Same old, same old. Need a bus ticket out of town, no one will help, not even the churches. Need just a few dollars for a hotel room for the night.
As she was speaking though, I made a note of looking her straight in the eyes. and a weird thing happened. She almost recoiled when I met her gaze and she swallowed hard, but she powered through her speech.
How do I know she was lying? Well, common sense for one. Most people who would go to complete strangers and ask for money, are the people who most likely don't need it.
The other way I knew? I don't care if you find this crazy, but I could just FEEL it. Why do you think people want you to "look at my eyes" when they think you're telling a lie? It really is a doorway to the soul. I can't explain it, I cant prove it... but I just KNEW she was lying.
Well, I dont keep much cash on me anyway, so I gave her some dimes I had lying around. I actually kinda found it insulting, but I wasn't going to give her anything else. Call me cold and calloused.
After she left, a unique thought crossed my mind. How is she any different then the plate thats passed on Sunday Morning? Now hold on, before you stone me, Im not saying that all churches are lying to you and just want your money. Not all churches are lying to you.
Not all.
But you'd be surprised at how many.
Its all about the money: the Almighty Dollar, and not the Almighty God.
It scared me when the thought hit me, that some pastors are like that lady. They carefully prepare their speech each Sunday, then lie to your face and tell you what you want to hear so you'll throw in your money.
Now, I know. A church needs money to operate. We as Christians are supposed to give tithes and offerings.
But a church should not have to pander to its people for their money.
The people are complacent and the pastors are willing to pander to that as long as they keep putting their weekly offerings into the collection plate.
The churches who have to get more and more people in the door (sometimes by any means necessary) are usually the ones who suffer from this. While they may have a lot of people warming their pews and a lot of people giving their cash, they are essentially dead.
Im not saying all big churches are this way, but the majority are. Theres a handful of people who want to do right and they try. But theres hundreds, maybe thousands that sit on their pews and do nothing. and the pastor doesn't challenge that. Because he's afraid of losing their "contributions".
On a related note: Why does the pastor have to drive a Bentley and have 300 suits and ties? Im all for looking nice...but come on. Someone has to see through these people!
What can we do about this? Should we all leave the big churches and only join small country churches? well, no, because small churches can suffer from this too, on a smaller scale. Sometimes it can be harder for the small church because if one person stops giving, that could cause the doors to close.
We should just focus on preaching to word. Let God worry about the money. Either he can supply or He cant. Which is it?
Do you rely on man's money to keep God's work going? or do you rely on GOD to keep His work going?
And how can you tell if someone is just pandering to you to get your money? Trust me, just like that lady in the parking lot, you will know the fake when you look for it. If you're comfortable and not being challenged while you sit in your pew, chances are something isn't right.
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