Our 2020 Vision for a New Family Life Center...

This week, we have been talking about a specific aspect of giving that we have recently entered into at the church where I serve, which involves a Capital Campaign that began this past January to raise two million dollars to build a New Family Life Center. So far this week, we have addressed the potential responses of skepticism, questioning and resistance to the idea of a Capital Campaign by looking at a section of another letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible, called the book of Exodus.

In Exodus 35:4-19, we looked on as the Lord command Moses to take an offering of worship to the Lord that would be used to build what would become known as the tabernacle. In other words, the Lord here was commanded Moses to lead a Capital Campaign to raise the resources necessary to build the tabernacle. We looked on as the Lord  basically said to the Jewish people “whoever is inclined to be generous, let them demonstrate their generosity towards Me by bring an offering of worship that will be used to build a space where people can encounter Me”.

We talked about the reality that the Capital Campaign was not driven by guilt or duty. The Jewish people were not commanded to give to the Capital Campaign. Moses was commanded to lead the Capital Campaign and to cast the vision for the Capital Campaign, but the Jewish people were to give to the Capital Campaign out of an open-handed generosity that was driven by their inclination to respond to the Lord’s generosity by reflecting His generosity.

We also discovered that the Lord was not directing the Jewish people to go somewhere to get the materials to give to the Capital Campaign. Instead, the materials, the resources for the Capital Campaign were already with the Jewish people. The Lord had already provided what was necessary to fully fund the Capital Campaign. The people had what they needed to build the tabernacle.

The Lord called the people who were inclined to be generous with what the Lord had given them to respond to the vision that Moses had cast to create a space where people could encounter the Lord. The question was “how would the Jewish people respond? How many people would be inclined to be generous?” Let’s discover the answer together, beginning in Exodus 35:20:

 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses' presence. ²¹ Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD'S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. ²² Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the LORD. ²³ Every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats' hair and rams' skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. ²⁴ Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the LORD'S contribution; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. ²⁵ All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. ²⁶ All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats' hair. ²⁷ The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; ²⁸ and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. ²⁹ The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the LORD had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the LORD.

Here we see Moses reveal for us how the Jewish people responded to the Capital Campaign to build the tabernacle. Moses explained that everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord’s contribution. What is so interesting is that the phrase “whose heart stirred” here literally means whose heart was lifted up. In addition, the phrase “whose spirit moved” literally means whose spirit made him willing. Also, did you notice that the Capital Campaign was the Lord’s contribution?

You see, the Jewish people’s hearts were lifted toward the Lord when they heard the vision of creating a space where they could encounter the Lord. The spirits of the Jewish people were incited by the concept of a space where they could worship the Lord. As a result, the Jewish people did not simply view the Capital Campaign as a building fund. Instead the Jewish people viewed the Capital Campaign as an act of worship to the Lord that was designed to make much of the Lord.

The Jewish people saw this as a freewill offering. In other words, this was an offering of worship that was voluntarily given over and above their regular worship of the Lord. And as the Jewish people embraced and engaged in the Capital Campaign to build the tabernacle as an act of worship to the Lord, we see the Lord provide the people who would be necessary to build the tabernacle. So let’s meet these people together, beginning in Exodus 35:30:

 Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³¹ "And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; ³² to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, ³³ and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. ³⁴ "He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. ³⁵ "He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs. 36:1 "Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded." ² ¶ Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. ³ They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. ⁴ And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing,

However, as the tabernacle began to take shape the project encountered a major problem. A problem that Moses reveals for us in Exodus 36:5:

 and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform." ⁶ So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, "Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. ⁷ For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

Now wouldn’t that be a great problem to have? “Hey Moses, I really need to you to have a conversation with all the people to stop giving to the Capital Campaign. I mean, Moses, it’s great that the people’s hearts are lifted toward the Lord; it’s great that the people are have been incited to be so generous, but their generosity is getting in the way of us getting our work done. There are too many piles of materials that we will not need to complete the project. So please tell them to stop giving.” 

Moses responded to the situation by commanding the people to stop being generous. Thus, Moses tells us that the people were restrained from bringing any more. Can you imagine what that must have looked like? “But Moses, I want to be generous. What do you mean I can’t give to the project? I want to be a part of creating space where we can encounter the Lord”.  Wouldn’t that be a great problem to have?

Now you might find the whole idea of building a new Family Life Center at the cost of two million dollars as overwhelming. And if I was able to have a conversation in the courtyard coffeehouse with those of you whose immediate reaction to the concept of a capital campaign was one of being overwhelmed, here would be my response:

“Yes two million dollars is a lot of money. Two million dollars is a large number to wrap our minds around. So let me try to help us do that. Did you know that if 200 hundred people gave 300 dollars a month for three years, we would end up with $2,160,000.00? Or did you know that our annual budget is $460,000? Let’s just say for the sake of this conversation that we are average, which I do not think we are, by the way. The average American Christian gives 2.5% of their income. What would happen if we stopped being average for three years and gave 10%? In that scenario, in three years, we would raise $1,800.00 over and above our regular giving.

You see, I believe that it is in this section of this letter that we see several timeless principles when it comes to our participation in the Capital Campaign to build a new Family Life Center. Because, when it comes to treasure, we believe the Lord is leading us as a church to invest our treasure over and above our regular giving to create space for the city to encounter Jesus through a new Family Life Center.

As a community of faith, City Bible Church has always been a ‘city within a city’ striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. As a community of faith, we have always strived to create irresistible and engaging environments where people can explore faith, grow in their faith, and experience genuine and authentic community. And as a community of faith, we believe that for us to continue to advance the Kingdom mission that we have been given, the Lord is leading us to lean into this Capital Campaign to raise the resources necessary to build a new Family Life Center.

And just like this event from history from the Jewish people, this Capital Campaign is not a campaign that is going to be driven by duty or guilt. You see, just as it was for the Jewish people, as a church, we recognize that we are totally dependent upon the Lord to provide the resources to build a new Family Life Center. We believe that apart from the Lord’s provision, this Capital Campaign will not be successful.

We believe that the Lord owns all the resources necessary and that the Lord had already provided the resources that are necessary to fully fund the Capital Campaign. We believe that the Lord will call the people who are inclined to be generous with what the Lord had given them to respond to the vision that He has given us to create a space for the city to encounter Jesus through a new Family Life Center.

And because of that reality, as a church, we are simply inviting people to pray about how the Lord would have them participate in the Capital Campaign.  We are simply asking people to pray to the Lord and ask how the Lord would have them respond to the vision and mission that He has given us to build a new Family Life Center. Then, after seeking the Lord’s guidance and direction in prayer, we would simply ask people to fill out a confidential commitment card.

On the card you will clearly see that this commitment is for planning purposes and is not binding in the event that your financial situation changes. This is a commitment that is used for planning purposes. We are committed to complete this project without taking on existing debt, which is why we will build the Family Life Center based on the money that is given to the Campaign Fund, not on what is committed to be given.

So would you pray about what God would have you do??