Surprisingly, being in Washington doesn't involve much conversation about what is going on in government...at least from a budget standpoint. We just keep moving forward even though the government doesn't have money and we aren't sure we are going to get a paycheck.
But as I sat in traffic this week I thought about something. What if...
Part of the struggles of government is how to fund all the entitlements that people expect. The government is just a big cash cow, right? Who is the government by the way? It's us. We the taxpayers. Those of us who make X dollars but only bring home Y dollars after every entity gets their share. By the way, although I don't live in DC I realized this week they are taking out DC taxes from my pay. I learned it is the default when they don't have a specific tax authority specified. Funny, nobody told me that and now I have to try to recover over $700 because PA is going to want that money.
Anyway, back to my thoughts. How did the government end up with this burden that requires all of us to fund it? When I go back to writings about the early church I see that the widows and orphans were to be taken care of by the body of Christ. The poor were to be provided for by the local assembly as they could. All things we in common in the church of Acts. If someone, even another gathering of believers had needs they just sought help from another local assembly.
So what happened? Why are we so far from that today? What if...all those who profess to follow Christ would contribute their tithe to helping those in need? Let's just start in the body of Christ. Do you know a brother or sister who could use your help? Do you fail to give because if it isn't to a 501(c)3 organization who can give you a tax write-off you'll miss the tax benefits? How much wealth could the body of Christ amass to help those in need if we all gave our tithe?
Another element of this ministry by the body is that of accountability. The scripture says if you don't work you don't eat. Could we, if we were in a relationship with a brother or sister in Christ, say to them that they need to contribute their labors somewhere even if we have to be helping them with their finances? I've wondered as I've walked past homeless people in DC...why don't they start giving by picking up the trash in the city rather than just laying under a tree expecting a handout? I'm not being calloused. We all have something to give back. It always makes me feel better about things when I feel that I'm doing something that contributes to the betterment of the world.
Should we just expect the government to be helping people with the needs in their lives? What about helping those who are wounded emotionally and seek drugs to soothe the pain? Does a government handout help them with their pain? Or women who are seeking comfort and love turning to multiple partners and birthing multiple fatherless children? Can we help them not only financially through the church but also emotionally? Can we help them to see how much the Father loves them so that they don't need to try to find it in bed with some other man?
What if...the church were being the church rather than just taking up space on street corners with buildings? What if all the members of local assemblies were contributing their gifts and resources, however meager, to the meeting of needs? I would think we could make an impact in each of our communities that would make headlines. The noise might even be heard around the world. How long are we going to sit back and expect the government to do the loving thing that the church was called to do in the first place?
Want to reduce the deficit we all face? Start by giving what you can, loving who you see and contributing the power of the Spirit to those without. Don't just say "bless you" and go away, but become engaged in their lives. It's messy but I believe it would be exciting to see just what the church could do with the ministry they have given up to the government by default.
What if...
