WHAT TO FUND

1. A friend of mine works with an interesting congregation.

2. He said the congregation where he is “always the same.” Things never change.”

3. There are no elders because that would be a change.

4. Because things never change, the men of the congregation never meet.

5. Upon hearing this I asked about setting a church budget year after year.

6. He said there is no budget. Money comes in and money goes out; it is that simple.

I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE INNER WORKINGS OF THIS PARTICULAR CONGREGATION, BUT I DO KNOW THIS.

a) God is a God of order. He planned for His church to be a place of order.

b) In fact, a helpful principle was given when Paul discussed Spiritual gifts.

c) 1 Cor. 14:40 says, “let all things be done decently and in order.”

2) In some respects having all things orderly suggests a certain degree of planning.

3) During past weeks we have taken some time to see what the Bible says about money.

4) As Christians we make regular (weekly) contributions.

5) With money coming in week after week, we must figure out what to do with it.

a) Just a few weeks ago elders and deacons got together to figure out a church budget.

b) While only a few people were at that meeting, what was done should be important to all of us.

c) What should a congregation use the treasury (collected monies) for?

d) A good beginning place is Acts 11:30.

6) In the first century church there was a man named Agabus. He was a prophet.

7) This man received some divine insight—he knew a famine was coming.

a) He specified the general time period for this disaster and brethren sprang into action.

b) Christians collected funds and these monies were then sent to the appropriate area.

c) At the very end of Acts 11 we have this statement — verse 30 – READ.

8) Elders were the Christians who received the collected funds.

9) If elders received these funds, it would appear that they were responsible for distributing them.

10) Acts 11:30 points to elders having charge of determining how church funds will be spent.

a) They may take input from others (and such was done here recently with a new budget).

b) Ultimately, God wants elders to oversee the assets in a local congregation.

11) As we look at Acts 11 we find another useful point.

12) Money was intended for disaster relief.

13) Christians were suffering and in need of help, and contributed money was spent on this matter.

14) Not too long ago this congregation sent some money to Florida.

15) We aided people who had been injured by the hurricanes. Why do that? Acts 11.

16) A similar matter is found in Jas. 1:27.

a) James spoke of “pure religion.”

b) He also used the word “undefiled.”

c) This is the kind of faith and live that we want. How do we get it?

d) Here is what he said – READ.

e) What does it mean to “visit” the fatherless and the widows?

17) We can see the point by including another reference, Heb. 2:6.

18) In Heb. 2:6 we have a familiar expression “son of man.”

19) Usually “son of man” refers to Jesus. We see this expression again and again in the gospels.

20) In Heb. 2:6, this expression is another way of describing us (mankind/humanity).

21) We also have in Heb. 2:6 the very word for visit found in Jas. 1:27.

a) If you are in Heb. 2, let’s take a look at the 6^th verse – READ.

b) God has “visited” man.

c) How did God visit us?

d) He visited our world through Jesus Christ.

e) Stated another way, God’s visit did something.

f) This is the same kind of visitation described in Jas. 1:27.

g) It is a visit that accomplishes something.

22) James did not mean, “stop in for a 5 minute visit and give good wishes to those in affliction.”

23) He meant, “do something for them.”

24) Doing something may not cost money, but it can cost money.

25) When we think about spending church money, we can spend some on orphans and widows.

26) We can help these two classes as well as many others.

27) Gal. 6:10 tells us to help all, and especially “the household of faith” (Christians).

28) Included in the “all” would, of course, be those who are poor.

29) In Mt. 26:11 Jesus reminded us that we will “always have the poor with us.”

a) If other nations are any indication, America’s number of poor people will increase.

b) Just a few days ago there was a revealing article about Scandinavia.

c) What we know as marriage (husband and wife) is not very popular in that country.

d) In fact, “traditional marriage” as they call it has become “unusual.”

e) God’s plan has by in large been dumped for alternatives.

f) This article asserts that the people’s “quality of life” has not been affected.

g) Then the article says “the state provides maintenance allowances for children.” Moreover,
About two thirds of the single mothers receive “housing allowances” from the government.

h) If destroying God’s plan is so great, why does the government need to hand out support checks?

i) If our government continues to destroy marriage, we may see lots of folks looking for govt. checks.

30) Benevolence is a Bible area where we are entitled and bound to help people.

31) Aiding those who are needy also creates some challenges.

32) We are presented with both people who have real needs & scammers.

33) It is not always easy or possible to know which Scripture which.

34) We try to separate the legitimate from the tricksters so God’s money is well spent.

35) Other matters are also appropriate for the expenditure of church funds.

36) I get a paycheck each week, and that is appreciated by me and it is a right use of treasury funds.

37) 1 Cor. 9:14 says Jesus told His people to “pay preachers.”

38) Along with preachers, we may spend money on evangelistic matters.

39) For instance, we are entitled to use funds to build and maintain a building.

a) Did not Jesus tell His people to tell His people to “find a room” (Lk. 22:11-12)?

b) On this occasion a room was needed for just that one evening, the Passover meal.

c) Jesus was preparing to die so there was no need to buy a room.

d) For us, we meet on a regular basis.

e) We could meet in a home if that were the best choice for our area.

f) Or, we could use funds to rent a place. We also have the option we have used here: buying.

40) At the end of Acts (28:30), there is a little detail about Paul’s life.

41) Throughout the New Testament there is an emphasis on Paul’s financial status: he was poor.

42) He was so lacking funds he sometimes went hungry (1 Cor. 4:11).

43) He also lacked decent clothing (same verse).

44) Yet, in Acts 28:30 he “rented” a place to live and people “came to him” – READ.

a) Here is what is so unusual about this verse. Paul was under house arrest.

b) How does a man under house arrest worship?

c) If you are in jail, you worship in jail. If you are under house arrest, you worship at home.

d) How does a man who is under house arrest, if he is poor, get money to rent a place for 2 years?

e) He gets it just like people in our local jail get it: it is sent/given by someone.

f) Who would have sent money to Paul so he could rent a place for 24 months?

g) Certainly the Jews would not have been sending money to him.

h) Paul was often hated by the local townspeople. Christians were the ones who sent money to Paul.

i) We can establish this by deductive reasoning, and we can also draw a conclusion.

j) Paul received funds from Christians and he used them to pay for a place to preach (Acts 28:30).

k) If he was authorized to do that, so are we. We may rent or buy a place.

45) Sometimes when people spend money in this area, they use bad judgment.

46) A congregation may not spend enough money to build proper facilities.

47) We could construct a barn like structure with no chairs, no heat, and no air conditioning.

48) If the state permitted such, wisdom suggests this type of setting would not be wise.

49) On the other end of the spectrum, we could build a beautiful building with a million dollar baptistery.

a) Both extremes are examples of bad stewardship.

b) Like most matters, we want to be somewhere in the middle.

c) As we strive for that middle road, we are going to have some disagreements.

d) Even the disciples demonstrated this in their lives.

e) Listen to Mk. 14:3-5 – READ.

f) If you are ever involved in a church building project, this is a good text to remember.

g) Some may look at part of a building project and say, “We need that.”

h) Others will look at it and say, “It is a waste.”

i) In cases of disagreements, we need to carefully think about the point of disagreement.

j) In Mk. 14, the people failed to think about things long term – READ verse 9.

50) What we may see is good may be bad, and what may appear as bad may be good.

51) It is our job to take a close look at things and try to “count the cost” (Lk. 14:28-29).

52) Along with the building we may spend money on items related to Christianity.

53) We are to sing (Eph. 5:19); songbooks (which are usually bought) help fulfill that command.

54) Christians are to teach, but that often requires money.

a) Just a few days ago we received an e-mail contact from our web site.

b) A lady several hundred miles from here asked for a Bible correspondence course.

c) We have reached a woman we might otherwise have never met.

d) We have the authority to spend money doing that because of the Lord’s great commission.

55) Older preachers used to sum up church money in three categories:

56) Edification, evangelism, and benevolence.

57) These are the basic three areas for which church funds are spent.

58) We give and elders put those monies in the right places.

59) It is good to keep in mind how our money is being spent week after week.

a) We have a place to worship, and we provide that same opportunity to others.

b) We are teaching others, helping others, and pleasing God.

c) Right now the world puts a lot of stress on giving; it is said “this is the season.”

d) For God’s people, that season is 52 Sundays a year.

e) Our giving helps accomplish some of the most important we will ever do in our lives.

f) In the near future, we are going to post a figure for a “church budget.”

g) This figure is related to all the areas mentioned tonight, and we want to meet it.

60) The beginning place for that of course, is to insure that everyone here is a Christian.