Eagle Brook Church Blog

Wonderfully Significant

Hey WB folks.  It’s an interesting week here in our church.  Through our “Not Without You” campaign, we’ve carried through on a significant run, celebrating what God has done in our church, pumping up the vision of reaching more people for Christ and tackling difficult questions about why we build buildings, use flat-screen tv’s and use the multi-site strategy.  I hope it’s been enlightening, challenging and inspiring for you. 

Many of you have been faithfully working through the daily readings in your Journey Guide.  I love when I hear stories of small groups taking on this material and wrestling with the content.  The readings have been challenging and timely for me and my personal thinking through this campaign.

This morning I read a text that grabbed my attention.  I was reading in Mk 14:3-9 where the woman pours her perfume on the head of Jesus.  The disciples think this is a waste of money, but Jesus assures them it’s OK and, in the Message, he says this in verse 6 – “Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me.”  I love this line…”she has done something wonderfully significant for me.”  It’s had me thinking…what can I do that would be “wonderfully significant” today for Jesus.  What can I do in my life that would be “wonderfully  significant” for Jesus and what can our site do that would be “wonderfully significant”?

As you take these last couple of days to pray about, discuss and make a decision about your commitment to this campaign, here’s a couple things I’d encourage you to consider.

1. Allow this process to be a heart process.  I think we’d all admit that the way we handle our money tells a lot about who we really are.  While the amount you commit to this campaign is significant, I think, what’s more significant is what God is doing in your heart about generosity, releasing what He gave to us in the first place, and our growth in faith.  In other words, God can and will use a financial decision to shape our heart.  In my opinion, what’s more important than giving to a church, is what’s going on in our hearts as followers of His.
2. Look at it as an opportunity to do something “wonderfully significant” for Jesus.  Giving should be a spiritual decision.  I believe, funding a church is a great thing, as a matter of fact, it’s the “hope of the world” as Hybels says; but, I believe it’s about giving money to God.  The church happens to be the recipient and the vessel we trust, but ultimately, we’re giving the money to God.  Why?  Because we want to do something “wonderfully significant” for Him.  We can do this in many other ways…and should, but releasing our funds to Him is a great way to worship our Creator, show gratefulness for the many blessings in our lives and make an impact on a world that is growing in its darkness-factor, all at the same time. 

Let’s admit it, attaining our campaign goal this weekend would be a great cause for celebration.  But I honestly believe, having a church full of hearts that are fully yielded to Jesus, looking to do something wonderfully significant for Him is really the ultimate goal here.

I pray for you all regularly and look forward to what God has in store for us.