God made note of Satan's emphatic blunder with Adam and Eve in the Garden. What this Disrupter didn't know was that Father already had a plan in the works to reclaim His created ones to set them free into a land of indescribable wonder.
Indescribable wonder? That's how you see yourself? That's how you see the day? That's how you see the church's function in your town; your country? That's precisely how it is to be seen. But, in places and in some hearts, the church has fundamentally fallen asleep due to it's many soft tunes like, Don't Be Out of Step (We Don't Dance), or Going Through the LocalMotions. Another song high on the church-pop charts is, The Way We Were.
Ours is always a spiritual call to awaken; awaken today and then again tomorrow. Faith is drama in the highest and most meaningful form. It believes that what isn't can become. This is a different drummer than cowering in fear that we will lose what we found. The Kingdom is always based on us letting go in order to receive. Clinging to what we can manage is not His call. Finding ourselves released right into the center of His provisional unknown is.
However, we've possibly lulled ourselves to sleep. We pride ourselves in explanation, highly monitored direction, and, by all means, not looking foolish. This latter point still allows us to talk about I Corinthians 1:1-3:23. Yet, in practice, we tend to hedge. We do our best to appear anything but the text's theme of appearing foolish.
The result of such intentional disregard? Yawning due to the boredom of ineffective doctrines and ministries. Oh, our eyes are wide open. But our hearts have closed the door to outlandish opportunity in order that we be sheltered from risk, engaged in self-management, and live obsessed with self-protection from failure. We would rather not try than to try and then see that our efforts didn't fly. Therefore, we sleep while we nod in agreement over the general concept of the Bible teaching.
Consider the theme of Giving. Why is it that not only in the church is the theme aborted by way too many; but even in random communities the call to give to the church is a coffee-shop joke by those who aren't a part of any congregation? Why is this...really? Why is this theme the most touchy? No accident.
The why is to be found in the correlation of giving away our earth power (money) in order to receive heaven power (God's grace). The giving away of that central acquisition of which we really depend is the signal from God that we are all in. A meager and general tossing of a ten or a twenty into the plate when we have an income much larger is a testimony to God that we don't believe Him and can't trust Him.
If this goes on (and it very much does) the body life of the church drifts into slumber. To release that which we believe we are dependent upon in favor of trusting God is a positive thrust for the awakened; not the sleeping. To ignore giving is to ignore the potential of God's participation. He awaits with respect toward our faith or our fear. And, He will always respond accordingly.
So what shall we do? Here's just an idea which might cause you to develop your own plan. I made a vow to God that I believed Him on this matter. I couldn't explain His call. Nor could I get it to work on paper. So I told Him that I would increase my giving dollar by a few dollars until the money wasn't there. I assumed that He did not expect me to give that which I did not have. I did it slowly, but steadily, and still do. That which He promises happens. A grace of supply and provision move into our walk in greater proportion than what we just gave.
If you think the strong and negative emotions toward the theme of giving is just the way life works, think again. It is a testimony of both the influence of Satan and the great call of God. Kingdom life is much more (very much fuller) than deciding one should be a good church-goer. It is a high risk of yielding self to the sacrificial concepts of Jesus. Giving is not an option. Is is one of the most major keys to unlocking the indescribable wonder of God that a one can imagine.
Increase. Increase. Increase. And He makes a vow that your provision will increase, increase, increase. The question remains, Dare we trust Him? Excusionary talk won't cut it. Growing to give will. So, I offer an idea. Increase your giving by $1 or $5 or $25 per week. You choose. And you watch. Just watch. And then keep doing it. And watch. His grace that cannot be understood will increase. Good things will happen that you can't explain. It will be God responding...so give Him praise.
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