The church and money

I saw a post on social media this week “If money is the root of all evil, why does the church need it.”

This was the signal for the intellectually ignorant to have a field day vilifying God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, the church and Christians. These critics had no interest in the correct quotation, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: …..” (I Timothy 6:10).

It is ironic that these critics chose not to read the complete passage which actually condemns reasoning such as theirs and in which the writer Paul was not referencing the church but the moral and spiritual dilemma into which those whose sole purpose is to get riches and wealth fall.

These critics also took the opportunity to vilify the King James Version of the Bible. That in itself was a joke comparable to an ignorant student seeking to instruct an experienced professor. The King James Version of the Bible remain the best loved English version of the Bible and it is probably the only book that have exceeded a billion copies printed. There must be something special about any book that can rank as a best seller each year for four hundred years. These ignoramus are willing to deny the changes that have occurred in the lives of millions that have read and heeded the word of God. Their contention is that the King James Version of the Bible is a book conceived by man to deceive.

The church is comprised of those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to the earth and died so that man may be once again in a right relationship with the Lord God. Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of the world and through his death there is forgiveness of sins. The church is the body of Jesus Christ and believers are added to the church by the Holy Spirit. When a person hears the message about Jesus Christ and believes while making a conscious decision to turn to the Lord God and ask for forgiveness for sins then the Holy Spirit makes that person a member of the church (the body of Christ). The Holy Spirit also takes up residence in the body of the believer to take control of that believers mind and actions.

The church is not a building but a community of believers. The uniting force in the church is that it is the Holy Spirit that adds persons to the church and all members are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is irrespective of national origin, race or social standing. All members are sinners saved by Jesus Christ and are brought in by the Holy Spirit and so all are on an equal standing before the Lord God.

The root of the idea behind the church building is found in the Book of Exodus when the Lord God told Moses to collect materials from those who were willing and to construct a tabernacle (tent) that he may live among his people. The idea behind the church building is not so much for it to serve as the place where God’s people gather for worship but for it to serve as the building where God reside in the community. This is the reason why church buildings are considered to be sacred and to be treated with reverence. Those entering the church buildings should be made aware that they are entering the house of the Lord God and the presence of the Lord God.

Building are subjected to the effect of time and the weather and from time to time must be up graded and maintained. There are equipments and materials that will enhance the beauty of the building and the worship experience. Technology also enhance making it easier to concentrate on the one being worshiped and eliminate distractions. These require money but persons who see giving to enhance the place where God lives in the community as a burden should refrain from doing so. The Lord God has no need for money on the one hand and on the other hand the Lord God has those with wealth who are more than willing to give. However, The Lord God want for all to share in the opportunity to give.

The promise of the Lord God to the people of Israel was that he would take them to a land of blessing. It is customary to speak of the twelve tribes of Israel but in reality there were thirteen tribes because Joseph got the blessing of two tribes. The thirteen tribes became twelve because when the land was divided according to the tribes then the tribe of Levi was not given any land but was scattered among the twelve tribes. The tribe of Levi became the ministering tribe or literally the servants or slaves of the other tribes. Where the other tribes were focused on working and gaining wealth the responsibility of the tribe of Levi was to assist where needed and to attend to the spiritual need of the other tribes. The focus then was not only to be on the physical but also on the spiritual. The command of the Lord God was that a tenth of the produce should go to the members of the tribe of Levi for their sustenance.

A priest/pastor is on call 24/7 for the members of his congregation and for the genuine priest/pastor he is not limited to his congregation but to anyone that is in need. The responsibility of the priest/pastor is to be devoted to the study of God’ word, prayer, fasting and to hear from God so that he can deliver God’s word to God’s people. If the priest/pastor is to function properly then he cannot be engaged in another or secular job. The priest/pastor should not have to worry about being able to support his wife and children, retirement, housing, paying his bills etc. but should focus on his main responsibility which is to see God’s people safely to heaven. The role of the priest/pastor is to focus on the spiritual needs of those whom he serves and it is the responsibility of those whom he serve to take care of his physical needs.

The promise of the Lord God to the people of Israel was that he was taking then to a land that was flowing with milk and honey (an idiom for abundance). In this land of abundance, however, there were going to be some who were poor and this was how the Lord God wanted it to be. Those who were poor were to borrow from the wealthy. The Lord God knew that the poor in some instance would be unable to repay what was borrowed from the wealthy but his command was for the wealthy to lend the poor as much as the poor needed. When the wealthy loaned to the poor and the poor was unable to repay then the Lord God assumed the responsibility for the loan. This is a principle that is found throughout the Bible.

There are many persons who want to bless the poor but have no idea of people who are genuinely in need of help or how to go about doing so. The focus of the church is much broader than that of the individual and the church can do more with the money of many individuals in assisting the poor than what an individual could do. This does not excuse individuals who contribute to the church from meeting the needs that they encounter. A part of the responsibility of the church is meeting the needs of the poor and this is an opportunity for the members of the church. The Lord God will be no man’s debtor.

The final command of the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples was to take the gospel message throughout the world. There are two interesting passages in the Gospel of Luke because Jesus Christ at one time sent out his disciples and told them to take with them nothing. Later Jesus Christ, however, told the disciples that this time it was okay to take the necessary provisions. In order for the message of Jesus Christ to reach the world it takes money. If the modern means of communicating are going to be fully utilized then the church must also have the money to make use of these means.

We have on record in the Bible that Jesus Christ was entertained by a number of different people. Wherever he went Jesus also had his twelve disciples and perhaps others also. It is unthinkable that Jesus would go off to a meal at someone’s house and forget about his disciple. The people who entertained Jesus were persons of means but this did not eliminate the poor or those of modest means because that would be denying these persons the blessings of giving to Jesus’ ministry. The money given at church is one way of showing a willingness to be involved in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The church exist not to be a burden to the community but for members of the community to show their appreciation and thankfulness to the Lord God. The church buildings serves as the building in the community where the Lord God lives so it is okay for it to be more grand and elaborate than any other building in the community. The money given at church is not money given to the priest/pastor but money given to the Lord God and one day they will have to give an account to the Lord God for that money. Giving to the church is not a privilege reserved for the members of the local church but if person feel a desire to give to the Lord God and the money was not obtained by immoral, illegal or unethical means then the church will accept such monies. Some church for the sake of conscience will not inquire about the source of the money.

One of the great privileges that God has given to man is to give to his work and to contribute to the building up of his kingdom here on the earth. The spirit where the church becomes a burden to its members is against the spirit of giving which God likes. God like a person who when he is giving is hilarious.