Funding the Mission

Specific Objectives

At the end of the session, the participants are expected to:

1. Realize that God has blessed us with financial blessings.

2. Value the financial blessings that we received from the Lord.

3. Commit to use our financial blessing to further the mission.

Expanded Outline

I. Introduction

What prevents our community from doing great things for the Lord? Is it our understanding of the mission? How about the workforce that we have for the mission? Or is it the money for the mission?

It is NOT our lack understanding for the mission. The mere fact that we have servant-leaders who are committed to the mission and brethren in community who are enthusiastic about the mission is proof that our understanding of our mission is clear.It is not also our manpower for the mission. Yes, we might be few, but we have a handful of committed and active brethren who continue to respond to God’s call to serve Him. Men and Women who sees their service as a privilege to be used by the Lord. We have Full-time Pastoral Workers, Mission Volunteers, but most of our servants are ALL THE TIMERS. It is a challenge but not that much.

It is our money for the mission that prevents us from doing remarkable things for the Lord. Yes, money is always a problem in the mission. Money has always been a challenge! There is so much more that can be done to further the mission, but we have always been constraint by money. It is so sad because money must not hinder the magnificent work of mission and evangelization. Money should never stop us from doing missions. You know why? Because God has always provided money for the mission.

II. Money for the Mission

Yes, God has always provided money for the mission. You might be asking yourselves, “where is that money then”? - It is already in us! Yes, God is looking at us for the money for the mission. He looks at us because He has already blessed us:

• He has blessed us with our work and businesses.

• He has blessed us siblings in MFC that helps us in our needs.

• He has blessed us by using people, situations, and circumstances to provide for us.

God has blessed us and continues to bless us not only to provide for our needs but more so to finance the mission.

A. Using our Finances to Bless the Mission

Proverbs 3:9. “Honor the Lord with your wealth”

God wants us to use our financial blessings (wealth and possessions) so that we can glorify him with it by using it to proclaim the Good News. Yes, God allows us to enjoy our possessions, yet these are not exclusively for our benefit. We need to see how we can use our possessions to serve God and to do His work on earth.

Why? Because everything belongs to God! God is the owner of everything without exception, Psalm 24:1a. “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds.” In Haggai 2:8. “Mine is silver and mine the gold, says the Lord of hosts.” Thus, what we normally call our own: our house, our car, our clothes, our investments, and our money is not ours, it belongs to the Lord. We are merely stewards of what belongs to God.

We are stewards (or managers) and not masters over the things God has entrusted to us. We are to manage what has been entrusted to us wisely, unselfishly and in accordance with God’s plan. That is why in MFC, we have a teaching about Financial Stewardship.

B. Financial Stewardship

When we talk about FINANCIALS STEWARDSHIP here in MFC we always look at Malachi 3:7-10. But today we look further so that we can get a better understanding of Financial Stewardship. Today we read from Malachi 3: 6-12

“I the Lord do not change. So, you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.” Malachi 3:6-12

Reading this passage will give a renewed understanding regarding of our relationship with God. It will give us a fresh understanding of financial stewardship. Let us dig into this passage and see for ourselves that:

1. God does not Change

In Malachi 3:6, we can read here that God does not change unlike us. He remains faithful to us, he continues to love us despite our disobedience, he continues to bless us despite our wickedness! His love and mercy for us is unchanging, that is why he has not destroyed us. But we continue to be unfaithful and have rejected His statues. Despite of all these, God still wants us to return to Him.

2. God wants us to Return to Him

In Malachi 3:8, God showed us the way how can we return to him. He told us that going back to him would entail surrendering our will and our finances to Him.

• Renewal

God wants us to return to him by deciding to renew our lives. In MFC, this means that we need to live out our covenant with God. It means growing in our relationship with Him and with the brethren in community. It is all about growing in holiness and discipleship. By being active and committed to the life and mission of our community; together with the support of brethren we were able to renew our lives and our families.

• Tithes

God wants us to return to him by surrendering our finances to Him. In MFC, this means that we are to give tithes and financial contribution for the mission. We all knew how important it is to give our tithes. The tithe is ten percent of our total wage or earnings after the tax that we give directly to the body that give us spiritual nourishment (MFC). In giving our tithes we entrust our financial well-being to the Lord. In giving tithes we entrust our servant-leaders with our trust in how to use these funds for the mission.

This donation that we give is intended to further the mission of the Lord through the community. With the tithes that we give, we are ensuring that we can get more Fulltime Pastoral Workers to serve in the community. With the tithes that we give, we ensure that we can do a lot of evangelistic and missionary activities. With the tithes that we give, we ensure that we can reach our brethren frequently so that we can give pastoral care to them.

The tithe is our primary way of surrendering our financial well—being to the Lord. But it is not only through tithes that we can return to God through our finances. We can also offer financial contribution for the mission.

• Financial Contributions

What are financial contributions? This is our donation that is above and beyond the tithe which we offer to the community in order to do more mission work. You might ask yourselves where we will get the money to contribute more for the mission? It is in the remaining ninety percent that God allows us to retain from our wages or earnings.

When we give our tithes, our normal notion is that we can use the remaining 90% according to our own pleasure. This is not true. Since God own everything then it is just right that we ask God where he wants us to use the money that he allowed us to keep. So where do we need to spend this 90?

Well first it is for our own well-being. God provides for the needs of His children. Thus, he wants us to use part of the 90% to take care of our daily needs. Second, to help the poor. God has blessed us financially so that He can used us to show His blessings to the poor. By allocating a portion of the 90% to help care for those in need, we are ensuring that there is no needy person among us. A good example of this is to give financial contribution in the F.L.E.S.H. programs of our Non-Movement. Lastly, to help proclaim the Good News to all. By allocating a portion of the 90% to help in proclaiming the Good News all, we are ensuring that everyone will hear of the Good News. A good example of giving financial contribution to proclaim the Good News is by becoming a member of LCSC’s Gideon 300.

Our Gideon 300 is the major source of LCSC funding. For years, we have been committed in responding to call of New Evangelization through LCSC. We do this by proclaiming the Good News to the grassroots for free. We have been successful in bringing the Good News to the Last, the Least, and the Lost. But we can do so much more if we have the funds to do it. By committing to be a part of LCSC Gideon 300, we are committing our financial contribution to its mission by giving a monthly donation of P1000 as an individual (a household) or group of individuals (a Unit or Chapter).

3. God does not want us to Rob Him

In Malachi 3:9, God warns us that by failing to give our lives, our tithes, and our financial contribution. We are failing to return ourselves to Him and worst of all we are stealing from Him.

When we are failing with our covenant with God and when we steal from God by not giving our tithes and financial contribution then we become accursed. And if we are accursed, how can we be effective in doing the mission? Do we allow ourselves here in MFC to be called a Den of Thieves? Even if there are some of us who strives to remain faithful in our covenant and in our tithe giving, if there remains a few unfaithful then it will hinder God’s blessings to be bestow on us. We must decide to change all of that.

4. God Wants to Bless Us

Brethren, we are not preaching a PROSPERITY GOSPEL (give and you will bless) here. For God blessings is not for sale. We are just reminding you that God cannot be outdone in His generosity.

In Malachi 3:10, God wants to bless us. That is the reason why he wants us to return to Him and give our tithes and contribution. He wants us to fill his storehouse (MFC & LCSC) of resources so that through it, He can bless the world. By filling the storehouses of God with resources we can feed the spiritually and physically hungry. We can bring nourishment to those who are in need. God is serious when He said that we can out Him into a test every time we give our tithes and contributions to Him. He wants to assure us that not only will He bless us, but he will let the floodgate of heavens be open to us.

5. God will Preserve Us

God does not just promise to bless us but also to preserve us. What does it mean? It means that God will preserve and protect the blessings that He has already gave to us if we remain faithful in our covenant with Him. If we remain faithful in giving our tithes and financial contributions. In Malachi 3:11-12, God said that He will rebuke the pest, the elements, and the calamity from harming you. What a great promise! When we are obedient and faithful to the Lord, not only will he bless us but more so he will sustain us.

III. The Blessing of Giving

Yes, God wants us to be instrument of his blessings to the world by becoming His witnesses and by sharing our resources. He wants us to make people see that God’s love and providence is real! In doing so we are not just blessing others, but we are also blessing ourselves. How? By the transformation and renewal that we experience by giving to the mission.

1. Giving Teaches us to be more Generous

It makes our heart expand and become more generous. It teaches us to give more and think of others first. One of the main problems of our world today is greed. Men are too greedy and are not willing to share. But if at an early age, the value of generosity is formed in us, we become giving people and grow up becoming generous.

2. Teaches us to be Simpler and More Dependent to God

It makes us simple! By giving our tithes and making financial contributions through NONe and LCSC, we are taking away some of our luxuries and offering these sacrifices for the Lord. Whatever it is we become simple by denying ourselves life’s luxuries and comfort. It also makes us dependent to God! When we feel that we might get short because of our tithe contribution and financial donations then get ready to be surprised by God for He can never be outdone in generosity. Whatever you give the Lord gives back a hundred-fold. Remember that the Lord looks at our hearts. When we give, he will never fail to reward us for what is due to us, which is most of the time even greater than we expected.

3. Teaches us to Love the Mission

When we give, we become PART OF THE MISSION EVENTHOUGH YOU ARE NOT THERE PHYSICALLY. When we give, we want to ensure that more lives can be renewed. When we give, we show to the world that our priority is really to share the Good News to All!

IV. Conclusion

Tito Frank said Giving the Key to Financial Well-Being! It is said that among Christian it is the Catholics are the least generous. Even in community we have this saying that the last we surrender to the Lord is our wallet, our finances! But this should not be the case! Because we know that God bless those who gives money to the mission. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor 9:6-7). May we learn to surrender our finances to the Lord and be able to see His abundance in our lives.

Discussion Questions

For discussion, answer the following questions:

1. How is your financial stewardship? Are you using your financial blessings for the furtherance of the mission?

2. How can you support our community's mission more? What is God asking you to contribute more of?