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Channels of Financial Blessing to the World
You were saved because someone else passed ‘the baton’ of faith onto you. Someone reached out to you, others planted the church you were saved in and before all of that - someone became the evangelist to your area and long before that - the missionary to your nation! The Gospel is free, but the cost of sending it is not. This means that Christians of previous generations denied self and gave to send missionaries to our nations; then someone gave to send an evangelist to your area, others paid to build the church in which you were saved and others gave sacrificially so you could have a copy of the Bible in your language. We all receive the blessing of the sacrifices of previous generations, now we must ask ourselves - will we drop ‘the baton’ of faith or help others to hear and respond to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? Consider what we could do with £500 / $800? It can support an indigenous evangelist in India for eighteen months, or provide 416 Chinese Bibles for our brothers and sisters in China who cannot afford or obtain them, or 10,000 quality coloured gospel tracts in the U.K - or we could spend it on self! From a Kingdom perspective, what is the better investment? (See Matthew 6:19, James 5:3). Throughout the centuries, many Christians have led sacrificial lives and have given to God for His provision and for the financial blessings on ‘Christian nations.’ It was God that made the West rich and He gave the West wealth in order that people would be channels of financial blessing to the world. In the past few centuries God had made the West ‘the head not the tail’ (Deuteronomy 28:13), in order that it would fund the spread of the Gospel. In the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries, the West did this, but after WWII, the West began to squander its wealth on the lusts of the flesh, as wants were renamed needs and mission budgets were cut or dissolved. But how can we claim to love the Lord and then ignore His command? (See Matthew 28:18-20). Innumerable Christians who have disposable incomes live at ‘ease in Zion’ (Amos 6:1) and commit sins of omission by their neglect of world missions. Most have never given sacrificially towards the work of God and are giving less than a tip, instead of paying the total bill. We may not have £500 / $800, but how many pairs of shoes or jeans do we own? How frequently do we ‘replace’ our mobile / cell phone for the latest model? How much money do we waste on non-essential goods and items? This is not a call to empty our wardrobes, but to consider before we make a purchase – is it a need or a want? Also, are we living beyond our means and paying interest on items we do not need? Money that could have been used for Kingdom purposes! There are more than 1.2 billion people on earth who live on less than £0.60 / $1 a day, millions of whom are believers. They need our help as the love of Christ in action more than we need another item (Matthew 25:35-46, Luke 9:12-17, 1 John 3:17-18). Have we considered the 300 million people without access to ANY portion of the Scriptures? – This represents 2,276 languages out of 6,912 known spoken languages, whilst 1,940 translations are in progress (2012). Do we have the mind of Christ and do we apply it? Are we good stewards of that which has been entrusted to us? Is Jesus Lord of our lives, or do we love Him in measure? If Jesus gave His all for us, is it right to hold back areas of our lives? Have we given everything to Him and that includes the right for Him to direct us where and when to give, what amount and to whom? For short-term missions: How to Plan, Prepare and Successfully Complete Your Short-Term Mission Related Articles Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23). The Great Commission is the Church's Responsibility - our responsibility, my responsibility, your responsibility! Let us never forget that on the Judgment Day when we stand before Christ, we will not only be judged by what we said and did, but by what we did not say and did not do! ‘To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin’ (James 4:17). Jesus said, “The harvest is truly plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). Are you the answer to this prayer? ‘As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country’ (Proverbs 25:25). Recommended Books and DVD: How to Plan, Prepare and Successfully Complete Your Short-Term Mission - The Ultimate Guide to Missions Discipleship For Everyday Living: Christian Growth ByFaith World Mission |
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