Danger! Warning!

If you are "on support," in the process of raising initial support, or contemplating same, you are in some type of leadership role. This, from Pastor David Murray, should be read carefully...and often. After over 30-decades of public ministry, I am still capable of falling into this hole; and I've seen too many friends/associates fall in and not get out; and, yeah, there's a couple that I pray for now even as I try to guard my heart. If you think you are somehow "above this," frankly, I pity you:

The Pastor's Worst Enemy

The pastor's worst enemy is pride, and it is a special danger for young pastors (1 Tim. 3:6).
The Particular Causes of Pride

• Public gifts. As your gifts are exercised in public (unlike those with more private and unseen gifts and ministries), they are more likely to be recognized, admired, and praised.
• Official status. As many of God's people respect and honor the "office" of pastor (sometimes regardless of who fills it), you may be inclined to think it is you they respect and honor.
• Man-centeredness. When people are blessed under your ministry, they will often attribute it to you rather than to God.
• Worldly ideas of leadership. You see yourself as "in charge of all these people," rather than their servant.
• Inexperience. The Church is quite unique in how it places untested and inexperienced young men into positions of the highest responsibility without going through the "humbling school of hard knocks." Having never been led, they sometimes do not know how to lead.
• Misunderstanding of call to the ministry. Paul did not see the pastoral ministry as a prize he had earned. For Paul, it was as much a grace, an unearned gift, as salvation (Eph. 3:8).

The Pastoral Consequences of Pride
If you fall into pride there will be serious consequences in your ministry.

• You will start depending on your gifts rather than on God.
• You will become impatient with your less gifted brethren in the ministry or eldership.
• You will become thoughtlessly insensitive to the traditions and customs of the past.
• You will resist personal criticism and mature counsel.
• You will become discouraged and discontented because "I deserve better than this crowd!"
• You will regard yourself as above the small/dirty jobs in the congregation.
• You will stop learning because you know more than everyone else anyway.
• You may fall into the "condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim.3:6).

The Personal Cure of Pride
Let these two phrases be the double heartbeat of our ministries.
1. I am a sinner

• Remember what I was (think on the sins you've been delivered from)
• Remember what I could be now (if God had not stopped you)
• Remember what I still am (research your own heart )
• Remember what I could yet be (if God removed His restraining grace)

2. I am a servant

• A servant of God (not independent but dependent on God for commission, authority, blessing)
• A servant of God's people (not their lord or sovereign)
• A servant of sinners (do not look down on the unsaved but get down on your knees for them)
• A servant of servants (don't compete with other pastors but serve them)
• A servant of the Servant (who said, "I am among you as one who serves," and, "the servant is not greater than his Master.")

Final Sayings of (ex) children's and youth pastors

Sure, doesn't apply to support raising; but...

Greetings from Seattle, where I have the privilege of ministering thru this w…eekend. Saw this on a BLOG

wanted to share with you:

TOP TEN SAYINGS VOICED BY CHILDREN/YOUTH PASTOR"S JUST BEFORE GETTING CANNED:

10. We don’t have to preview this video; one of the deacons told me it was clean.

9. Just go ahead. It’s easier to beg forgiveness than to obtain permission.

8. The board won’t care.

7. We’ll set a record for this!

6. What does this switch on the soundboard do?

5. I’ve seen this done on TV.

4. I’m sure it’s strong enough to hold both of us.

3. Let’s go ahead and order it, the church will pay for it.

2. I decided we’re not having VBS this year.

1. I don’t care if he is the pastor’s kid

Chew on This Stuff for a While - It'll Do You Good!

m I think this is an important word from Michael Hyatt

 

The Leadership Strategy of Jesus

So much of the activity I see among leaders today is focused on reaching the masses. “Successful leaders” speak at big conferences, host popular television or radio shows, publish bestselling books, or write successful blogs. Their goal is breadth. They want to extend their influence to as many people as possible.

Jesus had a much different leadership strategy. His goal was not “reach” or popularity. In fact, as strange as it sounds today, he actively discouraged publicity. On more than one occasion, after performing a jaw-dropping miracle, he told those who witnessed it, “Tell no one what you have seen” (see e.g., Matthew 8:4; 16:20; 17:9; Mark 7:36; 8:30; 9:9; Luke 5:14; and 8:56). He was a publicist’s nightmare.
Instead, Jesus focused on true depth and long-term impact. To achieve this, he had a four-pronged leadership strategy:

1. He taught the multitudes. Yes, Jesus had a public ministry. He occasionally spoke to thousands. However, he didn’t pander to these groups or “tickle their ears.” He confronted the status quo, jarred his listeners’ sensibilities, and often taught in parables. He didn’t feel the need to clarify everything. He often left his audience confused and wondering what he meant. His goal was apparently to shift their paradigm and get them to think.
2. He mobilized the seventy. Jesus had a smaller, more intimate group to whom he gave specific assignments. He sent them out two-by-two. He asked for a BIG commitment. He gave them virtually no resources. Yet he demanded that they perform miracles. He told them to expect opposition (see Luke 10:1–12) and promised no earthly reward (see Luke 10:18–20).
3. He trained the twelve. He chose the twelve disciples to be “with him” (see Mark 3:14a) He taught them and also gave them assignments (see Mark 3:14b–19). However, he also shared with them his daily life. Like the Apostle Paul would do years later, he poured into them his very life (see 1 Thessalonians 2:8). Because of this, he entrusted them with power to do the work he himself had done. In fact, he promised them that they would actually do greater works (see John 14:12–14).
4. He confided in the three. Jesus had an inner circle comprised of Peter, James, and John. He took them on special outings (see Matthew 17:1). He allowed them to witness his greatest glory (see Mark 9:2–3) and his deepest temptation (see Mark 14:33–34). He prayed with them (see Luke 9:28f). He taught them things He did not teach the others (see Matthew 17:2; Mark 5:37–43). He even introduced them to His heavenly family (see Matthew 17:3). They were his closest friends and confidants.

Jesus’ leadership strategy evidently worked well. Within a generation, His followers turned the world upside down (see Acts 17:6). Within seven generations (318 A.D.), the emperor Constantine accepted his message and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. And here I am, almost two millennia later, writing about it.
After interacting with leaders at every level for more than three decades, my observation is that most leaders only focus on the first two strategies. They have a public teaching ministry, and they are good at mobilizing groups for specific assignments. However, very few intentionally train a small group of disciples. Even fewer build deep relationships with a handful of confidants. As a result, they do not have the kind of lasting impact they could have.
The older I get, the more value I see in going deeper with a few. Leading the masses may feed my ego, but it won’t guarantee an impact that will outlive me.

Word of God does Work of God

Many who read this are involved in Bible quizzing; all are involved in preaching/teaching the Word of God. This quote from a guy who died in 1900 is perhaps even more applicable today than when he penned the words:

“What is the best safeguard against false doctrine? I answer in one word, ‘The Bible: the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied.’ If we want a weapon to wield against the devices of Satan, there is nothing like ‘the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.’ But to wield it successfully, we must read it habitually, diligently, intelligently, and prayerfully. This is the point on which, I fear, many fail.” (emphasis added)

~ J.C. Ryle

Is It a "Concern" or a "Responsibility?"

There may be some who read this who are not "fans" of Mark Driscoll. Even if that is the case, I urge you to read what follows as it has a tremendously important message for those of us who are in ministry and thus, by definition, care about people and their needs: (this is from Driscoll's blog)


One of the most important skills every Christian, especially a ministry leader, must learn is the distinction between a concern and a responsibility. The younger the Christian or ministry leader, the more likely they are to lack the skill of discerning concerns and responsibilities. In my own pastoral ministry, failures in this area have contributed to extreme overwork and exhaustion. I was recently reminded of this important distinction when I read the simple and helpful book Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordeiro, a fellow pastor whom I have greatly enjoyed the few times I have met with him.

As a Christian, we should lovingly and sincerely have concern for many people and their many circumstances. Our hearts should ache for the pain and trouble that others experience in life. This concern should compel us to speak truth into their life, which can include everything from pointing out sin to giving wise counsel, and intercede for them before God in prayer.

Still, as a Christian we cannot take responsibility for everyone and everything for which we have concern. As finite beings, there is only so much we can do and we must discern whom God has called us to help and how God has called us to help them. When we take responsibility for people and things we ought not, we are sinning by taking off someone’s shoulders a load God has called them to carry and sinning against our own health, family, and priorities by offering to carry it for them.

I envision that everyone has a backpack with responsibilities that God has given for him or her to carry. Some people’s backpacks are big, and others are small. Nonetheless, God has called us each to fill up our pack with specific responsibilities. Some people are lazy and try to take things out of their pack and get others to carry them instead. Examples include the able-bodied man who lives with his mom, making her responsible for his housing and food; the lazy employee who cannot keep a job and expects his or her friends and family to always give him or her money; and the irresponsible young woman who assumes the government, her family, or a wealthy boyfriend will pay the price for her foolish life choices. Tragically, for many, the whole definition of someone being loving, godly, and spiritual is that they are willing to carry the loads God has called others to carry. This is not ministry. This is co-dependency, co-idolatry, and sin.


Scripture, of course, says it perfectly. Galatians 6:2–5 admonishes us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. . . . For each will have to bear his own load.”

At first glance, this Scripture passage seems contradictory but it is not. It says that everyone, by himself or herself alone, should carry whatever load God has placed in his or her backpack. It also says that Christians should take some burdens out of the backpacks of some people and put them in their own packs and carry them out of love. In the Greek, the difference is between the words “load” and “burden.”

A “load” is a light enough pack that someone should be expected to carry it alone. Practically, this means that the typical person needs to find a job, pay their bills, read the Bible, attend church, pursue Christian friends, pray, repent of sin, share their faith, watch their diet, exercise, and look after themselves and their spouse and children if applicable.

A “burden” is a heavy load that is simply too much for one person to bear without the loving help of Christian friends. Practically, the person with cancer or another debilitating ailment, the mother of young children who is abandoned by her husband, the poor elderly widow who cannot pay her bills, and others like them should not feel guilty for seeking reasonable help nor should they be chastised for doing so. Rather, the church exists in part to help lessen their burden by taking some of the financial, emotional, and practical weight out of their pack and carrying it for them.

One key to ministry is discerning what is a load someone else has to carry (in which case we show concern) and what is a burden we and others need to help carry (in which case we take some responsibility).
Are you someone who is expecting too much time, energy, money, and/or investment from the leaders in your church? Which loads do you need to just buck up and carry without whining until someone else does your job? Have you manipulated others’ concern for your load to get them to take on your responsibilities as their burden in the name of loving Christian community?

Are you a Christian leader who is weighed down by all the loads you are carrying for others who need to carry their own load? How have you sinned by allowing concerns to become responsibilities and others’ loads to collectively become your burden?

Writing Matters!

Like you, my to-do list gets longer and sometimes a bit vague and perhaps overwhelming...(or knee-dropping...in that it leads me to dependent-prayer!)

But just read the following, and it is good stuff for us all.....Communication is such a huge part of our lives; whether in email to a kid, our normal newsletter, etc...Here is some good advice:

Why Good Writing Matters – And How You Can Improve

from Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by Ali

In today’s world, being able to write well is of vital importance, whatever your industry. You could be a computer programmer, a small business owner, an administrator ... whatever your job, it’s likely to involve a lot of words.

Just think of the things you might write in a typical working day:

• Emails to clients
• Internal memos or reports for colleagues
• Instructions for a subordinate
  
• A presentation for a seminar
• Notes or action points from a meeting
• New content for your company’s website

I’m sure you could extend the list. The fact is, text is the currency of the web: although video and audio content is slowly becoming more popular, text has massive advantages (like being searchable, very easy to produce and edit, easy to scan, and quick to download).

So why is it so important that every time you put fingers to keyboard, you write well?

Your Writing Must Give a Good First Impression
In many situations, the first contact someone will have with you is through an email or through reading a website. This could be when:

• You’re applying for a job, with a cover letter and CV
• You’re replying to an email from a prospective customer
• A client is reading your website
  
• A colleague passes on the email address of someone they want you to contact

There are also plenty of non-work contexts where this applies too, such as:

• You need to write a letter of complaint, and want to be taken seriously
  
• You’re creating a profile on a dating site
• You’re writing content for a community or hobby website

Again, these lists could go on and on. In all these cases, the quality of your writing and the way you express yourself is going to form a strong impression on the reader. You want that impression to be good!

Poor Writing Won’t Be Read
How many times have you skimmed blog posts, ignored pages of jargon on a company site, or even stopped reading as soon as you saw a badly-worded or confusing headline?

It’s probably not news to you that we live in a world saturated with information. If your emails are long-winded and rambling, if your blog posts are vague and ungrammatical, or if your website is full of corporate jargon, people simply won’t read it.

You’re Using Social Media – And You Can Be Found
I’d be willing to bet that you have some sort of online profile or presence. That might be on LinkedIn, for business; it might be a Facebook account, a Twitter stream, or even your own blog. It could be posts on a public message board.

If you’ve never tried this before, give it a go: type your full name, in quotes, into Google. What comes up? (If you have a common name, you might try adding your profession or location.) Would the results impress a prospective client or employer? Bear in mind that almost anything you write online can be found by people searching for you. Again, you want to give them a good impression with well-written content – even if that’s just your bio on LinkedIn.

So, if you know that your writing isn’t your strongest point, what can you do to improve?

Step One: Practice!
If you ever learned to play a musical instrument as a child, you were probably encouraged to practice regularly. Writing is no different: the more you write, the more confident you’ll become. If you need a primer on grammar or if you need to revisit some of the rules, here is are 50 writing tools that can help and here are another 40+ tips on punctuation.

For those who aren’t natural writers, it can seem like a chore to sit down and put words on the screen. Try spending just five or ten minutes each evening writing about something that interests you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your use of language: no-one needs to see this except you.

Step Two: Read It Aloud
One of the most powerful ways to “hear” any flaws in your writing is to read it aloud. If you’re someone who’s a fluent speaker but who struggles a bit with writing, this is a great way to make the most of the way you prefer to communicate. Problems which your eye skims over on the page can become very obvious when you hear them.

When you read aloud, you’re also much more likely to notice convoluted, overlong sentences – they’ll be the ones where you run out of breath!

Step Three: Get Feedback
When you have an important piece of writing that needs to be right, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. That could be as informal as asking a colleague or friend to read it over – ask them to let you know if it was confusing at all, or whether any of the sentences were hard to follow. It’s also worth asking them to look out for “clunky” words that just don’t sound right.

In some cases, you might want to consider hiring a professional writer or editor to look over what you’ve written.

Do you find writing a struggle, in your job or business? Have you got any tips to share?

Written on 9/28/2009 by Ali Hale. Ali is a professional writer and blogger, and a part-time postgraduate student of creative writing. If you need a hand with any sort of written project, drop her a line (ali@aliventures.com) or check out her website at Aliventures.

Connected?

How are you doing staying connected to your support team?

Not "just" newsletters (though the monthly newsletter remains, in my mind, mandatory).

I do blog, I do twitter, I do facebook. Do all my team do such? Nope; but a bunch of them do.

So everyday there is some connection with those supporters who are electronically connected. It may be a shared item, a praise report, a prayer request, a funny video, perhaps even a joke; but it is something that intersects my life with theirs...and that is a good thing.

And, yeah, I still send out thank yous; often by email, occasionally by snail mail; perhaps with a quick phone call.

Connecting with our support team is part of our "job," part of our "duty," and a privilege!

Tell "Em What the Lord Has Done

This quote from the PeopleRaising guy should be old-hat to all of us; but we all "leak," and we occasionally need a reminder:

"I love the story of Nehemiah and how he inspired the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The project began when he was before the king and he said 'send me' but as he knew he could not do it alone. He turns to the people and says in Nehemiah 2:17"come let Us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer disgrace."

Question: How did he motivate the people? In his recruiting campaign, he gives people evidence of God's leading. Nehemiah 2:18a And I told them (1) of the hand of My God which had been upon me for good and also (2) of the words which the king had spoken to me (Keep in mind, king had changed his decree of Ezra 4:21), in which he stopped work on the rebuilding of the city.) Nehemiah had sufficiently motivated them because in the next part of the verse they said- 2:18b "Let Us rise and build". Nehemiah's burden had become their burden (their motivation level could be described in 4:6b) "For the people had a mind (will) to work". 3:20 They worked earnestly. Nehemiah 6:15 tells us that the walls were finished in 52 days.

When it comes to support raising or fund raising for your organization talk about what the Lord has done in your life, how the Lord has already met some of your financial goals and then give them a chance to participate"

Relations Matter - in Ministry, in Support-raising and Maintenance

Good stuff from http://blog.thesource4ym.com/. Certainly applies to ministry in general, also to what I perceive to be the ministry of support raising and retaining:

 

My Youth Pastor 20 Years After High School

"I'll never forget when he took me to lunch."
"I remember looking in the bleachers and seeing him there at my basketball game."
"His wife Sherrie had us all over for a slumber party."

Funny... no one remembered any of his sermons or talks, but we all remembered how he loved us, made us feel accepted, and how much he invested in our lives relationally.

I'm talking about my youth pastor from 20 years ago. You see... this past weekend I had a 20 year high school reunion, but not with my school... with my church youth group.

Imagine that. Do you ever wonder what the kids in your church's current youth group will look like in 20 years? What will they have to say about their youth pastor?

The whole idea of a "youth group reunion" began last fall when some of my old high school church friends started Facebooking each other, "Wouldn't it be fun to get everyone together again, "etc. After 4 or 5 of us kept saying it, we decided to make it happen. We emailed as many people as we still knew and came up with a date. Then we started spreading the word.

Last Friday and Saturday night we got all of us together. Friday night was "family night" (we had infants, toddlers, tweens and teens) and Saturday night was just couples and individuals. What a great time!
Our youth pastor from back then, Paul, is now one of our church's associate pastor. He and his wife Sherrie came to the party along with my dad and mom (my dad was the senior pastor when I was in high school). Among the "youth group kids- all grown up" were a doctor, a few state workers, a professor at Eastern College in PA, a nurse, a couple youth ministers, an associate pastor, a missionary in China, a manager of Toys R S, a hotel manager, a few stay-at-home moms and a handful of people in business for themselves. Almost every single one of them is plugged into a church right now, many of them involved in ministry.

On Saturday night we had an "open mike" asking people to share their favorite "Paul" story. We shared stories of him hanging out with us on backback trips, snow trips, his visits to our campus and sports events... amazing what people remembered. We spend over 30 minutes just lifting him up and thanking him for his investment in our lives.

It was amazing how after 20 years, the quality people remembered the most was Paul's relational investment in our lives.
Hmmmmmm.

Stay in Touch/Keep in Touch

The strategy is simple...we want to retain our supporters...What follows is from the People Raising folks, and it is worth reading/heeding:

4 Reasons Why Donors Stop Giving
In this day and age, the last thing you and I can afford is to have our donors stop giving. There are 4 reasons why donors tend to stop giving but there is one in particular we can control.
For every 100 people that stop supporting you:

• 4 move away or die
• 15 transfer their giving to another organization
• 15 are unhappy with your organization
• 66 think you don’t care about them

There is a lot you can do when it comes to reason #4 (66 think you don’t care about them). You need to stay in touch with your donors. They need to be thanked, appreciated and educated. Never forget they have made an investment in you and your ministry and they need to know what is happening with that investment.
We have so many more tools today than ever before to stay in contact with our donors. I promote high tech and high touch. Here are just some of the few tools you can use to stay in touch:

• Email
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Skype
• Blogs
• Mail

I am confident if you stay in touch with your donors you will have a happy group of people that will continue to support you and your ministry.

Share Your Heart

I don't concur with everything "The People Raising" guy says, but what follows is good stuff, and a good reminder to us all:

"I had the opportunity to speak to a group of 150 people. In settings like this I talk in terms of my ministry with Inner City Impact. I always paint the picture of changed lives. Many a time through the course of my presentation, there are tears that flow because of the tremendous love I have for these inner city young people. It was interesting at the conclusion of the meeting for a lady to walk up to me and simply say 'Thank you for sharing your heart'. That's what each of us needs to do as we convey the passion of our ministry and what God has called us to do. People need to hear our passion and not merely facts and figures about our ministry. Whether raising missionary support or funds for your organization, share your heart." Bill Dillon

Five Distored "Gospels"

This is important stuff from James MacDonald (I put it on my other blog but didn't want you to miss it)

 

My oldest son, Luke, sent me a link the other day that quoted A.W. Tozer and James Kennedy (both wonderful Christian leaders in their day). Both men believed that many, if not most, professing believers they encountered around the country were not actually saved. They were deeply troubled by the distortions of the gospel that were the result of trying to get the gospel to more people. Well intentioned yes, but eternally dangerous for the souls of men and woman who had not heard the whole message. The article prompted me to look back in my file for something I remembered writing a while back. Here it is . . . What gospel have you heard and believed?



Five Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day

1) The Cake Mix Gospel: if we leave out key ingredients our souls will never “rise” to God. We don’t need the message reduced to some irreducible elements, we need the whole gospel. You don’t expect your car to run without all the parts. You don’t expect your body to function without all the organs working properly. You don’t expect a cake to taste right if it’s rushed and readied without the right ingredients. The gospel without repentance is not the gospel. Acts 18:26, “And he [Apollos] began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

2) The Cultural Gospel: Skip the postmodern sales job and go for the heart where human need never changes. Understanding the ‘culture’ is much less important than knowing what the Bible says about every human heart separated from God. We don’t need slick sales people giving out the gospel. We need bold, Spirit-filled messengers with a deep heart of compassion for lost people. The gospel without authoritative/binding truth is not the gospel. Acts 17:30, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”

3) The Cool Gospel: Jesus transcends fashion trends. Marketing Jesus is cheap and powerless. We don’t need to ’spin’ the message we need to say it. We need to stop shaping Jesus in some misguided effort to make Him appealing. Jesus doesn’t need to be like us; we need to be like Him. The gospel wrapped in stylistic packaging is not the gospel. Revelation 3:17 “Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

4) The Carnal Gospel: What Jesus can do for me: health, wealth, always happy, never hurting? Jesus solves those issues, but not the way we may think. He’ll change what you want a lot more than what you have. The selfish gospel that promises things Jesus doesn’t promise is a lie and is sentencing the lost who listen to a shocking surprise in eternity. The gospel of “me before Jesus” is not the gospel. Mark 8:35 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

5) The Careful Gospel: Let’s not upset anybody, just keep ‘em comfortable and coming back, There’s lots of time for folks to figure it out. The gospel of “get them to church, and in time everything will come together as long as we don’t offend them” is a dangerous gospel. Well intentioned is not enough. The gospel without urgency is not the gospel. 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.”

Do you understand the implications of a distorted gospel? What horror to imagine many people thinking they are ready to meet God only to find out they never were because they believed a distorted gospel. Matthew 7 predicts just a scene of shocking surprise. Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.”

Gratitude?

Did you pray for some of your supporters by name today?

When is the last time you communicated with a support in any fashion other than newsletter? A postcard, an email, a phone call...in some cases a personal visit?

When is the last time you thanked God for the privilege of subsisting "on support"?

For that matter, when is the last time you thanked the Lord for the Cross? Thanked the Spirit for convicting and drawing you to Jesus?

I want to be known as a person with an attitude of gratitude.

And of all things to be thankful for, after salvation and family, comes those folks who make our ministry possible through their gifts and prayers.

Maybe we ought to prioritize on thanking them?

Seven Principles of Finance for the Believer

Seven Principles of Finance for the Believer

from CCWblog.org by The CCW Team

by Jim & Pam Elliff
One of the most recognizable differences in the believer and the world he lives in is his unusual relationship to money and possessions. However, even serious believers sometimes balk at the seeming extremities in the teaching and lifestyle of Christ and the leaders of the New Testament church. Can we duplicate this New Testament lifestyle in our day?
This outline provides the diligent believer with some key principals preparing him/her for radical, other-worldly financial behavior. Alone, or if married, with your spouse, take some time for reading the Scripture texts and thinking through the obedient thing to do in each area. Then write out what you find. There is only one thing for you to do after this meditation … obey!

1. The Principle of Non-Attachment
   I will purchase or receive nothing that I cannot give away. And He said to them, "Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. Luke 12:15
   Luke 12:32-34; 16:13-25; 1 John 2:15-17
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   
   
2. The Principle of Liberty
   I will owe no man anything but to love him. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. Rom. 13:8
   Pro. 22:7
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   
   
3. The Principle of Liberality
   I will constantly seek to give away possessions for God's glory. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 2 Cor. 8:3-5
   2 Cor. 9:7; Luke 6:38
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   
   
4. The Principle of Recall
   I will keep accurate records of God's dealings with me financially in order to show others that God answers prayer and provides for His own. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Mat. 5:16
   Prov. 27:23-27
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   
   
5. The Principle of Security
   I will save and invest only if God is leading, with the understanding that I will give it all away at His slightest instruction. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and dust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up your treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal. Mat. 6:19-20
   Prov. 28:8; 1 Tim. 6:9-11
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   
   
6. The Principle of Compassion
   I will not pray for someone's needs financially unless I am willing to be the instrument God uses to meet that need if He should desire. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 1 John 3:16-18
   James 2:15-17; Luke 6:30, 38; II Cor. 9:6-15; Prov. 28:27
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   
   
7. The Principle of Contentment
   I will be content to live on whatever God chooses to provide, whether little or much. Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phil. 4:11-13
   Prov. 30:7-9; Matt. 6:24-34; 1 Tim. 6:8
   What must be done to obey these verses?
   
   

Copyright © 1996 Jim and Pam Elliff
Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.
201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152 USA
www.CCWtoday.org
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My Top Five All-Time Supporters

I could have written this, but I didn't (It is from "The Body Builders")

1. Mr. and Mrs. “Out on a Limb”
The Randall’s could tell I was impulsive and highly excitable when they met me as a counselor at a boys camp. Later, when I went to this mature, godly couple to explain my new ministry to college students and ask them to give, I’m sure they detected how many holes there were in my half-baked plans, inflated goals, and unrealistic budget. But, in spite of my inexperience and “over the top” salesmanship, they quietly handed me a significant check to help launch my ministry. They went out on a limb and took a risk on a naïve, young buck, confidently believing in me—and never looking back. 

2. “Mr. Clockwork”
Robert started out sending $42.65, arriving on the 10th of every single month his first year. Then it bumped to $58.14 a month the next year, $79.88 the next, then $105.23, $146.92, etc, etc...Now, 18 years later, he and his wife are at $465.33 each and every month! Not only has Robert never missed a month of giving, the amount he gives increases every year! His faithfulness, consistency, and perseverance is unbelievable.

3. Miss “Led by the Spirit”
Anna has a good family, church, job, and…salary. She learned early on in her Christian life the importance of sacrificial giving. A little different than “Mr. Clockwork,” she likes to pray and let the Lord lead her as to where she should invest her giving dollars each month. Yes, some goes to her church, but much of it also goes to the needy she comes across and to ministries that have touched her life. Getting a “special check” from Anna is a treat because it always has a sweet encouraging note attached, an extra couple of zeros at the end of the amount, and a sure sign “Miss Anna” is interceding for me. 

4. The “Go To” Guy
I don’t know--maybe Brad played basketball in high school and loved to be the one to heave the three pointer at the buzzer for a come-from-behind victory. Whatever the origin, he wants to be available to meet immediate and critical personal needs and ministry opportunities. “Let me know if you need anything at all!” is his mantra. Brad likes to meet personal as well as ministry needs, especially ones that arise at the last minute. Every Christian worker needs a generous, heart-felt friend like Brad who truly views himself as a “ministry partner.”

5. The "In Your Face" Friend
Rick had just lost his job and was starting over with another, and I was sure his invite to meet for lunch was to inform me of his need to stop giving. But, sitting down, his very first words were, "I've been on your team for two years now, and you haven't asked me to increase one time! Why not? While trying to stammer out some lame excuse, he blurted out, "Well ask me!" Totally caught off-guard, I feebly asked him to increase. "Well how much?" he demanded. After agreeing to the suggested amount, he asked to increase this past year. I had to admit I had done a pitiful job doing so. He then made me come up with a plan whereby I would ask at least two ministry partners each month to lift their giving. Since then, I have asked many of our supporters for a "raise" and found great response. Rick has taught me that a little "tough love" is sometimes the best love of all. 

*The names have been changed to protect the generous!