Matthew 6: 20-21, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
In 2012, “The Optimist” magazine published an article that to be in the top one percent of earners globally, one needed to earn about $34,000 annually. I put that into Google to see what that would be in today’s money, and it worked out to be just over $46,000. The average annual income in Canada right now is $54,630. Why, Sean, are you even thinking about this? And, what does it have to do with the rapture and the end? These are all fair questions. I hope to answer them for you and me.
As I have been writing about lately and preaching about as well, the end is near. We who believe in the imminent Rapture are awaiting the trumpet call. But there is a judgment coming to all of us. Over and over in 1 Corinthians and Romans, we are reminded that we will have to give an account of our lives to the Lord after we are saved. How did we conduct the business of the Lord’s Kingdom here on earth while He was away preparing a place for us? John 14:1-6 leaves us with a promise that He will return for us. Are you and I ready to face the Lord?
According to Stats Canada, 53.3% of Canadians identify as Christian; that would add up to over 19,000,000 persons. In the US, about 63% identify as Christian. These numbers are not truly reflective of the saved. Let us be conservative and put Canada at 25% and the US at 30%, roughly half of the official stats. In Canada, we have about 10,000,000, and in the US, about 90,000,000 based on the recent census showing just over 331,000,000 living in the US. That means that we have about 100,000,000 Christians living in North America (US and Canada).
Now with the average tax rate, that $54,000 becomes about $40,000. If the average person were to tithe on their income after taxes, the Lord’s churches would bring in about $400,000,000,000 annually. In the US, the actual giving is about $100,000,000,000 or 30% of what it should be, and, in Canada, we are well under that.
What happens to all of us, me included, is that as the Lord allows us to make more money, we consume more and more of it on ourselves. We get the bigger house, the nicer car, the more luxurious vacations, and on and on. Now, in general, there is nothing wrong with that, but are we truly robbing God?
Malachi 3:8-10 says this – “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
There are many who will argue that tithing is an Old Testament law and that we are no longer under the law, and so we are not compelled to give. This article is not about tithing, so to speak, but I will simply say that Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek in Genesis 14 when God blessed him in war. He paid a tithe of the spoils of war, his profit, and that was made WELL before the law was established. Thus, tithing is NOT a law ritual. But that is a lesson for another day.
Back to where I was going; think of how many more we could reach for the Kingdom if we gave the $400 billion? Imagine what would happen if we kept the older building a bit longer, stayed in the tight little house, got used cars instead of new, settled for local vacations, and wore our clothes a year longer? Imagine how much more we could invest in the Kingdom of God?
Ah, but there is the rub. We want to see progress here in this temporal kingdom. We want the neighbors to know we are doing better, the kids to have better memories, and all of that stuff. But we forget that where our treasures are there will our hearts be as well. We have settled for earthly treasure, and we, for the most part, have not really invested in the heavenly Kingdom. Our hearts are tied to what we can see and not to what we can’t see.
One day, you and I will give an account of how we spent the monies that God gave us and how we re-invested that money in the eternal Kingdom. We cannot take the bigger house with us, the newer car, or the clothes; we can’t even take the vacation memories; we may lose even those in our new bodies. We have invested here in a house of smoke, and our resources are wasted. Most of us, not all, but most of us saved people have more than enough. How many of our churches spend millions on facilities and their upkeep? Do we really need bigger places? Do we need the latest and greatest equipment?
How have we spent the Lord’s money to fulfill the command of Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission?
Would you say that the church where you are uses a lot of resources to reach the lost? Is that the primary focus of your church? What percentage of the incoming funds go to missions, outreach and sharing the Gospel? How many churches could afford to adopt many kids, adopt a family, and help them get on their feet? How many churches could open and maintain a kitchen to feed the poor and needy? We would be able to staff with paid workers out of our churches, people ready to share the Gospel.
How many of our churches could help pay a medical bill for someone without insurance? We have church buildings being built in Africa now by churches in the US donating a sum of money, and this pays for the land and the material and affords a group their own place to meet. What if each church offered a Christian school for free so we could teach our neighbors about Jesus? What could happen around the world and here in North America if we gave just the $400 billion we should? How could we change the world for the Gospel?
Where is our treasure? Where are our hearts? Where is my heart? One day all of us will stand and give an account of how we spent the Lord’s money. How will that day go for you and me? Once again, this is not a salvation issue; it is a stewardship issue and a heart issue. As I get closer and closer to the Rapture, these thoughts come to my mind. I hope I am not being a killjoy about the Rapture. I, too, eagerly await the trumpet sound.
God bless you,
Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
How to Connect with Us
In-person: every Sunday (10:30 am) at Bethany Baptist Church 70 Victoria Street, Elora, ON
Online: https://mmbchurch.ca/
Email: [email protected]
Join us on Zoom every Sunday (10:30 am) for Sunday Service AND every Tuesday at 8:00 pm for Bible Study: Meeting ID: 700 794 460 Passcode: 032661; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/700794460?pwd=M3NFRG91ZW5Sa2Z3amVyWkFnYXd6QT09
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