Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts

Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions

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Tuesday, September 08, 2015 10:28 AM

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Why are we raising money for the Janie Chapman State Mission Offering? I think that is a good question that deserves a little investigation and an answer. Here is my attempt to provide information and challenge all of us to sacrifice for this cause.
The first South Carolina State missions offering was established on November 30, 1899 by the Women’s Missionary Union of South Carolina. The first official offering taken was in September 1900 and raised $235. South Carolina women birthed the offering out of a burden for the advancement of the gospel in the state of South Carolina. The first president of the South Carolina WMU was Janie Weston Chapman, a pastor’s wife. Due to her fervent support of and involvement in missions the state offering was named after her in 1937.
The Janie Chapman offering is a state offering, meaning that the monies given will be used in the sate of South Carolina. The uses of the offering are too many to list but include causes such as disaster relief training, assisting struggling churches, helping pastors who want further training, college outreach ministries, summer internships and missionaries, Christmas gifts to South Carolina missionaries wherever they are serving, gifts to missionary kids attending college, and supporting missions to the department of juvenile justice. For a more complete list and information go to http://www.scwmu.org and click on “Janie Chapman Offering.”
I’ve personally known churches and individuals who’ve benefited from the generosity of this sacrifice. It is an offering that keeps the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ burning when it seems darkest. It is a light we desperately need in South Carolina. Through these monies volunteers are helped and mobilized to serve when they couldn’t have done it on their own. The impact of this offering is felt beyond the borders of our state line. For example, when a volunteer is trained through the help of the Janie Chapman offering in disaster relief, when a hurricane devastates the Gulf States they are sent there with our assistance. While there the volunteer is able to begin building bridges that will lead to gospel conversations.
Our part is $1,200. Just imagine what God could do with that money to advance His kingdom. Let’s all sacrificially give above and beyond our regular giving to meet our goal. I can’t help but believe that the money we give will be used to bring someone to Christ.
Grace & Peace,
Scott

GIVE

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Monday, January 26, 2015 3:33 PM

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We are in the middle of our series on Getting Calvary Back on Track and have covered the main mission of the church. We have been created by God to glorify Him. The church exists to reveal and display the glory of God. This glory revealing is basically going public with the fame of God. We are to let the world know that everything is about God!
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Now that we know what our focus is we can ask, “How do we get there?” God has given at least four means that we honor Him as a church. These are four tools in our toolbox; these are four avenues to travel in spreading God’s fame to the world; these are four truths we tenaciously hold to…
First, we gather to worship God. Our gathering is not focused on entertainment but on worship. We don’t want to be about us, but about God.
Second, we grow in the grace and knowledge of God. We accomplish this primarily through Sunday school groups that meet at 9:15 on Sunday morning. Keith Higginbotham our Sunday School Director knocked the ball out of the park on Sunday night during the vision casting meeting. What a blessing it is to have a guy like this leading us.
We are praying and planning that this grows and more classes are added to meet that numerical growth. We are also praying for new groups to form. We could easily see small pockets of men, women, couples, and students meeting for prayer, accountability and encouragement throughout the week. All of these groups meet for the purpose of helping us find strength in God (1 Samuel 23:16).
Third, we give of ourselves to the Lord. This giving includes our time, talents, and treasures. God created us to be givers, not takers. Giving takes sacrifice and everyone in the church is called upon to sacrifice to see the gospel advance in the kingdom of darkness. We are not called upon to give with an eye on others; we always give to God, not because He is needy but because He is worthy. Paul attributed the following statement to Jesus,
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
We will cover the fourth avenue next week. Until then…
Grace & Peace,
Scott

Looking Back on 2012

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Sunday, January 20, 2013 3:52 PM

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As I sit here on the first day of 2013 I am looking back. It is a good thing to reflect on what God has done over the last year. So many things have happened that I am thankful for as a pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. My heart is filled with joy and gratitude. Here are some of the highlights that came across my mind on this night…

We are in a new building. I am thankful that we made it. I am grateful for God’s faithfulness to His church since its inception in 1923. I will always remember the old buildings on North Church Street that served as a place for God to be glorified and people’s lives to be transformed. I am glad that we aren’t packing and moving, and I’m thankful for the warm water in the bathrooms. Praise the Lord!

God has added 63 new people to His church. These are God’s children from all walks of life and ages. It has been a huge privilege to baptize some of these. Preacher Crocker and I look forward to baptizing a handful more soon. One of the indicators that we are obeying the Great Commission is that people will be getting baptized. It is not our responsibility to get people saved, that’s God’s job, and He is good at it. Our responsibility is to witness and live out the Gospel before the world. Praise the Lord!!

We exceeded the budget, not in spending but in giving. The faithful and sacrificial giving of His children has honored God. This is the first time that I can remember that a church has meet its weekly budget giving needs. We stepped out by faith and God blessed. We needed $5,004.17 each week to meet the 2012 budget; we received $5,572.65 each week. God gets the honor for that – Praise the Lord!!!

We commissioned two mission trips (Tammy Gilbert to Nicaragua and the young people to Blythewood, SC) and commissioned and sent off one to start a church (Ben Linnerud with Awaken Church in Charleston, SC). In 2013 we plan on commissioning Tammy again to Nicaragua, a group to Haiti, and our young people to the West. Praise the Lord!!!!

The student ministry at Calvary Church is off to a good start. VBS was a success, we have an active weekly ministry on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings for them. I thank God for those who serve in the nursery, children’s groups, Kid’s Church, and youth. The kids singing with the choir at Christmas was beautiful. Praise the Lord!!!!!

We need to be a church that is joy filled, Gospel centered, mission minded, God adoring, and servant oriented. We have to begin our missions at home. Spartanburg County must become a place not just where we live, but about whom we are burdened. That will be some of the focus of my preaching this year.

I love being a part of what God is doing here. And we will always be careful to let others know that this is what God has done.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

Getting Lost in the Shuffle

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Wednesday, October 13, 2010 10:28 AM

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Good things get lost in the shuffle. I've heard of kids being left behind because something or somebody arrested the attention of mom and dad. What caught their attention was not necessarily bad, it just got them sidetracked for a moment. That scenario doesn't happen often, but other examples of neglecting something because of distractions do. You know how busy like can get sometimes. Things that must get done keep getting added to our daily schedule and pretty soon something gets forgotten--something gets lost in the shuffle. But what is really, really, really important usually doesn't get overlooked (like eating, sleeping, Monday Night Football, etc.). So, what is most important goes to the top of our list. I want to challenge all of us to ask the question, "Where is giving on that list?"

I know that may be an odd question, and believe me writing about giving is kind of difficult for me because I don't want people to think of my pastoral ministry in terms of money. But I am not just talking about money. Giving is about everything in our discipleship: honoring God, serving others, packing shoe boxes for needy children, swinging a hammer in Blythewood, SC, picking up communion cups after the Lord's Supper (Who does that?), changing diapers in the nursery (Who wants to do that?), visiting a shut-in, the list is endless.

Giving must be a top priority for us because our whole life is about giving in one way or another. I don't think we wait to give. We don't compare our giving with what others are giving. Giving flows out of the biblical principle of stewardship. Stewardship sees God as the Creator and Owner of everything.

The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (Psalm 24:1-2)

When we speak about our things, we are talking out of ignorance, and these words relfect the values of the world. Everything we own will be left behind. Everything we have has been given on loan from God.

...What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Because of this we ask God what and how He wants us to give. Where is giving on your list of "Things to Do"? Don't let giving get lost in the shuffle.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

God Is Most Valuable to Me

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010 11:16 AM

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I think one of the reasons we have some difficulty talking or teaching or preaching about money is because we have a skewed perspective. What I mean is that we are not looking at it from the right point of view nor with the right end in mind. That main thing I want us to focus on when it comes to money is how we honor God with it. Paul wrote,

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

In other words, magnifying God must be the priority in all that we do, and that definitely includes our money. Money can become a touchy subject because we wrongly see all we can get from it...power and control, and we don't want to give those up very easily. I think this is wrong because after all, money is just money, and it really can't accomplish very much on its own. It is also wrong because it shows that we value money more than God. I like what the "wise guy" in Proverbs wrote:

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce (3:9).

Solomon is teaching that the way we show that God is more valuable to us than wealth is by giving to Him off the top, not the bottom. We honor God with our paycheck when we look at the entire amount and give to Him first. I believe that by giving to God before buying even the necessities of life shows that my appetites don't run my life, but God does, and then I am going to trust Him to take care of the "necessities."

But Solomon doesn't end with just an encouragement to show the worth of God by giving to Him first, he follows with a precious promise:

Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine (3:10).

This is not a promise to make us rich, or to give us a Cadillac. I don't believe that just because we give to God first that we will live in a nice house or retire on the beach someday. That type of theology is self-defeating. The promise is that God will continue to meet the needs we have in life. And when we find that our "barns are full" or our "vats are bursting" then we will have all the more reason to be generous to those in need.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

Hoarding Is Sinful

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 10:35 AM

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Shortages create panic and when panic sets in people have a tendency to hoard. Have you ever tried to buy water after a severe weather announcement? Try going to WalMart when there is a threat of a snow and the possibility of Spartanburg County being shut down for three days looms in everyone's mind. What happens? County-wide panic! We get in our cars, head down to the nearest WalMart, BiLo, Ingles, or whatever and buy enough water to drown a pregnant cow. We also buy enough batteries to light the town of Chesnee for three months! We hoard all these things to produce some sense of security. Now, I'm all for a moderate emergency plan, but come on...really?

I believe this same thing happens when it comes to the gifts God has given us (i.e., money, time, giftedness, a message). For example: we are facing a current financial crisis. This is no mystery, but what have we done as believers in response to this crisis? Some have looked at the economy and panicked. They have begun to worry about what is going to happen tomorrow and so they run to the "WalMart" (i.e., the bank) to stockpile what they don't think they'll have in the near future (i.e., money). This is hoarding and hoarding is foolish. Taking our eyes off of the Provider always produces panic.

When Jesus was illustrating the truth about being careful with greed and that life does not consist in the things we have (Luke 12:15), He told the story of the rich guy who looked at his stuff and said, "Boy, I've got a lot of stuff. What should I do? I know, I'll demolish my two-car garage and build a four-car garage." Jesus calls him a fool because he is making decisions without thinking about God, and those decisions will carry with him after he died. Jesus ends by saying, "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God" (v. 21).

The problem with hoarding is trust. This "rich fool" wouldn't trust God because his "stuff" got in the way. God provides for us not so that we can keep it all to ourselves, but so that we can get it out into Kingdom work. God never intended that we keep all we have and store it for a rainy day. We have to trust Him and under His leadership give away what we have (Luke 6:38).

Grace & Peace,
Scott

God Is the Creator & Owner of It All!

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Tuesday, March 02, 2010 10:57 AM

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We make a monumental mistake when we play the game "that's mine!" God has graciously given us all things to enjoy. Fundamental to this is our understanding that God is the Creator and Owner of everything. Everything we are and everything we have is His. When we grasp this truth then we begin to understand that if we don't own anything, then we must be stewards of God's creation. True stewardship is built upon the foundational understanding that it all belongs to God. The believers in Macedonia understood this fact clearly and devoted themselves completely to the Lord. The result was that any gift they gave to the ministry was a consequence of this devotion.

And the did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. (2 Corinthians 8:5)

One of the hindrances to stewardship in the disciple's life is falling in love with money and what we foolishly think money can buy (i.e., security, satisfaction, popularity [after all its usually the rich who get elected], happiness, etc.). Having a love affair with money is a dangerous relationship that will leave us abandoned one day. James presents several common sins associated with the love of money:
  • Placing trust in the temporary (James 5:1-3).
  • Hoarding wealth, rather than using it for good (James 5:3).
  • Using dishonest means to get rich (James 5:4).
  • Living in self-indulgent luxury (James 5:5).
When God calls us to do something He gives us what is necessary to carry out that calling. He never envisioned that we would fall in love with the provision and not the Provider. All of His resources are available to get the job done. How are we using what God has given us?

Grace & Peace,
Scott

A Simple Life

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:41 PM

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Is it possible to live a simple life? What I mean by this is, is it necessary that my level of comfort increases proportionately with my level of income? It is all too common that the more money we make the more "things" we buy, and soon our lives are defined more by what we have in the garage or in our retirement fund and less by what we have in Christ. Think about it along these lines: Do you remember living on less income than you have coming in now and being just as happy (if not happier)? Has it happened to you? It has happened to me. Let me explain how we got ourselves into this situation and why it is important to get out!

First is the "how." Simply put we have followed the American dream of prosperity. We bought into the lie that we deserve bigger houses and nicer cars. We have fallen prey to the envy monster and heeded the call of greed. Just take a look around and ask, "Do I really need these things, and when was the last time I used them anyway?"

A simple lifestyle is a lifestyle that doesn't evolve at the rate of our increase in pay. It is a lifestyle of contentment. In fact, it is interesting that when Paul wrote "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" he was talking about being content with what God provided (cf. Philippians 4:10-13).

Now "why" is it important to get away from chasing the American "nightmare" of more? Because the gospel is at stake. If we are greedy then the world will see no difference between their living and ours. Contentment is a powerful witness in a world that clamors after more! We must consider that the money God provides for us is not for our ever increasing pleasure, but for His ever powerful kingdom. Jesus' words are most appropriate, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).

I'm still working this out in my life, but it is something God is teaching me.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

Looking at Stewardship Through the Right Eyes

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Thursday, February 18, 2010 9:46 AM

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Looking at things through the right eyes changes everything. When we were young we experienced going to the grocery store as an epic journey, now it is a chore we must endure to feed the family. Vacation used to be the ultimate, white-knuckled, adrenaline pumping, fantasy encouraging adventure of a life time, but now it is a savings account busting, insomnia inducing, over eating encouraging, never ending long road trip. It is a matter of how we look at things--through what eyes are we looking. I have come to believe this is true with stewardship. Let me explain...

The word stewardship can conjure up all sorts of negative feelings in us if we look at it from the wrong perspective. We can see it as an anxiety inducing, piggy bank emptying, guilt trip. This way of looking at the subject is twisted. In the first place stewardship has less to do with money and has everything to do with discipleship. Stewardship is a responsibility to manage well what God has given to us, and God has given us more than just cash. We are to follow hard after Jesus with our whole life, not just our bank accounts.

In the second place our stewardship will follow our focus. If our focus is on the here-and-now then we will be skewed in our management responsibilities. You see, we will manage our time, our gifts, our love, our compassion, our money, our investments, etc. with an eye only on the temporal, not the eternal. The temporal is what can be taken from us, but the eternal is what will last. Paul write about how God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). Too often we think of the "blessings" in terms of good health, more money, bigger homes and nicer cars, but this severely misses the point of God's blessings. His blessings are with an eternal perspective and He wants us to get our focus there, not here!

So, what are we doing with what God has given to us? Are we being faithful with our time? Our giftedness? Our love? Our compassion? Our money? And when we look at all of this are we looking at it in light of the heavenly and not the earthly? Let's start looking at it through different eyes.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

A Humble Obedience

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Wednesday, August 19, 2009 10:58 AM

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Something about giving and stewardship has been on my mind for the last several days and I wanted to share it with you.

Over the last several months I have witnessed at Calvary Church a humble obedience through the Spirit of God. In February I challenged all of us to ask what God would want us do to Seize a God-Sized Opportunity. That opportunity was to buy a piece of property for the future. To do this we would need to raise enough money to offset the need for the interest income we use in the general budget. What took place was humble obedience. People prayed and people gave. Some gave in the thousands, some in hundreds, and some in tens. Every gift was a sacrifice that reminded me of something Jesus observed:

41And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44 ESV)

I know this has been a sacrifice for everyone who has given. This is money that would normally be used to buy groceries, or pay off a credit card balance, or go to the movies, or out to eat, but humble obedience to the Spirit was far more important than food on the table or a good time out. The amount is not what is important to God, but the humble obedience is. No matter what amount was given it blessed the heart of the Father...and your pastor as well.

Grace & Peace, Scott

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