Count Me In! I’m Ready (Rev. Dr. Charley Reeb)
This morning I am going to answer a critical question that I bet no one has ever answered for you. And the answer just might change your life. This morning I want to tell you why you should pledge and give your money to the church. I am willing to bet that no one has really answered that question for you.
If someone came up to you today and asked, “Why should I give money to the church?” What would you tell them? Would you have a convincing answer? I am about to give you one today.
Now, if you are a visitor with us today I am sure you didn’t show up today hoping the preacher would talk about money. Two things about that. One, you are off the hook. Feel no obligation whatsoever to pledge or give. You are our guest. Welcome. Two, the scope of this sermon is more than about money. If you bear with me, I believe you will hear a message that will make you glad you came today, and you will want to come back to this great church.
And that goes for the rest of you. For members and those active and committed to First UMC of Lakeland, the question I am going to answer for you today is going to be a game changer.
So why should you pledge and give your hard earned money to the church? Has anyone ever truly answered that critical question for you?
Sure, you’ve heard preachers raise money for this building project or that program or ministry. And I am sure you have heard sermons on generosity – how it is better to give than to your receive. Some of you have been through your fair share of slick stewardship campaigns with letters and goals and slogans. And some of you have grown up learning biblical concepts of giving and tithing. But I bet no one has really given you a good reason why you should invest your hard earned money in the church.
You need a good reason WHY you should give. Because people don’t give to what; they give to why! Simon Sinek reminds us that “people don’t invest in what you do; they invest in why you do it!” The problem is sermons rarely, if ever, tell you why. You have so many things you could invest in. Why the church?
You get letters and emails from colleges asking for money. Non -profits are always asking for donations. Your kid’s school is asking for money. The Girl Scouts are always selling those delicious cookies. You have kids selling chocolate bars for worthy projects. On and on it goes. And then you get a letter from the church asking for you to pledge money. The preacher gets up on Sunday morning and asks for money. Really? You can’t possibly give money to every worthy organization. There are lots of good ones out there, but you can’t give to every one of them.
When you hear why this morning you will never think twice about pledging and giving to the church again. When you hear why you should give your money to the church you may wonder why you didn’t give sooner – you may wonder why you have not invested more! When you hear why, you may think, “I wonder why I didn’t get this before. It is so simple, so true, so powerful – why don’t more people know this? Why don’t more people give?” Hearing why just may change how you view the church. It might even cause you to up your pledge.
To get to the answer to our question today, I would like lift up two powerful verses of scripture. These are verses that make you think, “Wow! Is this really true?” The first verse is the words of Jesus to his disciples in the upper room. They come from the gospel of John. Jesus was eating his last meal with his disciples. It was his last lecture to them before he was taken away to be crucified. I am sure he gave a lot of thought to what he wanted to say. One of the things he talked about was the influence his disciples would have after he was gone. This is what he said in John 14:12: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”
Wow! Did you see that? We will do greater works than Jesus? How is that possible? Well, when Jesus was here on earth he was limited to what he could do. He could only heal one person at a time and speak to one group at a time. But when Jesus ascended to the Father his disciples received the Holy Spirit and were empowered to continue his ministry. We see the impact of that ministry in the book of Acts. But Jesus’ ministry continues today through the church. You see, we do greater works than Jesus did because his ministry multiplies millions of times through the church of Jesus Christ.
The second verse comes from the Apostle Paul. And it is a profound reinforcement of the last verse in John Paul underscores the powerful role of the church by making this statement in 1st Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” This means we are the hands and feet of Christ in this world! The Spirit of Christ works through us to do ministry. Christ is the head and we are the body.
When we fully understand Paul’s words, we come to the realization that First Lakeland is not a charity organization or an event center or a concert hall or a recreational center. We are the body of Christ! We are God’s chosen vessel in the world! God. God has chosen the church to be his change agent in the world.
So, when you put those two verses together a convincing and compelling reason why you should pledge and give to the church emerges. Why pledge and give to the church? Because the Church is God’s best hope for the world!
A close reading of history shows that when God does anything significant in this world, it is not done through politics, talk radio, fads, or through secular institutions; it is done through the church! Bill Self reminded us that if you study church history you see the impact God has made on the world through the church. “The church was in the inner cities long before the activists were. The church was into education before the government. It was the church that broke down the Berlin Wall, led the March on Selma, produced Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, and it was the church that led the War on Poverty” (Surviving the Stained Glass Jungle).
The church is still the greatest things God has going for him in this world and if God is going to do something significant, He is going to do it through His church.
I know what some people are thinking. “What about all the bad things the church has done over the years?” Maybe you have a neighbor or relative that comes over to your house every holiday and criticizes the church. Perhaps they bring up the same litany every year – the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, the corruption and abuse of clergy, etc.
Whenever I come across someone like that I always say, “When you hear about a corrupt police offer do you stop calling 911? When you hear of a doctor involved in illegal practices do you stop going to your doctor? When you hear about a drug being recalled do you stop taking your medicine? The same goes for the church.”
You may also come across people who used to be active in the church but they got their fingers caught in the machinery of the church and have never been back. Someone got mad at them or they got mad at someone and, to their surprise, they discovered that the church is made up of imperfect people!
Allow me to let the cat out of the bag for you this morning. The church is
made up of imperfect people because, as the old saying goes, the church “is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” You don’t need a bath if you’re clean! Jesus said that he came to seek and save the lost.
There is no such thing as the perfect church. I often find people who are searching for the perfect church. My response is always the same. I learned it from my mentor Bill Self. There is no such thing as the perfect church. But if you find the perfect church and join it, it will not be perfect anymore! For some reason, they don’t like that!
The church is not perfect because it is made up of human beings. However, the church is still the greatest thing God has going for Him in this world and if God is going to do something profound in this world He will do it through His church. The church is God’s best hope for the world!
What other institution in the world can change lives like the church can? What other body of people can make a difference for eternity like the church can? Why do we give and pledge? Because the church is God’s best hope for the world!
I love the church. I love the Church universal and the church local. This is why I give generously to the church. I love walking into the sanctuary on Sunday mornings and seeing the joy on people’s faces. I love listening to the choir and praise band sing. I love watching the ushers and greeters greet visitors with warmth and friendliness. I love walking around this church property at night looking at our steeple. It reminds me we are a beacon in this community. Are we perfect? No. But we know the one who is perfect and we know that He can be trusted. We point the way to Him. We are God’s chosen vessel in the world.
I love the church. Everything I am I owe to God and His church. The church raised me through the nursery and Sunday school. The church nurtured me as a teenager. The church supported me and encouraged me when God called me to preach. The church supported me financially through college, seminary and through my doctoral work. I stand here before you today because of the church and because people were willing to give generously to the church.
This is why I will never apologize for preaching about financial stewardship. I am glad to be part of the body of Christ that needs your money and mine! Because we give, lives are changed! If we don’t give, the hungry don’t get fed, the naked don’t get clothed, and missionaries can’t tell others about Jesus. If we don’t give, children and adults do not get the resources they need to grow in the faith! If we don’t give, the lights are not on for worship!
You see, the gospel is not something that just floats around on its own. It is rooted, sustained, supported and organized by the church through the power of Holy Spirit. It is easy to get people saved, but the church keeps people saved. Don’t let that mess up your theology. What I am saying is that there is no such thing as an isolated Christian.
I don’t know any Christian who is growing and serving effectively who is not active in a local church. Sometimes I come across people who think they can grow as a Christian without being part of a church. They claim to love Jesus, but they say they don’t need to be active in a church. This is biblically impossible! Once you receive Christ as Savior you are grafted into the body of Christ. Besides, Christians who choose not to be active in a church never grow in their faith or reach their potential in Christ. We need the church to be nurtured in our walk with Christ. You can’t achieve Christian maturity apart from Christian community.
Paul addresses this issue in 1st Corinthians 12 when he tells us the church is like a body and the ear never says to the foot that it has no need for it. No, we all play a key role in the body of Christ and we need each other. Together, by the power of God, we achieve more for God. This is why the church is God’s best hope for the world!
In many ways I am preaching to the choir today. Ya’ll get it. First Church is changing lives with the gospel! Every day I get to see and hear how First Church is impacting lives with the gospel. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t hear from someone who shares how this church has made a difference to their lives. Why? Because you are faithful. Because your pledge, give, serve and invest!
As wonderful as our church is, as much as it has accomplished, I believe our greatest years are still ahead of us. How do I know that?
Russell Conwell was a minister who was former president of Temple University. He was an incredible fundraiser, made millions of dollars with one speech. The speech was called ACRES OF DIAMONDS.
The key part of the speech was a true story about an African farmer who was barely making a living on his farm. He heard stories at the market about those who had discovered diamonds on their property. He said he was tired working on his worn out farm and that he was going to sell his property and go discover diamonds. He did. He sold the farm for a good price, and went off to discover diamonds.
The new owner of farm was down by the creek one day, looked in the stream, and saw a really bright rock in the middle of the water. He went into water, picked it up, and said, “That’s so unusual. I’ll take it home.” He cleaned it up, put it on his mantle, and people would come and admire it.
One day someone came and saw this bright rock and said, “That’s not a rock! That’s a diamond!” Farmer said, “That stream is full of those things!” That rock was the largest diamond ever found, and that farm became the most prosperous diamond mine in all of Africa. The original owner, who did not see diamonds, died a pauper wandering all over the continent for diamonds.
First Church, there are diamonds all over this church! Do you see them? There is the diamond of our fine arts ministry—the diamond of our youth ministry—the diamond of our children’s ministry—the diamond of our outreach and missions—the diamond of our adult ministries—the diamond of our worship—the diamond of our laity—diamonds are everywhere. And these diamonds need to be invested in! “Eye has not seen no ear heard” what God is going to do at First Lakeland. But God will not do it without us. So, can we count you in? Are you ready?
If you believe the church is God’s best hope for the world we need two things from you. First, we need your financial support. We need you to turn in your pledge card for 2024 as soon as you can.
Why pledge? Well, first of all, I’d rather play a bad round of golf and then be drawn and quartered than sit through a budget meeting without the necessary pledges. We can’t propose a balanced budget without pledges. Secondly, when you fill out your pledge card you are making a promise to God. It is your covenant with God and the church.
Now, our 2024 budget is 7% higher than this year’s budget, so we need your pledge. I know we will do the right thing and meet our goal. And you need to know that since the beginning of our marriage Brandy and I have always given 10 percent of our income to the church I serve. So you can count on that. I would never ask you to do anything I was not willing to do myself.
Here is the second thing the church needs – you – your commitment and faithfulness. The church is not about you or about me. The church is not about your agenda or my agenda. It is about the communication of the gospel to the next generation. It is about the people who aren’t yet here who need Jesus. The church is about the little children who run around here who one day will have families of their own.
I saw tomorrow in our children today. Maybe one of these kids will discover the cure to cancer. Maybe one of these kids will be a preacher or missionary. Maybe one of these kids will be the President of the United States. Who knows? But one thing we do know is that they will need the church!
There is an old legend told about Zacchaeus. You remember Zacchaeus. He was short so he climbed a tree to see Jesus in a crowd. Jesus told him to get down from the tree because he was coming over to his house. Jesus transformed his heart and he was never the same again.
The legend goes that after his conversion it was Zacchaeus’ habit to rise early and leave home for a while with a rake and shovel. Mrs. Zacchaeus noticed this one day and asked, “Where are you going?” Zacchaeus replied, “Do you remember that old sycamore tree I was in when Jesus found me? Well, I’m going to take care of it. It has been neglected by the city fathers and needs my care. You see, it held me so Jesus could find me.”
I know that for many of you First Church has been the tree that held you so Jesus could find you and love you. The church was there for you because people were willing to give generously. Now, it is your turn. Why should we give? Because the church holds people so Jesus can find them. The church loves people so Jesus can save them. The church cares for people so Jesus can empower them. The church supports people so Jesus can call them.
When you fill out your pledge card, remember WHY: the church is God’s best hope for the world!
Daily Devotional Guide
Monday: Read 1st Corinthians 13:1-3. What precedes this famous chapter on love is Paul’s explanation of the many gifts within the body of Christ. He likens them to a body with many parts; each of them plays a critical role. One of them is not more important than the other. To drive the point home, Paul reminds the Corinthian church that gifts mean nothing if they are divorced from love. Pay attention to the gifts Paul mentions in the first few verses: speaking in tongues, preaching, discernment, faith, generosity, and sacrifice. Yet, Paul writes that if these things are done without love for God and people, they are useless. They don’t mean anything. What if you saw your pledge and giving to the church as acts of love? Would that change your perspective on the importance of your gifts?
Tuesday: Read 1st Corinthians 13:4-7. Love means different things to different people. The word is thrown around rather casually in our culture. But what is the love Paul is referring to? It is Christian love – agape. Agape is self-giving love, an unconditional love – a love that works in the best interest of others regardless of how we may feel about them. Of course, Paul chooses to define this love through action words. What does this love look like? It is patient. It is kind. It is selfless. It is humble. It is forgiving. It rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Today, read verses 4-7 and replace the words “love” and “it” with your name. Does the text speak to you differently now?
Wednesday: Read 1st Corinthians 13:8-10. In these verses Paul describes the eternal nature of love. In fact, Paul implies that God’s love and our love for one another are the only things that last. All of our gifts are simply vehicles of love. The moment our gifts become more important than the love they are meant to express we cease to be faithful. This is another reason why being generous with our financial gifts is so important. It puts money in proper perspective. Money is a vehicle, a tool to be used for greater things. Does viewing money as a tool for good change your attitude about giving and finances?
Thursday: Read 1st Corinthians 13:11-12. These two verses are interesting. Paul has just been describing the importance of Christian love. Then in verse 11 he seems to take a detour as he tells us about when he put away childish things. But is it really a detour? I believe Paul is expressing the wisdom he has gained. When he was young, he thought so many things were important. As he got older, he learned that the only thing that mattered is love – God’s love for him, his love for God, and his love for others. I have discovered that generous givers have learned the same lesson. Their giving is an expression of the gratitude they have for God and his love. Have you ever understood giving as an expression of gratitude to God?
Friday: Read 1st Corinthians 13:13. If you are looking for a simple way to remember what Christianity is all about, look no further than verse 13 – Faith in Christ, hope for the healing of our world, and love for one another. Of course, Paul is quick to remind us that love is still the most important of the three. How does your living and giving reflect faith, hope and love?