OK--letting off a little steam...
I was watching TV last night, and it was about a new, up-coming preacher and his church. His church brought it 38 million last year alone. They are using it to buy the AstroDome and make it into their new church. They draw 16 thousand four times a week!
Is it God's will that we use all this money to build huge churches and pay big salaries? Or is it His will that we use the millions and millions to reach people in far away countries to preach his name and to show love?
Personally I think Christianity isn't about numbers. It isn't about whether our church draws sixty-four thousand people a week. Are those people living out God's kingdom? Are they showing his love? If not, it isn't worth it. If its just about bringing in revenue to make a bigger building, I think Christ's teachings have been lost.
I was angry, I still kind of am. I hope they don't use all that money for a bigger building. I hope that the kingdom of God is being spread throughout the earth with it too.
About Me
- Jennifer D.
- Michigan, United States
- Life is full of twists and turns. Sometimes you don't know what is waiting for you around the corner, and other times you think you know. As I enter a new phase of my career, I am nervous yet excited to teach little ones. I am only a year away from my masters in administration, so that is exciting too. My son is quickly approaching the two year mark, which is insane. Even more hard to comprehend is the fact that I have been married six years and with my husband for nearly 11 years!! CRAZY! See, life is full of things you would never expect. God has all these plans for you that you would never see coming.
5 comments:
i totally hear you - seriously I've thought the same thing - and anyone else who thinks this way (most people) will say "we need a building because where else are we going to meet?" even though we can be more creative than that - it seems like a WASTE to use money on a building when there are people who need basic necessities all over the world - including our country.
AMEN!! I don't think that GOd intended the church to be a multimillion dollar building. The way it worked back then was more comfotable in homes, with smaller groups and food and fellowship...That money would be put to such good use if it was used to help people. Not buy a building.
i am so with you on this one! what kind of followers of Jesus are we producing in those settings? Are we following Jesus in ours? The showtime church is dying a quick death, let's be honset, that definition of Christianity attracts few followers and what is worse, i think, is that so many places try to COPY exactly the strategy that other churches use in totally different contexts. Come on people, the Holy Spirit still speaks. Ranting now.
Hey, I have a feeling that some preacher's have different thoughts about it. I htink some of them think it is about numbers. I know that it is crazy and i would have been angry if i heard about that too. I kinda makes me angry jsut to read this little article!
Well, Jen, I agree with you to a point. I do believe the big gathering church has lost sight of what God had in mind, even though the Book of Acts talks about 3000 people being added in one day to the church. (On pentecost). Where I disagree with you is on numbers. I do believe numbers are important. Just as numbers are important when it comes to our heart rate, blood pressure and various other numbers we use to measure the basic operation of the body. When it comes to the church numbers represent souls for which Jesus has died and souls that are connected to him and souls that still have yet to come to him. Granted the church here in Macomb county is not doing well when it comes to encouraging people to join the journey with Jesus, but it means we still have a lot of work to do, just in Macomb county.
I see numbers being souls that matter to God! Which is everyone!
The church in Korea and other areas out side of north america are actually massively larger than even the biggest church in the USA.
Cho's church in Soel, Korea is 775,000 people.
I believe that numbers are important but only in that they measure people whom which Christ died!
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