Mike and I had been praying for God to bring him a new job. Mike had cancer as well as severe back surgery. He and his wife Lesa have been tremendous servants at Trail To Heaven Cowboy Church by managing our concession stand during rodeo days. These folks have been faithful with their lives and service to the Lord. Mike drove a cement truck most of his adult life. He once told me the only truck in the world where the door handles get worn out is a cement truck, because the driver is constantly getting in and out.
In and out, up and down all day long wore on Mike’s back. During this time of prayer I started Denton County Cowboy Church at a place known as the “Lucky B” ranch owned by a man named Lloyd. The Lucky B was the first place we thought of when looking for a place to meet because they had an enclosed barn with heat and a large porch to meet on when the weather was nice. One day completely out of the blue, we asked Lloyd to meet at his barn, and he agreed.
Lloyd worked at several businesses and he always prowled around for more business opportunities. Soon after we started meeting at the Lucky B, Lloyd and his business partner started a trucking company serving the oil fields. The business took off like a rocket and he needed a driver based locally to drive a truck. I remember Mike and I prayed for another job opportunity and soon afterwards I introduced Mike to Lloyd. Lloyd hired Mike and now Mike has a job that the door handles don’t get worn out, and appears he will make more money.
Out of the blue, Lloyd and Mike’s lives and careers changed. They made a commitment to serving the Lord with what little they had.
People all over this country are in constant search of new or better jobs. There are numerous funny stories about people interviewing for these jobs posted on several executive websites. Here are some of the comical things happened during a job interview to various applicants:
• A balding candidate abruptly excused himself and returned to the office a few minutes later, wearing a “hairpiece.”
• An applicant “wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time.”
• Another “stated that, if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.”
• One applicant “Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.”
• “When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap-dancing around my office.”
• Another applicant “Said he wasn’t interested because the position paid too much.”
• Finally, one applicant “asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home now and wanted my phone number. I called security.”
Matthew
The eighth disciple of Jesus is Matthew, who was also called Levi. The name Levi comes from the tribe of Levi. Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons and Levi was the third son of Jacob. Eleven tribes of Jacob received land, but one did not . That was the tribe of Levi. Levi became the tribe of priests. Their responsibilities included taking care of the temple, collecting tithes and offering and preparing sacrifices. Since the Levites had no land given to them, they earned their living from the tithes and offerings.
Levi the disciple, changed his name to Matthew sometime after Jesus called him. This is similar to how Simon changed to Peter, Saul to Paul, and Jacob to Israel.
Levi changed his name to Matthew. We don’t know how, when or why. He collected taxes for the Romans and sat at his booth day in and day out so people could stop and pay their taxes. The tax collectors were folks the common man chose not to hang out with. Many tax collectors collected more than enough taxes to pad their own pockets. It would not appear Matthew was an unethical tax collector.
Levi’s life changed out of the blue in one day. He woke up that morning following the normal routine he did day in and day out. Levi never expected he would one day be a great leader of men. He never expected to move from Levi to wrangler, handling the truths of God to help men handle their lives with the Master of the Universe. A wrangler is one who professionally handles animals, specifically horses, for a living. Hence, we get the title of this chapter from Levis to Wranglers.
Matthew 9:9
As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Notice the details Matthew gives concerning his calling. He was sitting at the tax office and when Jesus said follow me, he arose and followed Jesus. There are two important details in that narrative. First, Matthew was sitting, as his custom, waiting for people to come in and pay their taxes. This was an ordinary day for Matthew, and Matthew did not go seeking after Jesus, Jesus came to him. This is important, because none of us can come to Jesus on our own.
John 6:44 says no one can come to Jesus unless the Father sends them. Many people get hung up on this verse in John, but the truth is, there is actually nothing to get hung up on. If you have ever heard the gospel message of the saving power of Jesus Christ, the father has drawn you to Jesus. If you are reading this book, the father is drawing you to Jesus Christ. This is why it is so important for the church to have a passion about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, so each person can be drawn to Jesus.
Jesus said to keep seeking after Him and you will find Him (Psalm 119:2, Matthew 7:7). Think back to your dating years and those times you needed a date and could not find one. However, when you had a date or a girlfriend, another opportunity usually presented itself, that you were not seeking. Jesus is not like that, when you need Him, He is there. What about a job? Do you remember a time you needed a job and could not find one, when you didn’t need one, a job offer came your way? The old saying of “when it rains it pours,” and “when it’s dry, it’s a drought.” Those sayings could not be truer in many events of life, but with Christ we determine when the rains and the droughts come by how much effort we spend seeking and listening to Him.
The second important point drawn out of this passage is when Matthew got up off his Levis (no pun intended) and followed Jesus. A call to Jesus is always a call to action. Just saying you believe in Jesus while you sit on your pockets is not true faith. When a person comes to faith in Christ the most natural response is to go to the family reunion each week (church) and serve Him, study His word and pray. This is one of the many benefits of church, an opportunity to serve, a place to worship and learn about His word.
I spoke at a rodeo one time and a lady told me, we don’t go to church because you don’t need church to have Jesus in your heart. I could not agree and disagree with her more. I asked her, who is going to teach you what the bible says (Malachi 2:7)? Don’t you want to be around some folks who have the same Father, who share the same blessings and struggles in life? The last point for the need of church that I did not mention to her was how are you going to honor God with your money that He has provided for you to advance His kingdom?
The comfort of knowing Christ is the hope that He gives us. The hope, trust and confidence gives peace that no matter what comes our way, He has a plan in place for us. When we are living a life that honors God, surrendered our lives to Jesus, faithful with our tithes and offerings and have a hunger to know Him, we can approach the throne of God with all confidence.
1 John 3:21
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
Matthew surrendered to the call of Christ. There was no point to look back, but every reason to look forward. After Matthew was called, he immediately threw a dinner party and invited his tax gathering friends and Jesus. The religious people (Matthew 2:13-17) were miffed that a great teacher like Jesus would associate with such people. Matthew had boldness as he moved from taking taxes to giving hope. He was no longer Levi the tax collector, but Matthew the gospel giver. All from the “Clear Blue Sky,” Matthew was ready to start building on Christ’s foundation being laid as He spoke.
The same is true for all of us, Christ has laid the foundation. Are we ready to take aim and start building on it for His glory?
Aim and Shoot
Rom 15:20
I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation
This is the verse I would like to have on my tombstone. “Lest I should Build On Another Man’s Foundation”. I share the same passion as Paul, to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to people that have not heard, or been taught how everyday Christ is part of everyday life. The Bible also shows a man who built on foundations already laid and that was an Alexandrian Jew named Apollos (Acts 18:24-25). Apollos, an expert in the scriptures and a Christian apologetics, specifically taught the Jews about Christ. A Christian apologetics is a defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity. One of the greatest apologetics in our age today is Lee Stroble, (A Case For Christ) and Frank Harbor (Reasons for Believing).
The word Paul used behind his desire to preach the gospel is Aim. The Greek word for aim does not mean ambition, but the word is made up of two words; love value. Paul’s love and value was preaching the gospel in virgin territory. He was not ambitious-- the Bible uses the word ambition only four times. Each of the four times you see ambition the word selfish is always in front of it. Paul had a deep love and considered it an honor to be entrusted with sharing the gospel. We should all aim to please and honor Christ with our lives, and not have ambition to please ourselves.
Single Shot verses Automatic
When my son Hunter shot his first deer, I taught him how to aim the gun at his target. Once the aim was set on the target, I told him to take a deep breath hold it, and when he exhaled that is when he needs to pull the trigger. Hunter, our friend Bubba (who owned the deer lease) and I sat in a deer blind early one morning. After waiting about thirty minutes, the big buck finally showed up. Hunter took aim and boom; the deer ran off after a puff of dust rose up behind him.
Bubba and I assumed he missed and the bullet hit the dirt. Hunter became angry at himself for missing the deer (which by the way was a 250 yard shot). He stormed out of the blind and went and sat in the jeep we drove to the blind in.
Bubba and I kept watching the area where the deer ran off, when suddenly we saw a plume of dust rise up behind a bush that was about twenty feet from where Hunter shot the deer. Bubba and I realized something caused that dust to fly up, and it could have been the deer falling over. I went to the jeep where Hunter sat and told him what Bubba and I saw and asked him to go with me to take a look. We walked over to the bush where the dust rose and there it laid, a beautiful big 7 point buck. Apparently the bullet went through the gut of the deer and went out the other side causing the initial dust to come off the ground. The deer jumped behind a bush then died and fell over. Hunter was elated with his first kill.
Hunter’s goal was to shoot and kill that deer. He didn’t wake up that morning with a goal of going and aiming for a deer. However, to achieve a result a plan must be put into place and followed. The plan for Hunter included waiting for a deer, and once he found the right deer, Hunter needed to aim then shoot. Hunter followed his game plan and the desire of his heart, or prize, became a reality.
Paul’s prize was leading people to Christ where Christ had not been preached. Therefore, Paul took aim to preach, but loved the honor of preaching the gospel.
Matthew did not possess any goals or ambitions when he accepted the call of Christ. Matthew took aim on seeking the target, following Jesus.
Take a look at your goals and ambitions, how many of those goals include acquiring possessions or getting more money? What about your spiritual goals? Forget your goals and aim each day to hit the prize of the upward call of Jesus in your life (Philippians 3:14). Your goal is simply the target for which you aim. Don’t be ambitious toward serving Christ, but love to honor Him in all that you say, speak or do. When this is achieved you will receive the prize you desire.
There are three kinds of guns in the world; single shot, semi-automatic and automatic. A single shot does exactly as the name implies, pull the trigger one time for one shot. A semi-automatic means each time you pull the trigger a bullet fires, and an automatic means all you have to do is hold the trigger down and bullets will keep firing like a machine gun. You will not find a scope on a machine gun. On a single shot rifle, like many deer rifles, the most important accessory you can have is a scope. A scope allows you to magnify your target and aim carefully to hit the target. With a machine gun you simply keep shooting till you hit your target.
Hunter and I were in Ardmore, Oklahoma, at a shooting range in an area known as Hickory Creek. We took Hunter’s twenty two rifle (semi-automatic) and my shotgun (single shot) and we spent the day shooting at targets. A van pulled up and two guys stepped out of the van carrying two machine guns. Hunter and I watched as they would sit up two liter soda pop bottles filled with water and would start shooting until they hit the bottles. The man looked over at me, with two front teeth missing, and asked me if I ever shot a machine gone, I replied I had not, then he said “You want to try?” I jumped at the chance and started shooting, and eventually hit the bottles after I shot over fifty rounds of ammunition.
The calling of the Christian life is like the single shot, we have to aim carefully each day. If we approach the Christian life like a machine gun, we will go through a lot of unnecessary spent energy trying to discern Christ’s calling for our life and that can bring us to a point of burn out. When Jesus called Matthew He took a single shot and hit the target right on the head. The target (Matthew) responded with an affirmative yes, that he would follow Jesus. Matthew didn’t ask where Jesus was going. That would have been a motivation of ambition. Instead, Matthew just got up and went.
As a person reads the Gospel of Matthew it becomes very clear that he wrote to a specific group of people called the Jews about how the Kingdom of God has been ushered in to earth through Jesus.
Cowboy Church is a single shot approach to ministry. Cowboy Church seeks out those people that are part of the western culture. My sermons and music are specifically tailored to those good honest, hard working people. Many churches attempt church using the machine gun approach and try to hit a lot of different people using the same format. This is why many churches today are filled with so much conflict because they are trying to attract too many diverse groups of people.
Matthew came out of the religious world with a tax collector back ground. Who were the first people he invited over to dinner? Not the fishermen, but his fellow tax collectors and Jews. He used a single shot approach.
I receive the following question a lot in regards to my ministry “What goals or ambitions do you have for your ministry.” My reply is always that I don’t have any goals or ambitions when it comes to ministry. I have learned (or am learning) to take each day as it comes. I understand to be faithful to the call and to build Christ’s church, I have to trust Him to provide all the resources and carry on the work. Many times, blessings and direction come straight from the clear blue sky. I believe it is right to build a church solely on numbers with a machine gun approach, but taking a single shot each Sunday to the western culture people, to bring those people to a point they want to take aim, and follow Christ is my calling.
Paul considered himself to be a wise master builder, who did not build on another mans foundation. Paul had a very clear understanding of his role in the work of the Kingdom. Do you know what your specific role in the kingdom is? Are you aware someone today is laying a foundation for you? The Lord is preparing you to become part of this building program and once you have proved faithful in the little things, He will move you on to the bigger things. Your most important job in the kingdom today is to take aim and prepare.
I spent six years in a Baptist seminary earning my Masters Degree, while running a business full time, for no other reason but to take aim for what God had in store for me.
A Foundation
During my construction days as a carpenter I did many tasks, but I never poured a foundation. My job included, framing a house, building cabinets, occasional laying a roof and hanging doors and windows. When I showed up on a job site, the foundation was always poured, and I started from the slab and worked up. Laying a foundation requires a different skill set other than what a carpenter usually possesses. The people that pour foundations are very knowledgeable in dirt work and concrete finishing. Wood and concrete goes together like oil and water.
As I moved into ministry, one area that never appealed to me was building upon another mans foundation. Meaning, I had no desire to change a congregation from following the way one man did ministry to a new method. I would much rather start my own working from the ground up. However, some of the guys I went to seminary with are masters at taking a work that has begun and increasing that work. Some people are foundation layers, who go out and start a brand new work, and some are builders who build up from the foundation that was laid.
The Apostle Paul had an earnest desire to start churches where Christ had not been preached:
A Foundation Is Being Built For You
1 Corinthians 3:10
As a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it
Paul did not go into a work that was already established, as we saw in Romans 15:20. Paul’s desire (love of honor…aim) was to preach where Christ had not been preached. He continues this theme with more detail in 1 Corinthians 3:10. The Greek word for master builder is where we get the word for architect. This word means to be the first craftsman, the beginning carpenter. Paul was no ordinary architect but a wise one. Wise means to be a skilled expert. The name Sophia comes from this word. Wise always describes a quality and never an activity.
Paul did not describe himself saying he built wisely, but a wise builder. Many of us are so concerned about always following the right path, and going down the path that makes the most sense to us, at any particular time. Paul’s wisdom came from above. He was so in tune with the Lord he was not afraid to go to places he might be beaten or killed for the sake of the gospel. Paul was a radical follower of Christ. He did not listen to whims of his own heart, otherwise he could have become overly ambitious.
All of Paul’s building projects began with a corner stone. Today, we don’t build many foundations out of rocks, instead we use concrete. The corner stone in Bible times, became the stone from which everything else lined up. Today when sitting a slab, you will often see four stakes driven into the ground with boards nailed at the top making a perfect ninety degree corner. The rest of the building will be lined up with these two stakes. No matter how large the building, the same process is followed and it starts with one corner being lined up correctly. Jesus Christ is the building stone of having a relationship with God (Ephesians 2:20).
At Cowboy Church we had to fence in the back pasture to hold our roping cattle and bucking bulls. Before the first strand of wire laid, we set the corner posts. The corner posts needed to be carefully lined up on the property line, and anchored in the ground. Setting the corner posts turned out to be the most difficult task for after the corner posts were set, all we needed to do is stretch the wire from post to post. Once a person aligns their life with Christ, that is the most difficult. After receiving Christ, the new work begins which is following His will.
Paul stated he was setting the foundation for others to come and build. Cowboy Church is a foundation laid that has given many people the opportunity to know and serve Christ. The foundation is laid, and others need to come along and build. When Cowboy Church began as a few people meeting. These folks who attended today never dreamed a few people down the road were preparing a place for them to come to Christ and serve Him.
Today there are people today the Lord is preparing to place in your path. When I went off to college, I never dreamed I would find my wife there. When I began team roping I never dreamed to use that hobby as a tool for ministry. When I began my seminary career, I never dreamed I would be pastoring several Cowboy Churches. We lay many foundations which the Lord sends people to build upon.
There are ministries beginning today where the Lord is setting a foundation waiting for you to come and build. This is the hope we share in Christ. Jesus said he goes to prepare an eternal place for us (John 14:3), but He is also preparing a ministry for us. The foundation of Cowboy Church is waiting for others to come and build. There are opportunities for people to serve and become leaders that would otherwise never have the chance.
Paul also said to “take heed.” This word simply means to “watch out for” or “start to do and hesitate.” The word has an additional meaning “to have insight.” As we build occasionally we have to stop and observe, look where the confusion is, find out what is not clear. A friend of mine told me one time as a new church is being planted, try to change something about every six months. No one knows what a church is going to look like one, three or five years down the road. Each congregation will have different needs, ministries and passions. Keep people in a state of mind that change will be necessary.
In our personal lives, as we build on our foundation of faith and are given different areas to serve, we stop and hesitate, seek insight from the Lord of what areas are the most important that need to be addressed. If you are leading a Bible study or prayer group, observe what people are saying and what they are getting out of each meeting. Has the group turned into a gripe or gossip session? Are the members truly getting some spiritual benefit from the group? Don’t be short sighted to think that everything will work out, for God is telling us to be careful how build on a foundation that has been laid.
Once a person accepts Christ, many people walk away from a foundation ready to be built upon. Take a drive out into the country, you will find many structures that someone started and never completed. A friend of mine bought a new home on a lake not far from Fort Worth, and next door to his lake house is a home that is framed only. A person can see the studs, joists and rafters completely exposed. The house appears it has been started many years ago. This home was someone’s dream, a promise of a new tomorrow. What happened as the structure fell to the wayside? Many peoples ‘ spiritual lives are the same way.
People notice a work that has begun, but there is no spiritual fruit being produced in that life. Growing in Christ involves getting to know the Savior, spending time with Him and listening to what passions He stirs in your hearts. Many people have unique gifts and abilities and they are searching how to use those gifts for the Lord. Talk to your pastor about areas where these skills can be used.
Prepare to Build
Before God awards a construction contract, he doesn’t choose the lowest bidder. God will choose the bidder who paid the highest cost.
2 Timothy 2:15-16
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
When we present ourselves to God, we can only come to Him if we have accepted His son as our master, and believed that He died for our sins. Once we get on God’s list of approved contractors, we can not use the excuse of not being qualified. However, to be awarded a Christ contract, we must know the building code. The Bible is our building code. To be an approved worker the building code must be part of our life. We are not to get involved with gossip about the other contractors, both the approved and unapproved ones. How easy it is for us to criticize others work, and point out the flaws. When questions arise, while we are on the job, we can always (and should always) turn to the building code.
When I was in college in Stephenville, Texas, I worked on a construction crew of three with a man named Jack Ward. He was the PRCA world champion bareback rider in 1977 and 1978, and I worked with him starting in 1984. Jack always had stories that kept us in stitches from his rodeo days. The one thing about Jack Ward is he never had an unkind word to say about anything or anybody, no matter what the situation was. One time the owner of the company gave the three of us a task to do which involved moving a pile of lumber from one location to another. The other worker (not Jack) and I thought it was a useless task and we were talking about how wrong the owner was. I heard some wood being moved around, and I looked and there was Jack, a two time world champion bareback rider, picking up some scrap wood and moving it, as the boss directed. I immediately became humbled, here I am, a green horn college kid, sharing my infinite wisdom and there Jack is quietly doing what he was asked. I learned a valuable lesson in servanthood and humility that day.
Romans 2:17
18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
How can we approve the excellent tools and building materials if we do not know what is written in the code book? During my career as a house framer, when I framed the walls of a house, the next step involved cutting and hanging rafters. The rafters are those boards that go from the top of the wall to the ridge line on the roof, forming a foundation to which the roof is nailed. Cutting rafters is a math centered job, but thankfully someone wrote a book that gives the exact angle to cut a rafter. Always in a hurry, many times I left the magical book in the truck because I was lazy or in too big a hurry to walk to the truck and get the book. I would start cutting the angle on the rafters based on what I thought the angle should be. I created many piles of scrap lumber trying to figure out the correct angle for the rafter. I used a machine gun approach and did not take careful aim.
So it is in the Christian life. We accumulate many piles of started projects, jobs and ministries, and we approved too many non-excellent things. Before God entrusts us with a major building program, He wants to see a strong effort of reading and studying His word and spending time with Him in prayer. Life is all about the preparation not the presentation. It’s about the aim and not the shot. Let’s look at a football team. If the team did not practice during the week, the presentation on Sunday would be a disaster. If I did not prepare during the week, when church time came, I could not correctly preach the word of God. If we say to ourselves, I will really start studying the Bible and praying whenever God gives me the opportunity to preach or teach, we are not taking aim, but showing motivation.
Jesus said
A Foundation Laid, and A Worker Out of The Clear Blue
Matthew 9:37 “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Someone planted the field, fertilized and watered, they laid a foundation. Now the field is ready to harvest. Who are the laborers? The ones who know the field manual and have a heart that is aiming to please Christ are the ones sent. Folks who strive to please only the Father are not motivated to give themselves a sense of worth, or make themselves feel good. If our faith is in Christ, we should come to expect out of the blue encounters, because the harvest is ready. The Bible tells us to work hard (Ecclesiastes 9:10), so I am not saying just sit back and do nothing and wait till your answer drops out of the sky. What I am saying, continue with your ministry, your job and the answer will eventually show up. Jesus promised us that whatever we ask according to His will, He will provide (John 15:7). The Bible is full of examples like Matthew, people living their daily lives and BOOM, all of a sudden, their lives take a different course for the glory of God and the betterment of them.
David is an example of this. On a normal routine day while David worked tending sheep, Samuel came calling at his daddy’s house. Samuel listened to the Lord and tried to determine who is going to replace Saul as the king of Israel. After Samuel looked at all the sons of Jesse, Samuel asks if he has any other sons. Jesse replied his youngest son (David) was out keeping the sheep (1 Samuel 16). The moment Samuel saw David (out of the clear blue), the Lord said “this is the one, anoint him.” David did not wake up that day expecting to become king of Israel. David had no idea the plans God prepared for him that day. You don’t know who the Lord is speaking to that will change the course of your life. Do what the Lord has laid before you each day, give it your all and wait expectantly.
Noah is another example whom God chose on a particular normal ordinary day. Noah was going about his daily business when suddenly God spoke to him, Genesis 6:13-14
“The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark.”
Why did God choose Noah? Because according to Genesis 6:8, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. If you have accepted Christ as your savior, you have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. With this grace, you have every reason to expect God will shock and awe you some day. There are countless successful people (not just financially) who can name a specific time, event, or place where their lives took a dramatic change. Don’t just imagine this great change, expect it.
One of my heroes of the team roping world is a man named Jake Barnes. He has won several world championship team ropings and consistently places in the list of the best. Here is how Jake became a world champion team roper:
“I lived with Leo, and I learned so much. We had a practice schedule. He had a routine, where he got up at 6, fed the horses, cleaned the stalls, jogged, and by 10 we were out there practicing. After learning so much from those guys right there at the start, I started setting goals. When Clay and I roped in 1985, we set our goal to win a world championship. Clay and I had 30 steers at a guy’s arena, we had practice horses and we roped 100 steers a day, every day, just like clockwork. ”
Jake’s success didn’t just happen out of the blue, he worked and worked until he became a winner. However, Jake meeting Leo and Clay was not something he just orchestrated himself. These were chance encounters which is how many successful people develop that chance relationship that takes them to higher ground. The keys to success is simply, prepare, aim, practice, get the little details right, work hard and trust the Lord.
What If You Don’t Get The God Contract?
When bidding jobs, sometimes you get the contract and sometimes you don’t. Missing a contract usually boils down to two things; price and experience. In God’s kingdom, price is how much we are willing to pay to discover His riches. Jesus said for us to have the life He wants to give us, we must give up the life we are trying to control. Matthew is a great picture of paying a great price. He left a cush job, for no other reason but to follow Jesus. There is a high price of following Jesus, that price involves the surrendering of our will to His. In God’s economy, money is the least valuable and sharing the gospel is the most valuable.
Luke 16:11
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Most jobs that are awarded through a bidding process require a bond to be paid. This bond ensures the person has adequate financial resources showing he is a good money manager, and it also ensures the completion of the project. If you are broke and have not done a good job with the most basic things of business, why would someone award you a big job contract? They wont!
Obviously, Matthew was a man who knew how to take care of money. The Roman government trusted him enough to take care of their money because Matthew was faithful in the little things of money, Christ could trust him with the gospel.
Jesus is telling us in 16:11 that money is nothing more than a tangible test. Money is something that we see and experience physically. Money is also the one thing most people show the most concern over. Studies have shown 80% of divorce battles are over money. People want their money. Unrighteous means if you focus on money, you will get no where with God. It does not put you in right standing with God.
One time a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to become a disciple of Christ. Jesus said sell everything, give it to the poor and come follow me (Matthew 19:21). The young man walked away sad. His primary focus involved money and Jesus knew that. Because he chose to focus on money, he did not have right standing with God. Jesus said if we are not faithful with the unimportant things as money, how can we be entrusted with the gospel (the true riches). Here is a story to give you something to chew on:
At a church meeting a very wealthy man rose to tell the rest of those present about his Christian faith. "I’m a millionaire," he said, "and I attribute it all to the rich blessings of God in my life. I remember that turning point in my faith. I had just earned my first dollar and I went to a church meeting that night. The speaker was a missionary who told about his work. I knew that I only had a dollar bill and had to either give it all to God’s work or nothing at all. So at that moment I decided to give my whole dollar to God. I believe that God blessed that decision, and that is why I am a rich man today."
He finished and there was an awed silence at his testimony as he moved toward his seat. As he sat down a little old lady sitting in the same pew leaned over and said to him: "I dare you to do it again."
Putting up the Bond
Ever seen the bumper sticker, “Honk if you love Jesus?” Then there is the other bumper sticker “Tithe if you love Jesus, any idiot can honk!” Jesus gives us a little money to see if we will truly trust Him, but so many times we fail. Today society is very materialistic. The television constantly tells us about the things we need to be truly happy. The fact is we love our money. We can talk about God all day, but to gauge the spiritual barometer of a Christian, examine your check book. If we say we trust God with our lives, but don’t trust Him with our money, what does that say about us?
My dad taught me at a very early age to tithe to the church. Every Sunday dad would give me an envelope and have me put fifty cents in the envelope to give during the offering. Dad would always ask me if I had my tithe on the way to church. When our church started to use pre printed tithing envelopes with your name and address printed on them, I received a box every three months. I was elated, I felt like I was important, quite an impression on a kid when he says name printed.
The Old Testament speaks very clearly to give God the first fruits of our labor and tithe 10%. The word tithe actually means 10%. When Jacob had a vision into heaven that involved a ladder his commitment became real. Notice what the first vow Jacob (Israel) made to God:
Genesis 28:20-22
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
The Jews understood tithing, a tenth was paid to the Levites for their support (Le 27:30–33): a tenth paid by the Levites to the priests (Nu 18:21–28): a second tenth paid by the people for the entertainment of the Levites, and their own families, at the tabernacle (De 12:17-18): another tithe every third year for the poor, &c. (De 14:28, 29). Tithing in the Old Testament is the same as in the New Testament, it’s not about forced giving, but about worship.
The zeal of some who tithed even their spices was noted by Jesus, who criticized these people for also neglecting more important religious and ethical demands (Matt. 23:23). However, He did not condemn such tithing practices:
Matthew 23:23
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
So is tithing important? We cannot serve God and money, but we can serve God with our money. Matthew and Luke both speak of this account with Jesus and the religious people, showing the hypocrisy of giving to God yet taking from others.
Are we allowed to test God? The only time God says in the Bible to test him is with our tithes and offerings in Malachi 3:8-10
Robbers
If you don’t receive the God contract, perhaps you have been robbing God? Let’s take a look at a familiar tithing passage in the Old Testament Malachi 3:8-10. I feel this is such a clear and important passage and will make a few points on each paragraph.
8 “Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
The old cowboy movies often show the bad guys riding into a town with a weak sheriff and robbing the bank. On the hand, few ever attempted to rob Fort Knox, where all the real gold was kept.
The mechanic that works on my truck has a box of snacks in his shop. You pay according to the honor system. Meaning, when you take a snack, you put money in the box to pay for the snack. God works on the honor system too. However, he places the snacks in our hands and leaves the giving entirely up to us. When we don’t recognize all that we have comes from Him, we are robbing him. Theft is a crime; the law says we are not supposed to take things that are not ours. I think the Old Testament is giving some straight forward principles on where we should start giving back to God, to demonstrate our obedience and loyalty to Him. The first and easiest place to start is the first 10%.
9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
The effect of the curse, in relation to the rain, means drought, barrenness and scarcity of food. Does this sound like your walk with Christ? Perhaps it is so because you have not trusted Him with everything. Who does God say is cursed? The whole nation does. God no longer calls them God’s people, or His people. As a population, we can experience times of plenty and times of want, but the times of plenty will always be lacking if we are not one God’s children. Likewise, if we are one of God’s children, by accepting His gift of Christ, we can go through times of want and still feel like we have plenty because we know God is watching out for us and wants to provide for us.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
The storehouse was rooms set aside in the temple to store the offerings. Tithing shows you rejoice with the movement of God in your church. If God is not moving in your church, why do you attend if you can’t support it. There is a passage in Nehemiah 12:44 that talks about a time when the Israelites had to have workers to help with all the tithes and offerings coming in to the temple. Why were there so much given, when the temple was being rebuilt and the Israelites were returning to Jerusalem? The end of verse 44 says “for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered.” The people were rejoicing over what was going on at the house of God, the church. This is another example of how the ole pocket book is a barometer of your Christian faith.
God said to test Him or try Him. The only other time I see God saying this is when Jesus told Thomas to touch His hands and His side (John 20:27). What a wonderful thing for the keeper of the bank to say? We all rejoice when we go to the bank and deposit the money in our savings account, because the bank says, “try me, put your money in here and I will pay you back 4%.” God is not saying 4%. He is saying the windows of heaven. God gives a wonderful word picture of what he means. In Genesis 7:11 it speaks of the great flood during Noah’s time and the “windows of heaven were opened.” The windows were opened and the earth was completely flooded.
I was looking at a large cattle operation one time and was speaking with a friend of mine about some profit figures. My friend called his uncle who had been a rancher all his life and asked him how much money my proposed cattle plan would make. The rancher replied, “It depends on how much rain you get.” Rain and blessings go hand in hand with a rancher. The rain will determine how much grass is available and how much it will cost to feed your cattle.
God is saying He will bless us so much, there will not be room enough to receive it. Similar to the flood during Noah, the earth did not have room enough to contain all the water. So is God speaking of just material blessings? I think that is part of it. As Jesus said, money is the small potatoes, living in the kingdom of God with His forgiveness and peace is the enchilada.
Do you still believe tithing is an Old Testament thing and Jesus did away with tithing and the law? The law of payment for our sin has been fulfilled in Christ. The law said don’t murder. Jesus said if you are angry at a brother you have committed murder. The law says to not commit adultery. Jesus said if you look at a woman with lust, you have committed adultery. Jesus took the standards of the Old Testament and elevated them to a higher degree. If the Old Testament calls for a tenth, Jesus told the rich young ruler 100%. That is not a command for us, but the principal remains. Tithing should be well over 10%. Here are a few reasons we should be concerned about our tithe;
1. We have a much greater obligation for our excess wealth and luxuries, compared to the Jews of the Old Testament
2. We are in at least as much danger of envy as were.
3. We are much more in the practice of luxury and superfluity than they.
4. We are more distinctly called to a voluntary choice of (comparative) poverty than they (Matt. 13:22; 19:23; 1 Tim. 6:6–10).
5. There is more need of abundant offerings now than then, because we have all the world to evangelize, instead of a single temple with its services to maintain.
6. Our giving should be more ample, just because it is left to the holy impulse of faith and love. God has refrained from demanding a tenth in order that we might freely give—more (Mal. 3:10; Matt. 26:13; Acts 2:45; 20:35; Philem. 19,
Being self employed I can give testimony that while putting myself through seminary and running a business and supporting a family all on one income is that you can never out give God, period. Take it from a professional broke person, there have been many times our checking account dwindled, but I can honestly say, God always came through because we were always faithful with our tithes and offerings. Almost every one of my business deals came out of the clear blue sky, a direct gift from God.
I know how hard that check is to write, but the pen is where the rubber hits the road. There were even times where I asked the Lord for some of the money back because I felt I needed it at the time. God always came through, and there is a blessing in being able to go to God with boldness and a clear conscious that I had been faithful with my money. I am a testimony to Luke 16:11, I was faithful with the little thing of money, now I have been entrusted with the greatest of all riches, sharing Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world. Here is a story of a man who could not afford to tithe:
A church member was having trouble with the concept of tithing. One day he revealed his doubts to his minister: "Pastor, I just don’t see how I can give 10 percent of my income to the church when I can’t even keep on top of our bills."
The pastor replied, "John, if I promise to make up the difference in your bills if you should fall short, do you think you could try tithing for just one month?"
After a moment’s pause, John responded, "Sure, if you promise to make up any shortage, I guess I could try tithing for one month."
"Now, what do you think of that," mused the pastor. "You say you’d be willing to put your trust in a mere man like myself, who possesses so little materially, but you couldn’t trust your Heavenly Father who owns the whole universe!" The next Sunday, John gave his tithe, and has been doing so faithfully ever since.
If a man came up to you and made the same deal, many of us wouldn’t think twice about tithing, because we have the assurance of man backing us up. How much greater, having the assurance of Almighty God who owns all things, backing us up. The bottom line, if we aren’t tithing were really not trusting God. Interesting the idea of tithing all came from the story of Matthew the tax collector, whose life revolved around money.
Let me make a deal with you, tithe to God 10% of your income at your local church, do it for three months and see if there is a difference in your budget or lack of difference in your budget. Take God at his word in Malachi 3:10. I am too scared not to tithe, I know God will extract the amount I should be given from my hands one way or the other. You might have unexpected car repairs or other bills, but this is God’s way of letting you know it’s not yours.
Manage the Job Site
Luke 16:12
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
Life is about perspective. Either we are looking up from below, or looking down from up high. Who truly is the owner of your life, job, family and money? Do you actually live under an allusion that it all came from you? God has given you the mind to think with, the hands to earn your keep and your heart to love Him. When you rent a car and you intentionally drive the dog out of that car, why should God give you a car if you showed no respect or concern for another mans property? When we finally understand God owns all things and we are nothing but stewards or managers of that property, this begins true freedom.
We need to realize that God simply gives us our stuff to be a manager. If you worked at a bank you couldn’t imagine taking a $20 bill out of the drawer each day right before lunch. If some one gave you a job to manage cattle, you wouldn’t take a couple of cows to the sell barn every Friday and keep the proceeds. Somehow we have got it in our mind, our stuff is our stuff and we fight and sue to keep our stuff. Let it go. We are here to manage our resources to advance the kingdom of God. If we lose our money, so what! Go earn some more. There is no reason why God could not unload a dump truck full of money on your front porch, unless He knew it would hinder your walk with Christ.
Conclusion
Out of the clear blue sky, Matthew could relate to that statement. Sitting in his tax booth one day, serving the creator of the universe the next. Jesus laid the foundation, knowing He is ready to hire some contractors to build upon it. What will your bid sheet look like? Will there be examples of how you have been faithful in the little things that will prepare you for the big things? What price have you paid and what experience do you bring to the table? Have you stayed away from gossip and slandering other people? As you prepare to build? Make sure you know what is in the building code, and refer to it daily. If you get in a hurry, or become lazy and not refer to the code book often, it will result in a lot wasted energy and material.
When you go to put up a bond, the bond broker is going to look at your experience and financial resources to ensure that you have been a good manager. Be prepared to pay some cold hard cash to show the bond broker you mean business, and have a true desire to please the architect that has drawn the blueprints. Remember you are only managing a construction site. Treat everyone fair and honestly. Make sure when the architect inspects your work, it conforms to code. And finally, remember Matthew, life can change in an instant, and many times it is out of the clear blue sky.
Still have questions about tithing after studying about the money man Matthew? Here is an email I received from a gentleman named Jim about his personal life of being a tithing, committed Christ follower.
“About 3 years ago I lost my job. My family and I had just moved here and bought our first house. We were really unsure about what to do. We prayed a lot and did not worry because I knew God would provide for us. We maintained our tithe more faithfully than ever before during this time. We even tithed on our unemployment check, which was tough because you only receive $250 a week, but we wrote out the check for $25 each week. Finally I had a job offer, which was going to be a great paying job, only problem was that it was to work for a casino. I could not in good conscience work for a casino and profess to be a Christian. We turned down that job. When we were at our last bit of savings, the Lord provided me with the job I currently have.”
Jim had the confidence and the boldness to turn down a job, that he knew was not right for him. He also did not get mad at God for his unemployment. Jim kept his trust in the Lord, remaining faithful in the little bit that he had, and in the nick of time, God provided. I hear these stories over and over, and they are similar to my own. Remember ole Mathew, the tax collector who got off his levis to become a wrangler for Jesus.
