What Is The Church Waiting For?

The following is a powerful message by David Tait of Walking With Jesus Ministries on what it means to be "kingdom minded"  about our finances.  If everyone that professes to be a follower of Jesus Christ viewed their finances based on biblical principles not only would every man and woman have heard the the "good news" of Jesus Christ but the hungry would be fed, the naked would be clothed and no one would go without proper medical coverage.  plk

 

 

DO WE REALLY NEED IT?

Several times over recent weeks I have seen 'prophecies', from leading 'prophets', stating that the church is about to inherit vast resources from the (evil) world to enable it to fulfil its function of evangelising the earth, in order that Jesus can return. You may well know of these, as such teaching seems common in church circles today.

As time has gone on, I have felt increasingly uneasy in my spirit about the truth of this particular theme of prophecy. I needed to know, "is this true, is it misguided wishful human thinking, or worse still, a ruse by satan to delay Christians from fulfilling the Great Commission by waiting for the pennies, not to fall from heaven, but rather, to rise from hell!"

What follows, is what the Lord has shown me - and in the words of Paul I think that I too have the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 7:40) You may, or may not, agree!

All the figures quoted here are taken from "World Christian Trends AD 30 - AD 2200. Interpreting the annual Christian megacensus." by David Barrett and Todd Johnson.

Let's start with some figures that may surprise you.

!!! Christians by income: 58% rich (11% affluent, 37% well off, 10% just coping), 42% poor (29% needy, 13% absolutely poor).
!!! Annual Personal incomes of 2 billion Christians (church members) $US15.2 Trillion
!!! Worldwide Christian per capita income: $US8,050
!!! Average Christian Family income: $US34,000
!!! Average giving per church member per week: $US2.75 (1.8% of Income)
!!! Total Christian Giving: $US270 Billion
!!! To Churches: $US108 Billion
!!! To Christian Organisations: $US162 Billion
!!! New Church Buildings: $US8 Billion annually
!!! Foreign Missions: $US15 Billion
!!! Average Giving to Foreign Missions: $US0.15 (0.1% of income)
!!! Christian Broadcasting (Radio/TV): $US5.8 Billion

And now for some facts to shock you!

!*!*!* Emboldened by lax procedures, trusted church treasurers are embezzling each year $16 billion out of church funds, but only 5% ever get found out.

!*!*!* Christians spend more on the annual audits of their churches and agencies ($810 million) than on all their workers in the non-Christian world. (Obviously not hugely effective, given the figure for embezzlement above!)

!*!*!* The total cost of Christian outreach averages $330,000 for each and every newly baptized person.

!*!*!* Despite Christ’s command to evangelize, 67% of all humans from AD 30 to the present day have never even heard of his name.

!*!*!* 648 million Christians today (called Great Commission Christians)are active in Christ’s world mission; 1,352 million Christians ignore this mission.

Now let's extrapolate these figures.

EVERY 1c OF CHRISTIANS WEEKLY GIVING TOTALS $US1 BILLION!

IF EVERY CHRISTIAN GAVE 10C MORE PER WEEK, $US10 BILLION WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO SPREADING THE MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM. AT $US1 p.w. - $US100 BILLION!

IF CHRISTIANS GAVE AN AVERAGE OF 10% OF THEIR INCOME, TOTAL CHRISTIAN GIVING WOULD BE $US1,500 BILLION (1.5 TRILLION) OR $US375 FOR EVERY UNBELIEVER EVERY YEAR! SURELY MORE THAN ENOUGH TO FULFIL THE 'GREAT COMMISSION'!

This is not a thesis on tithing (all too often we don't value the 'widow's mite' in the way Jesus did. Some people cannot give 10% while others can easily afford more), simply expressing what our New Covenant, heart attitude towards kingdom giving, should be.

From the figures above, it is easily seen that we Christians don't really need more money to fulfil the Great Commission. We simply need to be kingdom minded stewards of what we have! To get kingdom priorities right in our lives and our wallet, and then to ensure what we do give is spent effectively.

Of course, in the final analysis, money, while it helps, and at times is necessary, won't of itself build the kingdom. For the kingdom consists of kingdom minded people and so is most effectively built by people reflecting Jesus to other people. While money is a practical help, ultimately, our living testimony is God's most effective weapon of witness to the world.

So, what about these prophets and their titillating prophecies? For any 'prophet' who promises financial prosperity, particularly if it doesn't have to be worked for, will be extremely well received, and likely well remunerated! But what is it that Jesus really wants - and the Holy Spirit is truly saying? Is God going to drop the Great Commission into our lap, something to be achieved through unlimited funding, or are we responsible for it's accomplishment? Are we simply to be believers, or does He desire us to become disciples, fully committed to His cause? You be the judge. Better still, read ALL the New Testament and let the Word itself be your guide!

Find out more about us at...  http://www.wwj.org.nz/about.php

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WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Hastings, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God’s people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ’s return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord’s direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.

Walking With Jesus Ministries
290 Flaxmere Avenue
Flaxmere
Hastings
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 8799 911 International (+64) 6 8799 911
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz