Investing in the Kingdom or Wasting Gods Money?

 I'm reading an article in the news this evening about the Old south Church in Boston. It has quite a legacy. Sam Adams was a member. Ben Franklin was baptized by the church. They even own two copies of the Bay Psalm Book, one the first books ever published in North America. Only 11 copies remain of the original printing, published in 1640 by the first printer in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Stephen Daye. I am really into Church history and would drool at the sight of either copy I am sure.  Not going to lie about the edifice either. I travel a lot and love to visit those old beautiful churches. They are freaking awesome!

So on Sunday members of the congregation voted to sell one of the copies, the 372-year-old hymn book valued at up to $20 million – to fund structural repairs and expand its ministry programs. It's their property, their vote, their congregation, their business. I just was trying to reflect on how I would feel as a pastor or member there. How would Jesus feel even? What could I find in scriptures about that?

What the vote says is that members are “agreeing that we are not conservators of rare and special objects, but a church in motion,” says Rev. Nancy Taylor. “We will turn the old hymn book into true doxology for today – helping the homeless, working with prisoners, and assisting victims of domestic violence.” I love that answer. I agree.

Here is where I got a little rattled. Part of the raised funds would go toward an estimated $7 million in building maintenance costs, the AP reported. Can a church really be considering the homeless and prisoners while spending 7 million dollars to maintain a relic of a building?

It's another biblical finance issue we need to wrestle with like the Crystal Cathedral ( see post http://grapplerschurch.blogspot.com/2011/06/owe-no-man.html ). Again, it's that churches business. I'm not standing in judgement. What I do want is for US as THE CHURCH to all wrestle with these financial issues that a lot of us are contributing to. We need to know what God and His Word says about it.

"Two and a Half Men" star, Angus T. Jones, finds religion, calls TV show "filth"

I thought this news was going to make me happy. So I’m watching the videos that were put out showing exactly what he said. I see a lot of “Christians” Amen-ing the videos. I would ask you to slowly consider not getting on this bandwagon for several reasons. 

First, the gentleman with him in the video is Christopher Hudson, aka The Forerunner. He is a Seventh Day Adventist cult leader who has penetrated many African American churches with his Jay-z is a Freemason, Illuminati, part of the end time New World Order nonsense. He talks often about end time prophecy and black helicopters. This spirit has been the footprint of the Adventist since it’s origination. The world was predicted to end in 1844 with the Second Coming of Christ, by William Miller, a New England Baptist itinerant preacher. Miller's followers condemned all the churches of the day as apostate and "Babylon," and warned Christians to come out of them. A great many did, and the "adventist" movement was born and grew rapidly (Melton, J. Gordon, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Vol. 2, pp. 21–22). 

Christ did not appear in 1844. After this "Great Disappointment," one "little flock" still insisted the date of their original predictions had been correct. They decided the event marked by 1844 was not the Second Coming, but the entrance of Christ into the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary. There, they said, He began the "Investigative Judgment." This doctrine was received and endorsed by Ellen G. White (Ibid., p. 680).

Study their history and you will see MANY repetitions of these doomsday prophecies that never come to pass and then are explained away. Hudson is peddling “chicken little” religion and is now exploiting Jones to do so (IMHO). 

Secondly, we should also be slow to consider why we need to parade celebrity “converts” around in the media. Mostly it’s about promotion if we are going to be honest. These ministers who use these new born celebrities exploit them often just like Hollywood did. I know we claim it’s because of how many people they could influence for the kingdom but we should be careful with that. It’s like telling a Jr. High school student to forget about all the hurting kids and just pray for the conversion of the quarter back. “If we can get him, it will impact the whole school for Christ!” Where is this type of evangelism practiced or taught in the Scriptures?

Lastly, if the show is so defiled Mr. Jones and you feel so convicted, then why don’t you quit? Why doesn’t your spiritual advisor suggest it? Would it have anything to do with you won’t make $350k an episode anymore and you will be sued for millions? A lot of people are truly suffering persecution around the world for their faith, that shouldn’t be so hard. 

Don’t tell a kid not to smoke, with a cigarette hanging out your mouth.