Dear Disciple of Christ,
So, may I ask, why you think God has blessed you with health and talents and resources? You may consider it a sign of His love for you and that would be appropriate. He does bless us but could it really be that it stops with us? Is it only so we are able to get a job and earn a living? When Jesus healed the man with multiple demons, he was set free and able to rejoin a society that had rejected him. He then wanted to follow Jesus, the one and only person who had not abused him or feared him but who had given him his whole life back. Jesus’ response to the request of the man to stay with Jesus? “But he refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled.” (Mark 5:19-20).
So again, the question is, “Why have we been so blessed by God”? The easy response is, “In order that we be a blessing to others. Blessed to be a blessing,” as the saying goes. The same can (and must) be said about communities of faith not just the members in the community. Before we say we have very little or not enough compared to the needs around us, we must remember the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus directed the disciples to make a difference; “You give them something to eat.” Did you hear the reaction of the disciples? “We have nothing. Ok, next to nothing, especially compared to the huge crowd around us.” I expect Jesus waited, knowing they were not without a blessing. The blessing was a (foolish? Faithful? Trusting?) little lad with 5 loaves and 2 fish and a willingness to offer them to Jesus. The miracle stems from the trust of that little boy. It turned out (miraculously) to be more than enough and unless we are like that little child, we will have little or any part in the kingdom (Matthew 18:3).
If that is true, would it not also be true of our churches? In fact, it must be true and the church must be a living witness to the concept of blessed to be a blessing. If we stop short to stand in awe of the edifice we have built or the beauty of facilities but do not put them into use for the “cause of Christ” (that we love others the way He loved us), then we are attempting to take and keep (and protect) what is not ours. This was confirmed in my church in Queens.
Our facilities were not large (though we owned the land between two streets and from the main avenue down about 100 feet). The church building was “L” shaped with church and office upstairs and a large fellowship hall and a meeting room in the bottom of the “L” under the offices upstairs. It was serviceable though not large. What was large was our afterschool program for kids of all ages, from nursery to 8th grade. What was most difficult was trying to do homework and child care in the same large room.
Shortly after arriving at the church it seemed clear to me that we had a solution to the problems. The room under the offices could serve as place for older kids to do homework and be separated off from the very loud younger kids running and playing in the larger room. I had been given a “wad” of keys when I arrived at Atonement and I found the key that opened that room. We made space, arranged the tables and the blessing of the second room was immediate. Problem solved! Or, so I thought.
The next day (and the next) as I came into church, I found that the door on that room had been locked again (and again). On the third day I asked the secretary what was going on with that classroom. “Oh, you mean the Smith (name changed) room.” “The what room,” I asked?” “The “Smith” room. That family had gotten money from Thrivent to fix up a nice room with curtains that could serve as a place for the pastor to meet with other pastors. They are not happy with the room being used for after school. So, they keep locking the door.”
I’m not suggesting it is the only way to deal with the situation, but my approach was simple if not any more direct than what was indirectly coming at me. “Since they are talking to you and not me, I’ll mention this to you to let them know. The new pastor has a key and the skills to change the lock. If they want a key that works on that room, they better not lock it again.” It just seemed to me that the usage was not usage. The previous pastor, there for 6 years, never had a conference in the “conference room.” That was a blessing that was not being used as a blessing for the ministry. They had no right to think they “owned” the facility that way. We never spoke about it again and the door was never locked again.
Another example was the problem with setting up Sunday School in the large room downstairs. The room itself was only one large room, 23’ wide (with “stuff” along both walls making the usable space about 17’). When we set up our 8’ tables for Sunday school classes, they nearly touched each other in the middle of the room. One of the other things I found in the “conference” room were some wide 5’ tables. Perfect! I set them up the next week for Sunday school and, once again, thought the problem was solved!” Or so I thought (again!).
I could hear a shrill voice after worship coming from the basement; “Who put out the Ruth Guild’s tables?” I came downstairs quickly to explain the blessing those tables were for Sunday school. “But these are Ruth Guild tables, bought by them!” I composed myself and then simply asked, “So they’re not for the ministry of the church but only for the ladies group? I’d be happy to help get them in the trunk of your car and you can bring them back the next time the ladies meet.” I suppose that was pretty rough (but you have to know a little about NYC and the way we talk to understand that was pretty tame). And clear. It was clear we are talking about using blessings to be a blessing. We need to be stewards of all that God has given us (through the generosity of faithful disciples) as was the case in the earliest church. 32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them (Acts 4:32-34). God’s blessings serve the needs of the community.
May God guide us in using His blessing according to His will.
Peace in His service,
Pastor Johnson