[First written in June 2011]
[At a small group one time] we were talking about how Christian discipleship is not obligation but rather opportunity. By this I don’t mean, “You shouldn’t see this demand we’re placing on you as an obligation but as an opportunity.” Instead, I mean that Christian service should never be demanded, never coerced.
As an example, many churches teach “tithing,” an obligatory giving of 10%. I believe that this teaching actually displeases God because it prevents him from getting what he wants. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that “God loves a cheerful giver.” When people approach giving as an obligation, they are not doing it with a free, cheerful heart but because they have to. God demands 10% and if you want to keep him off your back, you’d better cough up.
But imagine giving as true partnership with God. Imagine giving as an expression of ownership in the kingdom of heaven. People will spend large amounts of money on their house, or on “cherrying out” their car or some other physical object. They do that because they have a sense of ownership of that object — it expresses part of who they feel themselves to be.
But if you have a sense of ownership of the kingdom of heaven, you will treat it like your house or your car and pour yourself into it. And the great thing, of course, is that it lasts a lot longer.
Discipleship is all about ownership. So as leaders our job is to help people gain a sense of ownership regarding the kingdom of God. This means helping people see that they don’t have to do anything for God. But they can do anything with him! Make God your thing and you will be astounded where you wind up.