I shared some statistics from:
http://worldmissions.ag.org/
I closed with an inspiring story from: http://worldmissions.ag.org/articles/ethiopia_transform.cfm
I shared these words and a special power point presentation encouraging all of us to committ to a faith promise...(flyers and forms in foyer)
A major reason the Assemblies of God was formed in 1914 was to coordinate the support of
missionaries around the world.
The great strength of our missions support has not been a centralized missions fund—but designated giving by local churches that faithfully support missionaries who have been called by the Holy Spirit. The primary Assemblies of God missions support base—is the local church.
Foreign missionaries with life long callings are the heart of our missions force. These faithful servants fulfill the vital tasks of reaching the lost and conserving the harvest by building churches that endure
Like frontline soldiers in war, missionaries critically depend on the support ministry of the home base. They cannot fulfill their divine call unless we pray and give.
Here at home we “hold up their hands” through faithful intercessory prayer.
Through our giving we enjoy, as the apostle Paul beautifully describes it—the “favor of participation in the support of the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:4, NASV). Supporting missionaries is a privilege!
God calls people to serve as missionaries throughout the world.
But ... they are only able to fulfill that call because God also calls people at home to faithfully give—enabling their local churches to commit monthly support to missionaries.
The Faith Promise program makes this possible!
A faith promise is not our tithe or a portion of our tithe. Our tithe, the first tenth of our income, is the Lord’s and belongs in our local church.
A faith promise is beyond our tithe.
It is a sacred act, a spiritual agreement with God—as we commit to give regularly to support missions and help fulfill God’s plan to reach a lost world.
The Biblical Foundation...
Each of us must decide if we believe that God’s hand is in our personal finances.
God’s Word clearly reveals that our giving is simply returning back to God a portion of what He has first given to us.
In the Lord’s Prayer, when we pray, “give us this day our daily bread”, we are acknowledging that God is the source of our provision.
We are warned repeatedly in Scripture not to test God—except in the area of our finances.
In Malachi 3:10 we are told, “Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10 NIV).
Obedience concerning tithing and giving is one of the surest ways we can see God at work in our personal lives.
A Biblical foundation for the faith promise principle is found in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, where the apostle Paul shares the inspiring testimony of the Macedonian churches and their sacrificial faith giving.
These believers gave in two ways:
... according to their ability
...and beyond their ability (2 Corinthians 8:2,3).
Because of their joy and generosity, the Macedonians gave according to their ability. They demonstrated their values and priorities by their sacrificial giving.
Giving according to our ability is still giving by faith.
We demonstrate faith by giving from what we already have in obedience to God’s commands.
And because of our faith in the power of the gospel, we give to send missionaries around the world to proclaim Christ’s message.
A farmer sows seed in the springtime with faith for a harvest in the fall. He trusts the soil, the weather, the seed, and God’s natural laws to bring a harvest. We do the same with the seed of the gospel. As we each do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission, we demonstrate faith in the power of the gospel to produce a harvest in this world.
Paul says that the Macedonian Christians also gave “beyond their ability.” How can we give beyond our ability? Simply ... because God is involved in our personal finances. Paul emphasized that the reason God provides “sufficiency in everything” is so that believers may have “an abundance for every good deed.”
“God will give much more through us than He will ever give to us.” This truth echoes Paul
in 2 Corinthians 9 verses 10 and 11: “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.”
Notice that what God multiplies is not our bread for
food—but our seed for sowing. He increases not what we consume, but what we give away.
His Word is true.
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Making a faith promise is a sacred act—a spiritual agreement between us and God. He will guide us in the decision and bless us for our commitment.
God’s Word says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV)
No amount is too small. God honors and uses our obedience more than the amount of our giving. Limited income should not prevent anyone from making a faith promise. Jesus said that the widow who gave just a “mite” in the offering gave more than all the others because she gave all she had.
A faith promise gives us an opportunity to participate in the Great Commission.
As we do our part in missions, God’s purpose will be accomplished—both in our lives and in the lives of others around the world.
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