This past month, I have been speaking about money and giving. I know when I do this, that it is uncomfortable for me.

I know these feelings are fed by fear, not by faith. They are the result of thousands of years of people using religion for their own personal agenda, and they get rich doing it. Jesus states that the Pharisees “loved money,” and that this love has persisted century after century in the lives of people who claim to follow God. So, when I speak, it is easy to be perceived by outsiders as another religious charlatan trying to fill his own bank account.

The harsh truth is that Jesus did not shy away from talking about money. The thing that makes it a touchy subject is the very reason we need to talk about it. Money can wrap itself around our souls, and we can covet, lie, cheat, steal, and hurt the people we love.

The other reason it needs to be addressed is that the Lord’s work depends on the generosity of his people. If we want to do more ministry—reaching the lost, helping the hurting, discipling the saved, teaching children, and reaching teenagers with the life-changing message of Jesus —we need money to make it happen.

We need money for the building maintenance and utilities. We need books, sound equipment, and often food. The list of possible ministry expenses is lengthy and requires generous people to make things happen.

Ultimately, I preach about money because the Bible repeatedly teaches about it. Almost every book of the New Testament mentions giving or money in some way. And so, I will preach about it. Not because I love this topic, I would much rather talk about Jesus as our Savior. I will keep speaking because the ministry requires it, Jesus taught about it, and the Bible refuses to leave it alone.

We are not called to hear messages we enjoy about topics we like. Instead, we are called to grow in our faith, even in our finances.

As a preacher, I am exposed to hundreds of sermons, and now, with social media, to thousands of video clips from them. All my feeds feature both famous and obscure preachers sharing their challenges, illustrations, or shocking statements to draw more views and likes.

The problem is that all words have context. Those sermons were delivered by a pastor with a unique personality. He spoke to a congregation that he leads or was invited to a conference with a specific theme. His sermon was based on a particular Bible passage, viewed through the lens of his personality, and presented with a central point. When we pull out a little chunk of material, we always risk misunderstanding.

I once had two high school boys who recorded my sermons onto audio tapes each week as a service to the Church. I preached through a series called “Hot Topics,” and they pulled out comments and stories from my original five sermons to create a new sermon. It was both hilarious and shocking as phrases were pulled out of their original context and reused. I had a line in a sermon on the sanctity of life that they pulled out and inserted randomly, and it was terrifying to hear it that way.

Sermon clips can be helpful, but know that, like the scripture they are based on, context is king.

God has placed you near some specific people at this time so you can have an impact on their lives for the kingdom of God.

This might take shape in thousands of ways. You can teach them about faith or help them grow as believers. Maybe you could meet a need they have personally or be a witness to how God can help them through an issue. Perhaps you could do an activity that would bless their life and show them the love of our neighbor as God intended.

You have people in your life who need you. One strategic prayer is to ask God every single day, “Lord, give me the eyes to see where you want to use me?” Please help me see the people who need you and let me represent you to the world. God has you in the right place at the right time for something; you just need to see it yourself.

I was helping my son recover a deer he had taken on a bow hunting trip on Saturday night. Once we located the animal and loaded it into my heavy-duty sled, we began dragging it through the woods. Suddenly, my warm hunting clothes made me sweat profusely. The farther we went, the wetter my head got.

At one point on this journey, I stumbled over a fallen tree. A few minutes later, it dawned on me: my glasses are missing. They had apparently fallen off my head from all the moisture when I fell. My family and I tried to find them and could not locate anything in the dark.

My concern turned to panic as I knew I had to preach in less than 12 hours and couldn’t read without my glasses. My wife then commented, “If you could use your old ones tomorrow to get by, we could then order some online from Zenni Optical.”

As the words rolled off her tongue, my eyes lit up, and I remembered that 11 months ago, for the first time ever, I had ordered glasses from Zenni that I had completely forgotten about. Actually, they were bought to wear while hunting, and I kept forgetting them. They had been lying in a drawer in my bedroom for almost 6 months, and I had not touched them.

We went home. I grabbed my glasses out of the drawer and was able to preach and keep working until my eye appointment next month.

It never ceases to amaze me how God provides for all our needs. On a whim, and with a coupon, I placed an order 11 months ago and then forgot about it. At just the right moment, I was able to keep doing the Lord’s work without any setbacks. God knew my foolishness in advance and already had a plan for it.

Sometimes our apparent setbacks are merely an opportunity for God to show us his provision.

The video clip showed a man with a sculpted body and a deep voice, speaking with conviction. It was easy to believe everything he was saying. He looked and sounded like an authority.

I watched for about 30 seconds, and everything he said about the Bible was utterly wrong.

Fortunately, the topic he was speaking about was one I had studied extensively in college. I have also been a student of this area for over thirty-two years of ministry. I have read multiple books, listened to countless lectures, and even visited museums to see historical artifacts. And I knew that every word he was saying was false and a complete fabrication.

My fear as I viewed the video was that many people would watch it and think he was telling the truth. After all, he looks and sounds like an expert. I am sure he knows other things, but in this area, he is wrong and leading people astray.

Let me give you one word of caution that is glaringly obvious. Do NOT believe every video you see, every so-called expert you hear, and all that you read online. Doing research means you might use the internet, but also books and scholars who have studied the field for years. Some topics may take you hundreds of hours, and even years, to fully understand.

There is an enormous amount of bad information out there. Please don’t believe without asking questions and doing real research.  

Every person who walks into our Sunday worship service carries a phone in their pocket. On that phone, they can access the greatest preachers in the world and listen to worship music performed with professional excellence, of a quality better than our small Church could ever produce.

So why do they come?

Because being present in worship is a personal experience. In person, you can talk to other believers, lift your voice alongside theirs, and sense something that simply can’t be streamed or downloaded.

Think about it: sports often look better on television, yet people still buy tickets. Music sounds clearer on a digital track, but people still line up for concerts. Comedians post full specials online, but there’s nothing like being there in the room. The same is true for the Church.

If worship is just about consuming content, staying home makes sense. But if it’s about connection and sharing life and faith with others, then showing up in person matters.

And if you haven’t been lately, maybe it’s time to come and experience what I’m talking about.

Several of the people who attended our latest membership class made similar statements. They felt blessed because I Church made an effort to help them take their next steps in faith.

Our Church seeks to connect with everyone who comes through the door. We have greeters stationed as they enter. We have a table where people can stop and talk if they are new. We have a welcome to our worship and special closing announcements. We coach everyone to be friendly and welcoming. And if they choose to return, we have regular classes to help people connect even further.

We believe the most significant question everyone should be asking is “What is my next step of faith?” This emphasis has led us to change my associate pastor’s title from “Discipleship Pastor” to “Next Steps Pastor.”

Too often, the Church treats everyone as if they fall into two hard categories. They are either non-Christians or committed believers. Frequently, they skip the steps that lead a new person in faith to greater commitment.

Few are those who come to Jesus and, overnight, go from lost to radically transformed into a mature believer. There are dozens of little steps to make that journey. And as a Church, we are committed to helping people make those steps.

Wherever you are on your journey of faith, it is possible to become a committed follower of Christ, but it only happens one little step at a time. So ask yourself, “What is my next step?” and then take it.

I recently watched a short online video about Christianity and noticed it had an unusually high number of comments. Many of them repeated the same phrase: “Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship with Jesus.”

Over time, this phrase has been repeated so often that it’s become a cliché. People echo it as though it clarifies what we believe about Jesus. Personally, I don’t think it adequately captures the Christian faith.

Let me ask you directly: “Do you find relationships easy?”

If you’re like most people, your greatest stress in life comes from the people you deeply love. Relationships bring joy, but also tension, misunderstanding, and heartbreak. I deeply love my wife, but being in a relationship with her takes effort, and I know she’d say the same about me.

Relationships demand hard work, time, and attention. We frequently misread the other person’s motives, misconstrue their behavior, find it difficult to connect in the way they need, and sometimes drift apart.

I do believe Christianity involves a relationship with Jesus, but I don’t consider that a compelling angle that simplifies faith in him. Honestly, I’d prefer a religion that offered a straightforward list of rules. Then I could always gauge my standing and know precisely what comes next. A relationship, however, constantly requires my complete focus and leaves little room for doing whatever I want.

Christians are in a relationship with Jesus, but that elevates the expectations of our faith rather than diminishing them, contrary to how most people frame it.

I rarely respond to anything in most of my social media groups. I will quickly sign up for a local community group, a professional group, a hobby group, and even a Christian pastor group. Then I read through other people’s posts without comment. Very rarely do I engage with anything posted unless I am 100 percent sure I have something meaningful to contribute.

Many people treat the Church like a social media group. They show up at the last minute, leave quickly, talk to a few people, never sign up for groups, and never seem to connect with anyone else. They are not angry; they simply want to stay in the background.

To get the most out of any group, you have to move from lurking in the background to being an active participant. This is especially true in the body of Christ. Church isn’t just something to watch; it’s something to join. It’s not a performance; it’s a family. When you step out of the shadows and begin to serve, share, pray, and love others, you find that your faith deepens and your joy grows.

Maybe this Sunday is your chance to move from “lurker” to participant. Say hello. Join a group. Volunteer. Ask someone how you can pray for them. You might be surprised how much more meaningful the Church becomes when you step in rather than stand back.

Friday was supposed to be the highly anticipated grand opening at the pizza place. Surprisingly, it was open on Thursday. There were cars in the parking lot and people coming and going. A pastor I knew was driving by when he saw the commotion and stopped. He went in and ordered a pizza to go.

When the waitress was done taking his order, she walked away and said very little. Since it was a new restaurant, he didn’t think too much of it. Soon, she came back with a pizza box and thanked him for stopping by tonight. He asked about payment and was told that tonight everything is free because they were training for the grand opening.

He could not believe what had just happened. He immediately thought, I should have ordered more and taken advantage of this opportunity. Then a second thought hit him, and he went out to his car and started texting several people he knew about the free meal.

Several of his friends and parishioners also enjoyed a pizza and a chance to try something new. Each one of them then messaged someone so they could enjoy the deal too. The place was packed all night, and hundreds of people welcomed the restaurant by receiving a gift from them.

Whenever you encounter something good that blesses your life, our instinct should be to share it. This is true with pizza, and it should be true with the gospel.

If God has blessed your life through the work of Jesus Christ, don’t keep that information to yourself. Call, text, email, or visit someone this week and tell them about it. If you genuinely believe the gospel is good, then share, don’t keep it a secret.