One of the most powerful and challenging books I have ever read is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship.  Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the reign of Adolf Hitler who participated in the German Resistance movement against Hitler and was eventually imprisoned and executed in 1945 at the age of 39 for this act of treason.  As I prepare to preach on how the gospel transforms our approach to money this coming Sunday, I wanted to share with you a very challenging (and humorous, ironically) passage from The Cost of Discipleship regarding Jesus’ interaction with the man who has come to be known as the Rich Young Ruler:

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell 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 19:16-24)

And now, excerpts from Bonhoeffer’s commentary (the whole commentary is much longer but worth reading):
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Matthew 10:8 – Freely you have received, freely give.

Is there a crazier juxtaposition in the world than Thanksgiving and Black Friday?  On the former day, we are encouraged to reflect on what we are thankful for, to enjoy what we have, and to develop an attitude of gratitude.  And then, millions of people set their alarms for some ridiculous hour so that they can push through the crowds the next morning in order to get the best deals on toys and goods for the holiday season.  In the blink of an eye, gratitude turns to covetousness; thanksgiving to full-blown consumerism. 

Now, I’m not saying that it’s necessarily a bad thing to go out this Friday and save money on gifts for the loved ones in your life.  I am saying, of course, what most of us know to be true, that the Christmas season has the frightening ability to inspire the worst in us – greed, the lust for that which we do not have, impatience with the traffic and crowds, and a general stress with the busyness of the season.  Thanksgiving may last for a day, but the feelings of gratitude can fade quickly in the bright lights of the holiday season.

So why not decide to take a different path this year?  Read more »

Matthew 10:8 – Freely you have received, freely give.

Christmas is just around the corner, which means that sometime this weekend you will be standing in the mall trying to decide what your mother-in-law or 22 year-old son might want for Christmas, and you will ask yourself that annual question, “wait, why I am doing this again?”  So, for those who resonate with that question, or who are thinking of ways to do it differently next year, might I offer a few suggestions on how your family might collectively decide to use your money to achieve a nobler purpose than procuring the latest Wii game or a newer flat screen TV?
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Every few months or so, I get a letter from the denomination that I am licensed by with a plea to help a church that needs to make repairs on their building.  A few months ago, the letter was regarding a church in New Hampshire which meets in one of those old Congregational church buildings you see on every town green in New England.  Apparently the pillars that supported the roof were sinking into the ground, and things had gotten so bad that the building was deemed unsafe to meet in.  Long story short, it the church was going to need about $500,000-$750,000 to get the building into usable shape again.

Wow.
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Last week, I defined an idol as something other than God that we are tempted to worship, emulate, or believe will save us.  I’m specifically interested over this next month in discerning what the most obvious American Idols are and how they have distorted our understanding of the gospel and what it means to follow Jesus.  For each idol, I plan on uncovering its temple so that we can unmask this idolatry in all of its phony glory.  So without further ado, here is Idol #1:
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*** Warning – the following essay contains some graphic & disturbing photos, as well as some words that will hopefully disturb you ***

 (The setting is a dusty road in Africa.  An American preacher, dressed in suit and tie, opens his Bible and begins to address the crowd)

 “I’m here this morning to tell you that God is calling you up higher in your life.  God has great things planned for you.  All He’s asking of you this morning is to believe it – to believe that He has great things in store for His children.  He’s asking you to claim His promises, to stand on the truth that He is a good God who wants to bless you.  Praise be to God… give the Lord a hand clap this morning”

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