Have We Become a Church of Spiritual Leeches?

 "If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. (Exodus 

     I've had many conversations with Christians over the years regarding giving. These conversations tend to yield an endless list of self justifications for not giving. If you had overheard some of them you might have thought we were discussing a business plan, deciding which expenses had priority over the others, or a household budget. People often get stuck in a pattern of not giving, reluctant giving, or miserly giving because their thoughts about giving are totally centered on money. Jesus said a lot about giving, and little of it was about money, although He did mention it. 

   ...Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” (Matthew 25:34-40 NKJV)

   But wait, if we are discussing giving, shouldn't money be the central focus of the conversation? Absolutely not!  Giving has nothing to do with money. It's all about faith. If you have sufficient faith that the Lord will supply your needs, you'll give as He instructs. Your alternative is to trust the strength of your own hand. Few Christians tithe as the bible instructs. Often those who do perceive it as sufficient giving, while the bible sees it as the beginning of giving. Weak faith produces weak giving. Profound faith produces profound giving. 

   I fear we've become a selfish church, claiming to serve a selfless Lord. Our discussions about our primary weekly services focus on how adequately we are served. I like the kids ministry.

The message really spoke to me this week. People at our church are so friendly. The music was awesome. None of these are bad things, but shouldn't we enter the sanctuary of God with a stronger desire to give than to receive? Have we become a church of leeches, sucking up the spiritual lifeblood of our gatherings? When is the last time you attended a Sunday service asking yourself -- How can I give to this service? All my bills are paid, so how can I help someone who is struggling? Who can I share the Gospel with? Is there a way I can serve here each Sunday? For too many Christians, these thoughts never cross their minds, and the poor struggle, the lost remain lost, and good churches seek to fill their weekly staffing needs. 

   Imagine a church where our thoughts were focused primarily on the needs of others, and how we could help satisfy those needs, where a faith induced burning desire to serve drove our giving paradigm, where the words Paul wrote to the Galatian church  were visibly obvious every Sunday morning -- I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

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