Comments on: A different perspective on church (Part 4) http://paulpetersonlive.com/2007/12/17/a-different-perspective-on-church-part-4/ Evolving out loud: thoughts on parenting, spirituality, leadership, & a few other things too Thu, 24 May 2012 10:24:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Freak Show Espresso http://paulpetersonlive.com/2007/12/17/a-different-perspective-on-church-part-4/#comment-4060 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:24:21 +0000 http://paulpetersonlive.com/2007/12/17/a-different-perspective-on-church-part-4/#comment-4060 as someone who has dealt with this firsthand, i know how you must feel. i have always grown up on the poor side of things and gone to a few churches where dressing nice and having a nice car was much more important than reaching the unsaved.
i have been to churches where the pastor and leadership team drove 40,000 cars while the rest of the congregation walked, drove hand-me-down vehicles and rode bikes while working 40-60 hour jobs while raising a family.
i have been to a Benny Hinn crusade when he asked for donations every service with thousands of people who received very little in return besides a good show. and by good i mean really boring and having an inflated ego. kinda like U2 but no where near as entertaining.
as a revolutionary believer in how the church needs to be totally agree with all you say. good post! i look forward to your thinking and other posts.

]]> By: Mike Paris http://paulpetersonlive.com/2007/12/17/a-different-perspective-on-church-part-4/#comment-4051 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:54:44 +0000 http://paulpetersonlive.com/2007/12/17/a-different-perspective-on-church-part-4/#comment-4051 Patrick,
You interestingly enough have scratched at a problem that is ages old. The apostle Paul was accused of “preaching for hire” and 1 Corinthians 9 is his response.
He said (basically) that it was only right that the Lord’s servant should be compensated for his hard work; but that was not really that important since he wasn’t asking for a pay increase. Paul could have worked for nothing and he even free-lanced for a while to cover the cost of his stay. His desire was not to be a financial burden on the people. He did have people that cared about what he was doing that sent some offerings to help. But again, that was not his “get-rich-quick” scheme. Paul wanted one reward — to see people accept/receive the greatest news ever told about the greatest offer ever made by the greatest person to ever live.

That reward, leading someone to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, is still the best thing going. It is still the stuff that gets me out of bed on a snowy western NY Sunday morning to go to church and then to blog with you on Monday afternoon.
I still have to pay the bills, but I don’t have to pay my butler or the maids or my chaffeur.

Hired help will run when the going gets tough, true shepherds pick up the slingshot and pick off the wolves! :D (read John 10:7-18) Good shepherds give their life for the sheep.

I hope that God is placing pastors and people in your life that help combat your opinion of “religious” people and church. The real religion before God includes helping the poor and the widows (James 1:27) not fleecing them!

You don’t need to send a check for this post! Hah! :)
Mike

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