During this year, as part of our focus on taking responsibility for our response to God, on seeking to grow spiritually, and therefore to be formed to be part of God's transformational intent for the world - we have needed to go back to basics. And so we have looked not just at money - but at the three key human drives of Money, Sex, and Power. We've stolen the title from a book by Richard Foster which I've reviewed on my other blog.
It's in these three areas - money, sex, and power - that we run into and expose our spiritual immaturities, our weaknesses, and propensities to sin - our "flesh" or "sinful nature" hanging on at the gut level of who we are. My attitude towards money and wealth, the way I exercise my sexuality, and the level and manner of control and power I exercise in my life are good places to help determine spiritual maturity.
During this sermon series we are spending two weeks on each topic - the first topic has been power, leadership, authority and control; the second money, wealth, and stewardship; the third sex and relationships. For each topic the first week has been spent giving a time of teaching and bringing to light some of what God tells us through Scripture about each topic. And then we have invited questions to be asked for email, SMS or facebook so that the subsequent weeks is presented as answers to the questions that people are asking.
We have done power and money and are just about to do sex. And the questions have been though-provoking, challenging, and relevant. Are you meant to seek authority and influence? If so, how? What do I do with the money God has give me? Am I meant to tithe 10%, why and for what purpose?
We have tried to be direct and as honest as possible. Some of the feedback to me has been that it has been "uncomfortable but in a good way." You can see that for others there is a dawning about some of the ways in which the 24-hours-a-day 7-days-a-week nature of following Jesus confronts them and convicts them. Above all, but dealing with these issues we are facing the fact that this isn't a game, and church isn't just a nice place to go on a Sunday, but its about offering our lives to God seriously and totally and provoking one another to righteousness.
In some ways this basic stuff is just milk - following Jesus with the basics. But it's not meant to be rocket science. It's just a matter of dying to self and growing for him. We've got more growing to do, through more dying to ourselves and living for him. Our constant prayer - don't let us get away God - deal with us and make us your own in everything we do.
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