Last week I gamely raised the topic of what we do with our money again… after a series on ‘tithing’ to then write another series so close to the last one on ‘giving money away’ you might be tempted to think I am after your money. The truth is that I am after your money… and mine … so that we can use our wealth for gospel ministry. But I am only after your money if you are cheerfully willing to give it.
Last week the first suggestion I gave on what to do with our money was to be generous. Well today I want to look at another option that does not require us to give more but rather to direct what we give to better ministries.
We need to be wise with our giving. So many Christian I know give money to support non Christian work. Why not support a gospel hearted ministry that cares for people overseas than a humanitarian project that has no intention or desire to share the gospel with those they are caring for? CMS and Barnabas fund do great gospel ministry and so too does a group called Compassion. These ministries intentionally connect care, compassion and training with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not all groups do this, for example World Vision asks you not to a share your faith with children you might happen to support. So if we are going to be wise we should give to those ministries that share the gospel.
Being wise requires us not just to give but to question and critique who we give it to. I once watched a 3 hour DVD on a supposedly Christian mission group. In three hours they never mentioned Jesus’ name or any connection to the gospel. This included the CEO speaking on what their core goals were as a group. I concluded this mission group was not really worth while supporting.
If you give to groups that have no gospel connection or no intention of sharing the gospel then why not change and start giving to ones that do.
Space is short once again so let me briefly now look at three ways we can all give. One is weekly. Ministries love those who can give regularly as it helps them spend wisely. Every bit counts, if you can put aside $5, $10 or $20 a week then that is a huge amount towards enabling gospel ministry to continue.
Another way we can support ministry is with one off gifts. Sometimes we can get a win fall, for example our tax return or a work bonus. Why not use this money to give towards gospel ministry?
And then there is the support of gospel ministry that can continue after we have stopped breathing. Have you ever considered giving to gospel work in your will, by then any money we have will have no real benefit to us so why not ensure that the wealth you leave behind can be used to tell people about Jesus.
Now I am sure this will get us thinking and talking… but will it change the way we use our wealth for the sake of the gospel?