Faith Promise pt. 3

There are ways to mess this up. They all go back to one basic problem: We want to set the amount instead of allowing God to set it. Some set the amount too small. Maybe they know the amount that they should promise, but they are afraid that God won't be able to do it, so they set an amount that they could give so they can keep from embarrassing God. In doing so, they eliminate the faith part of the faith promise. They are blessed for giving, but they miss the blessing of trusting in God's provision.

Some name a crazy high amount. This is usually in response to an emotional appeal, especially if there is public declaration of the faith promise. I remember a few years ago during a faith promise service a person waving a card proclaiming a faith promise of $10,000 per month because he knew that if other members of the church would fund his business venture, he could give that amount and more. Needless to say, he hadn't heard that from God, no one invested in his business venture, and he was not able to fulfill his $10,000 per month faith promise even one month. He was heavy on the faith element, but short on the promise.

God is infinite and He can and does do whatever He chooses to do. But typically he doesn't ask someone to promise an amount that is totally unrelated to that person's life. Usually He doesn't use someone who makes $60,000 to give $1,000,000. He can do that if He chooses, but He normally will ask us to promise an amount that makes us uncomfortable. If you feel you may be hearing an amount that is larger than you would come up with on your own, it may be a faith promise amount. But don't promise it in haste. Meditate and pray about it. It might be just what God wants you to promise. He might raise it as you get comfortable with the amount. You may have been thinking out of emotion. I have been in situations where I have been stirred up by tremendous testimonies and emotional appeals. One night Carole asked me how much I thought we should give. My response was, "Any amount up to all of it." That is a healthy response, but the check was written for less. We still had to get back home and take care of other previous commitments.

The important thing about faith promise giving is not the amount. The important thing about faith promise giving is that it is given out of your faith and not out of your budget. You will be blessed and you will grow in your trust in God. And your life will reflect it.

Faith Promise pt. 2

When we make a true faith promise, we are stepping out in faith to believe that God can provide a greater amount than we can commit out of our own resources. Now I know that that is a potentially dangerous statement. I have seen a lot of promotional material from various "faith" ministries that has made me sick to my stomach. "Brother (fill in the blank), in the spirit I see a supernatural blessing just waiting to be released to you if you will just step out in faith with a gift of $1500." I won't get into that now, but rest assured that the faith promise principle is no where close to that kind of nonsense.

Faith promise giving does not assume large amounts. Faith promise giving assumes a greater amount than you would decide on by yourself. It assumes that you have been in prayer asking God to lead you into a deeper faith walk with Him. And when you step out into faith promise giving, you are saying, "I can't give this amount, but I am believing that God will give it through me." In doing so, you have taken all of the burden off of yourself and put it on God. If God doesn't supply it, you don't give it. If He's not faithful, it's His problem, not yours. I've heard compelling testimonies from those who have experienced true faith promise giving. They tell of unexpected income, higher than expected sales, lower than expected expenses, and disposition of situations that sat dormant for years, all of which allowed them to meet their faith promise goal.

Now, there are ways to do this wrong. I'll talk about them tomorrow.

Faith Promise

Every year during the Fall Missions Explosion, we talk a lot about faith promises. We promote faith promises, we collect faith promises, and we encourage everyone to make a faith promise. We collect the faith promise cards and tally up the totals. We set goals and make plans based on faith promises. But in reality, very few people actually make a faith promise. Most make a missions pledge. The term faith promise has been made synonymous with our budgeted giving to missions. Is there something wrong with making a missions pledge? Of course not. The term "worship" has come to mean "song service" to much of the church world, but that doesn't mean it is wrong to sing songs to the Lord. What happens in these instances is that we settle for much less than is promised by accepting something that is "good" instead of pressing in for what is "best". Just as worship takes on many more forms than just singing, faith promise carries a much deeper meaning than just giving monthly to help missions. Faith promise carries the promise of a more intimate relationship with God and a more exciting experience in the Holy Spirit.

When we give a monthly amount to missions, that is good. We are using some of our disposable income to help others; most of whom we will never meet. But there is little faith element involved. We know we can afford to give a certain amount and we give it. It is a healthy spiritual discipline, but there is a greater experience available.

So, what exactly is a faith promise? I'll go into more detail tomorrow.

Margin

Wow, what a crazy week. It doesn't seem like anytime since I posted last Wednesday evening while waiting for people to leave so I can lock up, but here I am again. Somehow my days have been filled with urgent matters; the FLiC ice maker, bids for the new church sign, preparations for the Fall Missions Explosion, writing the handout material for the Essential Christianity class, and the many drop-in requests that come your way when you do administration, facilities, men's ministry and missions. Each of them takes a few minutes out of the day. Before you know it, the day has come to an end and there is something planned for the evening. All of the time I thought I would use for research, study, "ministry" and such is sucked into the vortex of responsibility. Before you know it, another week is gone. Carole and I worked several years ago to simplify our lifestyle and reduce our cost of living so we could have financial margin on a smaller income. That was easy compared to finding margin in my day. Time to get among non-church people. Time to do eternal things. Maybe I'll find time tomorrow.

Locking up

People who stay late after church have heard me gripe at them for staying so late because either Pastor Mike or me have to stay until everyone is gone so we can lock up. However, I gripe with a smile, because I am glad that people enjoy hanging out here. I used to feel differently. Until fairly recently I really was gripey about staying late. I felt I had a good point because I had put in a long day here at the church and I was ready to go home.Back in February Carole and I went on a mission trip to Sudan. While there, I met a pastor from Tennessee and we got to know each other while we worked stretching barbed wire. He told me of the standard that he holds his ministry team members to. He requires 40 hours per week of work during the day time. Evening or weekend ministry time, such as preaching, conducting services, worship practice, men's breakfasts, etc. were on top. Having a meeting with workers on Thursday evening doesn't mean the pastor can come in late on Friday if you are on his staff. I thought that sounded kind of harsh until he spelled out his reason. He said that his youth sponsors, Sunday school teachers, Children's ministry volunteers, greeters and other volunteers are doing their ministry after their normal work or life hours and they don't get to show up for work late the next day. That really caught me off guard, but when I thought about it, it is true and I have made it a rule for me. No longer do I try to get someone to feel sorry for me because I may have been at the church 11 hours. The people I'm talking to have also been working their 40 hours, taking care of families and households, and then they find the energy to volunteer their time to help the ministries of the church. So if they want to visit for a while, I figure I should be happy to stay.

Sacrifices

It is easy to applaud the sacrifices that some people make. The missionary who leaves for the foreign land to learn a new language and a new culture comes to mind first. The young person who gives his time and talent to serve in an innercity church or homeless shelter when it would be much easier to serve on staff of a large suburban church. The older lady who faithfully cooks for others and sends cards of encouragement to many and pays for these materials out of her own limited resources. All of these sacrifices are noble and noteworthy, but many times we fail to see the sacrifices of some who appear not to be making any.

I have been priviliged to know quite a few committed Christians who were gifted in business and who became quite wealthy without losing their relationship to Christ. To see them, with their nice houses and cars, and to see them making significant contributions to ministries, one would think that theirs is a lifestyle to be envied. But I have also seen what many never see; I have seen what they sacrifice to do the work God has called them to do. They wonder if anyone really likes them for who they are, or if they are just liked for the possibilities they present. Knowing that they can't possibly fund every request from every ministry that makes a request, they have to say "no" many more times than they say "yes". And in saying "no", they have to endure the comments. "I guess my little ministry isn't high-profile enough." "They only give to their buddies." "After giving millions to (fill in the blank) you would think they could give me $100,000." I know from personal experience that those comments hurt, and cause the large giver to put up walls. They enter new friendships dreading the inevitable request to "just look at my ministry idea and let me benefit from your wisdom" which is ministry code for "I want you to give me a lot of money." The large giver sacrifices moving easily into friendship relationships. That is a large sacrifice.

I have known a few, but not many, true Bible scholars. These folks devote their lives to the research and study of the Scriptures. They learn many things about the history of the original texts, the ancient councils, and the original languages. People envy their knowledge and understanding. But they too have made their sacrifices. In attaining their level of knowledge, they have not lost their appreciation for or trust in the Bible, but they have lost, in many ways, the ability to have the simple trust in scriptural promises that come easily to average folks. They face a constant challenge to be able to communicate Bible truth to average folks. It can become more difficult to have conversations with Biblical illiterates because it goes against their nature to allow simple assumptions about God and his nature to go uninvestigated and undeconstructed. Their sacrifice in many cases is a lost ability to enjoy the simple pleasure of conversations with people just starting their spiritual discovery without feeling the need to go deep and make sure that every conclusion is accurate and justified. That is a large sacrifice.

There are many ways to "die to self" and to give all for the cause of Christ. Many of them are disguised as success. All of them require sacrifices many of us are unwilling to make. We need to appreciate them all.

Maybe I should have been a monk

I had a great time this afternoon. I was at the church for nearly five hours completely alone and it was awesome. I enjoy the company of people, and I never get tired of being with Carole, but I seldom mind being alone. When I used to have a shop building I could go to, a perfect day involved me doing stuff in my shop all day without speaking a word or anyone speaking to me. In a former life it was not unusual to travel 800 or more miles in a 24 hour period. I enjoyed the solitude. I would listen to local radio stations or find NPR and hear all kinds of interesting things that I probably didn't agree with. Back a few years ago I worked a project in South America and every night I spent by myself. I enjoyed having time to think, study and reflect. I can work a lot of things out if I have enough time alone. So, if you hear that I am somewhere all by myself, don't feel sorry for me. I'm not intimidated by the silence.

Playing the bass

I recently read an article in Leadership Journal written by a woman pastor who once played the bass in a punk rock band. It was an engaging article about her life transformation hinged around the story of a wedding she performed for a former band mate. I thought the last two paragraphs of the article were interesting:
"From the stage at the wedding banquet, I thought about how being a bass player is a lot like being a minister. You lay down the beat, trying to keep it solid and true. Sometimes your job is to keep it steady enough to allow others to shine, to sing, to play, and to dance, as God wants us to. Other times, it's the bass that makes it funky and adds a needed surprise. But the bass is just one part of the band, and alone, it doesn't sound like much.
For people who are drawn to music, the mystery that draws us into the bands we love the most, is that we know it's not just about the one. The notes and sounds come together, the different people play their roles, and yet what is produced transcends all that. It's like when you become a member of the body of Christ- you join a band that is way better than you are, and the next tour is always just beginning."