The public House sg published an article "Why build
million dollar churches" which should have read "billion dollar" since
any small shop lot would have cost a million dollars making the question
redundant. It obviously meant "billion dollar" since the article
mentions a church being built as a shopping centre as well. We may not
be called to build billion dollar churches but certainly million dollar
ones.
On reflection, its important to have a house of our
own if our Christian ministry is unique. A place is a stepping stone for
growth and expansion, for it can represent a monument and focus rather
than temporary housing. We should plan to be here to stay. People come
to a tangible house of God. A church should have walls before it can be
a "church without walls".
(Ezra 9:9 NKJV) "For we were slaves. Yet our God
did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the
sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our
God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
In the sermon I heard last week, the pastor
recalled how he gave twice his monthly salary to CHC more than 10 years
ago. God made it possible through a miracle for the money to come when
he stepped out in faith. I recalled giving a huge amount to the
CHC building fund by faith. We were young and full of fire and faith for
God (some say naive!). I thought perhaps I should have invested it in
stocks! But God is no man's debtor.
As if God was teasing me, later that day, a friend
from a CHC linked church asked me to sell him my guitar as it was being
extensively used for his cell group worship! It was an expensive guitar.
I ended blessing the friend with the guitar knowing that as I sow into
his ministry, my own will be blessed. It's always good to bless rather
than to receive. I ended Sunday with not much belogings! God
I have nothing in life I complained! even my guitar you took away!
It is easy to believe and be optimistic when young,
but as we get older, the harsh realities of life bites us. May God give
us that simple heart to believe and expect good things once again when
so much harm have happened. Help us to trust You again and not be
stumbled by the leaders or churches who had dissapointed or harmed us
badly.
A SGD 1 billion dollar "church" in Singapore will
apparently be ready next year, an innovative deal with costs shared by a
developer to build a shopping centre and an entertainment centre. It is
more a "venue" rather than a traditional Anglican Cathedral type
building of dedicated church use. Instead, it is a multi-functional
facility with the revenues going back to sustain the church rather than
paying hefty rental. It is good economics.The church would be a lasting
legacy and monument for the ministry and a platform to expand the
churches' ministry.
The criticism against large church buildings sounds
familiar to those criticising the prostitute for spending her life's
earnings to annoint Jesus with special perfume - a waste of money. Why
not spend it on the poor we lament just as Judas protested. God sees the
heart of our giving. It is our worshipping of God which is sacred and we
should not judge others willing to sacrifice so much in building a
church or ministry to expand the Kingdom of God. If we want to
give to the poor and the outcasts, let that be our ministry and calling
but let us not impose this on others.
We are in no position to judge rather understand
that it was grace who provided for this church for the funds came in
effortlessly without the normal hounding and arm twisting/pleading from
the pulpit. God is big enough for both a 1 billion church and resources
for the poor. If it was the house that God builds, who are we to attempt
to blow it down!
I am vary of pastors hounding the congregation to
give a certain percentage to the ministry, forgetting that the desire
and passion to give must come from within stired by an attractive
proposition and inspired vision. The mega churches are able to build big
churches because those who attend can see a vision of expanding the
Kingdom of God, a growing church with people coming to accept Christ as
their Lord and Saviour.
We are reminded of Jesus chasing out the money
changers from the temple of God and we do have plenty of conmen even
within the House of God. But this should not be confused with the
building of the churches or using businesses to support the running of
the church. Here, Jesus was against those who made use of God to cheat
people. The costs for the animal sacrifices were exorbitant and
overcharged. They were cheating and stealing from people and making use
of the passion and heart for people for God to make money. The church is
not a business where the Pastor is the CEO rather it is a place where
God's love, presence and work is manifested often in very humble
settings.
(1 Chr
29:1 NKJV) Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: "My son
Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the
work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the LORD God.
(1 Chr 29:3 NKJV) "Moreover, because I have set my affection on the
house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all
that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold
and silver:
(1 Chr 29:4 NKJV) "three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir,
and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of
the houses;
The temple of God in Jerusalem was an expensive
affair. King David himself gave
much gold for the House of God. He gave 3,000 talents of Gold. A talent
is 75 pounds or 1200 ounces.
1 ounce gold = USD 1641 (22 Oct 2011)
1 talent of Gold = 2 million (ie your million
dollar church)
100 talents of Gold = 200 million
300 talents of Gold = 600 million (sgd billion
dollar church)
3000 talents of Gold = 6 billion dollars.
King David gave 6 billion dollars of Gold from his
special treasure of gold and silver for the house of God.
We build of
own large houses as Nehemiah reminded the Jews in his return to see the
broken walls of Jerusalem, but how often do we consider to build the
House of God. In Singapore, a typical house would cost SGD 500K. If a
congregation of 30,000 put in a sum of 5% of the value of their house
over a series of building funds, it represents each person contributing
25K or a total of 700 million.
The question is not whether the money would be
better given to the poor whom we seem to always have with us, but the
passion and the vision stirred amongsts the congregation to give freely
to what they see as the work of God. Is the vision and the work worth
it? Are people coming to know God through the ministry?
In Eze 9:9, we are reminded that the Christian Gay
community are like slaves released from bondage, liberated to worship
God in an authentic and truthful manner in our own small Jerusalem. We
have returned to Jerusalem, where we were once far off vary that Jesus
had rejected us. We have come back to our place of worship, slowly
beginning to reconcile our faith and sexuality.
God has made a way for us to return to Jerusalem,
to worship God again, and to understand that He loves and accepts us
just as we are. We had thought that being gay was an issue with God when
it matters little. Instead God had wanted us to embrace our identity
which has been intertwined wonderfully by His creation of our inner most
being.
We had continued on our lives and built our own
houses, when there is a call of God to build protective walls where we
can return and safely worship God without fear and not be disturbed.
The walls can only be built when we have more and more gay christians
coming back to worship God.
The Jews could never have built Jerusalem with the
small remant. They needed help outside of the city that Nehemiah had
brought, the additional resources, and the prophetic ministry of
Ezekial. The help came by grace, and totally unexpected from
King Artaxerxes who give them free passage and resources. They didn't
pay for it.
Nehemiah was a Eunuch who could not enter into the
temple and his enemy Shemaiah tried to trick him from doing so in order
to discredit his ministry, but failed. So you don't hear of his sons and
daughters. Yet, he was used by God to build the walls and the temple.
In Singapore, the building of the 1 billion dollar
church by the mega churches nears its completion. They have aleady large
monuments at Suntec, and Expo. In the shadow of such large structures
who had often come against the GLBT community in Asia, it is time for
the GLBT Christian ministries to start having a permancency, to built
strong permanent walls of legacy and hope.
(Neh 1:3 NKJV) And they said to me, "The survivors
who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great
distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and
its gates are burned with fire."
(Neh 1:4 NKJV) So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and
wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the
God of heaven.
(Neh 1:5 NKJV) And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and
awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love
You and observe Your commandments,
We have to first build walls in our lives,
and a temple of worship and praise within. God is calling us to have a
passion for the GLBT Christians who have strayed away from God due to
the strong condemnation from the church, society and family. It is in
disarray and they could not return to their Jerusalem.
It is time for building - a viable place of worship
and praise towards God. A place where the presence and annointing of God
attracts the people back to God. It start with the thick walls of
protection. The remant in Jerusalem didn't pay for the walls. The
materials came by grace. It is by grace that the walls will be built one
day for the GLBT Christian community. If Nehemiah who was an Eunuch
rejected by the house of God can do it, so can we because we worship the
same God, who is well able to perform a mighty miracle.
Nehemiah didn't have a household of his own yet he
re-built the City of God for his legacy that the Jewish nation would
have a home. In his passion for his scattered people, God used his
passion to build a nation and a lasting legacy.
The walls are now fallen, and the GLBT Christian
people scattered. Arise O Lord to build up the walls of your ministries
for the GLBT Christians. It's time to start building for God will
bring the wealth and resources to build the walls of our ministries.
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