Giving Letter (July 2005)
July 29, 2005
Dear Family of Friends,
I am so thrilled to be a part of Grace Church. God’s hand is on us and many are being blessed by the multi-faceted ministry here and around the world. You are a part of this wonderful five-fold purpose of:
- Seeking worshipers for our Father in heaven (Magnification)
- Enjoying the fellowship of encouragement in the body (Membership)
- Building up believers to spiritual maturity (Maturity)
- Helping believers hone their talents and gifts to minister to each other (Ministry)
- Focusing our daily lives on the task of evangelism (Mission)
The enclosed report of giving and expenditures marks the halfway point for 2005. I want you to know that your faithful giving helps us make Christ known here and around the world. Your giving is keeping our wonderful staff of “home missionaries” on the job here and it keeps more than 50 missionary families on their fields to carry out the worldwide Great Commission that our Lord gave us. I know that financial support is not the only way to help, but it is a very important one. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this ministry team, keeping the gospel light on here in Iowa and in many foreign lands.
I am always reading, and I read this last week an article by Rick Warren. Let his thoughts centered in God’s word speak to your heart:
At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity. First, you will be given God's affirmation: he will say, "Good job! Well done!" Next, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: "I will put you in charge of many things." Then you will be honored with a celebration: "Come and share your Master's happiness."
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. The Bible says, "If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?" (Luke 16:11, NLT)
This is a very important truth. God says there is a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life! How I manage my money ("worldly wealth") determines how much God can trust me with spiritual blessings ("true riches"). Let me ask you: Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can you be trusted with spiritual riches?
Jesus said, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48b, NIV). Life is a trust, and the more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.
The responsibility test concerning our possessions is real and so are the rewards for trusting God with them. God even invites us to test him concerning our giving. Malachi 3:10 says, “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. 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.’”
God will pass the test. But will I pass it? May God’s richest blessing be on you dear friend as we together faithfully give our best to the Master.
In Christ where it is safe,
Phil Winfield
Senior Pastor
P.S. Enclosed is a copy of our 2nd Quarter Financial Report. If, after reviewing it, you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact one of our Finance & Personnel Team members: Terry Anderson, Chris Eller, Larry Jatho, Ron Jean, or Dan Klopfer.