When Billy met Sandy

One day, Billy met Sandy.  They fell in love and decided to get married.  Billy had a good job working at the hardware store.  Sandy was a waitress at the local diner.  They saved their money and were able to buy a house.  Nothing too fancy, mind you, but it suited their needs.  Eventually, Billy and Sandy had a baby boy, and they decide that Sandy should quit her job at the diner to raise their son.  Billy finds a part time job to help with the family income.  Eventually, Billy and Sandy have two more children, and Sandy stays at home to raise her children.  Billy doesn’t mind.  His wife is content, the children are loved, and he has been able to save a little money over the years.

Throughout his high school years, Aaron, the oldest boy, never seemed to have enough money to do the things he wanted.  Often, he would complain to his mother that he could not do what his friends were doing, or he didn’t have the things his friends did.  So Sandy would give him a little cash to tide him over.  That way he would not feel left out among his friends.  Billy thought he should find a part time job somewhere.  It would help him develop a good “work ethic.”  But Aaron talked about school commitments and other activities that took too much of his time.  He just didn’t think he could balance his time by working 10 hours a week.  Still, Billy felt the boy needed to work somewhere.

This went on for quite some time; Aaron not working, but always needing money.  And Sandy continued to slip him some extra money every now and then.

Eventually, Sandy’s household finances began to run thin, so she talked with Billy about how they were not able to make ends meet.  She just didn’t have enough money to keep them financially secure.  Concerned, Billy approached his boss one day and asks for a raise.  “Things are really tight at home”, he says.  Things were really tight at the business as well, but Billy’s boss was able to give him a little raise.  However, in order to keep the business profitable, the boss needed to raise some of his prices.

At home, Aaron complains to his mother that prices keep going up everywhere.  He complains about greedy businessmen who just want to get rich.  Sandy starts giving him more money so he isn’t so poor.  However, by doing this, household finances begin to run thin.  So she talks to Billy, who talks to his boss, who gives Billy a raise, who then raises his prices, which become too expensive for Aaron, who complains to his mother about greedy businessmen, who then … well, you get the picture.

Aaron was “too busy” to find an entry level job.  He felt someone else should solve his problems in life.  He did not learn how to solve them on his own.

I am not an economics professor, just a minister of the Gospel.  However, in my years of ministry I have learned that helping a person mature in their faith and helping them deepen their walk with the Lord will equip them to deal with trials and testing of their own.  Actually, more people are helped when more people are equipped to help.  This is why I do more harm than good if I teach people to always depend on me.  By keeping them dependent, they will not mature enough to bear fruit.

Jesus says, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8).  A true disciple of Jesus is one who contributes to others, not continuously depends on others.  James talks about a mature faith.  He says that periods of testing produce within us an endurance that creates a perfect and complete faith (James 1:3-4).  The author of Hebrews instructs us to leave the elementary teachings about the Christ, and press on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1).  The point is this: People are saying that the Church in North America is dying.  More and more people do not identify as Christians.  Maybe that is because more and more Christians are remaining immature; not contributing to the life of the Church.  There are fewer disciples laboring and more people spectating; living off the labors of others.  And maybe the problem is not with these immature Christians, but with those in ministry who continue to give and provide, never “training and equipping God’s people to do His work and build up the Church, the Body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

The economy of a nation cannot survive when there are less people supporting the economy than those being supported.  In the same way, a church cannot survive when more people are being supported than those who are contributing to the work of the church.  The Lord expects us to mature in our faith; “measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching” (Ephesians 4:13-14).  This will not measure up to the standard of Christ if we remain as children.  We need to grow up and get to work.