Recently, while watching my favorite morning television news program–that would be “Morning Joe” on MSNBC–I was struck by a statement a host made about the war in Afghanistan.
“Less than 1 percent of our (military) people are in that country fighting. The American people are not invested in this war.”
All the bells went off inside me. I’ve learned to recognize when the Lord is getting my attention.
Now, America itself is “invested” in the struggle against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We’re sending billions of dollars, the latest equipment, and the finest young men and women this country produces.
Plenty of American families are “invested” in Afghanistan. Parents of our troops have that country at the top of their prayer list and devour every bit of news coming from the struggle there.
It’s the American people across the board who are not invested in this war.
What exactly does that mean? and is there a message here for those of us in the ministry?
The statement means the American public is not aware of what’s going on in that Middle-Eastern country, and the struggle there feels remote and distant.
It means that most of us have no personal stake in this war. When we’re unsure of the issues and uncertain of our goal, when we do not know anyone who is putting his/her life on the line there, and when we have no personal ties to anything, we are “uninvested.”
Have you ever watched a World War II movie, one made when that worldwide struggle was actually taking place? You might have found yourself wondering why similar movies were not made in subsequent wars. When America fought in Korea and later in Viet Nam, a few movies were turned out by Hollywood, but nothing that caught the American fancy.
The American people were “invested” in the Second World War. That’s the difference. And they’ve not been in the others since.
In the 1940s, every town in America sent the cream of its youth to the fight. Every radio was tuned to the latest news. Gold stars shone from windows to say this family had lost a son in the service of his country. Dads followed developments with maps on the wall. Drives for metal, rubber, paper and even fats and grease were conducted in every community. Schoolchildren bought savings stamps and housewives contended with ration books.
Every citizen of this country was enlisted to fight that war. That’s what it means to be invested. You are involved, you have made a sacrificial contribution, you have a personal stake in what’s going on and you care how it turns out. Nothing is too remote, too distant for you not to care about. Day and night your prayers ascend that this fight would soon end.
Now, here are two churches. The congregation of the first is not invested in the Lord’s work. In the other, they are. The difference is staggering.
Take the first one, the Church of the Stagnant-and-Bored. You’ve seen members of that congregation. You know how they look…
–the people are in church today out of a sense of duty. They’re checking it off the list, and can’t wait to get home to watch the football game or take their afternoon nap.
–there’s precious little joy in the singing and little interest in the sermon.
–requests for volunteers either go unheeded or draw feeble responses accompanied by weak protests.
–the offerings have been declining year after year.
–no one is joining this church because there’s little to attract them. The fellowship is anemic, the evangelism non-existent, and spontaneity unheard of.
Contrast that with the second congregation, the Church of the Redeemed-and-Glad-Of-It. The members are invested in every detail of their ministries…
–because they care deeply about their Lord and Savior, their worship is enthusiastic, their praise exuberant, their joy contagious.
–because they care strongly about their fellow man, their ministries are exciting and their evangelism efforts anointed. They regularly see people turn to Christ.
–the offerings are rarely as much as the leadership wishes, but only because they keep coming up with bigger and bigger challenges. The people are giving sacrificially, as well as joyfully.
–griping is at a minimum. The members feel a sense of ownership, that “if it’s to be, it’s up to me.” They do not point fingers at pastors or deacons and blame them for what is not happening. If it needs doing, they’re willing.
–people are joining this church at a hefty pace. Everyone wants to belong to a church family that is making a difference, even if the work is hard and the tempo frantic.
Question: How can we go from the Church of the Stagnant-and-Bored to the Congregation of the Redeemed-and-Glad-Of-It?
A large part of the answer involves getting people invested in the work.
Here’s a clue from our Lord Jesus:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
As a young pastor, I recall reading that last line–“where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”–and thinking the Lord had it backward. It made more sense to think that wherever our heart was, that’s where we would place our treasures. And in a sense, that’s correct.
But there is a deeper truth here. Jesus is telling us how to become more invested in His work: place your treasure in the Kingdom.
The daughter of a pastor friend who has excellent dramatic skills and a new college degree spent much of the summer at an arts camp in Europe. Last Spring, when she sent out letters seeking financial assistance, I sent my check. Consequently, even though my gift was not large, from time to time throughout the summer months I found myself thinking about her and lifting her to the Father.
I was delighted to hear of her interaction with non-Christians in the camp and of her burden for telling them of Jesus.
This ministry mattered to me for one over-riding reason: I was invested in her.
There’s no way of knowing, but I think it’s safe to conclude that friends who did not contribute to her summer project rarely gave her a thought and did not pray for her.
That’s the difference in the Church of the Stagnant-and-Bored and the Congregation of the Redeemed-and-Glad-Of-It. In the first, the people have made little or no investment in the work; in the second, their very lives are invested.
Conclusion: if we want people to care more about the Lord and His church, encourage them to give more of themselves and more of their possessions to the work.
This means–I say this to pastors and teachers–you’re going to have to do something you hate to do.
You’re going to have to preach and teach on stewardship. You’re going to have to swallow your pride and teach your people how to honor God with their resources and become generous givers.
If you fail them in this, they will forever stay uninvolved, detached from the Lord’s work in your church, complacent about the outcome of the ministries, and spiritual dwarfs forever.
And I’ll tell you one more outcome, pastor: They are going to be so angry at you at the Judgment for not telling them how to lay up treasure in Heaven.
We pastors are pretty selfish creatures too, just like most of the people we know. We want people to like us. We hate criticism. And that’s why some of us choose never to preach on money.
In so doing, we end up fearing men and failing God.
Before leaving this subject, let me hasten to add that “giving money” is only one way of getting people invested in the Lord’s work.
In the five years since Hurricane Katrina had its horrible way with my part of the world, thousands upon thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ journeyed to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast to help us rebuild the area and our lives. As a result, they are invested in us.
Their commitment to us (because they uprooted their lives and came at considerable expense to work in sweltering heat and sleep on cots) has resulted in our being toward the forefront of their prayers, in their continuing to stay informed on our progress, in many of them returning again and again, and one unusual benefit…
It produced untold numbers of fans of the New Orleans Saints in our championship drive to the Super Bowl.
Sports people were amazed at the groundswell of support this city received for our team, as reams of paper and hours of radio and TV time were spent in analyzing why. Some said it was because our team had gone its entire history without winning a championship. Some said it was the underdog effect. Others said people admired the spunk of our players.
All of that is no doubt true. But I submit there’s another factor involved. Americans have prayed for this city, contributed to it, and given of their very lives to help it. They were invested in it.
And that investment has paid off. It always does.
That was the original ending for this article. Then, a few minutes ago, the morning e-mail brought a short devotional from eThoughts, an online ministry of a couple of friends of mine. (To get on their mailing list, write team@ethoughtsteam.com)
Dr. Glenn Young is the senior pastor of Clear Lake Baptist Church in Houston. Here’s what he wrote:
You don’t own it until you expend it! I know that sounds contrary to everything we have been taught. Let me qualify the statement. The Bible is clear that we should be good stewards of our possessions and Proverbs admonishes us to lay aside our increase for future days, so please don’t misunderstand me on this one. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that “where our treasure is there our heart will be also.” That statement scares me! Jesus has turned my financial planning on its head just as He did the money-changing tables in the temple.
Just think about it. Whatever sits in your bank belongs to your bank, and benefits your bank, until you redeem it and apply it to your life! Until then it is just an abstract number on a spread sheet. Only when redeemed does it take on a tangible value for you and your family. At that point, it may multiply, if you manage it wisely; or it may provide needed goods and services, if you spend it wisely; or it may be squandered, if you are foolish with it. But it is really not yours until you expend it.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life fo me will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
Thanks, Pastor Young. What a great addition to our discussion.