HT to MMI for both of these links. Today are two posts that speak to what my last post was about and about giving our best. I have written many times about striving for excellence and I could not have written any better than the post Christian Excellence. This is a blog that I have not read in the past but after reading this post I subscribed because Nathan Rice is dead on in his analysis.
Check out How Much Can We Give? by Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Lifechurch.tv
Check out Christian Excellence by Nathan Rice.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Give It Away!
I was struck almost dumbfounded by what I heard come out of the mouth of the youngest member of our media ministry team yesterday. I heard, “It’s sad that the church has better stuff than we have at home.” Inside I’m screaming WHAT!? Outwardly I said, “It should.” I fight this pervading mindset that the church gets our leftovers from many older adults all the time so I was disheartened when I heard it coming from our youngest generation.
I receive the biggest bunch of unusable equipment from well meaning people to use in our media ministry that you can imagine. Things like the very first VCR or televisions that will only except screw terminal connections from an antenna or … well you get the picture. I know that these givers mean well but they are misguided in their thinking. The church is not a thrift or pawn shop or a dump. We have to think of our giving as an offering because that is what it is. Just like our service is an offering. Both deserve our best. We should be giving our very best. If you want to give to the church for some particular ministry then buy something brand, spanking new. If you don’t want to buy anything or don’t know what to buy then give monetarily or ask the leader of the ministry what they could use.
I’m not just talking about technical ministry either. Take a look at other areas of ministry as well such as children or youth. What could their ministries use that is not in the “budget” this year or ever. My wife and I take a portion of our income tax refund every year and buy something new for the church in an area of need that we have noticed. If we have unexpected windfall we will do the same. This is on top of our tithing.
Our focus this month at First Baptist is stewardship and the catch phrase is “Give It Away”. We have heard some awesome testimonies on tithing this month but I believe to really reap the benefits of God’s blessing then we need to give sacrificially. For some that is your tithe and that it is awesome. A quote from a testimony yesterday really stuck out to me and that was when the lady said, “You can’t out give God.” And that is very true! So let me encourage you to think about how you give and what you give. I believe tithing is a must but what else can we give? Just give it away!
I receive the biggest bunch of unusable equipment from well meaning people to use in our media ministry that you can imagine. Things like the very first VCR or televisions that will only except screw terminal connections from an antenna or … well you get the picture. I know that these givers mean well but they are misguided in their thinking. The church is not a thrift or pawn shop or a dump. We have to think of our giving as an offering because that is what it is. Just like our service is an offering. Both deserve our best. We should be giving our very best. If you want to give to the church for some particular ministry then buy something brand, spanking new. If you don’t want to buy anything or don’t know what to buy then give monetarily or ask the leader of the ministry what they could use.
I’m not just talking about technical ministry either. Take a look at other areas of ministry as well such as children or youth. What could their ministries use that is not in the “budget” this year or ever. My wife and I take a portion of our income tax refund every year and buy something new for the church in an area of need that we have noticed. If we have unexpected windfall we will do the same. This is on top of our tithing.
Our focus this month at First Baptist is stewardship and the catch phrase is “Give It Away”. We have heard some awesome testimonies on tithing this month but I believe to really reap the benefits of God’s blessing then we need to give sacrificially. For some that is your tithe and that it is awesome. A quote from a testimony yesterday really stuck out to me and that was when the lady said, “You can’t out give God.” And that is very true! So let me encourage you to think about how you give and what you give. I believe tithing is a must but what else can we give? Just give it away!
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