Chris Lindberg is the senior pastor of Life Fellowship Church, a 3,500-member multisite church in McKinney, TX.
During a recent sermon on ‘The Overflow Life,‘ Lindberg lists several reasons why it’s important to give to the church, including obedience, joy, honor, and vision. For the fifth reason, ‘blessing,’ he used a bucket of corn to drive the point home.
“I give because of God’s blessings. In fact, Jesus said this in Luke, he said, “Give and it will”- that’s an absolute- “it will be given to you. In other words, you can choose how blessed you want to be.
Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. For with the measure you us it will be measured back to you. You can determine how blessed you want to be.”
Noting that “it’s not the dollar amount that matters, it’s what the dollar amount means to you that actually matters. Because it’s never equal gifts, it’s equal sacrifice,” Lindberg first takes a few spoonfuls of corn from the bucket and throws them into the crowd, then does the same with a ladle, indicating increasing levels of generosity.
Finally, Lindberg takes a shovel and starts flinging shovelfuls of corn into the crowd (while no doubt the facilities and cleaning team look on in rapt horror and dismay) to illustrate the importance of being mega-generous.
To cap it off, he introduces a “90-day money-back tithing challenge,” which they describe as “a contract based on the promises of God in Malachi 3:10,” promising to return their funds in full if they don’t see an increase of blessing in their life.
3 responses to “Megachurch Pastor Flings Shovelfuls of Corn At Congregants For Tithing Illustration”
Tithing was providing food for the Levites who maintained the Temple. It was never about money.
In a similar vein, I once heard a sermon about Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. The preacher said that the people assembled on Mt. Carmel had to sacrifice their personal drinking water in order for Elijah to pour it on the sacrifice. Another example of making God’s blessing dependent on man. But, we should be grateful for blessings.
This “money back guarantee” is a dumb idea, (formerly pushed by John Maxwell); because obedience is better than sacrifice! Period.
If we are living with bitterness or (an)other form(s) of rebellion in our life, God is in no way obligated to bless us. Period.
If this sincere leader really made such a guarentee, he needs to keep up with the American church news! A certain celebrity pastor who tried making this promise is now being exposed – and his former congregation sued – for not following on this money back guarantee.