“According to your faith, it will be done to you.”
Matthew 9:29
Daring Faith: The Key To Miracles has been about renovating believers and renovating buildings. Notice which comes first: we have gone all in to help build the faith of our church family and friends. This has also been about how to do missions and ministry while taking care of the wonderful building and campus God has given JIBC. To do that, we must talk about giving, sacrificial giving. The old saying is “equal sacrifice, not equal gifts”. That requires Daring Faith. Here are some suggestions for how to discern God’s will for your giving. How can you know?
1. Begin with prayer. Lord, show me how to give in a way that stretches and builds my faith more than ever. I trust you to provide. It is not the amount you give…it is the amount you trust that pleases Him.
2. Don’t rush your decision. Spend time alone with God each day so you can hear what He is telling you. The ultimate result is that you grow closer and closer to Him.
3. Decide whether you will give by revelation or reason. When I give by reason, which is fine, I have to figure out what is a reasonable amount. Then I commit to giving that amount. This is how most people give to charities. It asks a logical question “How much can I afford to give?” When you give by revelation, you pray “Lord, what do you want to give through me?” You are allowing your faith to lead the way. In 2 Corinthians 8:3 it says of the Macedonian believers “They gave not only what they could afford, they gave more than they could afford.” When you give more than you can afford, you have to trust God in faith to keep His promises.
4. Hold a family conference or set aside some time to talk about your contribution. If you have children, help them be involved in giving to the mission and ministry of their church. Ask for creative ways your family could give. Read the Bible and make a list of the promises you have been learning from God’s Word. One dad filled out the online giving and then let his kids push the send button! What a great way to teach generous giving.
5. Remember that if you chose to participate in the Daring Faith offering, there are two parts. First, the cash gift now to be celebrated on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 19. You can really give that any time before or after. The second way to give is by the 36-month giving commitment. This may allow you to give more than you ever imagined.
6. Celebrate your commitment. This is an exciting time in the spiritual journey of our church family and yours. Find ways to celebrate all He is and all He has done for you.
“Father, this is a big step for us. We’re asking you to stretch our faith, strengthen our faith, and deepen our faith through our commitment to be generous givers. We realize everything we have comes from you; we want to express our gratitude for all you have done for us; we want to demonstrate our faith, even in our giving; and we want to show support for our church family and it’s missions and ministry. We love you and thank you for loving us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
