Giving Creates Financial Margin

Giving money away is the number one way to create financial margin. Here’s how. Your lack of margin isn’t really a money issue. It’s a heart issue. Because your heart is materialistic, greedy and selfish - you spend and spend and spend to try and satisfy your insatiable appetite for stuff. And in doing so you use up any financial margin you had - and when this heart issue is really bad it results in negative financial margin (what you may know as debt). It’s a heart issue, not an issue of how much money you make. Now, here’s how giving money away actually helps you to create MORE margin. When you give money away it breaks the power of money in your life. That is, when you give money away God changes your heart. When you give...the GRIP that materialism, greed and selfishness has on you begins to loosen - a little bit at a time. And when you aren’t so materialistic you don’t spend as much on stuff you don’t need. When you aren’t greedy, you don’t have to buy every single thing you lay your eyes on. When you aren’t selfish you don’t need to consume all the money you have to indulge yourself. And in this way you CREATE MORE MARGIN by giving your money away.

Here is something you need to learn about God...Everything he asks us to do IS FOR OUR GOOD. He’s such a loving and caring God and when he tells us to do something it’s because we’ll be better off if we obey. We don’t honor God with our finances because we think we’ll be worse off instead of better off if we follow his ways. We don't obey God by giving to the local church because we mistakenly think that if we do there won't be enough left for me. That’s not true. You want to be in the best financial shape possible? Follow God’s instructions related to money.

Why Do One Prayer?

New Day recently participated in something called One Prayer. It was absolutely fantastic for so many reasons. If your church has never participated in One Prayer, let me give you several reasons to join in next year:

1. Why not? The Bible says wise people are open to new ideas. In fact they look for them! (paraphrase of Proverbs 18:15)

2. A lot of churches say that one of their core values is to redeem technology. One Prayer is the perfect opportunity to do just that!

3. Participating in One Prayer is practicing good stewardship. Most churches could not afford to pay these amazing communicators as guest speakers. With plane tickets, hotel room, meal per diem and the honorarium it would cost thousands!! Through One Prayer, it's free!

4. It's a step toward answering Jesus' prayers for us in John 17 that his followers would unite and become one.

5. It frees up the lead pastor to work on advancing other important areas of the church (besides sermon development).

6. It gives the people of your church a chance to hear other gifted communicators and be blessed by their messages, while at the same time getting a break from you (this is a good thing from time to time no matter how much the people in the church like hearing their pastor preach).

Is It Too Much to Ask?

Is it too much to ask for both MORAL and MUSICAL excellence? It seems that churches either have one or the other. But why can't we have both? At New Day my prayer is that we have people with MORAL excellence - that is, they love Jesus more than they love music. But I also pray for MUSICAL excellence - that is, they are capable of rocking the house on their instrument. At some churches the band really loves Jesus but they stink on their instruments. At other churches the musicians are sick on their instruments, but they might not even be able to SPELL Jesus (never mind live like him). I want BOTH. I'm praying for both. I'm believing for both. God, please give us both.

Debt and the Church

Will New Day save until we have the money we need for the things we need and want to buy? Or will we use debt as a means to get the things we need and want for the ministry? That's the decision I'm facing right now. Below are some of my thoughts after reading the chapter on debt from Money Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. I'm 100% undecided at this moment (although I'm leaning towards not going into debt).

1. I teach my kids that "money comes from work." I don't teach that "money comes from borrowing." Would going into debt set a bad example for my kids? Is debt our means of short-circuiting the God-created means of acquisition - including work, saving, planning, self-discipline, patience, and waiting for divine provision.

2. I teach my church that "debt is not a sin, but it is usually unwise." Would going into debt set a bad example for my church?

3. As a Christian I believe that where God guides, God provides. If the provision isn't there, is God really guiding? Is not having enough resources to pay cash for what I want God's way of telling me it isn't his will for me to buy it?

4. Debt often results in financial pressures strong enough to break up marriages. Would borrowing create financial pressure of any kind in my life? Stress experts say that the bigger a person's mortgage (or any debt), the bigger the stress. Debt is a serious enemy of mental health.

5. I believe the government should limit spending to available revenues. Is it right to hold New Day Church to a different standard?

6. Proverbs 22:7 says "...the borrower is servant to the lender." And 1 Corinthians 7:23 says "...do not become slaves of men." Do I want to be servant to the bank or servant to the Lord? Do I want to be my creditors slave or Christ's slave?

7. Romans 13:8 says "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another..." (NASB) Does this verse prohibit debt? The NIV reads "Let no debt remain outstanding..." which allows debt but only under conditions that it be paid off. However, if going into debt is always sin it's difficult to understand why Scripture gives guidelines about lending and even encourages it under certain circumstances. If debt is always sin, then lending is aiding and abetting sin, and God would never encourage it.

8. Because of the interest you pay when you go in debt, if New Day went into debt we would have to pay a certain amount of money in addition to what the items cost. For example, if I wanted to buy $15,000 of equipment valued at $15,000 - but had to pay 15% interest on the loan, then I would be paying an additional $2,250 for the equipment. Am I a good steward when I pay several thousand dollars more than something is worth just so that I can have it before I can afford it?

9. Being a borrower is listed among the curses that would come upon the children of Israel if they disobeyed God (Deuteronomy 28:44-45).

10. Nehemiah 5:3-5 describes being in debt as NOT a good thing. In a time of famine, the ultimate act of despair was to mortgage fields, vineyards and homes. Should such things take place under normal circumstances? According to the Bible, is debt reserved for desperate situations or everyday use?

11. The Old Testament shows a strong connection between debtors and slaves. Both debts and slavery were canceled in the year of Jubilee. More often than not, the person was a slave because he was a debtor (Deuteronomy 15:2,12). Unable to pay back debts, he was sold into slavery.

12. In the Year of Jubilee debts were cancelled. If debts were a good thing, why would God establish a time where people could become debt free? I don't know that this means debt is always wrong, but I do think it at the least puts debt in a negative light (in my opinion).

13. Is the money I will be obligated to repay, and the bondage it will create, worth the value I'll receive by getting the money or possessions now?

14. Is debt a vicious cycle? Once I pay off the debt, what new needs and wants will I have? Having used debt to get what I need and want for the church, will I be tempted to use debt again as a means to get what I want? Would this violate the principle from Nehemiah that debt is for dire circumstances?

15. Do we believe God knows best what our needs are? Debt spends money we don't have. So isn't our decision to go into debt proof that we believe we need more than God has given us?

16. If we don't have the resources to buy something, and if we feel such need for it that we're borrowing to get it, are we saying God has failed to meet our needs? Is going into debt saying "God has failed to provide for our needs, so I'll just take matters into my own hands"?

17. Is debt presuming upon the future finances of the church? It's one thing to trust God to provide for our present needs (Matthew 6:33). It's another to presume upon him by dictating (via a decision to incur debt) the terms of his future provision. Is going into debt an act of faith or presumption?

18. Is debt our way of getting around depending on God?

19. James 4:14 warns that we cannot know what will happen tomorrow. And if we don't know and cannot control all that the future holds, how can we be sure that we can pay off new debts? We can be certain that God will provide for our basic material needs if we seek first his kingdom (Matthew 6:25-34), but where does the Bible promise that God will provide for all the debts we incur through our own impatience or presumption?

20. Scripture mentions three major building programs. Each was financed directly by up-front giving. There were no tabernacle bonds, no borrowing, no pledges - just straightforward giving. People gave more than enough and had to be restrained from giving to the tabernacle (Exodus 36:6-7). In each of these three building projects (the tabernacle, the temple, the rebuilding of the temple) the work didn't begin until it was obvious that the project could be completed without borrowing.

21. In Luke 14:28-30 it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Jesus taught that a project should only be undertaken with the certainty of having sufficient funds for completion (i.e. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?).

22. In the Old Testament building projects, future ministry was paid for with present money. But churches that borrow pay for present ministry with future money. Which philosophy is God in favor of?

23. Would NOT borrowing create a greater dependence on God and allow God to show his faithfulness to our church?

24. If we sang hymns at New Day (we usually don't) would we be able to sing this one if we went into debt: "All I have needed Thy hand hath provided - Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"

25. Does debt tempt us and allow us to pursue what God hasn't provided and doesn't intend for us?

I don't have answers to all these questions, but I'll be thinking about and praying for insight as to the best path for New Day to take. Debt or no debt? Any thoughts? Please pass them along!