We are a few weeks into a new series on “Becoming Like Family”. This is important as our online community begin to share the daily challenges with friends, and we begin to gather our larger community together as one church community. We won’t be bound together by a building, or institution, but rather by five commitments. Two weeks ago, we explored commitment to common learning goals. Last week, we explored a commitment to connectedness as a community of small and large groups.
This week, our commitment is to God in worship. Worship is not a word everyone uses every day, and even if we do, we might not sure what it means.
Does it mean to bow down and say I’m not worthy?
Kids “just worship” their parents, older siblings, etc. is that what it means?
Or if you have church experience, you might think worship is something you do at a weekly service, or even just the music part of that weekly service.
Did you know the official way to address Rob Ford is “Your Worship”?
As you can see, there is some confusion on what “worship” means.
Question: What do you think of when you hear the word worship?
Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.
Read the Bible in Sync Today
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This week we’re trying to see the difference between a follower of Jesus, and someone else, in terms of how we see and use money.
Maybe you’ve seen a video going around the Internet with Kevin O’Leary, of Dragon’s Den, saying it’s just fantastic that the richest 85 people in the world have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest. He says it’s fantastic because it will inspire the poor to get rich themselves.
We’ve attached it if you’d like to watch.
The Bible thinks quite differently about the relationship between rich and poor, in the passage that immediately follows what we read yesterday:
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV)
Paul uses the same language Jesus is known for using – he refers to storing up treasure in heaven.
When we are generous, sharing with those in need, we are actually doing something of real value and eternal value that Paul calls a good foundation for the future. That is truly life. When others hoard, they are missing the point. They are living a false life with limited value and longevity.
Finding that balance is of course always hard. How much is enough to gain, save, and give? Yesterday’s reading set a low bar: But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
I have always liked a sermon preached by John Wesley centuries ago on the topic of money, that could be summed up as: Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In isolation, each part would bring destruction, but together they make sense. You have to make money to be generous, but if you pursue making too much, you will crash or lose faith. You also have to save money to give money – wisely spending to have some left over, and by having stability in order to help others.
Question: How else do you think a follower of Jesus looks at money differently from someone else? How does gaining/saving/giving all you can impact retirement, debt, etc. Why?
