Money in Ministry

In many Christians' vocabularies, worship and ministry are interchangeable. But, there's a distinct difference... and yet, there's also a distinct connection. Money given in worship often finds its way into some form of ministry. Likewise, giving money out of a sincere desire to worship God with our resources goes hand-in-hand with giving money out of a sincere desire to minister.

Last week, we looked closely at Old Testament examples of worshipping God—recognizing who He is in regard to who we are not. And, intermixed among those very passages we read about providing for the Levites with those very sacrifices, and enjoying the feasts with the aliens, fatherless, and widows.

One thing that is clear throughout scripture is that God has a heart for the poor and marginalized. Jesus ate with societies outcasts. In Isaiah 58, God rebuked Judah for observing fasts without considering what God truly wanted from their fasts: "Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter" (Isa. 58:6).

This Sunday, we will continue our pursuit of understanding God's perspective on money by looking at how He intends its use(s) in ministry. If you're eager to come prepared, re-read Deut. 14-16 and pay attention to His provision for the Levites, aliens, fatherless, and widows.

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Money in Worship

Well, it's been a nice summer break, but I'll be glad to be back teaching this Sunday morning. We're going to round out the summer with one last topical series before diving into our book for the fall, which will be 1 Peter. For the next three weeks, however, we're going to explore some Biblical concepts on money.

Now, this may not feel like the typical Christian "money management" series you could be used to. Instead, we'll spend this Sunday learning about money in worship, the following Sunday on money in ministry (yes, they're different), and then we'll wrap up the 3rd Sunday, August 31st, with a discussion over the Biblical viewpoints on things like "financial security" and "retirement." I believe that an understanding of Scripture leads us to a Godly application of principals in our life, and that's what I hope we accomplish.

So, how does money relate to worship? Do we worship God by "giving" Him our money, and if so, what in the world does that look like? Well, for many of you, it's those silver plates with red felt at bottom... right? We'll be focusing on Deuteronomy 15 and 16, specifically the feasts, to understand how God wants us to worship Him with our money.

I look forward to seeing you all Sunday.

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