A young Pastor was newly brought to lead a fairly large church of ultra-conservative A and poor people. He was a man with great education, calling and vision for the Lord. He quickly realized that the financial attitude of his people will have to greatly change if he is to lead them to accomplish his vision for the church. He therefore embarks on a systematic teaching, prayers and instruction. He did it for three months and the people changed for the better and nothing ever remain the same again for that church. Numerical, financial and spiritual growths were the outcome.
A. MONEY AS A SERVANT OR MASTER-Job 22:21-28; 36:11
Money and wealth are not the same. Money is neither good nor bad, depending on what you use it for. Money is a means to an end, an avenue to solve problems and meet needs (1Tim 6:10). Money must be our servant, never our master.
- Money is a good servant when:
- You can give generously
- Meet the needs of your family
- Interprete the dreams of others
- Give to support the work of God
- Make it in a godly and legitimate way
- Free from hoarding, stinginess and avarise
However, only few people have gotten to the stage in their life. To the majority, money is a very bad master to them. Money is your master when:
- You are greedy of gain
- Fight and kill for money
- Cheat and defraud others
- Work and worship money
- Do anything to get money
- Bribery and corruption
- Tight fisted, stingy and pinching
- Selfish and self-centered
- Difficult to give to others substantially
- Failure to pay tithes, offerings and sow seeds.
- Stealing, short changing and coveteousness
- Poverty mentality and desperation for money
- Selling your birthright on the altar of money
These wrong attitudes have turned many into slaves of money. They do immoral and ungodly works just to get money and they deny their Lord for penury and gains.
B. SPIRITUAL OR FINANCIAL RICHES? Luke 12:15-21
The prosperity messages have sent out the wrong signal that your worth to God and humanity is measured by your financial riches. Many have therefore focused all their attention on making money at all cost to the detriment of their spiritual well-being. Well, while God is not against legitimate and godly money, yet our spiritual riches is much more important. Your spiritual riches consist of:
- Truly changed and transformed heart
- A burning love and passion for God
- Deep relationship with God
- Worshipping God in spirit and truth
- Fruits and gifts of the Spirit
- Deep knowledge and fellowship with God
- Being a spiritual blessing to others
- Waking and walking in the Spirit
- Prayerfulness and keen spiritual insight.
These spiritual riches are much more important and weighty to God than all the money in the whole world combined. A church that consist of such spiritually rich people will do heaven and the world a lot more good than financially rich church that is spiritually destitute.
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C. WHOLISTIC APPROACH TO FINANCIAL MATTERS – I Tim. 6:17-19
Financial and monetary matters must be balanced in the church. While God desires our spiritual riches, He also wants us to be okay financially. While spiritual poverty must not be in our lives, financial poverty must be done away with also. Poverty of heart and pocket must be prayed out of our lives.
- Financial freedom is the will of God
- Jesus did not only save us from sin but from poverty too
- We need to have to give to God’s work and others
- Money will help us to propagate the gospel more and better
- Money must be our good servant, not our Lord
- Legitimate and legal way of making money is approved by heaven
- Making, managing and multiplying money is God’s will
- Financial accountability is required of every steward.
We cannot ignore that we need money to live well and do a great work for God. What we lack is balanced approach to it.
D. FINANCIALLY WHOLESOME PEOPLE AND CHURCH
To build a financially wholesome people and church will take time, change and great effort from the leadership. Here are steps to take as a leader:-
- Let God change your own financial attitudes
- Study and have a wholesome view of money matters
- Demonstrate competence and faithfulness in handling money
- Determine to build a financially wholesome people
- Wage war against spiritual and financial poverty through prayers, teachings and givings
- Teaching your people how to make legitimate money
- Teaching your people to work do business and meet needs
- Don’t defraud or manipulate people into giving
- Transparently demonstrate giving to God and others
- Transparently handle the monies of the church
- Let your church and ministry be a fertile ground to sow
- Use your financial strength to expand His kingdom and do good works
- Periodically host a stewardship week in the church
Transparent integrity both in receiving, handling and distributing the money of the church is very crucial to building a financially wholesome church. And it is only a financially wholesome church that can truly bring change to others. If we don’t get our attitude about money right, we cannot be right in other areas of our lives and churches.