44 And all that believed were together,
and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
—Acts: 2:44-47
By John W. Fountain
And herein lies the problem… The House of
God is out of order. The church has misplaced its priorities, spending hundreds
of millions of dollars on building earthen temples rather than the temples of
humankind. God has supplied all our needs according to His riches in glory, and
we as members of the Body of Christ have sacrificed, laying our treasures at
the altar at our local so-called houses of worship. But too often those
treasures/finances are irresponsibly misplaced, misused, and disproportionately
spent on things that have little utility for the daily lives of people.
The apostles in
the New Testament didn’t browbeat the people to give. The people gave from
their hearts, selling even their own houses, not for the erection of a temple
or the apostles’ salary, but that they might help the widow, the poor, the
orphan. The people and church leaders understood, even back then, that “the
church” is the ecclesia, the living, breathing and moving body of believers.
Many years ago, as
a sophomore at the University of Illinois in Champaign, I needed $300 to return
to school that fall 1979. Mama didn’t have it. My father was dead and in his
grave. So we took our need to the church folk.
______________
______________
“What would I do with $50 million given
by God’s people?
…I would never put it in a sinkhole, like a church building.”
______________
______________
I had seen them at
church raise offerings and badger people into giving—for new chairs, new pulpit
furniture, choir robes, for donations for chicken dinners—to the tune of
hundreds and thousands of dollars. They could have raised the paltry sum I
needed with a swift pass of the collection plate and I would gladly have paid
them back—with interest. But they did not. They did not because, even back,
then, their priorities were misplaced.
Today, as I drive
by some churches, looking through my haze of sadness and disbelief, I see the
saints’ sacrifice and offerings—symbolized by towering opulent cathedrals that
someday shall fade away. I see that “abundance”—which might have been spent on
the erection of housing for seniors and the disabled, or for transitional
housing for families, or on partnerships with corporations that would bring
businesses and jobs to our communities, grocery stores with fresh produce and
quality food—and jobs—or any number of more responsible ventures that would
more reflect a vision for God’s people and good stewardship.
I cry when I
understand that God has already provided what His people need. I cry when I see
that so many churches have placed the people of God in the bondage of
million-dollar mortgages that now will be passed down to their children and
their children’s children.
What would I do with
$50 million given by God’s people? A lot. But I can tell you what I would never
do. I would never put it in a sinkhole, like a church building then try and convince
myself and others that this is all for the glory of God. And yet, this is
exactly what happens.
Churches should
exist for the people. Not the people for the church. And yet, too many
churches, strapped for cash, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in
monthly mortgage, can no longer afford to do what the church is called to do. Too
many members are tapped out from the financial burden of carrying the church.
The “storehouse” is full and yet, at the same time empty. So those in need are
turned away. The poor, widow and the orphaned.
Some
ministers here recently participated in a “No Buy Black Friday” in protest of
the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by a white Chicago police officer who
shot the black 17-year-old 16 times.
Given the neglect
by the church in general of the African-American community from which it has
extracted millions upon millions over time with giving relatively in return,
maybe the members should protest and boycott Sunday service—at least until the
church regains its prophetic zeal and commitment, even to the least of these.
And I know just
what to call it: “No Tithes Sunday.”
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The
Relief Bus outreach, in Elizabeth, N.J., with two former school buses customized
into mobile resource centers, seeks to help the poor and homeless, delivering
meals and services to people on the street. Fountain visited the ministry
in recent years to see it at work firsthand. (Photo: By John W. Fountain)
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