Page 118 - Discipleship Ministries Student E-Book

Finances (and our other resources) can be used to bless not only our families but also our church, our
friends, our community and our nation. They also can be used by the church worldwide in the task of
missions as we strive to send the good news of the Gospel to those who have
never heard. The great danger is for the church to fear bad future events
occurring and begin to store up its monies into million-dollar bank accounts,
rather than using what God gives to reach the untold millions of souls who are
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yet “untold.” George Barna discovered that the typical church allocates only
2% of its gross annual revenues to evangelism. “It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich church to reach a lost world.”
[Modified proverb]

Did you know there are over 2,350 verses in the Bible about money? While we
don’t have the time to review every verse, we will consider a large number of
verses in this short paper.

Did you know that nearly half of Jesus’ parables are about possessions? God is concerned with how we
manage our possessions!

The Bible is packed with wise counsel about your financial life. In fact, Jesus had more to say about
money than about heaven and hell combined. So, looking into God’s Word will bring to our mind God’s
major principles in managing our resources.

Who owns your possessions and money?

Key Concept: Everything belongs to God, and it is from Him that we are given stewardship over worldly
wealth. God looks at wealth differently than we do. To be good stewards of what God has given us, we
need to have HIS perspective, have HIS desires and attitude about handling money, and be content with
all that God has given us.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Not only does God own our money, but also our job, our promotion, our ministry, our family, our
home, all our belongings and everything we have.

I Chronicles 29: 11-13 Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and
the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as
head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are
strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise
your glorious name.

Our responsibility is to be good stewards (servants) of everything that God LOANS us as stewards,
remembering that the source of all we have on this earth comes from God and belongs to Him. It is NOT
OURS!

43 *Manager of a polling company for Christian information.

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