Money Follows Vision


by Doug Rehberg


Ed. Note: As Doug looks toward leaving Hebron at the end of this year, he shares this seventh in a series of nine “lessons learned” from his ministry here.


He’s the President and CEO of one of Forbes Magazine’s “Best Banks in America”; one of the top 25 performing publicly traded, small-cap banks in the country. Over the last 15 years he and his team have grown it from a 3 billion to a 30 billion dollar enterprise.

A few days ago we were riding in a golf cart together when I told him how special I thought his daughter was. His response was memorable. He nodded and said, “There are two kinds of people in the world, takers and givers, and Mary is a giver.” I couldn’t think of a greater compliment.

Zacchaeus (Luke 19) was a taker. In fact, he’s perhaps the most prolific taker we find in the New Testament, for he wasn't simply a tax collector. He was the chief tax collector. He plied his trade in the richest region in the whole of the Roman Empire. And yet, on His way to the Cross, Jesus stops in Jericho for him. In fact, Luke underscores this point in two ways. First, he tells us that Jesus’ intention was to pass through the town without stopping. Second, when Jesus sees Zaccheus, He knows him and calls him by name. That’s a rarity. He says something to him that He never says elsewhere in the Scripture. “I must stay in your house today.” In other words, “I am going to delay my trip by coming into your house and sharing a meal with you.” Think of the scandal of that. Jesus, a prominent Jewish rabbi, is going to enter and stay in the home of a filthy rich, notorious scammer like Zacchaeus and eat with him. It just wasn't done, but Jesus did it.

And it’s at that meal that Dr. Luke tells us the unthinkable occurs. This wildly wealthy man, impoverishes himself! Look at it. He starts by saying, “Half of all I have I give to the poor.” And that was a bundle. Even the Law of Moses didn’t require that! Then he follows with a second declaration: “If I have defrauded anyone, I will restore him fourfold.” The first declaration rendered him poorer. The second rendered him broke!

Why would Zacchaeus do such a thing? My friend, the banker, answered that perfectly in a recent podcast when he described his leadership style this way: “Win the hearts of people first, before asking for their hand.” That’s what Jesus did. And that’s what He continues to do through those who love Him and are excited by Him.

Years ago I heard a prominent British American pastor say, “A fundraising campaign for ministry is a wonderful evangelism opportunity, because they want to know why you want the money and I tell them. To see the lost found, to bind up the broken-hearted. To see marriages brought back together. To see strangers become brothers and sisters in Christ.“

And he’s right. That’s why I’m often astounded by the preponderance of Christians who are hesitant about raising money for the work of Christ. Sometimes the hesitancy takes the form of running from the responsibility. Other times it’s expressed in the inability to succinctly articulate a request. It’s as if they are ashamed of asking. It’s as if they are begging for money for themselves. They aren’t. They are inviting others to change lives, including their own.

Unlike any other human expenditure, giving to the cause of Christ comes with supernatural and eternal reward. It’s not only a privilege to invite someone into the ministry of Christ, it’s a joy. Over the last 40 years I have watched many lives radically changed by the willingness to ask for money and give it. Some of the stingiest, most self-centered, this-world focused people have been transformed from takers to givers.

But there is a catch. The joy of giving only comes when the vision for what the money will do is clearly and succinctly articulated. Without it, it is only charity. With it, is an invitation to join Jesus doing for others what He did for Zacchaeus. It’s an invitation to get way below the surface and join forces as brothers and sisters, co-givers with Jesus.

The question is simple. Are you a taker or a giver? Are you sitting on the sidelines, or are you in the game? If the answer is anything less than a joyful, expectant giver, then go to Jesus, look at His Cross and resurrection and get in the game! When you get down to it, He’s the only One who is really worth it.