Treasure: How To Build It

Treasure is something most people would like to have in abundance. And accumulating treasure can be easy or difficult. It’s your choice. Surprisingly, most people pursue the difficult treasure while overlooking the easy stuff. Where most go astray is the nature and location of the treasure!

True Treasure

I am sure you already have the words of Jesus in mind:

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This should also remind you of our Leader Loves post! And leadership is a place we can easily lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Just think about the long-term rewards of investing in a leader.

Specifically, I am talking about investing in a pastor.
When we teach and train a pastor, that work reaches far into the future. That pastor leads a church. He builds up other believers. Those believers lead others to faith in Christ. That cycle continues. And our investment in a pastor contributes to all of that. So our investment can easily reach across years and decades.

False Treasure

True Treasure can never become worthless. Why? Because it is guaranteed by the Word of Almighty God. But even though false treasure also exists, it can also be good.
Most people spend their time pursuing earthly treasure:

• Silver
• Gold
• Stocks
• Real Estate, etc.

These things will pass away. We can’t take them with us when we die. And despite the difficulty of accumulating them, that’s the focus of far too many Christians. The good news is this:

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

This is how Jesus told us to use our earthly possessions. Simple accumulation should never be our goal. We should use these things for Kingdom purposes. That’s the intent of this verse from Luke’s Gospel.

Investment Opportunity

We will have another class of pastors graduating in November. If we do for them all we’d like to do, it will take about $160.00 per pastor. That’s not a big hurdle for most people. But what looks like a small investment to us can bring huge results for the Kingdom over the coming years. It’s one opportunity to turn false treasure into true treasure.

A Case Study

My pastor friends in this picture illustrate what I am trying to say. The pastor in the center was brought to the Mathes Pastor Training School by the two men on the ends. Each is a faithful, devoted student and pastor. Each of their churches is faithfully spreading the Gospel in the Dominican culture.
About eighteen months after this picture was taken we learned something else. A young man was attending class that week. He was a new student. Even so, he was attentive in class and he engaged the material with many good questions.
In a midweek session, I thought he wanted to ask another question. I recognized him and he then shared some inspiring comments. He pointed to two pastors on the front row. Those pastors are the ones on the right side of the picture.
This young man stood to publicly thank them for coming to class and applying what they had learned. He said they came back to his village and taught others what we had taught them in class. To quote him:

I didn’t know what sin was until these men came and taught us. I didn’t know I needed to be forgiven of my sin. These men loved us enough to tell us about Jesus. Today, I am a believer in Jesus Christ and I am studying to be a pastor.

That is exactly what I am talking about. That is why we need your help to invest in the pastors we teach and the ones we are about to graduate.

Only Gody knows how many other pastors He will call to service through the ministry of men like these. But I am glad to be making an investment in them. I hope you’d like to join in the investment. Why? The returns are truly out of this world!

Soli Deo Gloria!