When
I went on my last cross-country flight of 3,000 miles, I traveled overnight so
I could arrive in the morning. My plan
was to sleep comfortably on the airplane—seated in coach. I thought I could put my seat back into a
reclining position, close my eyes, and drift off to sleep. Furthermore, I expected that everyone else
would also be sleeping, so the cabin would be quiet. I also thought my carry-on was sufficient for
all the little items I might need. Boy,
was I wrong in all those things! The
seats didn’t tip back, the cabin lights were too bright, people talked through
the flight, and it was so cumbersome every time I needed something, to drag my
carry-on out from under the seat. I wished
I had purchased an amazing product for frequent travelers. The travel jacket from BauBax[i] features a pocket for
charging your cell phone, a built-in inflatable neck pillow and eye mask for
when you want to sleep, earbud holder in the hood, built-in gloves, a drink
pocket, pockets for your phone, passport, and sunglasses, a large pouch for
your tablet, a secret pocket in case of pickpockets, and even a pocket for your
blanket. These comfortable, versatile
jackets are perfect gifts for friends (or pastors/writers) who travel
often. 😉
BauBax’s travel jacket is
one example of the many products made possible by Kickstarter[ii], an online service that
matches inventors with investors to help turn great ideas into realities. For ages, would-be inventors have had trouble
getting their ideas off the ground because they lacked funding for the
expensive patent process, production, or advertising. But with Kickstarter, inventors make promotional
videos about their potential products and then sell these items before
production ever happens. Investors pledge
to purchase the products only if enough
investors back the project, reaching a goal that makes production
possible. This way there’s no risk for
the investor, and the inventor doesn’t have to worry about refunding potential
investments if they don’t make their fundraising goal. Kickstarter makes investing easy, and
maximizes its helpfulness to those inventors who can put that capital to good
use.
You might say that
kickstarting new things is one of the main topics of the Bible. God says, “See, I am doing a new thing
(Isaiah 43:19).” Again, God says, “I am
making everything new (Revelation 21:5)!”
But in order to do a new thing, God wants us to invest. Yes, the Bible has a lot to say about how we
use our money—how we lend, borrow, spend, give, and invest. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a story
about a wealthy business owner who goes away and leaves his servants in charge
of his finances:
To
one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,
each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had
received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained
five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went
off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money (Matthew 25:15-18).[iii]
When the business owner returns, he rewards those
servants who invest his money and return both capital and profits. But the servant who buries his bag of gold
and returns simply a full but dirty bag—that servant is punished and
fired. Jesus’ point is this: God wants
believers to be investors.
Now, I want you to think about this. With Kickstarter, investors win in a couple
of ways.
First, they get the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped an
entrepreneur get their idea off the ground and jump start a new business. By pledging their support, they play a part
in helping somebody make a success in life.
But they also win because once that product has taken off, they receive
the travel jacket or fidget cube or other product that they’ve helped create. So, it’s a win-win situation.
In the same way, you win when you invest in the
ministries of your church. Your
offerings might go to support the kinds of things your church has been doing
for the past couple of hundred years.
Or, it could be that someone in your church has had an entrepreneurial
idea for ministering to your community in a new way that nobody has ever
thought of before. Like a Kickstarter
inventor, they have a bold vision that just needs the backing of someone like
you to support them. When you invest
into the ministries of your church, you win in a few ways. First, you get the satisfaction of knowing
you’ve paid the church’s electric bill, or you pastor’s salary, or funded a
missionary, or fed the hungry, or clothed the shivering, or sheltered the
refugee. Second, you win because God
says you get blessed when you give (not necessarily in a financial way, but
there are many kinds of blessings).
Third, when your church is effective, it will thrive—and a thriving
church will make a big spiritual impact on many people. Fourth, a thriving church will grow in
attendees, who will become investors who help more ministries thrive, until
God’s influence expands more and more in your community and around the world.
Now, I want you to know that this article isn’t off the
cuff—it’s been fully approved by my stepmom!
I was talking it over with her, and she comes from a tradition where her
congregation sold tickets to the highest-attended worship services. So, she reminded me to tell you that
investing in God’s work isn’t all about money.
Sure, there are bills to be paid (and a lot of them!) but when you
invest your time and talent into your church, guess what happens. People are helped, inspired, and challenged
to grow. The hungry are fed, the
shivering clothed, and refugees sheltered, just the same. How does this happen? Well, maybe your hand is the one that puts
free food on the hungry person’s plate.
Or, maybe you help the congregation in other ways that save the church
money—dollars that can be put to better use when they sponsor the visionary,
entrepreneurial, or daring outreach ministries of the church. There are lots of ways to invest in the
church—and when you do so, you invest in the lives of people who need God the
most.
Sometimes a weary traveler just needs a little
comfort—and maybe, just maybe, BauBax’s travel jacket will help somebody find
relief along the way. Kickstarter
investors help make that happen. But
life can be far more wearisome than an overnight flight or crowded
airport. Travelers through life need a
little help on the journey—and maybe you as an investor can ease them on them
on their way. As Christians, we see
people struggling every day, and we believe that, through Jesus, we have the
answer. Through your generosity you can
invest in God’s people and the work of your church. You can provide shelter and rest to those who
need it most. When you do, you can hear
the Master say, “Well done, good and
faithful servant!”[iv]
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