Mission FPC
And even if money is a resource that God deploys to advance His Kingdom, it was still made for the purpose of buying and selling (the world’s system) and not to give and receive (God’s system). I think that that’s one of the main reasons that we, in the church, feel a kind of tension when we speak about money. Outside of the dangers explicitly mentioned in the Bible about money, as Christians, we live in this tension between the world’s systems and God’s model.
Partnership helps us to overcome this tension. Partnership is an action or series of actions that allows us to put God’s resources to work in accomplishing His plan through obeying His voice. So, instead of being caught up in some kind of struggle with money, we can confidently declare that money, like prayer, serving, praise, ideas, visions, and the like are all able to be used by God. If we enter a partnership with this vision of money, we are better able to support our partners as they discern how God is leading them to use His resources. Partnership, with this lens, is freely sharing God’s resources in a spirit of equality – brother and sisters in Christ all working together for the Kingdom.
One main challenge is understanding what God wants to show us during this crisis. Donors are no longer giving. Projects have stopped or slowed down. We feel like everything is crashing down around us. When such chaos strikes, it’s really hard to take a step back and discern what God is doing in our own lives. Yet, focusing on God and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us is exactly the foundation we need.
The second challenge is to reject the idea that the mission needs to end. Of course, some partners aren’t able to give at this time. However, it could be that God is opening other doors and is calling us to grow our networks. So, the challenge is to resist the fear of sharing our needs. God has the plan for what’s to come and knows exactly how and when He will be meeting our needs and advancing His work. Our role is to reinforce our own faith and proclaim the Kingdom of God – not neglecting to encourage everyone in our networks to give what God has provided to them even in this time.
Some people can give. Praise God. Others can’t but will pray or help you to network. Praise God. We must never forget that there is always room at the table (the mission) for everyone who is called to come. What could be your place around the table set by Mission FPC?
Scan and discover how these modest women found their place at the table of partnership!
Mission FPC
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