Monday Morning Scattershooting

Monday morning scatter shooting while thinking, no matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery

    I did a sermon recently on the “The Danger of Debt”.  I really think it’s something preachers need to talk about.  Look at the stats.  In 2009, roughly 1 in 4 (24.8%) of American households had zero or negative net worth. That means if you’ve no debts and have $10 in your pocket you have more wealth than 25% of Americans.  Americans owe $2.6 trillion dollars and based on the latest Census statistics, that works out to be nearly $8,500 in debt for every man, woman and child that lives here in the US.  The average credit card debt among undergraduate college students is about $2,748

  Debt can be dangerous for churches, (can’t do the work of the church because we are trapped paying off excessive mortgages) saints, (we can’t give as we are prospered, since most of our money is tied up in our debt), preachers (change jobs often chasing larger paychecks or get out of ministry entirely because they owe too much) and families (Mom and Dad can’t be home raising the kids because they are both working so much to cover costs).  We as a country may have accepted the “easy” buy now pay later approach but our excess is catching up with us. 

  I think ministers are very susceptible to the danger of debt.  Minsters that go to private colleges often start their ministry with a good amount of debt.  Your first ministry job is likely to not pay a lot.  Ministry demands professional expectations (wear suits, drive a decent car, active in community) but doesn't often pay to those expectations. The unique situations of taxes, housing allowances, and parsonages can make budgeting hard.  Keeping up for some will mean putting it on the credit card.  That can be dangerous, if you don’t pay it off.

  Money problems will affect your ministry.  Preachers that are always asking for more money frustrate elderships.  If you are living paycheck to paycheck, it may put pressure on you to comprise truth to keep the lights on.  The temptation to have the church pay for things can muddy your credibility and integrity[1]. We need to be wise in how we use our money and resources. As Jesus says in Luke 16:10-13:

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the {use of} unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true {riches} to you? "And if you have not been faithful in {the use of} that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

Debt controls people. As long as you owe them they own you! Satan can use this to stop the Church’s work. Be wise enough to not give him a foothold!

    One of the best lessons I ever learned is that the more you fight back against people that speak evil of you, the more likely others will believe what they are saying about you.  Someone questions your character, calls you a name, questions your actions, the natural thing is to try a defend yourself.  So you try to explain. They fire back. You fire back. They post on Facebook. You respond on Twitter. Next thing you know it is everywhere. No matter what you say, the firestorm spreads.  The solution is to let it die down.  As Proverbs 26:20 says,   “For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.”  When someone is accusing you it is perfectly acceptable to say nothing[2].  A response (no matter how correct) might just hurt you[3]

 And finally, a preacher has become a little too obsessed with his golf game; so much so that he told the elders he was sick and couldn't preach so he could sneak in another round Sunday morning by himself.  His guardian angel becomes concerned and goes to his higher up to ask him how he should help him back on the straight and narrow. His superior says he must be punished to make him see the error of his ways.  He then looks down from heaven on the minster as he is about to tee off on the first hole.  He uses his influence to make every shot bounce right.  By the 18^th hole the preacher is shooting the lowest round he has ever shot.  The angel is puzzled and asks his superior, “How is this punishment?”  His superior answers, “Who’s he going to tell?”

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[1] For instance, if you have the church buy you a computer and treat it like your personal property, it may appear to some like you are a freeloader.  Or if you use the church van as a personal vehicle.

[2] Jesus did that

[3] Acts 23:1-5