A teacher told me this week of a lady that is withholding her contribution in protest over some of the decisions of the eldership. Someone told me this week that they will not come to church because someone has been mean to them. People are odd sometimes. You quit church or quit worshiping through gifting because of someone else. So the person takes out their frustration on the Lord. If someone does something to you that is unkind or unchristian, why punish the Lord? Besides, how convenient to withhold the contribution in protest, I could certainly use the extra money on myself. Also, it is easy to feel loving when there is no one to love. The church was given to help us to perfect our love for another one. When people are mean to us that are part of the church, it is simply training to be more loving like Christ. Yea, quit church and feel nice and loving, or stay in church and realize that you have a ton of room to grow. Church is not alway easy because church is given to make us holy. Read Ephesians 5:26-27.
Related posts:
- I Quit Praying and Started Talking
- The Desire of Easy Theology
- Are You Learning?
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About The Author
Matthew is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada. He has a beautiful wife named Charity and a precious baby named Gabrielle. He has graduated from the Brown Trail School of Preaching, Heritage Christian University with his Bachelors of Arts in Biblical Studies, Lipscomb University with his Master’s of Arts in Biblical Studies and his Master’s of Divinity at Freed-Hardeman University. He is presently working towards his Doctorate of Ministry at Harding Graduate School of Religion. His articles have appeared in the World Evangelist, the Highway to Holiness, The West Virginia Christian, The Christian Echo, The Firm Foundation, Church Growth, and the Gospel Advocate. He enjoys hockey, golf, boxing, and chess. In his spare time he enjoys reading numerous genres of books. Also, he is working on climbing all of the 14ers in Colorado. Matthew is the Pulpit Minister for the Castle Rock church of Christ.
It’s an interesting thought … but so common today that if we disagree with something or someone, we must leave the congregation. Matthew, do you think this spirit has been fostered over the past decades? Not by words…but by the notion that when we disagree one of us is a “false teacher” … and we use this when personalities run amok. I know of good people who have sent their contribution to some cause or even another church for a time because their conscience would not allow them to support what was going on … although they continued to try to love and work with the local church. Maybe it’s not a great way to deal with the situation, but it felt like a faith issue to them. So sometimes they are not punishing the Lord or keeping the money. But I’ve seen this happen. How do you quit family? I think we’ve viewed church as an organization where everyone agrees on every doctrine … I really think we are to agree on Christ and live with / tolerate the rest. Romans 14-15 certainly do not leave much room for leaving. Still, some congregations have been brightened by some leaving the room. Sorry to write so much.
Guilty as charged…
We contribute with a cheerful heart, but sometimes it doesn’t make my heart cheerful when all the money is ear-marked for the preacher, and the building.
Not against a building, or paying the preacher, but when widows & orphans are neglected, as well as others in the church and community in order to maintain the physical building, I feel intensely more cheerful giving a portion of my contribution to an orphans home.
I agree, to withhold money and use it on ones self would be dead wrong, but its also dead wrong for the church to misuse the contributions, and lavish it all on themselves rather than helping others with physical and spiritual problems.
Perhaps I’m wrong; only my opinion!
We have to see giving as to God not man because the only person that I know who spends the money the perfectly right way is myself, and every now and then, I spend it on myself. Sounds like some churches.
I really like John Dobb’s comment:
> I really think we are to agree on
> Christ and live with / tolerate the
> rest.
That’s not far off IMO.
Along those lines, there is a new effort to bring some of those factions back together, at least for dialog and mutual understanding. Check out this site:
http://www.connect4change.net/
If you want to help in their effort for unity, you can provide them a profile (click Profile) and some information about your church (click Church Culture). I thought some folks here might be interested.