Most collisions are not good. On my way to work this morning, I witnessed the aftermath of a compact car that ran into the back of a large pickup truck. That wasn’t a good collision – especially for the owner of the now-even-more-compact car.
I don’t know too many people who would classify the sinking of the Titanic as “good.” It made for an interesting movie, but the passengers who dropped into the icy waters were probably not telling Polar Bear Club jokes. Colliding with an iceberg caused misery, not joy.
Have you ever seen a kid on a skateboard collide with…a rail, a wall, a staircase, the concrete, another skateboarder, the bottom of a half-pipe, reality? Not good. It’s a rough world for those who seek to imitate Tony Hawk.
There aren’t many collisions in life that we would call “good.” However, there is at least one collision that needs to take place in the church on a regular basis. This collision needs to be demonstrated to our people. It needs to saturate their minds and their hearts. It needs to be something that they think about each time they take out their wallets or start to write a check.
So, what is it that they need to see? They need to see the collision of their money and the Kingdom of God. They need to understand that there is a vital connection between the way that we handle our money and the way that we relate to our Father. And they need to see this on a Kingdom scale.
Each time that we tithe, we are doing more than just paying salaries and building structures. Each time we give, we are engaging in the mission of God; we are spreading His Word; we are extending physical care; we are investing in the things that really matter today and laying aside treasure for eternity.
But, if you are a pastor, this goes much further than just pleading for your people to tithe. It is much deeper than an appeal for more “Christian” funds. As you demonstrate this collision between money and the Kingdom, you are standing on the words of Jesus. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Because our world is often a consumer-driven world, we need to regularly reinforce these Biblical perspectives:
- If money is your master, God is not.
- People are more valuable than possessions.
- Earthly treasures will rust, decay or deplete…but eternal investments will last forever.
- God is radically generous. As disciples, we should follow His ways.
The intersection of money and the Kingdom is a vital point of spiritual growth. Every time this collision happens in a believer’s life, people slow down and stare. It is a point of obvious change. It’s noticeable when a family finds more joy in giving than they do in getting. It’s evident when a people care more about their neighbors than they do about their nest eggs.
When we stop worshiping at the altar of materialism and start offering this aspect of our lives as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1), our faith grows exponentially.
So, place a financial barrier in someone’s spiritual path today and let the collisions begin.
