Finding Jesus

I was accosted the other day by an old man demanding to know if I had found Jesus. I was astonished. I had no idea He was lost!

It is tough to take these recruiters seriously. Far too many churches measure their success nowadays by the numbers on their financial statements rather than the souls they have saved. Americans in particular seem all too happy to drive their SUVs to church and let their eyes glaze over as the preacher in residence talks about how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

Cash flow and marketing are now the name of the game. Tithes go to the church rather than the needy, placing one of the five pillars of Islam, Zakat, far closer to the spirit of the Son of God than the Christian tithe. The church's use of the tithe may not win any brownie points with the Almighty, but it does do a significant bit for Christian architecture and church investments.

I hasten to point out that not all churches are multi-million dollar behemoths that seem to believe that God is far more impressed with great architecture than good deeds. Some tithe strictly for the sake of the needy. Sadly, architectural evangelism seems to be winning the souls of many - and church mortgages were never mentioned by Jesus Christ so much as once during His ministry.

When Christ said "I am the Way," He wasn't referring to a street sign pointing to a glorious monument of aesthetic self-worship of man's ability to create. He was referring to Himself - to the way He lived His life. So think of a man of the greatest humility, washing the feet of another, and give that shiny megachurch a pass - instead, pull in at the tired, run-down old church with all the paint peeling in the corner of that old neighborhood, and ask if you can help out in the soup kitchen. Or kick a dollar their way to help with their charity efforts.

Stretch yourself for the Way.

Trust me, you can afford it. Think about the day you will lie on your deathbed and reflect on what your life amounted to - the answer won't lie in your bank account.