If You Had $1 Million….
If you had $1 million, what would you do?
What if you had more?
If you had as much money as you wanted, what would you do with that money?
When Roy and I first moved to Melbourne in 2012, we walked through the streets of Melbourne CBD and looked up at the buildings and dreamed – wouldn’t it be incredible, we said, if one day we could point to all the buildings in the CBD where we knew there was a bible study taking place, a prayer meeting being held, or a person being encouraged through our ministries?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if during the weekday when there are nearly 1 million people in the City we were ministering to people’s needs: providing genuine community, sharing resources and opportunities for building healthy relationships, promoting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, and building bridges through dialogue about religion and spirituality?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were truly a blessing to those around us, regardless of their background or affiliation? If we made a positive impact on the City of Melbourne and made life a little bit better for those around us?
It’s 2020 and the dream doesn’t seem so far off anymore. Because God can do anything. And because He has unlimited resources. And because the only thing stopping us from doing what God is calling us to do is — me [insert your name here]. God has hosts of angels and all power, all riches – but one thing He does not have enough of are individuals who are willing to trust and obey His call to make disciples:
“One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.” Luke 5:1-11 (NLT).
If God calls us to launch out into the deep, are we ready to say, “If you say so”? If He calls us to follow Him, are we willing to leave everything?
What about just 10%? A friend told me today about an article in Relevant magazine that calculated that if every Christian paid tithe,
– $25 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years.
– $12 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years.
– $15 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day.
– $1 billion could fully fund all overseas mission work.
– $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion.
What about if every Christian reserved just one day a week for quality connection with God and others? If every Christian kept the Sabbath as it was meant to be, a day of rest and worship, a day of service and community, what impact would it have on our relationships? On our families? On our health and well-being? In our communities?
What if every Christian helped just ONE person decide to follow Jesus? By praying for that one person, sharing our story of Jesus with that person, inviting that person to church, small group or bible study, and loving that person the way God loves us? We would exponentially multiply the number of Christians in the world. The current projections are that while the overall share of the world’s population that is Christian is expected to remain relatively steady (at about 31%), the regional distribution of Christians is projected to change. The share of the world’s Christians living in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to grow – from 24% in 2010 to 38% by 2050 – while the share living in Europe will continue to fall, from 26% in 2010 to about 16% by 2050 (see full article here).
The truly amazing fact for me is that despite our lack of faith and obedience, God still believes in us. He still chooses us as His disciples. He still invites us to launch out into the deep – and He still calls us to become fishers of people. We’re still the players in His plan.
I pray now not for resources or opportunities but for me – that God would inspire me to give Him my best, my all — that when He shows me where He wants me to launch out, I can say, “Your name be glorified, Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”
What will your prayer be?
by: Jinha Kim
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14