Tremendous Potential

Last year Summer and I began a journey towards being the church, instead of starting churches.  I don’t recommend this journey to the weak believer, but I’m so happy we are here (not to say we’ve arrived, but present where God desires).  Apart of this journey has caused us to wrestle with tithing.  We’ve continued to tithe because it’s part of our DNA, but we see it differently and wonder how to teach generosity rather than tithing.

Last night we watched “The Soloist” (with Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr) a fascinating true story of a mentally ill, homeless man whose talent on the strings inspires an LA journalist.  Although I didn’t find the movie terrific, I kept thinking to myself that every Christians needs to watch this film.  We need to see how Downey Jr wanted to help Foxx in all the wrong ways or how sick our view of poverty and sickness has become.

The big question that keeps running through my mind is how to heal people.  I mean how do we heal the sick, end poverty (or the poverty at arms reach), and actually do greater deeds than Christ (John 14.12).  This leads me to the issue of money and how churches use our finances.

I see tremendous opportunity for churches to impact our world through our use of finances.  But we first have to develop a biblical approach to finances.  I think it’s important we revisit the right way for money to be given, collected, or made use.  It’s not the point of this blog to squabble over tithing as a valid scriptural principle verse an Old Testament principle.   But what we can all agree is tithing/giving is not meant to support our organizational systems and building support.  That was the view and practice of the teachers of Christ day and one that Jesus did not share (Matt 23.23).

Tithing has a way of fostering a superstitious way of thinking: “If I give God this specific amount, I will have His blessing; if I don’t, then I won’t”.  However, giving is important and commanded by teachers who followed Christ (1 Corinthians).  But tithe thinking limits giving because it misses the real principle we find in Scripture: generosity.  If we follow the teaching of Jesus in Luke 14.33 most of us would give more than a tithe as a regular part of our Jesus-following life.

Imagine with me if we began moving away from limitations in tithing and embraced the realm of generosity.  Imagine the release of finances this would bring?  Also imagine these resources being concentrated into workers (sent ones into hostile environments or entrepreneurs of movements) and to meet the needs of the poor.  Instead of paying a mortgage or supporting staff in Christian welcoming environments, we put that money toward healing.  My point is this:  In the USA alone, over 72 billon dollars goes to religious institutions mostly for clergy salaries and buildings.  With that type of aid ready we wouldn’t have a healthcare debate in America:  Christians could easily volunteer to pay the bill and be responsible for healing in America.

This brings me back to “The Solosit” because the movie ends with Foxx not unchanged medically and mentally ill , but we learn that friendship does more for a person than medicine could.  And we realize that healing begins with love and friendship (Rom13.8).  Maybe I’m naïve to believe but when we can offer Jesus, generosity, and healing friendship without walls why would we want to be slaves to the lender and elevate some Christians above others?  I’m not condemning, I prefer to get the log out of my own eye and determine what I can do.  I simply want to suggest that if we can sustain a movement without buildings and unnecessary staff, and add a new level of generosity, we have tremendous potential.

Tremendous Potential!