Do we need to believe the entire Bible?

One of the questions that was recently posed to me in a Bible study was pretty good. The question was about the Bible itself. Does a person need to believe the entire Bible? For example, can a person believe the "heart" of the gospel but not necessarily believe some of the more extrodinary feats mentioned in the Old Testament?

My simple answer is "no", believe in God doesn't require the belief in the Bible. Sorry that this disappoints some but from what I read the requirements to salvation don't include any such test. We need to trust in Christ as savior and of course that does require some belief in who He is represented to actually be.

The debate as to what parts of the Bible or the literal understanding of the Bible is a great debate within and outside of the Christian Church. Often, what a person believes about the first six Chapters of the book of Genesis or whether they believe in "literal" interpretation regarding Paul's instruction for the qualifications of Deacons becomes a litmus test for Pastors, teachers or church membership. I don't believe that it has to be always treated with such gravity.

Jesus never taught that in order to be saved we had to believe in Adam and Eve or that Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. The requirements for salvation and therein the requirements to be a member of the Christian church is quite simple: Belief in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins, and a belief that we are sinful but because of His holiness, we can become accepted into God's kingdom. Note that I'm taking great liberties at this point in the scripture but the reason is that I want to make sure no-one misunderstands that somehow a literal interpretation of every word in the King James Bible is somehow a pre-requirement for becoming a Christian.

At the same time, Jesus spoke of Adam and Eve as historical people. He embraced the entire Old Testament and even compared His coming death and resurrection (which is the cornerstone of the Christian faith) to the Biblical epic of Jonah and the Whale. Therefore, the need to understand the accuracy of the Bible is of high importance in our Christian walk. If not for personal faith, the trust and confidence in the Bible is definitely a requirement for the perpetuation of the faith. If we can't trust the Bible to be true, then we have a great deal of difficulty in using the teachings of the Bible in matters of faith.

I'm not the first to address this issue. Dr. John Warwick Montgomery proposes three tests to determine if we can believe the entirety of the Bible. The tests stem from the fact of what the Bible claims to be...God's revelation of Himself to and through man." If God has revealed Himself in literary form, that revelation would have certain properties due to His infinite knowledge and moral perfection:

It would be entirely true - His infinite knowledge would prevent errors and His truthfulness would keep Him from deception.

It would be a coherent unity therefore not self- contradictory.

It would contain God's will for man and provide the motivation to live according to that will.
I believe that God has revealed Himself in the Bible without error. The Bible itself claims this inerrancy (2 Timothy 3:16-17;Matthew 5:18; etc.). When it comes to believing the Bible, I'm like the guy that says, "I believe it all from Genesis through Maps".

Financial Resolutions for the New Year

Some people are really good at making New Year’s resolutions but not necessarily in keeping them. While this may be natural a New Year is a great time to make some resolutions to make positive changes. One of things families can often do better is to become good stewards of their finances.

This is something that nearly every family as well as single adult can work on as there is a daily and constant struggle literally between good and evil. On one side we have pull of a culture that tells us we need things we really don’t and on the other side, Godly wisdom which is available and can enable us to live a life that is focused on contentment when it comes to more things. Being content is difficult when we are constantly being told that things bring happiness, that debt is expected and that a little bit of money will solve all of our problems.While some people have found great help in the advice given by licensed, certified financial planners, there is some simple, common sense financial guidance that may help to give you a new perspective in the New Year.

For example, most people think immediately of "spending" when it comes to financial matters but actually, "spending" is just one part. There are actually five componets to a financial plan or budget. They include: Earning, Spending, Saving, Giving and Debt.

This article is too brief to fully develop all five of these components. If you are inclined, all of these components are fully explained and planned in the “Good $ense” seminars held regularly at the church where I serve on Pastoral Staff as well as at other churches that have a stewardship or financial ministry.

Here are some really good tips on just two of the five components: Spending and Debt.

We’ll start with Spending.

There are four myths that most of us have bought into regarding spending. They are: that things will bring happiness; that your possessions define who you are; that you deserve to have what others have; and finally, that spending is a competition. While these myths are truly pervasive in this culture, they stand in direct opposition to what God has said regarding the way we are to relate to the things of this earth.

The New Testament teaches that we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Further it teaches that we are to store up our treasures in heaven rather than consume things for our own benefit (Matt 6:19).

The more secular wisdom of practicing moderation or what the Bible calls contentment is also a good way of looking at spending. All too often we allow money and what it can buy to become an idol in our life and we need to eventually say, “Enough is enough”.

Studies have shown that often families get into trouble when they start believing that they need to have it all. Mom’s go back to work because they think they need to earn more income so that the family can have more; while all the time what the family really needed was more of mom. Dad works more and more hours to earn more and more money to buy more and more things; while the family really just needs more time to be a family.

The second financial component that we can mention is Debt.

American consumer debt has a stranglehold on too many families and it will destroy your family if you don’t get it under control. While there are many advisors that recommend debt consolidation and second mortgages as a way of decreasing your monthly payments I have an easier solution.

1. Arrange all of your debt by amount owed and make a resolution to get all consumer debt (with the likely exception of your home mortgage) paid off. This may be a two or three year project for many families but it can be done.
2. Start with the smallest amount owing and find an extra hundred dollars somewhere to aggressively pay off that debt.
3. Make a firm resolution to not get into any more debt. Throw away all but one of the credit cards and don’t use that one either.
4. When that first amount is paid off take all of the money you were paying on that closed account and throw it on the next smallest debt and so on.

The above approach is called “snow-balling” and it works. Most families can be completely out of debt in a two or three year period but it only works when they become more responsible spenders and prudent consumers.

Take the time today to talk in your family about the ways that you spend money as well as the balance that you could have between spending and time spent as a family. There are people available to help you with your financial plan and you can likely find them at your local church.

The Good $ense Ministry is a national ministry found in many churches in the United States and Canada.

A Good $ense ministry benefits a congregation in a variety of ways:

• Helps individuals remove money as a barrier to full devotion to Christ
• Supports the pastor in training and maintaining the core value of good stewardship
• Leads individuals to the God-honoring management of money and the resultant peace, joy, contentment and freedom in their hearts
• Frees individuals from the bondage of debt Restores relationships torn by conflict over money
• Helps the church realize its redemptive potential, as its congregation becomes free to give and serve

Click on the Link above for more information

Churches taking precautions for coffers

Clergymen believe the money put in the collection baskets and plates passed pew to pew Sunday morning is an offering not to the church, but to God.

But ensuring that the tithes of the faithful reach church coffers leaves no room for blind trust of those who handle the money.

The Dec. 17 arrest of a former parish housekeeper in the theft of more than $173,000 over four years from an unlocked safe at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Green Tree is an example of what happens when policies aimed at safeguarding collections aren't followed, Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese leaders say. Thefts plague hundreds of U.S. churches each year, according to one of the top two church insurers in the country.

The first precaution for churches that could be vulnerable is to acknowledge the need for scrutiny of those with access to donations, said Jeff Hanna, a police detective-turned-minister from Ohio. Hanna has written two books and numerous articles instructing churches on keeping collections safe.

"Churches are notorious for not wanting to change," Hanna said. "A lot of churches are operating under guidelines 20, 30 or 40 years old, and they have to understand that things have changed."

Hanna is executive director of the church risk-management division of GuideOne, an insurance company based in Des Moines, Iowa, that provides liability insurance for 45,000 churches nationwide. GuideOne handles an average of 1,800 theft claims from churches each year, totaling $2.8 million.


The company insures about 1,400 churches in Pennsylvania.

"Let's be honest. We're all broken people, and we all have the capacity to do bad things," Hanna said. "So it's important to screen people and to know what you've got."

That's not always easy.

In August 1998, the Rev. Walter Benz, 72, admitted stealing $1.3 million over 26 years from St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church in Hampton and Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Harrison, police said. Benz was suspected of using the money for luxury cars and gambling trips. He died that September.

"You would have thought they would have learned their lesson after that one," said the Rev. Kevin Clementson, pastor of Berkeley Hills Lutheran Church in Ross.

Berkeley Hills Lutheran suffered its own theft scandal in the mid-1970s, said Clementson, who arrived there in 1994. The church now rotates a team of five members who count collections each Sunday and take the checks and cash to a bank the same day for deposit. His church conducts a regular internal audit in addition to an external audit every three to five years. He may increase that to every two years.

"This just encourages good people to remain good people," Clementson said. "My old Uncle Oscar always said you have to pay your tuition to get your education; this congregation paid their tuition a long time ago and got a good education."

As further security, Clementson's church also offers electronic bank transfers to members through Vanco Services of Minnetonka, Minn. The company found the niche industry of providing electronic money transfers to churches in 1997. Now 6,000 churches nationwide, representing 28 denominations, pay 25 cents per transaction along with a setup fee of 50 cents to $1 per parishioner, said Len Thiede, the company's vice president. Several Pittsburgh-area churches use Vanco.

Hanna said more churches, especially ones with large congregations, are using electronic transfers because auto-tithing tends to mean larger, more consistent donations, and it removes the possibility of sticky fingers.

Ken Behr, director of operations at Northway Christian Community in Marshall, said his 5,000-member church works directly with a bank for electronic transfers and has joined the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, an 1,100-member organization based in Winchester, Va., that reviews church finance matters ranging from salaries to governing board composition. Donors can even request audited information about their church from the council, which provides a "donor bill of rights."

"What happened at St. Margaret was unfortunate, and that happens sometimes when organizations don't take those kinds of precautions," Behr said.

St. Margaret failed to follow diocesan collection and auditing guidelines, said the Rev. Ronald P. Lengwin, spokesman for the Pittsburgh diocese, which has 215 parishes. "Again, it's because of the trust that's involved," Lengwin said. "It is almost impossible to prevent theft in every instance."

Lengwin said security procedures were tweaked in 1999 after the Benz case, but he said that despite the most recent theft, the diocese's guidelines do not need to be revised. Lengwin said St. Margaret underwent a financial review conducted by a diocese representative within the past year, but he wouldn't comment on the results.

The first rumblings about a possible theft at the church cropped up in March, when Green Tree police learned from West Virginia State Police that deposit bags with checks and envelopes from St. Margaret had been found on a highway near Weirton.

The Rev. Richard Jones, recently appointed pastor of St. Margaret, said the church is using sealed money bags and secured safes for holding cash, especially overnight. Investigators said the church left the safe unlocked, allowing housekeeper Amy Caldwell, 35, of Charleroi, to steal $173,000, taking a few hundred dollars a week for several years.

Lengwin said the church's insurance carrier should cover the losses. Caldwell will face a felony theft charge.

"I think it's the kind of thing that sneaks up on people," the Rev. Blair Morgan, senior pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Shaler, said of money handlers who give in to temptation. "They sit there and mean to put (the money) back, but they get caught up in a situation."
Morgan said his 900-member church keeps donated money "traceable" and in the hands of many to reduce the possibility of theft.

The Rev. Larry Homitsky, council steward for the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, said the 900 congregations he oversees have detailed security guidelines. He said church money counters are rotated each week. At least two people stay with collections at all times; counters must be from different families; and everyone working with the collections must be legally bonded.

Thefts from churches hurt everybody, Homitsky said.

"And it's more than the money," he said. "Because as important as the dollars are, there's a higher importance -- there's an expectation of trust higher than anywhere else in society."

Costly Church Thefts:

• Dec. 14, 2004: Amy J. Caldwell, 35, of Charleroi, is accused of stealing $173,000 from St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Green Tree. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday.
• Nov. 15, 2000: The Rev. William M. Altman is charged with stealing more than $1 million from bank accounts and parishioners of Grace Christian Ministries in West Mifflin. In 2002, he was sentenced to four to eight years in prison and 10 years of probation. He also was forbidden to handle finances for any organization.
• Sept. 4, 1999: The Rev. Walter Benz, 72, dies of an illness shortly after admitting that he stole $1.3 million from two Allegheny County parishes. Even though he wasn't formally charged at the time, investigators said Benz stole the money over 26 years from St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Hampton and Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrison.
• January 1998: Former church Secretary Dawn Mehalek, of South Fayette, is accused of stealing almost $500,000 between April 1994 and October 1996 while working as a secretary at Holy Child Parish in Bridgeville. Mehalek pleaded guilty and received five years' probation in June 1999 for apparently writing more than 100 checks to herself and forging the pastor's signature on them.
  

Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or (412) 765-2312.

Winning the Powerball

I was on a field trip with one of my friends from church a few weeks ago, just before the big $340 million Powerball lottery jackpot was going to be determined. I think all of us wonder what it would be like to all-of-a-sudden have that kind of money. After we both talked about what we would do with the jackpot, we had the obligatory conversation regarding whether playing the lottery was sinful or not.

I'm the first one to reject the title "theologian" when it comes to my role as a Pastor-Administrator, and I'm a little nervous about giving theological advice. I'm business trained and educated and a pretty good student of the bible but trying to determine exactly what God would consider sin is not one of my talents.

Of course there are many that oppose buying a lottery ticket as it's really the equivalent of gambling (knowing somehow that gambling must be sin). I'm not too sure if playing the lottery is gambling. The likelihood of a lottery ticket paying off is so low even the government looks at the purchase of a ticket as the equivalent as making a "voluntary contribution to our schools and senior citizens". While I'm still not willing to venture into the discussion on what makes a sin a sin, I do recall back when I was working on Wall Street that some of my Christian friends felt that even "playing" the stock market was gambling and as a result was sinful.

I assured them (and my wife!) that I was working and I wasn't "playing". My employer paid me good money to be a good steward of the funds that were entrusted to my care. I was able to define the difference (actually a chasm) between buying stocks and gambling. Stocks are purchases of small bits of equity or ownership in a company. Stocks are also purchased in the hope (not guarantee) that the shares of stocks will be worth more money in the future. There are differences between putting money on a blackjack table or in buying a lottery ticket and buying stock. Investors in the stock market buy shares in a company in order to participate in the profits of a for-profit enterprise. Gamblers are counting on luck and chance, for if it was a skill or based on knowledge it wouldn't be gambling.

The difference perhaps comes down to intent. Isn't that possibly the defining line for sin as well? Jesus said in Luke 6, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." If we have a good heart, or have good intentions, we'll be doing good things. The Bible gives us plenty of examples of good things. We don't have to worry too often about the grey areas that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible.

I think one of the reasons that some would look at the Powerball Lottery as being evil or sinful is that it does resemble a "get rich quick" attitude. That is typically not a good attitude for followers and disciples of Christ. Proverbs 28:20 says, "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished."

While it's not bad being rich, much of the Bible's teaching about wealth is a warning against putting trust in wealth rather than the Lord (i.e. 1 Timothy 6:17-18) or to the detriment of those who depend on us (i.e. Ecclesiastes 5:13-14). The New Testament teaches that we are to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us which includes our money. Jesus spoke often about money and riches and we should be careful to love people more than things and to hold very loosely all that God has given us. In this way, when we have opportunity to use our possessions in ways that the Lord brings to mind, we won't hesitate to instead keep our possisions to ourselves.

The next time you are inclined to play the Powerball Lottery think first about what you would do with the money if you win. If your intentions are good then I think you've passed the first test. For the second test take a look at what you do with the rest of your money when you aren't buying lottery tickets. If you honor the Lord with your posessions, if you are generous towards those that have need, and if you tend to be unselfish and even sacrificial in your pursuit of helping your local church accomplish the ministry that you've determined to be a part of, then, and only then, I say, go ahead, put a dollar down and have some fun.

Just Treading Water

The phrase "Just Treading Water" is used a lot in various circles. It usually refers to the emotional angst that comes from being stuck in a situation or place for some time. For some reason, we all dislike not making progress and feeling like we are stuck.

Sometimes, we wonder exactly what God may be doing in our life when we feel "stuck". All of us experience times when we have been waiting for something to happen. Perhaps a new job, a solution to some family situation or often it's something even more frustrating. Waiting on God when things are really not going well is rough. And for some reason, the time often keeps passing without much relief in sight.

A few years ago, I learned some lessons from that time of "treading water" and while I'm not fully equipped to explain why God some times puts us in situations where we feel that we are treading water, let me articulate some of my thoughts.

Thought #1: Treading Water is better than the alternative

When I was a kid and learned to swim I learned pretty quickly that without some movement, I would sink. In the same way, we have to understand that the alternative to treading water is sinking and drowning. We may want to see forward momentum restored but with a little effort, an individual can actually tread water for quite a while and stay afloat. The Bible is full of examples of lots of time passing between a promise and the fulfillment of that promise. Abram, Moses, Joseph, David, to name just of few of the obvious, were men that were specifically taught to tread water for years while God worked on their character. During the time, God also prepared individuals, nations and events specifically for a later time when things would fit together and we would see the fulfillment of specific callings and purposes. Don't be so quick to see a lack of momentum as wasted time, it's better than sinking into rebellion from God and His purpose for your life.

Thought #2: Treading Water will cool you off.

Galatians 5:22 is the verse that lists what the Apostle Paul identifies as the "Fruits of the spirit" and this great list includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This word "patience" is translated "longsuffering" in the King James version which is a great way of understanding patience. (yes waiting often includes suffering) The Greek word being translated "Patience" is makrothumia which literally means being "long-tempered". I like that definition too....it's the opposite of short-tempered.

I think most of us can understand that sometimes we just need to "cool off". Back a few years ago (it seems like a different life), I was an investment banker and broker and worked with securities and public companies. The SEC requires a "cooling off period" of a minimum of 20 days from the time a public company files a prospectus or written intentions of selling securities and the actual public offering of the securities. While most CEO's dislike the 20 days of waiting, the SEC understands that even companies need to "cool off" before they offer huge blocks of ownership of their company to the general public.

Thought #3, Treading water is an active way to wait

You have to move your arms and your legs when you tread water. I remember my dad telling me, "Kick, kick!" when I first ventured into the deep end. We don't like waiting but it really seems like it's a necessary part of life. Its also a very important ingredient of our spiritual life. In the Bible, God tells His people to wait. For example, in Psalm 27:14 it says, "Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." Waiting however is really tough as when we wait we often think, "If I don't push now, this opportunity may slip through my fingers". However, from God's perspective, it's often better to wait.

Finally, our waiting on the Lord is to be active not passive. In Isaiah we are given the word picture that waiting is like an eagle that flies by fixing his wings and riding the wind. Isaiah 40:31 says, "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

So, remember, you are not just treading water. You are in a very special place in God's plan and there are lessons to be learned.

Foreign Direct Investment

The latest World Investment Report, issued the 29th of September by the United Nations Council on Trade and Development, found that foreign direct investment, or FDI, into Britain rose sharply, and put Britain into the second place globally for FDI, ahead of China. (Keep reading if you want to know about first place). Foreign Direct Investment is tracked by governments and economists as it indicates the investments that Multinational Enterprises (MNE'S) make in a country. In other words, FDI keeps "score" or tracks the "winners" and "losers" in the global investment game. Like the picture that is worth a thousand words, this recent UN report paints a picture of the preference by Multinationals and the promise of a better return from the mature British economy of 60 million people than from big and booming China.

In addition to Great Britain, the "New Europe" countries in Central and Eastern Europe like Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Latvia increased their flow of FDI by more than 40 per cent. The trend over the past ten years is that global foreign direct investment (FDI) is increasingly shifting towards the developing world as multinational corporations (MNE's) seek new investment opportunities and reduce their labor costs in fast-growing emerging economies like China, Mexico and India.

However, I was most impressed with two interesting facts released but either under-reported or ignored by the UN and initial news reports. The first is that after three years of decline, total global flows of FDI rebounded by 2 per cent on a year-on-year basis last year to $648 billion, reversing a trend post 9/11.

The second fact is that the United States continues as the world's most favored place for foreign investors, drawing in almost $100 billion in Multinational investments. That's right, no matter what you may read about the US struggling and losing their competitive edge, the United States finished first in the global game of FDI investments as new foreign sourced dollars continue to pour into this country where MNEs bet real money on the continued success of the US economy.

The reality of US success, while a surprise to some, has a number of supportive factors that many of us have been stressing for years. Each year the World Economic Forum computes a growth potential index for 117 economies. It examines factors like government stewardship of financial resources, budgets, tax system, civil institutions and respect for the law. In this assessment of national competitive potential, the United States ranks second after Finland while China and India rank 49th and 50th. Also, the WEC ranks the fitness of businesses, and on that score the United States ranks first while India ranks 31st and China 57th.

What is also going for the United States is that our labor force is much stronger than pessimisticc news reports would have us believe. Our literacy rates are very high as typically our entire native born population finishes high school and two thirds receive some post secondary training. Our colleges and universities are the world's best with many foreign students willing to pay our pricey admission in deference to their own countries' universities which are often tuition-free. Due to competition (and despite JibJab's satire on jobs at WalMart..a must see regardless) U.S. productivity is advancing briskly. Based on other reports, since 1999, private business productivity has increased 3.2 percent a year; in durable goods manufacturing productivity has been advancing at a 5.4 percent pace.

Finally, what was most revealing regarding the latest preference of FDI flows into the United States is where these dollars landed. Of all FDI 2004 investments in the United states, the top category by Key Business Function was in Manufacturing with 703 identified projects, much ahead of 280 projects in the second place Key Business Function of Sales and Marketing. So much for the lack of manufacturing opportunities in the US!

Turn those assembly lines back on!

Giving and Receiving

One of the neat things that I get to do on my job is help people.

To be honest with you, I feel a little guilty as I'm typically representing my church and one of our minitries. People want to thank me and of course that is a good thing, I don't mind being thanked for what God is able to do. I just want to make sure that I don't get the credit for what other people are doing through our local church.

Friday was a great day as we were able to deliver TWO cars to people that really needed them. I'm a car guy at heart (aren't most guys!) and it's really a of fun to get a car in as a donation, get it titled and do what is necessary to make sure that it is safe and passes both the safety and emissions inspection and then be able to just give it to someone who really needs the car.

This Friday, a late model Nissan went to a single mom. The other vehicle went to a couple that for years has cheerfully labored in a minstry that feeds the homeless. They receive little to no income as almost everything goes to the homeless and they needed a car badly. Typically, it's not couples but single moms that end up on the receiving end of the "trusty-rustys" as one of our staff members have started calling my used vehicles. For the past three years, our church has sponsored the "Single Mom's Garage" as one of the offshoots of our every-Friday-car-cruise. We've been able to help dozens of women make sure their car received some basic maintenance and had some safety issues repaired completely free of charge. I've also been able to deliver at least a half dozen vehicles to these moms. The vehicles may have a few miles and may not be something as nice as you have in your driveway but they are safe, reliable and dependable transportation.

One of the interesting developments this past year was that IRS tightened down on the excessive use of the car donation as an easy write-off and tax deduction. That ruling actually has helped the church I work at as we give away the majority of our cars which allows the donor to still take the full donation. Other ministries that sell the vehicles can only give the donors a receipt for the net proceeds of their sale which typically is less than a private sale.

From my perspective, it really can't be about a tax deduction however that motivates a person to give. There are higher and better reasons. For example, look at Jesus' words that it is "better to give than receive". These were actually the words of the Apostle Paul who quoted Jesus ,

In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

Note that the beginning of the verse "we must help the weak" helps set the context for "it is more blessed to give than to receive".

Unfortunately, I really don't think some of the Pastors or their flock really understand the thing about giving. Pastors need to teach stewardship and our opportunity and responsiblity to give. Some Pastors hope however to pick up the crumbs from really large donors and ignore the more responsible path of teaching stewardship.

Blogs aren't supposed to be long so here is my thoughts on Stewardship in a nutshell....

Stewardship is an acknowledgement that everything
we have belongs to the Lord and that He has called
us to live purposeful lives, investing our time,
talent and treasure in the Kingdom of God.

The Bible says that "The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." (Psalm 24:1)

In our Good $ense Ministry, we teach that Financial Stewardship embraces giving our time, talent and treasure and our financial gifts should be

• Proportional "The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea" Acts 11:29-30 "…Every one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income…"(1 Cor 16:2)

• Consistent (1 Cor. 16:2) "On the first day of every week every one of you…."

• Sacrificial "He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins" (Luke 21"1-4, Acts 2:45) Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity" (2 Cor 8:2)

• Cheerful "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9:7) : "freely you have received, freely give" (Matt 10:8b)

So, keep on giving and know that you are truly blessed!