We have all done it.. We have asked the question, how much does that cost?

My dad worked at a Mercedes dealership years ago and he would always tell buyers “if you have to ask how much that car costs, then you probably cannot afford it”.

We see cars, houses, clothes, our hobby interests, and garage sales, and ask the simple question, how much does that cost?

I am reading the book ONWARD by Howard Schultz.  It is about the rebirth of Starbucks.  It discusses the return to the values that the company was founded on.

If I am reading it right, one of the downward turns of the business came when the CEO began to look only at profit and stock dividends.  When the bottom line is just how much profit we made, and the core values were left behind.

I am struck by the thought concerning churches.  Today there seems to be a premium placed on attendance alone,  The number of attendees outweighs all the rest.  Revival is seen as a must and whatever has to be re-evaluated and surrendered is the cost of revival.

Starbucks learned you can make a profit and still be headed downhill.  Can I say to some churches you may be bigger, but do you still have the core values that makes us Apostolic?

How much are you paying for that revival?

If 100 Starbucks stores make a profit of 1 million, then they open another 100 stores and make 1.2 million, did they make a profit?  Yes and no.  Yes in total dollars, but no in they are losing profit at average stores.

I want to pastor a good church and I do.  I want to increase my membership.  However, I do not want to lose or surrender the core values that have made us who we are to have that result.  That kind of revival would cost too much for me.  I just could not afford that.

In 2008 Starbucks closed every store for three hours, and taught every barista how to make an espresso again.  They went back to the foundation of the company.  It cost them 6 million dollars and much negative press.  But the result was a jump start to making the company what it once was.  They went on to record their best year ever in every evaluation.

How much does that revival cost?  One thing I know for sure, when the revival is over I do not want to have sold off our core values to please wall street.  I am only concerned with pleasing one.  I want to hear Him say “well done thou good and faithful servant”.

If the CEO of this thing called the church wrote to today’s churches like He did in the book of Revelation, I want him to give First Pentecostal Church a good report!

I refuse to pay too much for that revival!

Thanks for reading today!