Certain Truth's for Uncertain Times

As we look back on the last ten years, one thing that seems to be consistent in our world is some level of economic uncertainty.  Just consider the following:

2000 – Tech bubble bursts in March 2000

2001 – Terrorist attack of 9/11

2002 – Enron, Arthur Andersen, Tyco, Qwest, Global Crossing, ImClone, and Adelphia – hiding debt and misrepresenting earnings

2003 – War waged by the U.S. and Britain against Iraq begins; North Korea withdraws from the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons

2004 – Spain rocked by terrorist attacks; UN Atomic Energy Agency tells Iran to stop enriching uranium.

2005 – Hurricane Katrina; Rising interest rates

2006 – Political corruptions scandals; Interest rates rise; Housing markets begin to slump.

2007 - Housing markets melt down.

2008 – Credit crisis hits financial sector.

The truth is you can go even further back in time and find some event or threat that has created uncertainty in the economy.  The question isn’t, “Will there be economic uncertainty?” The question is “How will we handle economic uncertainty when it comes?”  There’s no better resource than God’s Word when it comes to answering this question.  Here are some biblical instructions that will never let you down:

1.     Keep Track

Proverbs 13:16 says, Every prudent man acts out of knowledge but a fool exposes his folly.  (NIV)  The first step to handling economic uncertainty is to know your own economic condition.  Ron Blue, founder of Ron Blue and Company (a firm that provides financial services from a Christian perspective), says that every person or family should take a financial physical.  This involves answering four questions: What do I have?  What do I owe?  How much am I spending?  How strong are my safety nets (insurance/savings accounts/etc.)?  Once you do that, you simply need to begin to keep track of your finances. 

2.     Plan Ahead

This means make a budget (Call it a “spending plan” if you hate the word budget).  Rick Warren says, “A budget is telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went.”  Proverbs 21:5 says, The plans of the diligent leads to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.  (NIV)  A budget is critical to personal economic health because financial freedom is not based on how much you make. It’s based on how much you spend. 

3.     Save Consistently

Proverbs 13:11 says, Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers little by little makes it grow.  (NIV)  The Bible says that it is a mark of wisdom to save for the future.  Proverbs 21:20 says, In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.  (NIV)  American Demographics magazine shows that the majority of baby boomers (those born between 1946-1964) will be broke at retirement age.  What’s the problem?  The problem is materialism funded by debt.  I know that in our current economy many people are showing more of a willingness to save, but materialism has already done its damage.  And if we were completely honest, we’d have to admit that we got into debt before the economy began to struggle.  When times are good, we buy, and then we pay for it by signing away our future.  When times are bad, we struggle.  Proverbs 22:7 says, The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.  (NIV)  When debt keeps us from being good stewards (saving – giving - etc.), then debt is a big problem.

4.     Give Habitually

Proverbs 3:9-10 says, Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.  (NIV)  Giving is an act of gratitude.  When we give, we acknowledge that everything comes from God.  Giving is an act of priority in the present.  When we give, we demonstrate that God has first place in our lives.  Giving is a statement of faith.  When we give, we put ourselves in a position to allow God to fulfill His promise of blessing in whatever way He chooses to bring that blessing. 

Economic uncertainty won’t steal your happiness and peace if you live prepared. In the end, it’s just a matter of obeying God’s Word.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris 

The Future

Recently I read an article on crosswalk.com by Ed Stetzer called “Future Trends in Evangelicalism.”  The article began by talking about how for the first ten years of this new millennium churches have been finding new and successful ways to communicate the gospel.  Stetzer went on to say, “For that to continue in the next decade, several issues will need to be discussed and resolved.”  Here are four specific issues he highlighted:

1.     Evangelicals must learn to navigate what I call a “post-seeker context.”  In the past churches have targeted “seekers” from the Baby Boomer generation who, for the most part, have some kind of religious or spiritual memory or knowledge.  In the future we will need to develop new models of outreach that recognize people who don’t have that same memory or knowledge.

2.     Evangelicals need to regain confidence in the gospel.  In the past several years many churches have experienced numerical growth by catering to the superficial needs of people rather than the one great need of all men everywhere, a need that can only be met with a clear proclamation and acceptance of the gospel.  In the past decade the emerging church (however you want to define “emergin” because everyone seems to define it differently) has sought a broader and more “holistic” gospel that was less authoritative and more inclusive.  That’s a false gospel.  We need to get back to the pure gospel of the Bible.

3.     Evangelicals will need to address the definition of evangelicalism.  Stetzer writes, “Right now, people often define evangelicals as anyone from Joel Osteen to John MacArthur” (If you’re familiar with those two men, you know they could not be more different in their approach to the Scriptures, to preaching, and to the stewardship of their influence).  If you apply the term evangelicalism to everyone and everything, it will end up meaning nothing.

4.     Evangelicals must address our shallow definition of discipleship.  Stetzer reveals that Life Way Research has published a book called The Shape of Faith to Come by Brad Waggoner.  Based on a study of 2,500 regular Protestant church-goers, he found statistics revealing that only 16% of participants say that they read their Bible daily, and another 20% say they read the Bible a few times a week.  Only 23% agreed strongly with the statement, “When I come to realize that an aspect of my life is not right in God’s eyes, I make necessary changes.”  In the past six months, only 29% said that they had shared with someone how to become a Christian twice or more, and 57% said they had not done so at all.  Perhaps the most disappointing, however, was what had happened when they were surveyed again a year later.  There was very little change in the actual data, but over 55% indicated that they had grown spiritually in the past year. 

It’s this last observation that troubles me the most.  James 1:22 says, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  (NIV)  Jesus says, in Matthew 7:24, Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man. . .(NIV)  The key to discipleship is not just “hearing” God’s Word; it’s putting it into practice. 

I’ve got some very real concerns about what the future holds when it comes to the local church.  One of my biggest is what kind of influence will the church have on the world when it’s filled with people whose lives are indistinguishable from the world?  It’s time for Christians to recognize and embrace the call to be different.  Not odd. . .different.  When Peter wrote his first epistle to encourage suffering Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, he wrote, But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (I Peter 2:9 – NIV)  That’s a great description of what it means to be different.  We need to be people marked by different priorities, different passions, different parenting, and different pursuits; different. . .you get the idea.  But this only happens when we make knowing and obeying God’s Word the foundation of our lives. 

My prayer for Mount Pleasant Christian Church is that we would be a people who love God’s Word, know God’s Word, and live God’s Word so that we can be a church that presents a clear reality of who Jesus really is and how He wants to heal and change broken lives.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris