even more years of experience, I realize the reason for God’s hatred of divorce. He hates it because of what it does to the people He loves. Divorce is very painful for everyone involved. Like God, I hate divorce because of the pain it caused my loved ones.

A common phrase I hear from Christians is that they "hate the sin but love the sinner." It sounds good when you first hear it, but then as you see how it is lived out, the words do not seem so appropriate. Our actions often say that we hate the sin and we simply tolerate the sinner.

Take for example the sin of drunkenness. It is easy to hate that sin, but it is very difficult to love the sinner. It means when he is passed out drunk in the street, we must stop and pick him up. If she chooses booze over her children, we must provide for her as well as her children. If he shows up at church on Sunday morning, hung over and disheveled, we must greet him as a friend and offer to sit with him.

Instead of loving the sinner, often we simply tolerate him. We excuse ourselves from helping because "until he wants help we are just wasting our time." We will provide for her children but leave her to fend for herself. He is welcome at church, but probably should sit in the back by himself.

Loving sinners is messy work. If you don’t think so then you need to take another look at Jesus. He loved sinners and He was constantly criticized, condemned, and accused as someone who accepted sin.

When you look at Jesus, kneeling beside the woman who had been caught red-handed in the sin of adultery, you know He hated the sin. The reason He had such hatred is because of what it was doing to everyone. It was ruining this woman’s life, forcing her to expose her shame in the middle of a busy street. He hated the sin because He loved the woman.

It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to truly hate the sin until you have actually loved the sinner. Once we get this process in the proper order, the change will be dramatic. First, we love the sinner. Then, because of what it does to the one we love, we hate the sin. Now, instead of throwing stones at the sinner or shouting angry slogans at the sin, we will be about the business of picking up the sinner and encouraging her to sin no more.

I lost a friend last week who was concerned that I had not shown enough hatred toward a particular sin. We were trying to work out a business arrangement where we could partner together, but he was afraid that someone might notice that I had refused to be angry enough toward a particular sin and it would cause him embarrassment. In spite of the fact that we had identical theology, he was unwilling to risk his reputation.

I guess I should have forwarded more emails or shouted more slogans or joined more organizations. But you know, the amazing thing is that when you are trying to love sinners there really is not enough energy left for campaigning against sin. The truth is that I need to work at loving sinners more then I think my hatred toward the sin will take care of itself.