Maverick in his blog posted:
"Why does a church wants to spent $100 million just to built a convention center?
That money can be used for uplifting the lifes of those in destitute conditions.
Afterall, church's money are from it's members' altruistic intend and wouldn't it be far effective to uplift the lives of those in dire straits and those destitute?"
Bob Kee too...
"All I can say is that I can totally appreciate the feelings of irony and probably outrage at this blatant display of material one-uppance....
While churches in the Klang Valley seek to spend tens and hundreds of millions in building projects, our fellow brothers and sisters in other parts of the country worship in buildings that many of us wouldn't even use as living quarters, let alone a place of worship. Couple this with the fact that for many of these communities, jobs are hard to come by and basic necessities like food, clean water and even a viable education is so hard to come by, I really wonder why we take pride in our edifices of concrete, chrome and glass?"
Few hundred kilometres away across the sea in Sabah, Rev. Anthony Siew lamented,
"I still feel very sad that very little has been done to alleviate the sufferings and poverty of many of my denomination’s full-time workers. Some heart-searching statistics - Less than 20% own cars. 80% earn less than US 200.00 a month (RM 750.00 p.m.). Nearly 50% drop out of the ministry within the first three years of pastorate and mainly due to financial hardships. Even most city churches’ pastors are paid about US$300.00 per month. The cost of living in Kota Kinabalu is at least US$ 500.00 per month for a pastor with a young family.
Less than 30% continue to serve when they reach 40 years old, hence very few senior pastors in my denomination. Why? Once the pastors’ children reach secondary school age, most pastors could not support their children’s schooling with their meager income."
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Until we can look beyond the 4 walls of our "convention centres" and give beyond the "building-fund pledge cards", the only thing I can do is to pray. It seems to me that cell groups buffets will continue in the midst of 50cents nasi-lemak fellowships in the Malaysian church.
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2 comments:
It's sad that Christians themselves craves for material wealth and thrives on egoism. The money churches colected should had been put to good use...for the work of God; helping the destitute and needy.
But if you travel to KL and look at those churches and their compounds, you'll find that they spent monies on beautifying their compounds, and expanding their colors and creed.
If we read the bible, Jesus and his apostle only lives on bread and home made wine.
The Kingdom of God is within you...Jesus Christ
God does not reside in a building made with hands.
Wouldn't it be wonderfull if the tourists said "We had a wonderfull time the people were so beautiful and kind to us. Most of them were Christians"
Pictures of buildings will waste away in a drawer. The relationship we build with those who are made in the image of God (all mankind)will last a lifetime. Money taints everything, "You can not love God and Money to". It is harder for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is like a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Christ after all was born in a stable with animals, with the smell of dung and urine. He moved among the poor and the infirmed. He would never present himself at a convention centre where the poor were not alowed in. He "Jesus is the champion of the poor, and he expects all followers to do likewise. I have only ever seen one denomination champion the poor and sick.Many other christians think they can placate Christ by placing funds in the offering plate.It is easy to give money and not have to deal with the the people themselves. Most of them give out of their abundance, not like the widow in the bible who gave everything she had. Out of pride and arrogance these things will be built from the evil imaginations of the heart. Those that build such things will think they have added something to Gods plan for the people of the world. What are they heaping upon themselves but hay and stuble to be burnt away at the day of judgement.To be Christlike has nothing to do with buildings or anything made by the hands of man.
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