We, as the investor, do absolutely nothing. Yes there is a risk involved as far as potential financial loss; but let me say it again, we do nothing whatsoever to cause or to create the opportunity for those funds to multiply. They do so on their own; or they fail on their own - with no real effort on the part of the investor. It's easy money.
Now, from one perspective, I could see this as an example of how Paul described the growth and maturation of faith. "I planted the seed, watered it, but it was God who gave the growth." Well, I'm looking at this stock market dynamic a bit differently. It was easy money - with no work on the part of the investors.
The 'easy' part was what contributed to the collapse in 2008/2009 of Wall Street. Everyday folks, trusting people, people who acted in good faith - perhaps a bit naive on their part when we look into some of the investment schemes that went belly up in this same time frame (Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme comes to mind) - but for the most part these were/are people who genuinely put their trust, their hopes in the promises of what others could do with their assets - And they they woke up one morning to find it had all disappeared. A painful reality for some folks, many folk, to find that what they had worked so hard for, and put away in hopes that it would work even harder - was in one lightening flash of a moment, gone. With little hopes of regain, recovering, re-creating the portfolio. It was easy money; no real work to be done to earn it; and it was gone.
I'm seeing a real connection within the life of the church congregation and how we feel about the stock market; some may believe I'm reflecting the congregation in which I serve, but as much as I've talked with, listened to, and gleaned information from others - I think this is a present reality for many parts of the church from coast to coast and demographic to demographic.
That reality? We treat evangelism like we treat the stock market.
Churches, congregations, leaders, parishioners understand the idea of evangelism and church growth (numerical at any rate) the same way we understand the stock market. If we contribute to the church funds, if we spend our time, if we invest what we can - then naturally, it's gonna grow; it always has. 'I' don't have to do any real work, I don't have to change, or be changed - I can simply keep living my life as I always wanted to and the church will just grow. (I don't know how, God gives the growth) -
so, is it any wonder, with this understanding of church growth and evangelism (or evangelism and church growth - or ??) feeling as though we could invest anything less than our full selves - the hard work, the long joyous struggle of sharing the gospel - that the church, like the stock market is experiencing a crash: a crash of membership, crash of purpose, a crash of meaning and identity.
It's always been easy - easy membership. Someone else has done it for us; I haven't had to think about what I believe and how it's lived out in the public arena. The gospel gets shared, people join - and 'I' never have to be bothered with the whys and wherefores. It just happened.
Well, we're in an age where we now have to be conscious about how our lives reflect the gospel.
(At this point in writing - the number of directions the next 27 pages could take are vast and numerous - would entertain others' thoughts and perspectives - Blessings.)
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