Warning - this post is serious and not funny at all. Our community group has been reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love and it got me to thinking... a lot... and we all know how dangerous that can be. It is the most I have actually thought about something in a while so I thought I would write out some of my conclusions/thoughts for my own sake in the future and possibly for other's benefit.
Here is what stumped me and got me going: pretty much every Christian I know is what would be considered by Chan's book to be "lukewarm." The bad news is that being lukewarm is the worst possible thing you can be. The worse news is that not being lukewarm is exceedingly difficult given our current culture. It raised this question: In 21st century America where essentially everybody is filthy rich on a global scale, is anyone actually able to conquer the materialism and selfishness to the point of truly giving it all to God? Is our faith really authentic or are we emotional Christians who may not actually be saved? Ahhhh! Big questions!!!
My genuine fear is that I am not willing to give up all of my possessions for my faith. Sure, if I don't really think about it much I can happily say in front of others that everything I have is for Him. When it gets down to brass tacks though, I'm still not absolutely sure whether I would give up my lovely wife, snugly doodle or comfortable lifestyle to answer a call. I'm worried that my materialistic lifestyle will forever prevent me from moving out of the lukewarm classification. I worry that as long as I have a nice house, reliable car and eat good food I will forever be putting things before God. I also wonder whether a lukewarm Christian is actually saved since they are not bearing any fruit.. a question for another day.
The first solution that popped into my head was to sell absolutely everything, give it all away and then live in a tent and spend all of my efforts and time focusing on God. This was honestly a non-starter for me, since I really do love almost everything about my current life. This answer appeared to be straight forward though; give up the idea of money and material possessions and become a modern day hippie minus the promiscuity, drugs, goofy vans and meaningless protests. That way everything I had could be devoted to God... but then I realized, I wouldn't be doing the world any favors by singing in the woods all the time. I would also be required to devote some time and energy to providing food and shelter for myself...
Which then got me thinking. Back in the olden days, that was the way that people lived. They essentially lived in the middle of the woods, and most of their time and energy was devoted to planting crops, herding animals and building shelter. Excess was very clear. You couldn't store food forever, so whatever you weren't going to eat should be given to the poor. If someone wondered onto your land in need of shelter, you shared your home or stables with them. Needs were cut and dry, as was surplus.
The major breakthrough I had was that this was just a very simplistic economic model. You essentially were an isolated micro-economy. You produced all of your own goods, therefore money was not necessary. In modern terms, I spend my time consulting CFO's on pharmaceutical billing strategies for money, and in return pay a farmer for food and contractors for shelter. This allows us to specialize our skills and generate value far more efficiently. This efficiency in production is in-and-of-itself a good thing. The problem is that money is a lot easier to store up (read: hoard) and starts to become the end itself. I think the former model still applies though: use money to purchase the things you need without being gluttonous or prideful in those purchases, and then give the rest away or put it towards His Kingdom in some way.
My new mentality is that just like the Lord would grant people large harvests so that they could share their bounty, he is today granting pretty much everyone in America incredible resources with which they can share with others. The key is that we have to know our means and live within them. I sometimes get on the treadmill of "Can someone justify buying a million dollar house? Well, what about a half a million dollar house? Well, what if it is only $200k?" In reality, these are all such enormous sums of money on a global scale that it is just silly to think about it. What right does someone who spent $100k on a house have to judge someone who spent $1 mil on a house? Are we sure that according to God's table of appropriate home values, the correct value for your zip code in 2013 is $100k? Also, why do you need a $100k house when there are $50k homes available? This logic will make you crazy and I don't think its a productive debate within the church.
The key to this decision is more so that you have to justify everything you do to God when he returns or calls you home. If you have the resources and can justify spending a million on a home, then go for it, I personally won't judge you one bit. Solomon and David lived in magnificent palaces and God didn't seem to mind. In fact, I believe those can legitimately be considered blessings from God. Keep in mind how much was asked of these men, though. They were not allowed to just sit on their wealth, but they had to rule an entire people through good times and bad.
I think the idea is that we should all be seeking God in our decision making and living well within our means so that there is a great excess to help others with. You also have to look at your heart attitude through all of this. What is your motivation in purchasing that house? Once again, it is impossible for a man to judge another man's heart, but God most certainly will in the end. Be very, very, very, very aware of how pride and greed can play into these decisions, and seek to battle those vices in every way possible.
Through all of this, I have come to the conclusion that you can have extensive possessions and be a committed Christ follower, but you must always realize that those possessions are gifts from Him and you should look to God for how to allocate the gifts you are given. If he gives you much, just understand that there is a good chance that much will be required from you. Also, an initial thought that did not change through all of this is that I don't think the willingness to give it all up is negotiable. If you truly believe that everything came from Him to begin with and everything belongs to Him, then you are just a steward of those resources and have no right to withhold anything from Him anyway. This is something that I think needs to be a part of every Christian's prayers, because I know that I personally can't easily cut ties with my materialistic and possessive ways, but I also know that grace can overcome those flaws so long as I truly believe that they are flaws and I repent of them and seek to battle them in my daily life. That's a heck of a lot tougher than it sounds though.
Anyway, sorry to bore you all but I had really been struggling with all of this recently and wanted to write it all out to help think it through. I hope that this is a reminder for me for years to come that everything I have, great or small, comes from Him and belongs to Him and therefore he should be consulted and considered first in its use. I believe that is the only way to conquer our materialistic culture and get past one of the biggest causes of lukewarm Christians. On the bright side, there is definitely hope... and it still involves indoor plumbing and air conditioning!
