Sell your baked goods and follow me.

    

 I once heard George Faull say, "Congregations that have Teas, Ice Cream Socials, and Chicken Suppers are as week as the tea, as cold as the ice cream, and as dead as the chicken."  LOL, I love it!  The humor is in the truth.  Just because a congregation is thriving according to the world's standards (filling pews) doesn't mean they are thriving by God's standards (making disciples).

     Jesus often told people to sell their things.  Mt 19:21; Lk 12:33 He did not mean bake sales.  He was referring to the condition of the heart.  Selling the things they owned insured they valued a relationship with Jesus over what  they had and could carry with them.  Bake sales were not in God's plan for the church!

     God always supports His teachers with tithes.  1Co 9:13,14  Preachers are to live form the gospel, not the world's money.  2Co 9:7 was for the members of the church, not to those shopping for used clothes in the church.  God has always supported the building of His meeting places with free will offerings not the world's money.  Ex 25:2    God has never used fundraising schemes to raise money for His purposes.  The church to do so today is denying His sovereignty.  You might as well substitute sprinkling for immersion!

     Mt 10:8 says "freely give" not freely sell.  We're to give out of our abundance not sell out of our abundance.  Fundraising is counterproductive.  It makes the church's financing from great purchases not sacrificial gifts!  The church's financing comes from happy buyers not cheerful givers!  The church should be known in the community as something to give not something to sell!  Once a bean supper, or any other fundraiser, is used it will become the chief method of financing the church.

     Money that has been brought in from fundraisers is not from those who "first gave themselves" 2Co 8:4,5 it is from those that "first gave their money."  Take notice that when money is earned from a fundraiser those who raised the money are glorified more than God.  This praise of men puffs up the volunteers with pride.

     Giving is an act of worship.  Heb 13:16  Fundraising is not sacrificing.  They are often marked with greed.  Instead of a sweet smelling sacrifice of $50 we present a stench in the nostrils of $500 to the Lord!  Be honest, is God more glorified with something that is built over time with the free will offerings of His people or something that is built quickly with the money of the world through fundraising?  Scriptures say God wants my "firstfruits" not the leftovers from a church yard sale!  Pr 3:9

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Hear The Word-  Rom 10:17; Acts 4:4

We Must Believe or Have Faith-  Heb 11:6; Acts 16:31

We Must Repent-  Lk 13:3; Acts 17:30

We Must Confess Christ Before Others-  Mt 10:32; Acts 8:37

We Must Be Immersed Into Christ (Baptized)-  1Pe 3:21; Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38  

We Must Remain Faithful-  Rev 2:10; Acts 14:22