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First Assembly of God Newsletter March 2009 |
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In the lessons of life, facts reveal to us that for anything to remain healthy it must be open and accepting of change. The same is true for the church. We need to be cautious that we do not only value tradition, but also imagine a larger future. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision the people perish...". It is important for the church to periodically examine why we do what we do, and ask what we can do to not only make it better, but make it the best it can be. We need to ask ourselves, "What are we trying to accomplish?" "Does it fit our mission statement?" "What are the necessary steps to move our church from where we are to our goal?" "Who is responsible for what?" There is a significant difference between purposeful, strategic change and mere movement. It is important to maintain an attitude that is open to making necessary and effective changes. My goal as your pastor, along with the church leadership, is to help us as a church to imagine a larger future for First Assembly. I want to encourage you to start thinking of us as a church that God has anointed to reach out to the 80% of Rockingham County that are not in church on Sunday. Let's start praying for God to make "divine" appointments and as a result see people come to know Christ as their Savior. Let's collectively vow to break the yoke of a "small church" mentality, and start seeking God for what He wants. I believe that this can become a reality by doing the following three things. First, be committed to be faithful in your church attendance. You play a vital role in the health of our church. We have over 400 individuals that attend our church for a service during a typical month, but yet we had an average attendance of 230 for morning worship in 2008. Let's work together in closing the gap between these two numbers in 2009. Second, I know that we are living in tough economic times, but I challenge you to faithfully honor God with your tithes and offerings. If what you are presently doing isn't working, why not try doing things God's way (Malachi 3:10-11). David said in Psalm 37:25 "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread." Last, I encourage you to become involved in a ministry of the church. God has given all of us talents. We don't all have the same talents, but it is the combining of our talents that makes the church healthy and complete. Involvement also lends itself to ownership, where I care about the effectiveness of a particular ministry in our church and the role it plays in helping our church achieve excellence. You are never too young or old to become involved, and you play an important part in helping us reach the diversified community around us. 2009 is a year full of God-given opportunities for us to excel. — Pastor Jeff |
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATOR NOTES
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Recently I had the opportunity to attend Tommy Barnett’s 32nd annual Pastors School in Phoenix, Arizona. One of the workshops I attended had to do with the subject of giving to God’s work in tough economic times. God obviously knew that money would be an important issue for us since He put more than 2350 verses in the Bible dealing with the subject of money. A study of some of these verses reveals that giving is a matter of obedience to God. Giving is a commandment from God, not an option to be considered whenever it is convenient. Malachi 3:10 says “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse (local church), …. And try me now in this says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” I don’t know about you, but I want to be in a position to receive all the blessings from heaven that I can get. So what constitutes a tithe? A question often asked is should it be on your gross income or your net income? Proverbs 3:9&10 provides guidance on this subject when it says “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” To me, the phrase “all your increase” clearly indicates gross income rather than net income. Honoring the Lord with our “first fruits” would then mean that the tithe comes before taxes, mortgage payments, car payments, credit card payments, etc. These verses again point out that if we are obedient to these commands God will pour out His blessings on us. Are there consequences for not following God’s commands about tithing? First of all we may miss out on the blessings promised in Malachi 3:10 and Proverbs 3:10. Secondly, Malachi 3:8 says “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, ‘in what way have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings.” I sure don’t want to stand before God and explain why I was robbing Him of my tithe while I was here on earth. Unfortunately many people find themselves saddled with so much debt that they think they cannot possibly tithe. I recently read that the average household is carrying nearly $11,000 in credit card debt. Add this to car payments, mortgage, and other debts and it can seem overwhelming. This situation is not God’s best for His people. The workshop I attended pointed out that there are Christian principles and programs that anyone can use to get out of debt. Those who are diligent in following these principles report accomplishments such as: getting out of debt; saved or improved marriages; increased giving, including tithing; financial freedom; improved prayer life; more time for ministry; increased honesty; better work attitude; and, greater happiness. Pastor Jeff and I would be glad to talk to anyone interested in pursuing these Godly principles for financial management. During these difficult economic times I want to encourage you not to cut yourself off from your source. God is the owner and source of all that we have. Our responsibility is to be obedient and honor Him with the first fruits of all our increase. If we do that, He promises to shower us with overflowing blessings. — Steve Parsons |
