Money Lines

Let me make it clear that I don’t know a world without a church, all my life I have been in church, even in my years of backsliding, though I wasn’t in the church, the church was in me.  So with that being said, I know that though church is as saving station, first and foremost, but it does takes money to keep a church going.   Holy Ghost don’t pay light bill, Holy Ghost don’t pay mortgage …it takes money.  Because of that we have the doctrine of tithes and offering to take care of the financial needs of the church, and there is a blessing giving to God’s program. 

But as I said in the beginning of the blog, I have been in church all of my life, know nothing but church, so I have seen it all.   And in all that I have seen one that gets on my last nerves is the tradition of the “money line”

I have seen offerings take an hour to an hour and a half to raise money.  As I said in earlier the church foremost is a saving station, not a saving and loan, and though it’s a non-profit organization, the church must be profitable when it comes to winning souls and being one who is more concern about souls than pocket books, I am here to tell you that those outside of the church is being turned off by the way we are raising money.  

I was talking to a pastor friend of mines the other day who took a co-worker to a Holy Convocation to hear his pastor preach.   At this time of life, he was a young zealous Christian who loved the Lord and excited about his co-worker hearing his pastor.   But instead of hearing his pastor, the co-worker saw an offering that took over an hour, which lead this then young preacher to be ridicule the next day at work, calling the pastors and the rest of the Bishops a bunch of pimps.   Making statements how he wanted to be like one them, because they be collecting all the money.   I am here to tell you again…..W E ARE RUNNING PEOPLE AWAY and I don’t believe God is pleased.

We have a high divorce rate in the church; people have sickness and diseases, unemployment in the church, depression, homosexuality in the church and what are we giving them……MONEY COMETH.  Come on Church we got to do better.  People are on their way to Hell and instead of telling them to repent, be baptized, and be filled with the Holy Ghost…..and what are we doing, spending more time on a money line, instead of an altar call line, asking souls to come to Christ.   Anytime we take more time to raise offering than to win souls, there is a PROBLEM.   Offerings are beginning to sound more like an auction call than a ministry of giving unto the Lord.  

In closing, let me say make it clear, I believe in giving monetary to the church, you are blessed in giving.  I believe in giving to God’s preacher, and Lord knows, I believe in tithe and offering, it is the Word of God.   But God forgive me if ever my sermon is shorter than the offering that I raise,  as somewhere along the line I have gotten away from my calling…..to bring souls to Christ.  So when looking for someone to ministered to your church…..I am not your money line preacher.  Yes! I will mention the blessing of giving, sowing into the ministry and the blessings that comes with it.   But more important, I am more concern about wining souls to Christ, because where your heart lies, so does your treasure.  And if the Lord has your heart, you will treat Him right with your substance, and the only line that I will call for is a line for souls to come to Jesus.