Russell Mckinney's Blog » giving

What Two Boys Can Teach Us About Christmas

russellmckinney — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:30:42 +0000

One of my favorite Christmas illustrations is a true story that took place many years ago in Paines Hollow, New York. There was a thirteen-year-old boy who attended Mohawk Central School in that city. One year, at Christmastime, he heard an appeal for contributions to Santa Claus Anonymous, a group that provided gifts for poor children who would otherwise not receive any Christmas presents. The boy truly felt for the underprivileged children and desperately wanted to contribute some money to the cause. So he scrimped and saved wherever he could and managed to come up with fifteen cents to contribute. He figured that it wasn’t much but at least it was something.

But on the last day before school dismissed for Christmas vacation a blizzard buried the area in snow. The buses couldn’t run, which meant that the boy couldn’t get to school to put in his fifteen cents. Undeterred, he made the long walk through the deep snow to personally deliver the money to the school principal. As the principal graciously accepted the meager offering, he could barely hold back the tears in his eyes. You see, that boy was one of the impoverished children on the list to receive a Christmas present from Santa Claus Anonymous.

Last Thursday night our oldest son Ryan had a j.v. basketball game. Tonya and I went to the game, but we left our ten-year-old, Royce, with Tonya’s parents. When we got back, I went and picked up Royce. It wasn’t long before I learned that he had surprises for me, Tonya, and Ryan. He wouldn’t tell me what the surprises were. All I knew was that he had them hidden in a bag. I would have to wait until we got home for the big revealing.

Once we were home, Royce excitedly got us all gathered into the bedroom and began handing out the surprises. They were Christmas ornaments that he had gotten Tonya’s parents to buy when they had taken him to a store that night. Ryan got the ornament that looked like a fish because he loves fishing. Tonya got the one that said “World’s Greatest Mom.” I got the one that had the Bible on it because I am a preacher.

Were these ornaments expensive? No way. We’re not talking Hallmark collectibles here. Had Royce used his own money to pay for them? Not a chance. Grandpa and Grandma wouldn’t hear of him paying for anything! But were those ornaments wonderful? Absolutely. The fact that they came from our little boy’s giving heart made them priceless. I was so proud of him for somehow instinctively understanding something that most of us forget: It is better to give than to receive. By the way, if that sounds familiar, it’s a quote from Jesus. Go read Acts 20:35 for your Christmas homework and let its words keep you in the right spirit this holiday season.

A True Masterpiece

russellmckinney — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:39:43 +0000

An artist visited a museum where one of his masterpieces was on exhibit. As he approached the painting he noticed that the museum had placed one of his earlier, lesser known works beside the masterpiece. He stood there comparing both paintings and began to feel sad. Just then someone recognized him and said to him, “You should be pleased because of the progress you have made.” But the artist didn’t share that opinion. He just smiled somewhat sadly and said, “It grieves me that I realized so little of the promise I showed in my youth.”

Truth be told, many Christians would have to say the same thing about their Christian growth. They showed such promise when they were young! They went to church. They studied the Bible. They prayed. They gave. They witnessed. They lived lives of holiness. But then they got older and ran into some trouble.

When conflict within the church caused them to become disillusioned, they stopped attending. When differing interpretations made studying the Bible harder, they gave up on it. When their prayers weren’t answered to their satisfaction, they quit praying. When their financial situation took a downturn, they eliminated their giving. When they saw no fruit from their witnessing, they hushed. When God didn’t seem to reward the life of holiness, they turned to worldly pursuits and pleasures.

Christian friend, do you find yourself anywhere in this description? If you do, I urge you to find your way back to the fellowship you once had with God. And, please, work on the fellowship before you start working on the service. If you can get the fellowship where it needs to be, the service will inevitably flow, but if the fellowship isn’t there the service will seem like drudgery. Try to rediscover that simple, childlike faith that you once had, a faith that was sincerely shown even in a rhyming prayer: “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.”

Consider Matthew 18:1-4:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus said that we must “become as little children” AFTER we are “converted”? Why would He say such a thing? He said it because He knew that we are prone to become more hardened, cynical, and doubtful as we age. The adult life has a way of knocking the childlike faith out of us, and even authentic Christian conversion doesn’t eliminate that tendency. That’s why we adults must become again “as little children.” Is that a tall order? You’d better believe it. But is it one worth meeting? Absolutely, because when we meet it that creates a true masterpiece.

A Great Lesson For Your Kids

russellmckinney — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:34:12 +0000

Toward the end of General Robert E. Lee’s historic life, he attended the christening of a friend’s son. The mother asked the aged leader to offer some words that would help guide the child into true manhood. But Lee’s answer probably wasn’t what she wanted to hear. He said simply, “Teach him to deny himself.”

Bruce Catton, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Civil War historian, wrote the following about Lee’s words of wisdom:

To deny himself…..Unexpected words, coming from a great soldier? One wonders how the young mother felt, hearing them. Even more, one wonders how this advice would strike the average parent of today.

We don’t emphasize self-denial very much these days, either for our children or for ourselves. Instead, we concentrate on our wants. We seem to have the notion that the world owes us all manner of good things, and we feel abused when we don’t get them. Self-discipline is a bore; and as a result, we are perilously close to winning an unwelcome fame as a land known for its spoiled children and discontented adults.

To learn to get along without, to realize that what the world is going to demand of us may be a good deal more important than what we are entitled to demand of it – this is a hard lesson. We have not been working very hard at it in recent years. Instead, we have developed a moral and intellectual flabbiness that could be fatal to us as individuals and as a nation.

For the world itself is really no easier now than it was in General Lee’s time. It offers rich opportunities; but above everything else, it offers a struggle, a struggle that will never be won by the self-indulgent. More than anything else, we need to relearn General Lee’s lesson.

To deny ourselves…That we may miss a good many of the nice, easy things that it is so pleasant to have. But we end up serving something bigger than ourselves. We can finish by attaining greatness.

If Catton’s words sound like they have a Biblical scent to them, there’s probably a reason for that. His father was a minister. And I can’t help but suspect that Catton knew the words of Jesus:

…whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28)

A New Shirt

russellmckinney — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:50:47 +0000

Sally Haack tells the following story:

“Last summer one of the local civic clubs of which my husband was a member sponsored a camping trip for underprivileged children. Upon arriving at the camp, each little boy was given a Frisbee and a t-shirt.

When the weekend was over and the boys were boarding the bus to go home, one little boy ran up to my husband and handed him his t-shirt, which was rather soiled and wrinkled but nevertheless neatly folded and placed in its plastic package.

My husband told the boy that the shirt was his, that he could keep it. Big tears welled up in the boy’s eyes as he said, “Thank you. I’ve never had a new shirt before.”

My husband swallowed the lump in his throat and told the boy to be sure to come back next year and he could get another new shirt. The boy thought for a moment, then looked up and said, “No. I don’t think I will come next year.” “Well, why not?” asked my husband. The boy replied, “I think I’ll send my little brother. He’s never had a new shirt either.”

What all is currently hanging in your closet? How many pairs of shoes do you own? What’s inside your refrigerator right now? How much food is on the shelves of your pantry or cabinets? Are your bills paid up? Do you have some money in the bank? Be thankful. Remember that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is still in the Bible:

“in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

You see, whatever else might be the specific will of God for your life, I know that it His will for you to be thankful for what you have. Work on that today.

The Indian Chief & Jesus

russellmckinney — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:32:35 +0000

A missionary preached to a group of Indians, telling them that Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, had voluntarily died for their sins. The old Indian chief was very moved by Christ’s sacrifice and decided to do something for the Lord Jesus. So he rose to his feet, walked up to the missionary, laid his tomahawk at the missionary’s feet, and said, “Chief give his tomahawk to Jesus.” Then he went back and sat down.

The missionary, sensing that the Holy Spirit was working on the chief, started preaching again. This time he told the Indians that God, in giving us Jesus, had given us His absolute best. The chief listened carefully, considered the matter, and then walked forward again, this time carrying his blanket. He laid the blanket at the missionary’s feet and said, “Chief give his blanket to Jesus.”

But that still wasn’t the response the missionary was seeking, and so he went to preaching again. He told the Indians how Jesus, even though He was rich in heaven, had become poor for us by being born in a manger, living a humble life, and dying by way of a cruel, humiliating cross. This compelled the chief to leave the meeting, go and get his horse, bring the animal to the missionary, and say, “Chief give his horse to Jesus.”

Now the chief thought to himself, “I have given everything I have to Jesus, who gave Himself for me.” The missionary, however, started up yet another round of preaching. This time he explained that Jesus had arisen from the dead, appeared to many in His post-resurrection body, ascended back to heaven forty days later, and was now seated at the right hand of His heavenly father, calling men and women to Himself. And it was then that the Indian chief finally understood why the missionary had never seemed satisfied with the fine gifts. The chief stood up again, walked forward, bowed himself at the missionary’s feet, and said, “Chief give himself to Jesus.”

Ah friend, there it is! That is the decision that Jesus wants from each of us, and it is a far cry from merely attending church, putting some money in the offering plate, owning a Bible, praying prayers, trying to live a moral life, etc. Certainly each of those things is proper when understood in its rightful place. But, really, when it comes to salvation, they are all just tomahawks, blankets, and horses. What Jesus truly wants is you, lock, stock, and barrel. And, just to be honest about it, when He has you like that, He’ll have you keep all your tomahawks, blankets, and horses and use them in service to Him.

Giving To God

russellmckinney — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 05:17:58 +0000

One day a missionary in India was hurrying along a street that ran beside the Ganges River. Suddenly he came upon a native woman who was standing and looking out at the water. In her arms was a sickly, whining infant. At her side stood a beautiful, strong, healthy little boy.

The missionary stopped and began a conversation with her. She told him that she was in deep distress and was considering giving an offering to her god, the Ganges River. The missionary took the opportunity to tell her about Jesus and asked her to believe in Christ as Savior. But the woman only shook her head and would not heed the gospel call. After some time had passed, and with his efforts still coming to nought, the missionary left and went on to his other duties.

Later, when he returned to the spot, he found the woman still there, but now she was sitting and rocking the sickly child in her arms. Tears were streaming down her face and she was moaning loudly. Missing from the scene was the strong, healthy son that had been standing by her side. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. To appease her god, the woman had thrown her healthy child to the river’s crocodiles.

The missionary ran up to her, asking, “Oh, why did you do it?” The woman replied, “I made an offering to my god. Perhaps he will hear me.” The missionary said, “But why, if you had to do it, did you give your healthy little boy? Why didn’t you at least give the sickly child?” To that, the woman rose to her feet, straightened herself up somewhat proudly, and said, “We give our gods our best.” Heartbreaking story? Certainly. But proper attitude toward giving to your god? You’d better know it. Have you been giving your best to God lately?

What Kind Of Shape Are You In Spiritually?

russellmckinney — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:21:10 +0000

Christian, perhaps you are one of the hordes of people who have hit the new year full bore with a new diet or workout routine. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. But even as you dutifully try to get your body in better condition, consider a word from A.W. Tozer about your spiritual condition. In a chapter entitled We Must Have Better Christians, which is a part of his book Of God & Men, he writes:

“What is forgotten is that a Christian is a born-one, an embodiment of growing life, and as such may be retarded, stunted, undernourished, or injured very much as any other organism.”

I ask you, Christian, how is your spiritual condition heading into this new year? How is your prayer life? How is your Bible study? How is your church attendance? How is your giving? How is your witnessing? How is your personal testimony in regards to holy conduct? How is your service to others? These are important questions.

Remember that the Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:8:

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Please understand that I’m not trying to deminish the “little” that bodily exercise profits. Many of us need that “little”! All I’m doing is offering a simple reminder that your spiritual condition is more important than your physical condition. Too many times we forget that in a world that is obsessed with outward appearances.

Righteousness & You

russellmckinney — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:54:03 +0000

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

I’ve been a pastor a long time, long enough to have learned some things about professing Christians. One of those things is: not many of them hunger and thirst after righteousness. When you do come across such a person, you are actually taken aback by how much he or she stands out from the crowd. Your reaction is, “Wow, now that’s the way this Christianity thing is supposed to work. That’s the kind of person it’s set up to produce.”

I take no pleasure in reporting that a high percentage of professing Christians are only interested in living righteously enough to keep God from getting too ticked off at them. The time they spend in prayer is minimal. Their Bible study is barely a blip on the radar. They attend church only if all the planets align and nothing else comes up. They give sparingly and many times even begrudge that (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). They’ve never witnessed to anyone in their lives.

Even those who do better in some of these areas typically fall short when it comes to actually repenting of sins and making needed changes in their lives. I’ve known professing Christians who were at church every time the doors were open, but they were petty, bitter people who refused to forgive any perceived slight. I’ve known others who made prayer a vital part of their lives but didn’t mind engaging in pre-marital sex or “shacking up.” Others would give generously to the church but spend even more on alcohol or drugs. To all of these people, the idea of hungering and thirsting after righteousness was foreign. They had just enough religion to keep them at peace with themselves and certainly didn’t have a burning desire for anything more than that.

Imagine a man who hasn’t eaten for two days. He gets the opportunity to sit down at a buffet filled with delicious food. The way that man’s eyes dance over that food is the way the Christian’s eyes should dance over righteousness. The way he craves that food is the way the Christian should crave righteousness.

Imagine a woman who has been stranded in the desert for hours. When she is rescued, a rescue worker hands her a bottle of water. At that moment, there is nothing on earth she wants more. That’s how the Christian should thirst after righteousness.

Christian, when you are obsessively hungering and thirsting after righteousness, when righteousness is what you are chasing in life, you won’t have to be goaded into coming to church. You won’t have to be begged to pray. Your pastor won’t have to chide you into Bible study. It won’t take a ten-sermon series on stewardship to get you to give generously. You won’t have to be coerced into telling others about Jesus and inviting them to church. All of that will come as naturally to you as breathing. It will flow effortlessly out of your hungering and thirsting for righteousness. 1 John 2:29 describes this as “practicing” righteousness: “If you know that He (God) is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 5:1; John 3:1-8).

And, furthermore, Jesus promises that your pursuit of righteousness will not be in vain. He says you shall be filled. I see a two-fold meaning in this promise. First, it only makes the sense that the more you devote your life to righteousness, the more righteousness will be exhibited in your life. Second, as for your eternal standing with God, the moment you realize that your life is stained by unrighteousness and you place your belief (faith) in Jesus as Savior, God actually imparts to you His spotless righteousness (Romans 1:16-17; 3:21-26; Philippians 3:7-9). That is an even more important filling.

So, Christian, how hungry are you? How thirsty? Are you burdened enough about righteousness to do some repenting? Will you commit to moving up to a higher level of practicing righteousness in your daily life? When you get hungry and thirsty enough to actually make some changes in how you conduct yourself, you’ll find Jesus standing ready to help you. He’ll be right there with the never-ending buffet and bottomless well. You will be filled, no doubt about that. But never forget that no one can be filled who is already full enough to suit them.

Oral Roberts & “Seed Faith” Giving

russellmckinney — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:57:43 +0000

Oral Roberts died this past Tuesday. The famous faith-healer and evangelist was 91. He died in Newport Beach, California from complications of pneumonia. He had been hospitalized after a recent fall.

As we look back over the totality of Roberts’ life, it isn’t hard to spot both good and bad. On the good side of the ledger, he preached Jesus, reminded people of what the Bible teaches about Christ’s miracle working power, and played a major role in bringing the church into the age of television.

On the bad side, he gave many prophecies that turned out to be false, claimed to have performed literal resurrections and other miraculous healings, founded a religious empire that has frequently been associated with accusations of financial malfeasance, and was the originator of the “seed faith” philosophy of giving. It is that “seed faith” philosophy that I want to focus upon in this post.

The basic idea with “seed faith” giving goes like this:

1. The Christian generously gives his money to support a ministry (for example, the Oral Roberts ministry).

2. The Christian has faith that God will return to him a greater harvest than the original amount.

3. God rewards the faith and sends the greater harvest. (This greater harvest can come by way of job promotion, sudden windfall, etc.)

4. With the increased wealth, the Christian can begin the process all over again by giving an even larger amount to the ministry.

5. With more “seed” with which to work, God can reward the Christian with a harvest that is even bigger than the first one.

6. Out of that greater harvest, the Christian can send yet another increased amount of money to the ministry and, subsequently, see an even bigger harvest.

7. From there it’s etc., etc., etc. as the cumalitive process keeps rolling along and the Christian, as well as the ministry, keeps geting wealthier and wealthier.

Oral Roberts claimed that Jesus Himself revealed the “seed faith” principle to him. Among other things, Roberts said that Jesus told him how to rightly interpret Acts 20:35, the verse that quotes Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” According to Roberts, Jesus said those words don’t properly convey what He meant. Jesus supposedly said, “I meant it is more PRODUCTIVE to give than to receive.”

Roberts taught “seed faith” giving for many decades. He wrote over 130 books, most of which were variations on this foundational teaching. When he resigned as the head of Oral Roberts University (a university that has turned out “seed faith” preachers for over 40 years), his son Richard took over the reins.

Several years ago, I read Ashes To Gold, a book that was written by Patti Roberts, Richard’s former wife. In that book, Patti looks back on her days as Oral’s daughter-in-law. She talks about how guilty she felt about the excessive wealth the Roberts family enjoyed, and she seriously questions the “seed-faith” idea of giving. She says the “seed faith” teaching:

“bothered me a great deal because I saw that, when taken to extremes, it reduced God to a sugar daddy. If you wanted His blessings and His love, you paid Him off. Over and over again we heard Oral say, ‘Give out of your need.’ I began to question the motivation that kind of giving implied. Were we giving to God out of our love and gratitude to Him or were we bartering with Him?”

In the book, Patti Roberts also points out that the teaching of “seed faith” was given on every Roberts’ television broadcast, whereas the Gospel itself was rarely given. Here’s a typical quote from Richard Roberts:

“Sow a seed (to the Roberts ministry) on your MasterCard, your Visa or your American Express, and then when you do, expect God to open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing.”

Please understand, though, that Oral Roberts and his ministry were merely the fountainhead of “seed faith” preaching. Over the years, the water quickly flowed out to wherever Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and ministries were found. Paul and Jan Crouch’s TBN broadcasting empire has sent the Roberts’ doctrine around the world, and thousands of “prosperity preachers” now preach “seed faith” giving every bit as fervently as Oral Roberts ever did.

But, of course, the central question in all this is: Is the “seed faith” philosophy Biblical? In one corner, we’ve heard from Oral Roberts. In another corner, we’ve heard from his former daughter-in-law, Patti. But what does God say? Well, His ruling is that the “seed faith” way of giving, a way that should lead to great wealth, is a lie. Let me prove that to you.

First, I’ll describe the earthly life of Jesus. Luke 9:57-58 says:

“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’”

These verses certainly don’t describe an earthly life of wealth, do they? Jesus didn’t own a house. He didn’t have a lot of money. He didn’t live lavishly.

As you read the gospels, you will see that He ate with anyone who would invite Him to eat, spent many a night outside, and probably had just one set of clothes. He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey. He and His disciples observed the Lord’s Supper in a borrowed room. After His death, His body was laid in a borrowed tomb.

As a matter of fact, rather than promoting the importance of worldly wealth, Jesus warned of the dangers of it. He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20). He said, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23-24).

These quotes certainly don’t sound like the words of one who was preaching earthly prosperity as a byproduct of salvation, do they? The fact is, you won’t find a verse where Jesus says, “Follow me, and I’ll put money in your pockets.” You won’t find a verse where He says, “Believe in me as Savior, and your financial woes will be over.”

Instead, what you will find is Christ’s constant downplaying of money. In His story of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man, it is the rich man whose soul ends up in Hell (Luke 16:19-31). In His story of the rich man who planned to tear down his overflowing barns and build bigger barns, God comes to that rich man and says, “You fool, this night your soul will be required of you: then whose shall these things be?” (Luke 12:13-21).

This was the earthly life of Christ, and it certainly doesn’t line up with the idea that God wants to make every Christian rich. If anything, Jesus taught that the love of money is one of the primary hindrances to people being all that God wants them to be.

Second, I’ll describe the lives of the apostles. In 1 Corinthians 4:9-13, we find some verses in which Paul vividly describes the life of an apostle. He writes:

“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”

Tell me, does this description sound like the apostles lived lives of wealth, ease, and luxury? Of course, it doesn’t! Well, was that because they just didn’t understand about “seed faith” giving? No, it was because it is not God’s will for all Christians to be monetarily rich.

Third, I’ll describe the lives of the Smyrna Christians. In Revelation 2:8-9, the risen, glorified Jesus gives a message for the apostle John to relay to the Christians who were living in Smyrna. That message was:

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: ‘I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.’”

Notice that Jesus said to those Christians, “I know your poverty, but, actually, you are rich.” The interpretation isn’t difficult. Those Christians were poor in an earthly sense but rich in an eternal sense through the treasures laid up for them in heaven.

Jesus didn’t say to those people, “If you will give in faith, you will get that gift back with an increase.” He didn’t even say to them, “I know your poverty, and I’m going to do something about it.” What He said was, “I know your poverty, but don’t forget that you are actually rich.” For many Christians today, this same “Smyrna truth” applies: poor on earth but rich in heaven.

Fourth, I’ll describe the life of Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6: 3-10, Paul has some very telling things to say about money and worldly riches. He writes:

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Whatever else we might bring out of these verses, let’s at least get it settled that Paul did not say, “Timothy, God wants you to be rich in the wealth of the world. Why aren’t you?” What he said was, “Timothy, work on being content with having food and clothing.”

On the subject of “prosperity preachers,” let me say that I especially like the way the New Living Translation describes those false teachers to whom Paul was referring. In verse 5, it reads:

“These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they don’t tell the truth. To them religion is just a way to get rich.”

Now, as I begin to close, I’d like to point out that the Bible gives us many examples of believers who were rich by the standards of the world. Abraham was rich. Joseph was rich. Job was rich. Solomon was rich. Joseph of Arimathea was rich. So, I’m not saying that it isn’t God’s will for any Christian to be monetarily rich. What I’m saying is that no Christian has a right to expect or demand worldly wealth from God. Such wealth isn’t a matter of the Christian getting under the teaching of the right preacher, and it certainly isn’t a matter of lining up with the ”seed faith” plan of giving.

When it comes to attaining worldly wealth, the Bible talks about things like: hard work, saving, giving a right portion back to God, paying your bills, giving to the poor, and avoiding sin. There’s even a bit here and there about wise investing. These things are the building blocks to getting rich in this world. It’s not about sending $100 to the Oral Roberts ministry.

Think about it, Roberts’ philosophy didn’t even work for him. In 1989, his City of Faith Medical Center was forced to close due to a lack of funds. The Center, which cost $250 million to build, reportedly drained the Roberts organization of $30 to $40 million per year. This was the cause of Oral’s now infamous 1989 fundraising drive in which he announced to a television audience that God would “call him home” if the sum of $8 million wasn’t raised by March. Even though $9.1 million was raised, the City of Faith still closed not long afterwards.

Later on, in 2007, Richard was forced to resign as president of Oral Roberts University amid allegations of financial indiscretions. The scandal reportedly left the school with more than $50 million of debt. In light of such financial shortcomings, one is left to presume that either the Roberts family didn’t practice what they preached in regards to “seed faith” giving or the whole philosophy simply doesn’t work. As for me, my money is on both.

Some Things To Remember This Christmas

russellmckinney — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:09:45 +0000

An old legend tells of how Satan and his demons once threw a Christmas party for themselves. As the party was ending and the demons were heading out to begin their worldwide activity again, one demon jokingly said to Satan, “Merry Christmas, your majesty.” To that Satan replied, “Yes, help the world keep it merry. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble.”

This world certainly makes it hard to get serious about Christmas, doesn’t it? It sometimes seems impossible to keep our focus on the important things when we are bombarded at every turn with the silly things. I’ve never heard it put any better than Keith Ogden, the pastor of Hill Street Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina, said it. He called the Christmas holiday a “mixture of the reasonable with the ridiculous” and said, “Christmas today is a mixture of the sacred with the secular, the holy with the common, the holiday with the holy day, the babe in a manger with the elf in a sleigh, the shepherds in the field, watching their sheep with reindeer that know how to fly.”

And so, in these days just before Christmas, I think it would be good for us to identify a few things we should remember this Christmas. These are things that will help us to celebrate the birth of Christ in a manner that is pleasing to Him. There’s nothing wrong with having Christmas; it’s just that we must do it in the right way.

The first thing we should remember is: Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth. Christmas isn’t about: Santa Claus, elves, reindeer, the grinch, Christmas trees, presents, eggnog, Jimmy Stewart, or Bing Crosby. It’s about Jesus! You can’t even spell the word “Christmas” without starting with the word “Christ.” Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth.

I once read about a family who celebrated Christmas each year by actually throwing a birthday party for Jesus. They would go so far as to set an extra chair at the table as a reminder of Christ’s presence at the party. The mother would fix a cake, complete with candles, and the whole family would sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. One year a visitor said to the family’s little five-year old daughter, “Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” The little girl replied, “No, but then it’s not my birthday.” We need more of that attitude today.

A second thing we should remember is: It is more blessed to give than to receive. In Acts 20:35, Paul says to the pastors of Ephesus: “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

If your whole idea of Christmas is getting a bunch of presents, you are missing the point of the holiday. What does John 3:16 say? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” You see, the baby Jesus lying in that manger on that night so long ago was a gift to the world. And God expects those of us who follow Jesus to be givers.

A third thing we should remember is: Even in our giving we can cross the line into sin. Colossians 3:17 says: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Did you know that Jesus wants to be the Lord of your Christmas shopping? He doesn’t want you to buy one thing that is outside His will. I don’t care if an item is on clearance for 90% off. You’d better consult the Lord about buying it. Jesus doesn’t mind you buying gifts for others; but He does want you to filter every purchase through His will. What a concept this is to most people, even the average Christian. So many people simply go too far when it comes to Christmas shopping.

What passes for the holiday spirit was on display at a Wal-Mart in Long Island, New York last year. In the dark, early morning hours of the Friday after Thanksgiving, approximately two-thousand people gathered outside the doors of the mall where the Wal-Mart was located. When a thirty-four-year old male employee opened the store’s doors, he was immediately knocked to the ground by the onrushing crowd. The force of the crowd was so great that a metal portion of the door frame was crumpled like an accordion. In all the chaos, no one cared that the employee couldn’t get up. They just kept stepping all over him. Finally some of the other employees tried to fight their way through the crowd to help their coworker, but they were knocked down and trampled upon as well. After the stampede was over, the worker was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead around six a.m. Tell me, do you think Jesus is pleased that such crazed behavior is associated with the season of His birth? You know He isn’t.

The fourth thing we should remember is: We should always do our part to live peaceably with others. A good text here is Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Isn’t it sad that of all the times of the year Christmas usually brings out the worst in people? This is especially true with the families.

Family members get mad over the stupidest things, don’t they? Wars break out over the holiday schedule of events! Dad wants the whole family to get together for a big meal on Christmas Eve, but his daughter-in-law would rather take the grandkids to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at her church. One grandma wants everybody at her place at one o’clock on Christmas day, but the other grandma wants everybody at her place at two o’clock. The wife’s family always opened their presents on Christmas Eve, but the husband’s family always opened theirs on Christmas day. How should the children be raised? Two of the grandkids are in one church’s Christmas play but the other grandkid is in another church’s play, and both plays start at seven o’clock on the Sunday night before Christmas. Should the grandparents play the numbers and go see the play with the two grandkids? Decisions, decisions! Of course, if your family has been touched by divorce, you can multiply every holiday event by at least two.

During all this family turmoil you would do well to keep in mind what those angels said to those shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth: “Peace on earth, goodwill to all men.” You say, “But I wanted a pumpkin pie instead of a pecan pie.” Get over it. “But I wanted Levis instead of Wranglers.” Get over it. “But I wanted a real tree instead of an artificial one.” Get over it. It’s Christmas! We’re supposed to be celebrating the fact that God took human flesh upon Himself and was born into this world as a baby so that He could grow up and die for our sins that we might spend eternity with Him. It’s not a time for arguing and petty bickering. It’s not a time to demand your way and ignore the feelings of others. It’s a time of doing your part to live peaceably with others. Here’s a good saying for you this Christmas: “Blessed are the flexible for they will get along.” Use that one, and thank me later. Merry Christmas!