Why I don't need help in fundraising

Fundraising is hard.  It's TOO hard, in fact, and the basic premises of this blog is that no Christian fundraiser can do it without the Lord's purposeful, ongoing intervention.  And so most blog entries are full of reminders about our need for Him.  To learn how that need works, we turn to the Bible.

In the Bible we see many exhortations to confidently trust in Christ's work, to hold fast to the faith, to do good works and, of course, to encourage ourselves when things get rough.  Consider this passage from Hebrews:

Therefore, since I have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for me through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since I have a great priest over the house of God, let me draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water. Let me hold fast the confession of my hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let me consider how to stir myself up to love and good works, encouraging myself, and all the more as I see the Day drawing near.    Hebrews 10:19-25, MSV (Me Standard Version)

We are so desperately in need of God's grace during fundraising, and this passage helps us see our need to remember truth and act on it regularly.

Now, don't misunderstand me.  Just because I said that WE are desperate and that WE see OUR need, I don't want you to assume that WE actually need to interact at all.  WE (that is, you and I, individually) have everything we need in Christ.  Well... and I suppose I need my support team too.  And once in a while, hotels.  And mechanics.  But mostly Jesus.  Cause he died for you!  And me!  Individually!

There are some Christians who claim that God also gave us community to help address our needs.  But you and I (individually) know that's not true!  Community was God's design for church services and the occasional small group Bible study, so long as it doesn't get too personal.  The point of such a Bible study is so that the person in the group who knows the most about Jesus can explain to the rest of us (individually) how we (individually) should understand it.

"Community Christians", as I'll call them, will claim that God's trinitarian nature itself is proof of God's approval of community.  What they fail to realize is that God is DIFFERENT than us!  I mean, you and me, that is.  Like, individually.  And I'm all for relying on each member of the Trinity for my growth in holiness and my raising of funds.  So when I get discouraged, run low on contacts or find myself getting bitter, I just need to force myself to remember what God did for me.  Then things get better!

Well, naturally, things don't get better easily!  Cause my heart is deceitful and I'm often blind to my sin.  But, not TOTALLY blind, of course.  I see most of it.  Or, at least a good bit of it.  Cause I've confessed to plenty of sin and every once in a while I yell at someone.  So I just ask God to help me see it, and every few months I do.  Like when I yell at someone and then remember it next time I pray.  I'm still trying to figure out why I yell here and there, but I'm sure it will come to me as I seek Christ.  I'll just keep "considering how to stir myself up to love and good works" and "encouraging myself" as Hebrews says.  The yelling will eventually go away.  Just like my other sins.

Anyhow, those Community Christians don't really know what they (together!) are talking about.  They read translations written by OTHER Christians.  Did you know that most translations are written by big groups of so-called scholars?  If they were really scholars, they'd each write their OWN translation.  Now, I realize I'm a little hypocritical here, cause I don't ACTUALLY know Hebrew or Greek.  But I'm working on teaching myself.  And then I'll know for sure what the Bible really says.  So I'm not worried.  I already know most of it, and I don't need others telling me what it says.

Okay, so the main point of today's post is that I don't need help in fundraising because Jesus is enough.  Hopefully I've made that point clear to us.  I mean, you.  Clear to you.  Cause I already figured it out.  And now you have too.  So, get back to work, and remember: rely on Jesus and no one else - and keep encouraging yourself in that, doing so all the more as you see the Day drawing near!  What a day that will be for us!

Individually, of course.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Aren't you glad that Hebrews isn't quite written that way?  But... do we act like it is?)

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.    Hebrews 10:19-25, ESV

[Update: Since some people have been worried that I was being serious in this post, let me assure you that the Me Standard Version is not something I actually advocate using =)  To get a more straightforward view on what I actually think, check out this post.]

God is not all we need

Here's a popular fictitious story that has a great lesson for fundraisers:

Late one stormy night a small voice was heard from the bedroom across the hall. "Mommy, I’m scared!" Mom responds sympathetically "Honey, don’t be afraid, I’m right across the hall." After a short time, with thunder snapping in the distance, the little voice says again, "I’m still scared!" Mom replies, "You don’t need to be afraid. Close your eyes and pray. And remember that Jesus is always with you." The next time the pause is longer, but the voice returns along with a little child standing next to her bed, "Mommy, can I get in bed with you and Daddy?" As Mom is just about to lose her patience, her little boy catches her eyes and says, "Mommy, I know that Jesus is always with me, but right now I need Jesus with skin on."

That little boy knows something that we fundraisers often forget: God is not all we need.

Now before you tear your clothing and start throwing stones, let's see what the Scriptures say.

In the perfect garden of Eden when a perfect Adam was enjoying the perfect fellowship of a perfect God, do you know what that perfect God said? "It is not good that the man should be alone." (Genesis 2:18 ESV) We can thus conclude that either (a) God got His theology wrong or (b) God thought it important that man have non-God companionship.

Yes, God is with us. We particularly celebrate Immanuel, "God with us", during the Christmas season. But we were never intended to claim, "All I need is Jesus!" Jesus is the supreme food (John 6:51), but you still need to eat. Jesus is the supreme rest (Heb 3-4), but you still need to sleep. Jesus is the supreme friend (John 15:15), but you still need fellowship.

When I did my initial fundraising I had several people in my life that I regularly spent time with:

• My mentor: When I started fundraising I was graciously assigned a mentor by my missions organization. I reaped a lot of benefit from talking to my mentor at least weekly in order to process how I was doing spiritually and what fundraising opportunities were emerging. He also encouraged me in many of the truths that later inspired this blog.
• A prayer partner: Within a couple months of fundraising I ran into a Christian guy about my age who lived nearby. We grabbed dinner and quickly became friends. Even though he was a school teacher, we'd often go out late (usually after I got back from an appointment or a night of making calls) to drive on local back roads, share our lives and pray together. His honesty, faith and friendship taught me much about the glory of the gospel during that next year of fundraising.
• My pastor: Though we didn't get together often, my pastor was always an advocate and friend, encouraging me and challenging me several times, particularly in the "dark times" of fundraising.

When you are fundraising, it is essential that you get regular time with the Lord through His Word and in prayer. Jesus died so that you have access to these things! But don't stop there: ask, plead and bribe if you must in order to get time with other believers regularly. The glorious truths of our crucified and risen Savior will become all the sweeter as you do.