A New Way Of Thinking
Money Matters – part one
Play Pink Floyd, “Money” with the word Money on the screen
In regards to money, Pink Floyd said (31 years ago on the dark Side Of The Moon Album – who feels old… march 24, 1973)
Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay.
Money, it’s a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I’ll buy me a football team.
Money, get back.
I’m all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, it’s a hit.
Don’t give me that do goody good STUFF
I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.
Money, it’s a crime.
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie.
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today.
But if you ask for a raise it’s no surprise that they’re
giving none away.
In regards to money the bible said 2,000 years ago in Luke 12;
13Then someone called from the crowd, "Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me." 14Jesus replied, "Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?" 15Then he said, "Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."16And he gave an illustration: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. 18So he said, `I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. 19And I’ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ 20"But God said to him, `You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ 21"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."
- Luke 12:13-21 (NLT)
Prayer…
Play Video – What Would You Do With 10 million dollars… (Sermon Spice)
What would you do?
What would you do, with 10 million dollars?
What would you do, if you were rich?
• Buy a paint ball field?
• Travel?
• Buy a big house?
• Live lavishly?
• Go shopping
• Help the homeless
• Payoff your bills
• Buy lots of pink things
This morning we’re kicking off a brand new message series. It’s a 4 part series that will take us through 2004… YOU KNOW – 2004 has been an awesome year at Central… ONE IF NOT – the best years ever! AND – we have really done some great studies together in 04…
• The New You Revolution
• The Passion Of The Christ
• The Faith Factor
• Extreme Living
• Recovering What Was Lost
AND - I’m calling our last study for 2004 (my break out year), “Money Matters…”
NOW – God has a lot to say about money… CHECK THIS OUT - the bible has 500 verses on prayer, less 500 on faith but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. Jesus also said a lot about money. 16 of the 38 parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. AND - in the gospels an amazing 1 out of every 10 verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money.
QUESTION – how does the topic for this series, Money Matters’ make you feel?
• Anxious
• Nervous
• Defensive, afraid, uncomfortable…
• Does it make you wish you stayed home… I MEAN – what a day to come to church.
In an article called, ‘The Energy Of Money,’ Maria Nemeth writes;
Money is an uncomfortable subject for most of us. Many people would rather talk about their sex lives than about their bank balance. We love money, and we hate it. We can’t live with it, and we can’t live without it. Money can be a source of great joy and creativity, or it can bring frustration and misery, depending on our relationship with it. And we bring all these doubts and fears, hopes and expectations with us every time we deal with money--not just when we visit a financial planner or a loan officer, but in every area of our lives.
Money touches almost every aspect of living: work, leisure time, creative activities, home, family, and spiritual pursuits. Everything we do and dream of is affected by our relationship with this powerful form of energy. Whether your dream is to travel around the world, pay for a house, establish a food bank, buy a Corvette, get out from under a mountain of debt, or take a year off to write a novel, that vision is intertwined with the possibilities and pitfalls bound up in the energy of money.
NO WONDER – they gave Marie a PHD, she’s pretty smart… AND – she is dead on about the energy of money…. NOW - I have known all year long that sometime in November or December I was going to talk about giving. AND – up until this past Tuesday I was just going to do a couple of sermons… and then hit a few Christmas sermons as we wrap up the year
BUT – God had a different plan…. MAN – I love it when I think I know what I need to talk about and God shows up and says, “Yeah, Steve that’s a pretty good idea, but here’s what I was thinking…..” AGAIN – that’s exactly what God did this week… AND – all of a sudden my 2 part message series became 4…
• This morning - [we are going to talk about] “A New Way Of Thinking”
• Next week - “Fail Safe Investing”
• On December 19, 2004 - [Len, Tim] “Getting A Grip On HIS Cash”
• And on December 26, 2004 - “Dividends From Bethlehem”
SOUNDS – like a good time to me…. ARE – you excited or are you still a little uncomfortable?
NOW AND IF – you think this message series is simply going to be about why you should give money to the church… IF – you think that my primary goal, my sole aim is to get you, is to convince you, is to pressure you to bring your tithe and drop it in the offering bag each week & every week until the Lord comes back… you are wrong! NOW – to be honest with you…
BEFORE – I really sat down and began to work on this message… that is pretty much what I thought I was going to do. Sermon #1 basically (The Church is worth your money pay up!); Sermon # 2 (Here is how you pay up, by Tim & Len)… AND – I felt I had good reasons for doing a series like that…
I MEAN – the church IS worth it and we all need to support it… AND – it’s no mystery that Central Christian Church (like our government and a lot of people in this country) has some budgetary issues… BASICALLY - our inflows and outflows don’t match…and in case you are wondering I’m not talking black I’m talk red… I’m talking deficit. THAT’S - why for 3 months Laurie & I took on part time jobs; and we were able to save the church about $1,700 dollars…
AND LISTEN – the bottom-line truth is, we can’t let money stop Central from fulfilling her mission in the kingdom. God is counting on us to move His kingdom forward. BUT – as I said earlier when I began put this message series together on Tuesday… GOD - showed up… AND – when He did, He let me know that though (what I was planning to talk about was good and necessary… IT - was a much too narrow of a focus for a series called, money matters…
AND GUYS – let me be honest with you… BEFORE – this encounter with God I was convinced that this series was important… NOW – I am not only convinced of that fact… BUT – I am also convinced that this series has the potential of radically changing our homes, our lives, our church… AND - our impact of the world… BECAUSE – money matters!
Back in the early 1980’s I was stationed in Yorktown Virginia and I would occasionally make the 4 hour trip back home to Maryland. I remember coming back home one time, it was starting to get dark, I was on I-495 bypassing Washington DC – moving right along making good time (on pace for a new record if I could get the kids to hold off going to the bathroom for 2 hours). ALL – was good… Then all of the sudden things weren’t looking too familiar… I MEAN – nothing felt or looked right… BUT - I convinced myself it was still okay – after all it was night time and things just look at little different in the dark.
SO - I kept on driving looking for even one a familiar landmark, that would show me that I was about to be in good old Virginia – I didn’t see any… BUT STILL - I keep on going… AND - after being uncomfortable like this for about 30 minutes – I saw a sign on the right side of the road, that finally convinced me once and for all that I was heading in the wrong direction, “Welcome To Maryland” a state I had left over an hour earlier.
Needless to say, I got off at the very first exit and turned around, (so much for breaking my best time from Baltimore to Yorktown). LIKE – the old Turkish proverb; “No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road turn back…”
GUYS – I think a lot.. IF - not all of us, are in some way are heading in the wrong direction when it comes to the way we think about money… AND – most of us are not even sure what we are to think about money…
Money, do I give it or do I keep it
Money, is it bad or is it good…
Money, should I want it or should I fear it
AGAIN – the title for today’s message is “A New Way Of Thinking.”
ONCE – when Jesus was trying to get his disciples to think in a new way he said;
No one puts new wine into old wineskins. The old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. – Mt 9:17 (NLT)
MY GOAL – this morning is real simple, I just want to introduce us to a new way of thinking about money… AND – guys this really is an introduction… BECAUSE – I am convinced that what we do here today… is merely the first few pages new book… pages that are going to start in motion things that we change us and Central forever…
OKAY – the FIRST point in your notes is;
Money Is Not ‘The’ Answer
Talk about a new way of thinking that needs to be poured into a new wineskin… I MEAN – ‘money is not the answer’ is most definitely not what they are telling us in America, especially on those late night infomercials… Where you see men & women telling anyone who can’t sleep how a simple phone call and a few hours a week… Have given them more money, then they could ever have imagined… AND – as a result their life couldn’t possibly be any better. Their marriage is better, their kids are happy… Their life is a fairy tale they tell us as the camera shows them and their happy family walking together, shoes off, strolling down a beautiful beach… LISTEN – there is no doubt that the prevailing philosophy in the good old U.S. of A. is that money is the answer to everything…
AND – if we were honest most of us have felt the same way before at time or two before..; MAYBE – you even feel that way now…. OR you did before I said that money is not the answer… I MEAN – how many of us haven’t said at one time “IF – I just had a little more money… IF - If I just had a little more stuff… THEN – everything would be so much better then it is right now…”
BUT – the truth is that money wealth and riches are not the answer..... They will not solve everything not in this life, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE LIFE TO COME.
NOW - the rich guy in Luke 12 that we read about as we began today obviously thought that money and having more of it was the answer… “I need more money… I need more money… I need a bigger bank account… more investments… more stuff… and I need more room for it” I MEAN – this guy was living for the day when he could sit back and say to himself;
“My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ 20"But God said to him, `You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ 21"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."
UNDERSTAND – money no matter how much without Jesus Christ, will not do us any good in the life to come. AND GUYS - Money is not the answer in this life either... it doesn’t solve everything… IN FACT - sometimes money even makes things worse. Don’t take my word for it… HERE - is what the wealthy think about money;
“I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness” - John W. Rockefeller
“The care of 200 million is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it - W.H. Vanderbilt
“I am the most miserable man on earth” - John Jacob Astor
“I was happier when I was doing a mechanic’s job” - Henry Ford
“Millionaires seldom smile” - Andrew Carnegie
“I sit in my house in Buffalo and sometimes I get so lonely, it’s unbelievable. Life has been so good to me. I’ve got a great wife, good kids, money, my health - and I’m lonely and bored. I often wonder why so many rich people commit suicide. Money sure isn’t a cure-all!” - O.J. Simpson, People magazine 1978).
GUYS – if think that more money will make your life wonderful you are mistaken…
MONEY WILL BUY
a bed, but not sleep
books, but not brains
food, but not an appetite
a house, but not a home
medicine, but not health
amusement, but not joy
allies, but not friends
therapy, but not healing
sex, but not intimacy
information, but not character
content but not contentment
UNDERSTAND – ‘money, wealth and riches’ - are not the answer…
“money is not the answer,”
“More money is not the answer.”
YES – despite the world’s way of thinking… MONEY – is not the way, the truth and the life… Jesus is… [Tim…] - Jesus not money is the answer…
The second new way of thinking I want you to pour into your new wineskin is that;
You Are Rich
AGAIN – that’s definitely a new way of thinking for most of us in this room. QUESTION - did anyone here wake up this morning and hit the floor saying.. “I’m so rich…” (not spiritually but materially?) ON – the contrary if someone were to call us rich, most of us would reply… “Rich, I’m not rich, Bill Gates is rich…” AND – he is.
I Mean - Bill Gates net worth of roughly $37 billion is one of those numbers that is hard to get our brain around… AND - so there’s a new universal pastime: trying to put his enormous wealth into understandable terms.
FOR EXAMPLE - spending $250,000 for Lamborghini would cost Mr Gates in terms of the % of his wealth what a buying a can of coke would set back the average American. Buying a 1.8 million dollar condo at the beach would cost Bill, again in terms of the % of his wealth what a buying a combo meal at McDonalds would cost us… That’s crazy…
AND - because of the value of his time at the office, if he were to see a $100 bill laying on the sidewalk on the way to work, he would actually lose money spending the few seconds to pick it up. ..
NO – when you compare yourself to Bill Gates (or sports, movie and music stars)… YOU - may not feel all that rich… BUT [Tim…] – if you compare yourself the majority of people around the world, I guarantee you that your thinking about being rich will change.
IMAGINE - the following and you will see how Daily life is (that means this how these people live every day) for over a billion people in the world. [Tim…] – as I say this, really try to picture YOU & YOUR family living this way…
1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket an pads for bed
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt a few potatoes, some onions and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.
5. Take away the house itself and move into the garage.
6. Place your `house’ in shanty town.
7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines and book clubs (there is no great loss because now none of us can read anyway).
8. Leave only one radio for the whole shanty town.
9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic 10 miles away and put a mid wife in charge instead of a doctor.
10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of $10.
11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which 1/3 will go to the landlord and 1/10 to money lenders.
12. Take off 25 or more years in life expectancy.
QUESTION – do you feel a little richer then you did when you woke up this morning?
NOW – you may be wondering what the red cups on the stage are all about… NO – they’re not Christmas decorations… I brought them here to illustrate how rich we really are when compared to billions of people in this world…
CHECKOUT – the statistics on the screen…
World-Wide Income… (6.2 billion people)
Avg Yearly Income % # of people on avg
who make less
America 36,924 97 6 billion
Poverty 9,359 86 5.3 billion
World 675 0 0
The average American spends $ 2,600 a year on eating out… That is 4 times the average person in the world’s yearly salary… The movie and popcorn and coke you had last night would set back the average person in the world almost half their monthly income. YOU SEE – it’s all in who you compare yourself to…
NOW – for the cups… [note I had 1,672 cups on a table and 30 cups on another table – each cup represented 1,000 dollars]
(how much money we will pass through our hands in our lifetime; 45 years of working)…
$ 1,661,580 each cup represents $1,000
$ 30,375
IN – the introduction to his book, ‘What The Bible says About Money,’ Alger Fitch writes;
We need to be aware that we are but a small percent of the world’s population (less than 5%)… yet it is estimated that we own 50% of the earth’s wealth. We are an island of plenty in the sea of poverty. We are a rich man’s suburb far removed from the slums where many humans daily live. Our men wrestle with the profound problem of finding a parking place, our women with the difficulty of finding a diet plan that works, while brothers die of starvation, freezing and injustice….
LISTEN – a new way of thinking is to acknowledge the truth that we are rich… UNDERSTAND - it’s all in who you compare yourself to… Bill Gates, super stars… OR – to 5 billion people in this world. HEY LOOK UP – [Tim…] – it’s not my intention to put you on a guilt trip… I’m just trying to get you to realize that when we see our lives from a total world view… We are rich… It’s a new way of thinking…
OKAY – I have a question for you, How much of your money belongs to God? How many of those 1600+ cups belong to God… ANSWER – all of it… [Tim…] – understand…
None Of Your Money Is Yours
AND – for many in this room that’s a new way of thinking… WHY? BECAUSE - somewhere along the way Christians have bought into the lie that only 10% of what they have belongs to God… Bring God 10% and then the rest is yours to do whatever you want… [Tim…] - that’s just not true. It’s a lie
The earth and everything on it belong to the LORD. The world and its people
belong to him. - Psalm 24:1 (CEV)
CHECKOUT – this passage from Acts chapter 20… It’s so awesome… IT – illustrates that the early church got it when it came to wealth and possessions
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. – Acts 4:32
No wonder God’s power fell on them and they exploded with such growth…
UNDERSTAND FRIENDS - The Bible teaches that when you open up your heart and life to Jesus Christ, when you admit your moral failings and ask for Christ’s death on the cross to be applied to the sins of your life, when you walk over that line from being lost to being found.. from being out of Christ to being in Christ… (something that I know many of you have done - and that’s a good thing) when you say, "God, I believe in who you are, I am sorry for how I’ve lived, I am turning my life over to you… AND – you are baptized into the name of Jesus… (‘in the name of’ is a term of ownership)… WHEN – you come to Christ the Bible says that takes it all.
He takes your sins, your shortcomings, your guilt, your shame, and he deals with that. He takes your problems, your worries, your cares, your doubts and he helps you with those things. AND - he also takes ownership and leadership of your life, your talents, your future, and all your material goods as well -- your money, your investments, your house, cars… None of it is yours…
OKAY - answer the following questions with one word, the first word that comes to mind. A little word association thing.
• Who gave you life?
• Who gave you talent to be able to earn money?
• Who gave you brains?
• Who gave you an able body?"
• Who has protected your life such that you’ve been able to work for many years?
• Who has an infinite love for you?
• Who gave His life for you?
• Who has infinite wisdom concerning how people should handle material goods?
QUESTION - "Do you see a pattern developing here?"
LISTEN – because of who God is and because of His saving work on the cross, God carries title to all that his children possess. The earth and everything on it belong to the LORD
[Tim…] – we need to understand that we are not owners… BUT - stewards (managers)…of what really belongs to God. YOU SEE – the story that Jesus told in Matthew 25 about the kingdom, is really your story. It’s our story…
It’s…like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left…
- Matthew 25:14,15 (Msg)
LISTEN – God who owns everything has given us some of His resources (how cool?)… SO THAT - we can do His work… SO – that we can carry on His kingdom mission… So that we can… TELL – good news to the poor. ANNOUNCE - freedom for prisoners, GIVE - sight to the blind, FREE - everyone who suffers,
TRUE – we all get different amounts… BUT – no matter what we get… IT - is all for the same purpose… To bring Him glory!
God says here, “I’m giving you - talents, abilities, money, opportunities… AND - I want you to use it… I want you to use it all for my glory and for my mission. I want you to sue it to advance my kingdom… NOT – your own. YES – live on it, provide for you family… BUT – always remember who it really belongs to… AND - why I gave it to you… I’m counting on you… I’m entrusting it to you. “
AND REMEMBER – one day I will come back and I will ask you, ‘what did you do with the money I gave you to advance my kingdom… “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.” Mt 25:19 (Msg)
UNDERSTAND - Jesus makes it very clear that there is a financial day of reckoning awaiting all of us. YES - there is coming a day when God, the true owner of all stuff, will do a complete review of how each one of us has managed what he gave us.
NOW - here’s a question: If that divine audit were to occur this coming week – (let’s just choose a day, how about Tuesday?) OKAY - this coming Tuesday there’s a divine audit of how you have been managing the money that God has entrusted to you. QUESTION – (and be honest) how would you feel about knowing that the divine audit is happening this Tuesday?
MAYBE - some of you would say, "Great! I can’t wait to show God how responsibly I’ve managed his money. Bring on the audit! I’m ready.”
Yeah maybe a few would say that but I think most of us would say; "This is not good. Could I have a little more time? Like maybe could you give me one more year? Lord, how about doing this audit a year from Wednesday… THEN - at least if I started today I could demonstrate to you a 12 month run where I did it right."
WELL - let’s just say that God agreed to a year from Wednesday. NOW - that would give all of us in this room, a fresh start from today until a year from Wednesday.
AND - sort of in this context I want to suggest that every person here make a firm commitment to doing the year 2005 right (from a financial perspective)…
THAT – we make a commitment to get all squared away in the anticipation of this audit.
GUYS – I’m serious… The audit is coming… SO – let’s together all together (December 5, 2004) commit ourselves to a 12-month run of managing God’s money just they way He asked us to,
AND AGAIN – on December 19th Len McDade and Tim Boyl who lead the Good Sense Ministry here at Central will being sharing a plan of how we can do just that… IN – our next message how to get a grip on HIS cash. I for one cannot wait to here from them… I know there is some stuff I need to learn…
Central Christian Church – it is time… It is time for a new way of thinking about money…
• Money is not the answer
• We are rich
• None of our money belongs to us
THE NEXT – 2 new ways of thinking about money come from 1 Timothy chapter 6; Paul writes; Let’s stand and stretch – then I’ll read it)
Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life. – 1 Timothy 6:17-19
The 4th new way of thinking about money…IS that;
It’s Okay To Enjoy Money…
AGAIN – Paul writes; “…the living God, richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
CIRCLE – for our enjoyment
YES – you heard it right. NOT – only is it okay… BUT – God wants us to enjoy all that he gives us. I MEAN (think about it) - material stuff was His idea to begin with… “In the beginning God created stuff…”
UNDERSTAND - God loves you. He loves His children. AND – like any good Father he is totally okay with you enjoying the stuff that He gives you…
What Father would give a Christmas gift to his child and say, “hey stop that son, you are enjoying that gift I bought you way too much!” Kind of silly isn’t it?
God says; “[Tim..] – here is some of my stuff, I want you to have it… Go ahead take it… Use it… Use it to provide for your family, use it to bless others, Use it to advance my kingdom… AND – while your using it… BE SURE – to enjoy it! Have Fun! UNDERSTAND – I don’t want you to feel guilty about the things I give you…
LISTEN – I’m convinced that God wanted Solomon to enjoy his horses, Joshua to enjoy the promise land and David to enjoy is palace. IF you are honoring God with your money… IF YOU ARE - you are using your money to advance His kingdom… IF YOU ARE - giving to His church… IF YOU ARE – helping the less fortunate here and around the world…
DON’T – feel guilty if you go a vacation, buy a nice car, get your kids something really cool for Christmas…or take your family out to dinner… Enjoy it! have fun! AND REMEMBER – to always thank God for flowing some stuff your way “…the living God, richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
The final new of thinking that I want to bring up today is THAT;
Money Can Lead To ‘Real’ Life
AGAIN – Paul writes…
Tell those who are rich in this world… to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will …take hold of real life.
CIRCLE - By doing this they will …take hold of real life.
Remember earlier Jesus said in Luke 12:15
Real life is not measured by how much we own – Lk 12:15
REAL LIFE – is not about getting… IT’S – about giving. In Acts chapter 20 Paul is saying his farewells to the church at Ephesus; He knows that he will never seen them again… AND – his big concern is that they stay true to the main thing…
In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, "You’re far happier giving than getting.’"
CIRCLE - You’re far happier giving than getting…
John D. Rockefeller is an example of this truth of giving. He achieved what our culture calls success. Rockefeller had amassed more wealth than he could ever spend.
By the time Rockefeller was fifty-three his life was a wreck. Throughout his business career he said, “I never placed my head upon the pillow at night without reminding myself that my success might only be temporary.” He was the richest man in the world and yet he was miserable in every sense of the word. He was sick physically, mentally, and emotionally. There was no humor, balance, or joy in his life.
Then a transformation occurred. He determined to become a giver rather than an accumulator. He began to give his millions away. He founded the Rockefeller Foundation, dedicated to fighting disease and ignorance around the world. He lived to be ninety-eight years old and was a happy man in those years because of his new and revitalized definition of success.
YES – money can and does lead to real life… You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, "You’re far happier giving than getting
AND SINCE – giving leads to real life… It is okay to want to have a lot of money… BECAUSE then you will have a lot to give away to help people and to advance God’s kingdom…
LISTEN - the power to do good with money is unbelievable.
• It can feed the hungry.
• It can give hope to the hopeless.
• It can clothe the naked.
• It can release the prisoner
• It can build churches that change lives and heal communities
• It can send kids to college.
• It can provide housing for the homeless.
• AND - it can equip & empower people to do the work of God in this world
MONEY MATTERS! AND - It’s time for a new way of thinking…
• Money is not the answer
• We are rich
• None of our money belongs to us
• It’s okay to enjoy money
• Money Can lead to real life
AND – real life rocks! AND – it can’t be taken away form us.. BECAUSE – real life is focused on the eternal not the temporary.
In 1986 Auca Indians in Ecuador killed 5 missionaries who were trying to tell them the good news about Jesus. Nine kids lost their fathers. BUT – their lives were not in vain. One of them, Jim Elliot, had lived with a motto – that fits with this message of a new way of thinking… “he is no fool who GIVES what he cannot KEEP to GAIN what he cannot lose.”
