I received this post as a comment on my earlier post about fundraising for ministry, called "To Ask, Or Not". It is so encouraging I thought I should share it as today's blog. Thanks, Grant!
1 Corinthians 9:3-14
It seems fairly clear. "In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."
I also notice that in James 4:2 it says, "You do not have because you do not ask God." In Matthew 5:32 Christ says the omniscient Father knows we need those things, and we are still called to ask Him.
I suppose it's similar to the reason we are called to invite people into the kingdom of God according to Romans 10:14-15. How can people respond unless they are informed? Could it be that the Gospel that turns miserly hearts into generous hearts is by nature relational and invitational - like our Triune God? Could it be that inviting people into a relationship with Jesus Christ AND joyful giving for the sake of His kingdom are part and parcel of the Christian calling?
God uses us, earthen vessels though we may be, as instruments of His priceless grace so that He might be glorified. Perhaps God can do everything without our participation. A sovereign God can. In God's grace, we are invited to participate in God's works.
I also found this interesting:
http://fundraisingcoach.com/articles/fundraising-in-the-bible
This source runs across similar challenges, but lists several examples of people raising funds for God's glory. Typically those funds are used for something like the temple. In your case, Lon, it allows you to build up leaders...people...temples of the Holy Spirit...so that God's redeeming work in this world might multiply. Scripture doesn't say whether the temple or God's people are more valuable to Him, but I know for which of the two Christ offered His very life.
Thanks for building up the Body of Christ, Lon.
Your brother in Christ, Grant
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages. - 1 Timothy 5:17-18
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
To Ask, Or Not
I have just completed a very challenging two-month journey. The quest of my journey was to answer this question:
Is it appropriate to ask people to support my family and me as I do God’s work as a missionary?
I have heard MANY opinions. The loudest, and frankly, the harshest, opinions came from people with this view: “If I’m doing God’s work, then God will provide the resources to get it done.”
To this point, I agree with them, but our thoughts quickly diverge on their next statement. They say, “It is wrong to ask people to support ministry, because it isn’t found anywhere in the New Testament.”
This makes sense at first blush. I can’t find a single place where someone raises funds for themselves. It just isn’t there! As someone that has been asking people to support his ministry for almost seven years, this fact really rattled my cage!
However, today I received a great word of encouragement from God through a colleague I’ve met through twitter:
Pastor Martha Spigener (@butterflybeacon) wrote:
Our culture here in America is not the culture of the Bible…the culture of the Bible was one in which it was expected, let me say that again, expected, that the people would pay to support their priests and Rabbis. Just look at the sacrificial laws and what was for the priest and what was actually burned. It isn’t written in the New Testament because it was an expected norm. Our society does not exist with those expectations.
In other words, we don’t hear Jesus asking people to support Him because it was unnecessary to do so. People were already expected to support people in ministry (see Luke 8:1-3). People during Christ’s ministry understood that it was their responsibility to support people in ministry. Jesus didn’t have to ask!
Yes, God will provide what is needed for His work. The culture in which we live does not understand its responsibility to care for those in ministry. Therefore, we must ask people to support us as we devote our lives to the ministry God has called us to.
In my case, I encourage and equip church leaders. My services are desperately needed, but church leaders don’t have resources to “pay” for my services. Only through God’s sustaining blessings will I be able to continue to “build up the body of Christ, the Church, one leader at a time”. And the way God provides is through donations from God’s people. And for those donations to happen in this culture I will have to ask!
In Christ,
Lon
If you would like to support Acorn Ministries, please send your tax deductible donations to:
Acorn Ministries/H2H
101 West 2nd Street
PO Box 237
Flanagan, IL 61740
OR, you can use your credit card or paypal account by clicking the following link: Donate
Is it appropriate to ask people to support my family and me as I do God’s work as a missionary?
I have heard MANY opinions. The loudest, and frankly, the harshest, opinions came from people with this view: “If I’m doing God’s work, then God will provide the resources to get it done.”
To this point, I agree with them, but our thoughts quickly diverge on their next statement. They say, “It is wrong to ask people to support ministry, because it isn’t found anywhere in the New Testament.”
This makes sense at first blush. I can’t find a single place where someone raises funds for themselves. It just isn’t there! As someone that has been asking people to support his ministry for almost seven years, this fact really rattled my cage!
However, today I received a great word of encouragement from God through a colleague I’ve met through twitter:
Pastor Martha Spigener (@butterflybeacon) wrote:
Our culture here in America is not the culture of the Bible…the culture of the Bible was one in which it was expected, let me say that again, expected, that the people would pay to support their priests and Rabbis. Just look at the sacrificial laws and what was for the priest and what was actually burned. It isn’t written in the New Testament because it was an expected norm. Our society does not exist with those expectations.
In other words, we don’t hear Jesus asking people to support Him because it was unnecessary to do so. People were already expected to support people in ministry (see Luke 8:1-3). People during Christ’s ministry understood that it was their responsibility to support people in ministry. Jesus didn’t have to ask!
Yes, God will provide what is needed for His work. The culture in which we live does not understand its responsibility to care for those in ministry. Therefore, we must ask people to support us as we devote our lives to the ministry God has called us to.
In my case, I encourage and equip church leaders. My services are desperately needed, but church leaders don’t have resources to “pay” for my services. Only through God’s sustaining blessings will I be able to continue to “build up the body of Christ, the Church, one leader at a time”. And the way God provides is through donations from God’s people. And for those donations to happen in this culture I will have to ask!
In Christ,
Lon
If you would like to support Acorn Ministries, please send your tax deductible donations to:
Acorn Ministries/H2H
101 West 2nd Street
PO Box 237
Flanagan, IL 61740
OR, you can use your credit card or paypal account by clicking the following link: Donate
Friday, June 19, 2009
Give what you can!
I know this title sounds like a fund raising plea, but that's not the direction I'm heading with this post. Rather, I'm looking at the question, "What can we give to God?"
In Getting There, Oswald Chambers writes: We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours.
In other words, if God is the "owner" of the gifts He gave us, then how can we "give" them back? How can we give what is not ours to give?
Chambers continues: There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself.
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Finally from Chambers: If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed.
Give what you can and watch God succeed!
Lon Alderman
www.AcornMinistries.com
Follow me on twitter: @leaderlifter
Feedblitz Note: For those of you who receive these posts through Feedblitz, in order to see the Build UPs as I intended them, please click on the title to view the post. Otherwise, you miss out on videos, pictures and some of the formatting. You can also "follow" these posts through NetworkedBlogs. To follow, go to the blog site (click the title) and click on the "follow this blog" button under NetworkedBlogs.
In Getting There, Oswald Chambers writes: We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours.
In other words, if God is the "owner" of the gifts He gave us, then how can we "give" them back? How can we give what is not ours to give?
Chambers continues: There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself.
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Finally from Chambers: If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you— and His experiments always succeed.
Give what you can and watch God succeed!
Lon Alderman
www.AcornMinistries.com
Follow me on twitter: @leaderlifter
Feedblitz Note: For those of you who receive these posts through Feedblitz, in order to see the Build UPs as I intended them, please click on the title to view the post. Otherwise, you miss out on videos, pictures and some of the formatting. You can also "follow" these posts through NetworkedBlogs. To follow, go to the blog site (click the title) and click on the "follow this blog" button under NetworkedBlogs.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Benefit Concert - Acorn Ministries
I'd love to have you join us for our Fourth Annual Benefit Concert! The concert will be held on April 4th at 7:00pm in the First United Methodist Church in Pontiac (IL)!
The funds that are raised are used to support me in my Acorn Ministries work! This is my only fund raising event of the year!
Here are some helpful links:
To order a CD of the concert: ORDER A CD
To learn more about the concert: CONCERT INFORMATION
To make a tax-deductible donation: MAKE A DONATION
Thank you!
Lon
The funds that are raised are used to support me in my Acorn Ministries work! This is my only fund raising event of the year!
Here are some helpful links:
To order a CD of the concert: ORDER A CD
To learn more about the concert: CONCERT INFORMATION
To make a tax-deductible donation: MAKE A DONATION
Thank you!
Lon
Monday, May 05, 2008
"Happy Birthday", by Rachel Smith
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask!
My birthday is coming up in May (so is Lon’s) and as a result I have been trying to think of what I might ask for this year. I believe that people are God’s presents to us. Not just on our birthdays or at Christmas, but every day.
If you think about it, people are a lot like presents. Each gift is unique and all carefully chosen by the giver. Each gift is intended to bring us joy or to help us in some way. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to receive a new shower door for Christmas one year, but we sure needed it! There are several people that God gives me that are truly a joy. I love un-wrapping every detail of their lives when we meet for coffee or run into each other at the store.
Then, there are others that require assembly and patience. Their packages aren’t nearly as pretty, but with some work those gifts have turned out to be dependable and necessary in my life.
I have also been given a gift or two that I’m not entirely sure what it’s for. I keep those gifts too. I feel I have to. Then, after about a year of not knowing what I would ever do with said item, it goes to the garage sale or the garbage. Ironically some of those same items are the ones I end up needing and wishing I had. I wonder how many of God’s presents we discard thinking we have no use for them.
All people are gifts to us from the great Giver of all good things. Who will you unwrap today?
Happy Birthday, Lon.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask!
My birthday is coming up in May (so is Lon’s) and as a result I have been trying to think of what I might ask for this year. I believe that people are God’s presents to us. Not just on our birthdays or at Christmas, but every day.
If you think about it, people are a lot like presents. Each gift is unique and all carefully chosen by the giver. Each gift is intended to bring us joy or to help us in some way. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to receive a new shower door for Christmas one year, but we sure needed it! There are several people that God gives me that are truly a joy. I love un-wrapping every detail of their lives when we meet for coffee or run into each other at the store.
Then, there are others that require assembly and patience. Their packages aren’t nearly as pretty, but with some work those gifts have turned out to be dependable and necessary in my life.
I have also been given a gift or two that I’m not entirely sure what it’s for. I keep those gifts too. I feel I have to. Then, after about a year of not knowing what I would ever do with said item, it goes to the garage sale or the garbage. Ironically some of those same items are the ones I end up needing and wishing I had. I wonder how many of God’s presents we discard thinking we have no use for them.
All people are gifts to us from the great Giver of all good things. Who will you unwrap today?
Happy Birthday, Lon.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Forgotten Gifts
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
One of the (many) stumbling blocks in my walk with the Lord has to do with the gifts that He gives me. He gives me some amazing gifts! The problem begins when I forget the fact that He gave them to me!
Here's an example. The Lord blessed me with a pretty amazing gift of discernment. However, when I turn that focus on others in the form of judgment...then we've got trouble!
The antidote to misuse of God's gifts is to keep in mind the Giver. It's hard to abuse a gift when our eyes are focused on God!
Praise God for all His gifts!
Lon
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
One of the (many) stumbling blocks in my walk with the Lord has to do with the gifts that He gives me. He gives me some amazing gifts! The problem begins when I forget the fact that He gave them to me!
Here's an example. The Lord blessed me with a pretty amazing gift of discernment. However, when I turn that focus on others in the form of judgment...then we've got trouble!
The antidote to misuse of God's gifts is to keep in mind the Giver. It's hard to abuse a gift when our eyes are focused on God!
Praise God for all His gifts!
Lon
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