GTM Talk 3.6a Faith and Finances

GTM Compere Welcome to GTM Talk 3.6a Faith and Finances. Some people say money is not important, but it is very important. Jesus considered it so important that he spoke on the subject of money more than any other life issue in fact, in the whole of the Bible there are: 2,350 verses on money and possessions - that s three times more verses than love, and 7 times more than prayer. Out of 38 parables that Jesus taught, 16 covered finances. There is a tendency to view the material world and its day-to-day activities through physical eyes only, therefore separating it from the spiritual realm. Yet one of the most spiritual and godly things you can do is manage money well. Money is a major testing ground for faith that has the ability to reveal the issues of the heart. Ken will begin addressing this week s topic by looking at the relationship between faith and finances. Trust and Obedience in the Midst of Worry In 2013, I was away on a prayer and fasting retreat seeking God about challenges we were facing, including the prospect of a huge long-term financial undertaking. We believed that God was clearly leading us, but at the time our personal finances were extremely limited and there seemed no human solution. I had also watched some teaching videos on financial management. I could understand and relate to the principles being taught but I found myself constantly comparing the teaching to our own faith journey with finances. Into this context, I read from a Bible passage where God warned Israel not to rely on Egypt for their strength but to look to him. Personalising the timeless principle, I asked God this question: Q. Lord how does someone pursue wise money management, but not get driven by his or her own strength? I sensed God say, Deuteronomy 8. In Deuteronomy chapter 8, the nation of Israel faced two major tests. The first was whether they would trust and obey God in the midst of worry and lack. The second would come through the test of prosperity where they would have an abundance of wealth. Listen to Moses words as he reminds the Israelites about the first test they faced: 1 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P1/11

hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. God deliberately took the Israelites through a time of lack to test them to see what was in their heart. Would they make God their security and obey God and trust him despite their concern for their material needs? Then when there was no natural supply, they experienced God s supernatural provision. Through it, God was reminding them their life did not just exist for bread, that is, for natural appetites and needs. Instead, they were to make God and his commands their bread the source of all their needs and the priority of their life. Another way of picturing this is to ask the question, Who was the source of the Israelite s material needs and what was the channel of supply? In the wilderness there was no natural supply of food, water or medicine, so in their time of hunger, thirst and dying from snakebites, they were dependent on God as their source and for him to supply miraculously. God provided manna, water, meat, shade, light, healing, protection and the wealth of Egypt. Their clothes and sandals did not wear out and they were kept strong for forty years. Another biblical example is Elijah during a time of drought in 1 Kings 17:2-6, Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there. 5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. God was the source of Elijah s needs. His need for water was supplied naturally through a creek and ravens miraculously supplied his need for food. Verses 7-9 says: Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9 Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food. In both situations, God remained the source of Elijah s needs, but the channel through which God supplied varied. In this case a widow was to be the supply. When Elijah met the woman, she was making a final meal for her and her son. They had no further money or food to live on. However, in faith and obedience she shared her final meal with Elijah. God then miraculously provided her with flour and oil that didn t run out until the drought was broken and natural provision was restored. God is to be your security, source and focus. He can provide through an employer, through family members, through a business or investments, or he can provide miraculously when there is no natural channel of supply. GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P2/11

When you take your eyes off God as your source and security, and focus instead on the channel of supply or the challenges that come through other people and circumstances, then your life will be filled with worry. Worry is the exact opposite of faith. Faith focuses on the unseen and God s character, goodness and promises. He will remain the source of all we need. Satan will tempt you to think God doesn t care about your material needs and circumstances so that you will make compromises away from righteousness for your own security and comfort. Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 6 that when it came to everyday needs such as what we eat, drink or wear, God would provide just as he does in nature. Jesus then went on to say, O you of little faith? Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Worry cannot improve tomorrow, it will only rob from today by causing anxiety. The enemy will use worry to try and keep you from stepping out in obedience to God. Instead, if you will seek first God, his kingdom, and obey whatever he says regardless of human resources, or the lack of, then God himself will meet your daily needs. If you worry, you are living like a pagan busily running after material things. A pagan here is simply someone outside of a covenant relationship with God and therefore doesn t know they have a heavenly father who is willing to be the source of all their needs and to take care of them. The antidote to worry is trusting God as the source of our daily needs regardless of whether a particular channel of supply dries up. The evidence of our trust is that we will, in faith, pursue God and his kingdom above everything else even when circumstances appear dire. Let me say that again. The evidence of our trust is that we will, in faith, pursue God and his kingdom above everything else even when circumstances appear dire. Prosperity and Wealth The test of riches occurs in two main ways: the test of how you will respond to prosperity and wealth and how you will respond to the temptation of greed and the desire to be rich. In Deuteronomy chapter 8:6-19, Moses went on to describe the first aspect to the test of riches that the Israelites would face. Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P3/11

with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery 17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 19 If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Prosperity is part of God s covenant blessings and favour, but it comes with the risk that our heart can become proud. Pride causes us to forget that God is the source, and to forget how God has provided in the past. The moment you move from humility and think you are the source of your ability and power to produce wealth; you are on a downhill spiral from God. What is the antidote for the test of prosperity and riches? Stay humble by constantly thanking God for his provisions - both natural and supernatural. Both are from his hand. Always remember that when God gives you the ability to produce wealth, you are simply a channel of supply - not the source. The Love of Money In times of both lack and abundance, there can be a strong pull to want to get rich. Solomon in Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. 1 Timothy 6:9-11 says, Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. What is the antidote against loving money? It is seeking first God and his kingdom, pursuing righteousness, faith and love. GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P4/11

In the past, many people believed that you had to be poor to be spiritual. However, real poverty and lack, as described in Deuteronomy 28, is a curse not a blessing. An opposite position in the West today is that Jesus wants all of his disciples to be rich. This is true in the sense we are made rich in Christ in order to be generous (2 Corinthians 8:9 and 9:11). The subtle lie here is that having God s favour is measured by the abundance of our possessions. This Jesus strongly warned against. One man yelled out to Jesus wanting him to convince his brother to share the family inheritance with him. Instead Jesus said in Luke 12:15, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." Years ago, I listened to a preacher who spoke on finances and faith. A lot of what was being taught that night included true scriptural principles of giving and blessing, unfortunately it came with a wrong heart motive. The speaker passionately asked the audience, Who wants a bigger house? Who wants a new car? If you give whatever money you have in faith you will get what you want. To me the message was, Seek first prosperity and all these things will be added unto you. Whereas Jesus taught in Matthew 6:33, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Paul wrote to Timothy warning him saying people of corrupt mind who have been robbed of the truth think that godliness is a means to financial gain. Instead, Paul went on to say in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Elsewhere in Philippians 4:12-13 Paul testifies, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Paul, like the Israelites, faced times of seeming lack yet experienced God s strength and provision, as well he experienced times of abundance. So what is the antidote to prevent us falling for the danger of greed and the love of money? It is to live in contentment. Contentment involves not comparing to others, choosing to be thankful for what God has provided, and as mentioned, trusting in God as the source of our daily needs, regardless of a particular channel of supply drying up. If you have not learnt to be content with little, then you will never be content with much! GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P5/11

David s story My son David, a few years after he came back to the Lord, had been reading the Bible and was especially impacted by Psalm 119, verse 127, I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold. At that time, David was pursuing three priorities. Firstly, his course at university. Secondly, his work as a labourer. And thirdly, spending time studying God s word. He realised he couldn t do all three effectively. When he read this verse, he had a revelation that understanding God s commands was more important than the pursuit of money. He therefore decided, that outside of his university studies, he would spend time studying and understanding God s word. When he described it to me, he said he had to make God and his commands, his gold. This was the same lesson God wanted to teach the Israelites that God and his commands had to be their bread, the thing they pursued before everything else. After a while pursing this new direction, David faced the challenge of lack of money and compared himself to others. As a result he felt disenfranchised and became discouraged. God though, visited him in a dream. The dream was about himself and a close friend. Both he and his friend in real life attended the same school for many years. They were both keen on wealth creation and had a passion for business. They saw themselves as young, hungry entrepreneurs just needing an avenue to take on the world. In David s dream they were playing the Monopoly board game. His friend was wining and had all the wealth, but wasn t reading the instruction book. David had his head in the book. Somehow in the dream, David knew that in God s economy, learning from the instruction book of life was a higher priority than racing ahead. Since the dream, his friend has prospered way beyond his years. In contrast, David continued with his priority of studying God s word and prayer alongside his university studies. What David discovered was that by making God and his commands more precious than gold, he had the strength and clarity of mind to be able to withstand the humanistic and worldly philosophies taught at the university. Where many other students could be overwhelmed with the weight and force of the teaching and environment, David thrived on it. He was able to understand world issues and ideas, yet articulate a godly perspective in the light of it to both students and lecturers. Once David had completed his postgraduate studies, he married and set up his own business. Yet, everything he invested - his creativity, research, finances and time, all seem to fail. He knew he had to depend on God and not move in his own strength and wisdom, so he would frequently spend hours praying and seeking God, asking what to do next, but no clear direction came. It was frustrating as he felt he was constantly waiting for God, as time slipped by. It seemed futile, but he knew the dangers of trying too hard to force things to work. GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P6/11

During this season, David s wife Sophie went through some testing job experiences. This fuelled David s growing passion to build businesses and wealth based on righteousness. They wanted to make a difference through godly leadership, godly business models, and wise and generous use of finances. In the middle of Sophie s overwhelming work situation, we all prayed together about what to do. Sophie very clearly heard Jesus say, Come work for me. Sophie had a growing desire to eventually run a café, but initially her focus was to make and sell French macrons and then add other patisserie products. Soon after, she left the security of her full-time accounting job to focus on making biscuits! Around the same time, David felt God leading him to close his own business and instead support Sophie. It was another death experience for him of letting go what he had sacrificed, studied and worked for, and trusting that God would one day resurrect that area of his life. An opportunity opened for them to have a weekend stall at a large regional shopping centre. Before long, Sophie s macrons were selling exceptionally well, and for the first time, it looked like their efforts were starting to bring a financial return. But right when everything looked promising, someone in power unfairly changed the work arrangement completely disenfranchising David and Sophie. The resulting tensions and arguments with management and other vendors left them wondering what to do. David again sought God and sensed Jesus say, This is a test and it is just the beginning. The beginning! David was wondering if he could cope with any more disappointments. Yet one thing he knew, they had to let the stall go, even though the situation was totally unjust. My son felt like Jeremiah in the Bible questioning God s justice saying: I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? Jeremiah 12:1 David s story continued Before long, with no stall or other retail outlet, they began looking for a shop to lease to start a café. After looking around, they found what appeared to be a key location and began negotiations with the owner. Complications and delays followed, which meant the negotiations stretched out to four months. All this time, they had no direct retail outlet and were forced to exist day-to-day, relying on a few wholesale orders and occasional event orders. It was a real time of testing when the natural channels of supply were limited, but God proved faithful to look after them despite the many challenges. After four months of negotiations, all the while pursuing a business loan and making preparations for opening a café, the vendor changed her mind on the price and they had to walk away. Again, they felt like all their efforts to pursue righteousness and make God their gold, brought no reward. GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P7/11

It was in this low point that they heard of a busy café for sale at a local shopping precinct. Personal circumstances forced the owner to put it on the market. Someone previously had offered a very high amount of money to purchase the café, way beyond anything David and Sophie could borrow. The centre management, who had the final say, however did not approve them as tenants. The more David and Sophie looked into this café, the more they realised it was such a superior opportunity to what they were originally considering, and their hopes grew. They put in an offer and waited. The phone call came back late one day saying that the owner had instead accepted an offer from a coffee franchise and would be signing the papers in the morning. At this point, David and Sophie were devastated. They had nothing left they had been through too many disappointments. As they shared with Bree and myself, we both had a strong sense that God hadn t finished his plans. I found the owner s address on one of the financial documents and I decided to visit them in person. When I arrived, they nearly didn t answer the door, as they didn t know who I was. But once I explained, they invited me in and I was able to share about David and Sophie s dream for the café and their limited financial position. After that visit, the owners instructed the business broker to accept David and Sophie s offer. The next morning, I sat with David and the broker as David signed the papers. Even as he was signing, the coffee franchise was trying to contact the broker to arrange for them to come and sign the papers! It was the most bizarre thing, yet God had intervened. Before, it took four months of frustrating negotiations that seemed to end in nothing, but then within four days of hearing of this opportunity David and Sophie had the signed documents confirming they were to be the new owners - the owners of a working profitable business with over ten staff involved. King David wrote in Psalm 37: 1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways... 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. David and Sophie faced one of life s money tests, and to their credit and the grace of God, they passed no doubt over time there will be more tests to come. GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P8/11

The Test of Giving Let me ask you a question. Who do you consider rich? We often think rich is someone earning twice what we do. Perhaps you compare yourself to someone richer still. Either way, the danger of comparing to others is that it fuels the lie that it s the other guy who is rich and they are the ones who should be generous! Yet even the bottom 1% in the developed world would be considered rich by New Testament standards. Paul in 1 Timothy 6:17-18 further instructs Timothy to, Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. This verse applies to each of us. We are not to put our security in temporal material things that are so uncertain, but in God as the source of all our needs. We are to therefore use our wealth, resources, talents and opportunities for the good of others. If your money and wealth is your security, then fear will keep you from being generous and any material prosperity will feed pride and arrogance. But, if your trust is in God and his goodness to provide abundantly, then you are truly free of both worry and greed. God wants all of our decisions to be based on faith and seeking first his kingdom and purposes. Hebrews 11:6 says, And without faith it is impossible to please God. If you want to please God with your financial management, then it must be based on faith. Through the eyes of faith a person says, God is good and provides abundantly for his children. If I concern myself with God s kingdom and righteousness then God will take care of my practical needs. I am already made rich in every way, so regardless what others have in comparison to me, I can choose to be generous. I am accountable not so much for what I have, but what I do with what I have! When it comes to giving, do you give based on faith, or based on what you have in excess? When Jesus watched the people taking their monetary gifts to the temple, he noticed some giving large gifts out of the overflow of their wealth and he noticed a poor widow giving the smallest of coins. Seeing a teaching moment, he called his disciples to him and said, Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on. Mark 12:43-44 It is not hard to give when you have excess, but it takes faith like this widow, or the widow in Elijah s time, to give when you yourself have needs. That is the spirit of giving that God loves. When I was in early high school, we had unexpected visitors coming. Mum, as usual, invited the guests to stay for the evening meal. The problem was Mum had GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P9/11

vegetables, but no meat in the house and no money to buy anything. She went into the bedroom, closed the door and said to God, Lord, it s not right to serve visitors a meal without any meat. So she asked God to provide. Before long, the doorbell rang and a lady from church, who had never done this before, was standing there with two hot cooked chickens saying, I just felt to buy you these. Do you know such a heavenly father? A father who takes care of his children, who says we don t need to worry. Who says we are made rich in every way so we can do good and be generous, and who says to make him and his commands our bread our gold! GTM Compere All of life is a test including how we respond to the temptations to worry, to pursue prosperity and wealth as our highest priority, or to place our security and trust in riches and our own abilities. The antidote to overcoming the money tests of life is: To see God as the source of all our needs and everything else simply as a channel of supply. To seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. To choose to never compromise in order to get ahead financially. To not compare to others, but be content with what we have. To give thanks for every blessing and provision no matter how small. To realise that our ability to create wealth is a gift of God for which we are held responsible. To always give generously, regardless of material wealth, to God s work and the needs of others. Use and Copyright Guidelines These printed notes are designed to accompany the Growing to Maturity (GTM) audio talks. Only accredited churches and organisations can legally run the course and none of the GTM materials or resources can be shown or used separate to the course, modified, copied or reproduced in any form without authorisation. The exception to this is that all GTM participants are invited to print out their own personal copy of the print version of the audio talks to read or for taking notes as they listen to the weekly audio talks. Likewise all participants who have a legal copy of the audio recordings can make a personal copy of those talks onto any listening device for their own private use. Scripture verses used throughout GTM are generally from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P10/11

P.O. Box 842, Beaconsfield, VIC, 3807 Australia p: 1300 707 700 International: +61 3 9708 0718 e: info@growingtomaturity.org.au w: www.growingtomaturity.org.au www.impactministries.org.au www.facebook.com/growingtomaturity GTM 3 Audio Talk 11 Impact Ministries, 2014 GTM 3.6a P11/11