Happy Sunday!
This morning I opened a facebook message from a pastor in my social network. His request for prayer is the identical request I’ve been getting from Pastors all over America these past many months.
For the protection of his identity, lets call my facebook friend, Pastor Smith. The following is a cry from Pastor Smiths heart today!
Pastor Chuck, please pray for the financial status of our church. The economy took its toll on us this past year… giving is down by approximately 80%. Forced us into foreclosure. Please pray that God’s will will be done and that He grants us the grace to endure. Thanks. God bless… Pastor Smith
Here is the reply I sent to pastor Smith… with a few additional thoughts added in…
Dear Pastor Smith, I am praying for you right now… asking God to give you the GRACE to walk through this very difficult time. You sound like a sincere person who sincerely loves Father God! Unfortunately, I know so MANY churches here in America that are right now in a similar position.
American Christians seem to have cut God out of their emergency survival budget… a very dangerous thing to do. We must learn the power of planting in times of famine… for if we eat all of our seed, we will have NOTHING planted in the ground for a future harvest.
Realizing that so many people dislike the idea of considering their offering “a SEED to be planted for a harvest to be received”… let me say that I am very careful in my theology. While todays Christian needs to stay clear of “naming and claiming” apart from holy living, christian character, and an honest work ethic… I sincerely BELIEVE in: 1. the principle of the tithe introduced to us through Abraham, 2. the law of the tithe introduced to us through Moses and, 3. the grace of the tithe clearly identified in the New Testament!
Giving ought to be the very LAST item cut from our budget. Even if we are down to our very last handful of flour! Read the following verses… very carefully! This story will SHOCK YOUR SYSTEM!
1 kings 17:8-16
Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw A WIDOW GATHERING STICKS, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I DONT HAVE A SINGLE PEICE OF BREAD IN THE HOUSE. And I have ONLY A HANDFUL OF FLOUR left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this LAST MEAL, and then my son and I will DIE.”
But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, BUT MAKE A LITTLE BREAD FOR ME FIRST. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her son continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
Can you image a preacher giving counsel like this in the modern church??? Of course not! That is because todays Christian no longer understands the power of PLANTING FOR A HARVEST. Read this story again… and again… and maybe one more AGAIN… and see how PROVISION comes when FAITH leads the way! Fear hoards… faith gives! Fear looks for a hand out… faith looks for a prophet to feed its very last handful of flour!
I realize this sounds harsh… and that most people will turn their noses up at this kind of message… but these are the principles I have anchored my own life upon… and they have worked for me just like they worked for this widow and her son at Zeraphath!
Of course, there are many other elements that go into making a financial comeback… things like hard work, disciplined spending, and career advancement. Today, I wanted to focus on the giving side of things. I wonder what would happen between now and Christmas if Christians started GIVING again? Maybe there is still a GOD out there ready to do for us what he did for Elijah’s widow friend!
Before I go… let me share a few more thoughts I used to encourage Pastor Smith…
Pastor Smith, losing your church building could be a good thing! The pain could start up a whole new rock bottom beginning in your life and ministry! God didn’t do this to you… but he sure can use the humility it is producing in your life!
1 Peter 5:6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will LIFT YOU UP IN HONOR.
I remember when I first stepped into full time ministry… I begged God to send me. I even told him, “God, here I am… please send me! I will do this for free if you just send me… God, I will even PAY YOU, if you will just SEND ME!” And then through the years, ministry has treated me well. Not as well as well as when I was a very successful business owner. But very well! Then, in times like these… I find myself having to make good on that promise I made him in back in the mid 1990s. By his grace I will always depend on his strength to keep me in his will… no matter what may come my way!
I pray that from this painful time… you Pastor Smith, will EMERGE with the clearest vision of your life! Even if you have to meet in your family room or in a church members basement… that your survivors will step up and DEMONSTRATE tremendous resolve during this time. That when all the smoke has cleared, your legacy will STILL BE INTACT! God bless you Pastor Smith… I really care!
Hopefully, todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! I just finished praying for you all! So: Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make a Difference TODAY! Come to Destiny Family Center or catch the live broadcast… starts at 10am! Hope to see you there!
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