On Sunday I gave a finance update in church and I wanted to say again, thank you! Thank you for your partnership in the gospel. Thank you for your generosity in response to the generosity of God towards us. Thank you for being on board with God’s heart to see people saved (1 Timothy 2:3-6). Thank you for praying for God to be at work as we seek to build 3000 wholehearted disciples of Jesus.
At this point in the year we are about $30,000 behind so I encouraged us all to keep going and to keep giving. We will have a budget increase next year and it would therefore be best to finish this year all square. You can watch the whole update including some staffing news at this link:
As you know, we are longing to see more and more people shape their lives around the Word and Work of God, around the person and work of Jesus. We long to see people deep in God’s Word and so maturing in Christ. We long to see people sharing the good news so others can come to faith. We long to see people delighting in God so he gets the glory in their life. We long to see people serving gladly so others grow as Christians. We long to see people loving each other so Christ’s love shines in our community. All this is what it is to be a wholehearted disciple of Jesus. And we are praying for this more and more.
One further mark of wholehearted discipleship is giving financially to the work of your church. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 (among other places) instructs us to care financially for those who direct the affairs of the church and this is the responsibility of all church members. Not just those who are finally earning a big salary. Not just those who have paid off their home. Not just those who have put their kids through school. God’s generosity to us in all things, drives our generosity to his work at all times.
Sometimes I hear people say that they can’t give now but they will be able to later. I’m not sure that the theology of that works. It may be that at different times we can be more or less generous depending on our own circumstances but our generosity is never contingent or simply circumstantial. Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:2 is: On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. The challenge here is in the word each and in the instruction to plan. I know I would do well to consider those two things carefully. How about you?
From time to time I also hear some people say: I give time not money. Again, I am not sure about the theology behind this. In the New Testament it is clear that we ought to steward for God’s glory both our gifts and our finances. We are called to serve and to give. To use our hands and our wallets. God is not Lord of just a part of us. He is the Lord of the whole of us. He wants our heads and hands and feet all to be used for his glory and in submission to his will.
Now please know we are always keen to have people give more time to serving the Lord at church and there are many ways you could do that in 2027 - lots of people already give half a day or a day to ministry through the week. Praise God for people like Nicole and William and Anton and Steph and the many Nicoles and Williams and Antons and Stephs who already do. Just as Christ gave his whole self in service of the Lord, so should we.
Friends, I know these matters are hard to speak about, hard to hear about and hard to change our hearts over in a culture that promotes a constant need to worry about and gain money. But let me finish today with Jesus' profound words from Mark 8. Words worth dwelling on and praying over and acting on - for me and you. In a world that encourages us not to deny ourselves or our children any pleasure, Jesus says:
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. (Mark 8:34-35)
