Be An Investor

Once upon a time there was a man who decided to head out on a long trip. He couldn’t take all of his possessions with him, so he called together his servants and divided up his money in varying amounts, entrusting each of them with what he owned. The servants each had their own idea of what their master meant when he ‘entrusted’ his money to them and so they each did different things with it. The first servant invested his money and received twice as much back. The second servant continued to work and earned his master more money on top of what he was given. The third servant, on the other hand, dug a hole and hid the money. A long while later, their master returned and asked them to give an account of how they had used the money. They each shared what they had done after he had left on his journey. The master responded in abounding gratitude to the first two servants – calling them “good and faithful”. The last servant, the one who dug the hole, was called “wicked and lazy” for his lack of investment in what he was entrusted with, and he was sent out of his master’s presence.

Do you recognize this story yet? Any bells ringing? Let me give you a hint – you can find this story, as told by Jesus, in Matthew 25. Now, with all parables, there is always more to the story than meets the eye. A lot of people speculate the hidden meaning behind the ‘money’. The largest claim is that it represents gifts and abilities are given to us by God. Whether or not it is specifically the gifts that Jesus is talking about here, the overarching theme is stewardship. Stewardship in the Kingdom of God means that whatever God gives us, we cannot waste it. The first two men in the story do something with the money. They have something to show for their time . . . their master saw their investment and was grateful for them and proud of what they made on top of what they were given. The last man, on the other hand, was punished for his lack of investment. Whatever it is, life, gifts, resources, position, or time, we must ask ourselves the question: am I being an investor?

During this COVID-19 time of at-home isolation, investing and stewardship look a little bit different. You know as well as I that these things can jump in line with the rest of things that look different right now! However different life might look, the call to stewardship remains the same. God’s word is unchanging and meant for such a time as this. You heard me right – such a time as THIS! It can be applied to all circumstances. When God says to be joyful, He means when times are good and he means it just the same when times are bad. The same goes for stewardship. Although it might look a bit different, never be the like the man who hid his money. Your intentional investment should still be there, rain or shine.

Something that has seen significant change in these days are our churches. There have been a ton of reminders going out to Christians to help us remember the original intention of ‘church’: “Church is not just a building. Church is the people!” Therefore, church can’t ever really be cancelled or put on hold. The church is Christians following Jesus’ command to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” Church is and has always been believers coming together to meet, investing in one another and then investing in our communities and intentionally sharing Jesus in whatever way we can. Knowing what church truly looks like, let me ask you this question then: Have you been ‘going’ to church? Not just showing up to your online service on Sunday morning, but being an intentional investor in what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

From the very start of ‘the church’ as a group, each member was generous with one another and didn’t claim their possessions as his own. Instead, they shared everything with each other so that no one would be in need. Yes, I said ‘everything’! In Acts 5, a couple named Annanias and Sapphira are a part of the Christian community and, just like everyone else are benefiting from the extreme generosity going around. They, however, are not willing to sacrifice and invest to do their part in the community. Annanias and Sapphira sell a field and don’t give all the money up, they only give a portion of it and greedily keep the rest. They want to benefit off the generosity of the rest of the community, without having to do as much on their end. They were consumers. This kind of half-hearted motivation not only dishonored the rest of the body of Christ, but, like Peter said to them when he found out they were lying: “you have sinned against the Lord” (Acts 5:4). Annanias and Sapphira’s story is more than a call to tell the truth (although it is a call to do that . . . I mean, look what happened to them!). Their story reminds us to be generous people, just as our God is generous. To recognize greed and consumerism in our lives and to step into the call to be an investor – at all times and no matter the circumstances. It’s time to take an evaluation of you – a person who makes up the church. Right now, are you being a consumer or an investor in your church community?

Whether your answer was a confident “yes”, an unsure and questionable “yes”, or a definite “no”, I am sure we are all asking what it looks like to be an investor in our church community right now . . . when we can’t be near each other or even meet on a Sunday morning. How do you invest in something like that? Let me give a few ideas . . .

First, investors are generous people. This includes both generosity with resources but also with time. There are seasons where we feel that we don’t have enough of either time or resources. Again, God doesn’t say give when you feel comfortable or when you have enough, but to give out of our wealth or our poverty. To give everything we have to the Lord, just like the widow’s generosity with her coins (Mark 12). In the midst of trial and scarcity – give. Give of your resources, as inspired and prompted by the Holy Spirit. And also, give of your time. Our time is precious and something we hold dear. But, are you using your time to honor God and to bless your community? The church in Acts gathered DAILY for fellowship. Being a generous investor of your time means to participate in the church community through serving and ministering to one another. As we physical distance, this looks different, but the call is the same: have daily fellowship with one another. This is where technology has been such a gift. Some ideas include ‘text praying’ for someone, having a zoom coffee check in, doing a Bible app devotion study together, or engaging in your normal small group or Bible study time online. Be a generous investor with your resources and with your time in daily fellowship.

Secondly, we can be an investor in our community by praying. Pray for your church, new believers to come to faith in Jesus, and pray specific prayers for the people around you. It is a blessing to be able to lift each other up in prayer. To bring those near and dear to us before the God of the Universe is an absolute privilege! The apostle Paul talks about how he prays for the Saints and the ministry that they are doing in the name of Jesus. In this time, as in all times, let’s not forget to invest in each other by praying.

Lastly, we can be investors in our community through our own personal relationships with Jesus. Our own personal, daily walks with God are not just for ourselves, but they are for those around us. “What does that mean? I thought my salvation is my own!” Don’t worry, it is! When we spend time with God, He molds us and changes us to be like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Becoming like Jesus is going to have a positive affect on our relationships with one another. We see this in Acts with Peter! His relationship with Jesus, his knowledge of the Scriptures and the familiarity that he had with the voice of the Holy Spirit was what God used to bring thousands of people to Himself. When we pursue God in our personal walks it is an investment in our greater church community as we point others to Him.

When we go through difficult seasons of life, there is a tendency to withdraw from other people; making sure everyone stays at arms length so that we can deal with whatever is going on personally with the intention to head on back once the sky has cleared. It’s really difficult in these seasons to choose to lean in to community and to be intentional and invest in others. But, once you have answered whether or not you’re consuming or investing in your community, you can move forward unashamed and with the help and strength of the Holy Spirit, to do (or continue to do) what God has asked us all to do. God has given you your specific community and placed you in your particular context for such a time as this. Are you going to take this opportunity, grab a shovel and head out to the country to dig your hole? Or are you going to do what God always asks us to do and be an intentional investor?

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Written by: Justine Joy