In a few weeks, all the hoopla that once was the London Olympics will be but a dim, distant memory. It’s back to the grind for all of us after a welcome distraction. We may give the stunning gold-medal performances of some, a passing thought from time to time, but … you know how it goes.
So would it surprise you to know that for anyone who calls themselves a Christ-follower, there is a call in God’s Word to be, in effect, a “gold medal Christian”?
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Well, my last blog post – Why I Don’t Believe in Tithing – certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons, with some lively discussion to and fro – which is awesome. Some people of course remain unconvinced – they see tithing as an important part of being a Christian.
I don’t, because I believe that grace opens the door to a whole new level of giving. A “New Covenant” alternative if you like, to the legalism of the tithe. Here’s what I’m talking about …
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When I told people at my church that this Sunday, I was going to preach a message called “Why I Don’t Believe in Tithing” – well, you can imagine! A few people were a bit twitchy about that.
But the long and the short of it is that I don’t believe in tithing. At least not the sort of tithing that much of the church teaches us about. Here’s why:
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It’s not every day that you get to meet one of your heroes in life, but these last couple of days in Nairobi, I’ve been spending my time with one of the great heroes in my life. And the chances are very much that unless you’ve heard me mention his name, you won’t know him.
In fact to most people he’s a complete unknown. So spend a few minutes reading his story, because I believe that each one of us – unknowns though we may be – has the capacity to be … a hero!
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Have you ever had a crazy ridiculous dream? So way out? So weird? On the one hand in your heart of hearts you believe it’s from God. On the other, it’s so … out there … that you’re afraid to tell anyone, in case they think you’re smoking dope.
Well – here’s mine. I’d love to hear yours …
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It’s tragically sad but true, that most Christians are hell bent (!) on squandering the new life that Jesus died and rose again to bring them.
Statistically – based on the research I reported on in a recent blog – the one thing, the only thing that strongly correlates with radically reduced sin and radically transformed lives, is engaging with God’s Word four times a week or more.
And most Christians don’t. Why?
Mostly it’s because we don’t know how to engage with the Bible in a life-changing way.
But that’s all about to change!
Last week I attended a presentation by Arnie Cole, CEO of Back to the Bible and the Center for Bible Engagement, on a major piece of research conducted across Australia (and the USA). The research set out to discover what, if anything, of all the things we do as an expression of our Christian faith (going to church, worshipping, praying, listening to sermons, attending home groups … apparently they came up with a list of 150 things!) has a positive impact on our spiritual growth.
Not a bad question. Would it surprise you to know that of all those things we do, only one made a measurable and dramatic difference? That’s right, just one!
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Well, this blog post comes from the Christian Media Australia annual conference on the Gold Coast Queensland. It’s a time when many of those who serve the Lord in the media come together to learn, to “network” and to grow.
That’s great. But the thing that’s really struck me afresh this year, is that the greatest thing for me at these conferences is catching up with old friends. People I’ve worked with “in the trenches” over the years.
Doesn’t sound very “missional” does it? Until you realise that the Bible has a lot to say about … friends.
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