I think the majority of Jesus followers think that our culture is heading down the wrong road at breakneck speed. Here is a question I often get.
“Do you think God is judging America because of (insert a cultural sin here)?”
My response is always the same.
“I don’t know if that particular sin would invoke his judgement but I do wonder if God might judge the American church for squandering the incredible wealth and resources we have been given.”
The words of Jesus in Luke 12 are an indictment of many in the church.
29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Dr. Stanley Toussaint observed that “the sins of the culture always become the sins of the church”. And while we focus on moral issues we ignore the convicting fact that many Christians have gotten caught up in the material desires of our culture. God promises to meet our needs but does not promise to give you everything you want. Jesus then gets to the heart of the issue which just happens to be our heart.
34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Where is our treasure? That is the question all of us must address. For it is surely true that our heart will be there also. Empty Tomb is an organization that studies giving in the church. They reported that church giving in 2018 had declined to an average of 2.05% of income. This giving percentage was lower than it was in 1933 during the depths of the Depression. That, my Christian friends, is pathetic!
Here is the sobering reality of our giving or lack thereof. If giving among Christians became the traditional tithe of 10% churches and Christian charities would have over $400 billion more to spend on their mission outreach. While we sit and gripe about government inefficiencies with money the myriad of church agencies could literally change the world with that amount of money.
You don’t have to look far to see how much that could help in a world where people are dying for lack of life’s necessities. The Empty Tomb organization estimates that 1.2 million children die of treatable diseases every year. Millions more lack food and clean drinking water.
And millions die without experiencing the message of God’s love, which Christians could likely provide with even modest sacrifice. But we must be willing to relinquish at least a little bit of our American dream, which has somehow morphed into an American right to possessions.
In Matthew, Jesus talks about reaching out to the least of our brothers as a sign of service to Him.
“For 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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
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.” (Matthew 25:35-40)
Notice that the passage does not say, “For I was hungry and you gave a check to the local food bank, I was thirsty and you gave money to a relief fund, I was a stranger and you supported a homeless shelter, I needed clothes and you made a quick drop-off at Goodwill, I was sick and you donated to a Christian medical outreach, I was in prison and you supported Prison Fellowship.” There is nothing wrong with doing any or all of the above, but I would suggest we all need to mix in a little personal contact.
There is a time to give money to charity and a time to give of yourself. You won’t get the same kind of blessings or personal growth out of sending a check from the safety of the office that you would rolling up your sleeves and actually touching someone. Yeah, I’m too busy too. Yeah, it makes me uncomfortable. Yeah, I would rather be safely at home. I often write about getting out of my comfort bunker. The truth is that every time I get off my rumpus and go serve others, I feel great. Yet time after time I forget that and retreat back to the bunker.
Teddy Roosevelt bluntly shared this truth. “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.” Can our complaining make a difference in our culture? Not one bit. Can our giving of our financial blessings and sacrificing a bit of our time make a difference?
It sure would be a blessing to find out.
Here is just a sampling of the organizations inaddition to your local church that can make a difference.
What Sin is God Judging America for?
Dave BurchettI think the majority of Jesus followers think that our culture is heading down the wrong road at breakneck speed. Here is a question I often get.
“Do you think God is judging America because of (insert a cultural sin here)?”
My response is always the same.
“I don’t know if that particular sin would invoke his judgement but I do wonder if God might judge the American church for squandering the incredible wealth and resources we have been given.”
The words of Jesus in Luke 12 are an indictment of many in the church.
29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Dr. Stanley Toussaint observed that “the sins of the culture always become the sins of the church”. And while we focus on moral issues we ignore the convicting fact that many Christians have gotten caught up in the material desires of our culture. God promises to meet our needs but does not promise to give you everything you want. Jesus then gets to the heart of the issue which just happens to be our heart.
34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Where is our treasure? That is the question all of us must address. For it is surely true that our heart will be there also. Empty Tomb is an organization that studies giving in the church. They reported that church giving in 2018 had declined to an average of 2.05% of income. This giving percentage was lower than it was in 1933 during the depths of the Depression. That, my Christian friends, is pathetic!
Here is the sobering reality of our giving or lack thereof. If giving among Christians became the traditional tithe of 10% churches and Christian charities would have over $400 billion more to spend on their mission outreach. While we sit and gripe about government inefficiencies with money the myriad of church agencies could literally change the world with that amount of money.
You don’t have to look far to see how much that could help in a world where people are dying for lack of life’s necessities. The Empty Tomb organization estimates that 1.2 million children die of treatable diseases every year. Millions more lack food and clean drinking water.
And millions die without experiencing the message of God’s love, which Christians could likely provide with even modest sacrifice. But we must be willing to relinquish at least a little bit of our American dream, which has somehow morphed into an American right to possessions.
In Matthew, Jesus talks about reaching out to the least of our brothers as a sign of service to Him.
“For 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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
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.” (Matthew 25:35-40)
Notice that the passage does not say, “For I was hungry and you gave a check to the local food bank, I was thirsty and you gave money to a relief fund, I was a stranger and you supported a homeless shelter, I needed clothes and you made a quick drop-off at Goodwill, I was sick and you donated to a Christian medical outreach, I was in prison and you supported Prison Fellowship.” There is nothing wrong with doing any or all of the above, but I would suggest we all need to mix in a little personal contact.
There is a time to give money to charity and a time to give of yourself. You won’t get the same kind of blessings or personal growth out of sending a check from the safety of the office that you would rolling up your sleeves and actually touching someone. Yeah, I’m too busy too. Yeah, it makes me uncomfortable. Yeah, I would rather be safely at home. I often write about getting out of my comfort bunker. The truth is that every time I get off my rumpus and go serve others, I feel great. Yet time after time I forget that and retreat back to the bunker.
Teddy Roosevelt bluntly shared this truth. “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.” Can our complaining make a difference in our culture? Not one bit. Can our giving of our financial blessings and sacrificing a bit of our time make a difference?
It sure would be a blessing to find out.
Here is just a sampling of the organizations in addition to your local church that can make a difference.
Samaritan’s Purse
World Vision
Salvation Army
Operation Blessing
Feed My Starving Children
An excerpt in this article came from my book “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People”. Click here for more info.
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