THE DRAIN ON CHURCH POWER

I don't know that I'm totally of accurate grasp about that which I address at the moment.  From both experience and observation, I feel certain I am in the ballpark.  I speak of religious institutions accumulating debt.

God cleared the air with seeming clarity that one cannot serve God and money; for he will hate the one and love the other.  One seems to carry earthy power; the other heavenly strength.  The church is at its best relying on God's grace-provision.  Each passing of the plate is to transfer cash into grace.

Dependence is the issue at stake. 

In the church I've watched us do both.  One leaves us in perpetual mediocrity and the other in constant state of awe.  Giving--personal increasing of giving away that which the flesh believes it needs most--is kingdom magic.  Amazing and awesome things happen in the church when members release that very thing that the flesh yearns to save.

Giving is the surest way to persuade God we believe He can do what we would assume impossible....with us.

Anytime a church or a Christian school or university is prone to keep an eye on pleasing men to gain their money, that institution will not be able to avoid stale and dead movement while it convinces itself it is alive and well.  Fear of losing financial contributions is disastrous to the hopeful Spirit impact of any group of believers.

Why? 

God's truth is in perpetual state of expansion. 

The Word is beautiful, alive, and ever retraining the believer's heart.  If a huge donor is more attentive to his Wall Street investment than spiritual ones, trouble will mount as this person will not have the heart to expand in knowledge of God and, therefore, will not be able to take the risky moves God places in front of the church.

Tied to the monetary, fear will do the voting.

When money is the assumed strength of the church, God's power is drained.  Still, much hustle and bustle will prevail; but only according to man hours and man arms, but not God's.  When surrender of that which the flesh believes to be the social power and reliance upon our sheer weakness in front of God (sheer dependence upon Him), He will and does show up in those biblical mysteriously profound ways.

I've experienced both sides of church life; indebted and debt free as a congregation.  The former does a lot of listening to the pocket books rather than the Word.  The latter has an ear for the Spirit's whisper regardless of who might not approve.

The drain on church power is likely if leaders launch out by faith only to be dependent upon contributors.  When those leaders move under the guidance of God regardless of threat....a new world of overjoy soon follows.

May our faith to launch any good cause be simply because we believe God has called us to walk on such water.  He will be there....regardless of threat of Wind and press of Storm by those who give in order to control the leadership.

Know what I mean?