BUILD INTIMACY WITH GOD
Perhaps one of the biggest issues in Church today is ‘fear’ when it comes to money. There is a deep ‘poverty’ mentality within a significant number of Churches, which is really holding back the advancement of the kingdom. As a result, there is a massive withholding of the wealth God has blessed people with. Resources are simply not being used for extending the kingdom.
I believe that one of the key reasons for this, is that some church members do not “really” know God. Yes, they know ‘about’ him, but they simply don’t know him. I know ‘about’ Barack Obama from what I read and hear, but I don’t really know him, that would require me spending time with him. Sadly, for many people sitting in Church each week, the same disconnection with God occurs. As a result, they can’t trust him as they should, which leads them into allocating their financial resources elsewhere, somewhere else where they feel will provide for them materially.
When someone really knows God, that is, they know his character, his power, his provision, his love and mercy, then fear will dissipate and they can begin to build trust in their heavenly father. As the bible says, “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). They will begin to realize that God is a God of abundance and provision and that he delights in blessing his people just the way any parent does when they do things for their kids.
I’m blessed to be able to say that when my kids get up in the morning, they don’t spend a moment worrying about whether there will be breakfast, lunch or dinner available. They just ‘assume’ that it will be there. They have no reason to believe otherwise. But when we grow up all of a sudden we start worrying about what the future holds, where money will come from and we forget that we have a supernatural father in heaven, who is more than capable of meeting our needs.
Sometimes the trust issue amongst our members could be based on “past hurts”. Some people become less generous or even “hoarders” because when they were growing up as kids they did have to worry about whether there would be breakfast, or they had that memory of that pair of shoes they were never able to afford. Even now there may be circumstances in their lives that limit their ability to trust in God, such as the loss of a job or struggle with their mortgage repayments. These issues will need to be addressed first in order to move onto the next step.
So there is one solution, as a Church leader, you need to help you have a role in this situation helping your members to build intimacy with the Father. They need to be taught how to spend time with their heavenly Father, who desires intimacy with them. Prayer, reading the word, praise &worship and fasting are all vital ways of building intimacy with the Father. Let’s not underestimate the power of worship and praise, after all, David, one of the most significant bible characters, was a passionate worshiper. It appears to be that despite David’s human flaws he had God’s favor over his life. Why? In the midst of adversity, David worshiped and believed God for a triumphant rescue. He knew God would not disappoint him. Men look at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. The bible refers to David as someone “after God’s own heart”. Wow! What a wonderful remark. That was David’s secret to intimacy with God. Women for example, more commonly embrace worship and praise. In general, men tend to get less involved. This should not be the case at all. It is important to encourage men to spend time with God in that way, even if it is in private. They will most assuredly be pleasantly surprised. They need to not only ‘learn’ and ‘know about’, but to really get to know God and build their faith and trust in the only reliable one!
This will of course have a flow on impact to your Church. People can give freely and willingly when they know and truly understand that they have a father in heaven who is willing, and more than able to meet their needs!
Reflection
Do your members really know God? What percentage of your congregation do you know have that kind of intimacy with God? What are you doing to build their intimacy with the creator?
Remember to be particularly sensitive to address specific issues in private with any members whenever you see the need for it. Pray to God for wisdom and good judgment.
Call to Action
Above all else, God desires our intimacy with him. After all that is why he created us! Start by making sure you have an intimate relationship yourself and then help your members to build their relationship with the Father.