AA TTHHEEOOLLOOGGYY OOFF SSTTEEWWAARRDDSSHHIIPP:: TTHHEE PPRRIINNCCIIPPLLEESS,, BBAARRRRIIEERRSS TTOO AANNDD SSTTAAGGEESS OOFF SSTTEEWWAARRDDSSHHIIPP GGRROOWWTTHH

As presented by

Samuel B. Casey, Director of Stewardship MISSIONARY ATHLETES INTERNATIONAL (MAI)

_______________________ MAI Leadership Meeting

Charlotte, NC Thursday, September 19, 2013

“Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—

ourselves, our time and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Whether the gift is time, talent or treasure, MAI seeks to be a good steward of the Lord’s provision to this ministry, whether directly or indirectly through our influence upon our sports ministers, players, coaches, their families, MAI’s host families and the communities where MAI is called to serve. Consequently, MAI is governed by and conducts itself in accordance with the highest standards of financial accountability and fundraising ethics.1

MAI also teaches and is guided in our standards of conduct by the following biblical principles of stewardship.

A steward is a person who takes care of someone else's property. The Old Testament

concept of stewardship begins and ends with God. God is creator and owner of all things. In Genesis when God gave Adam and Eve dominion over creation, He told them to rule on His behalf. Our stewardship in the Kingdom of God was established from the beginning. When the Israelites were poised to enter the Promised Land they were reminded that the land belonged to God and that they were at best temporary tenants. The principles of God's ownership and our stewardship are presupposed and foundational to all of the laws regarding land and possessions.

The Old Testament teaching on stewardship can be summarized in three principles: 1) God owns everything.

2) God's covenant people are responsible for their management of God's resources.

3) Giving is a worshipful response to God's ownership of all things.

The concept of stewardship continues in the New Testament, largely through the

parables of Jesus. Jesus calls us to become wise and faithful stewards-responsible and accountable for both material and spiritual things-handling money, life, gifts (temporal and spiritual), our churches and the gospel message according to God's purposes.

I. THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF STEWARDSHIP

1 MAI is a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council of Financial (ECFA) Accountability (www.ecfa.org) in full compliance with all of ECFA’s standards. CLS’ Financial Statements are audited annually. A copy of MAI’s audited financial statements and the Internal Revenue Service Form 990 for MAI (annual tax return for nonprofit organizations) for each of the last three years are posted on our web site (maisoccer.com) and are available upon request. To govern its missionaries’ fundraising, MAI’s Board of Directors has also adopted MAI’s SUPPORT RAISING POLICY, as augmented in 2009 by its RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY. Taken together, “MAI’s Commitment to Good Stewardship”, as currently documented, is found on MAI’s web site here: http://www.maisoccer.com/Stewardship/index_E.html.

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Seven principles of stewardship provide the framework for a Christian lifestyle of

stewardship. 1. Good Stewardship Begins with the Recognition that God is the Owner of All

Things (1 Chronicles 29:1-4, Luke 12:42-48, Luke 16:1-13, Matthew 25:14-20, Luke 19:12-27). We cannot "give" God ownership of our material goods. He already owns it all. We can only recognize and submit to His ownership.

2. As Stewards, We are Entrusted with Goods to Care for as Part of Kingdom Discipleship until the Return of the Master Jesus Christ (Mathew 25:15, Luke 19:23, Matthew 25:27, Luke 12:42). God is mainly concerned with our faithfulness of what He entrusts to our care. We can trust that God in His providence puts into our hands only what we can aptly handle and that He expects us to bear fruit in His Kingdom.

3. Earthly Resources can be used for Eternal Purposes (Luke 16:13-15, Hebrews

6:10). Worldly wealth can have eternal value. We are to view money as a tool – never a Master or an idol- that can accomplish eternal work-reaching people for Christ.

4. Our Stewardship Must Serve Not Only Our Own Purposes, but the Purpose of

the Master, Jesus Christ (Luke 12:47, Luke 17:7-10). The greatest punishment in the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants comes to the servant who knew the master's will and did not do it.

5. As Stewards We Need a Balanced Picture of Hardship (Mathew 8:19-22,

Mathew 10:22, Mark 10:45). God has often called his people to endure hardship, but a balanced view is necessary. We should resist lifestyle inflation to minimize debt, increase giving, and be ready to support God's call to new ministry. Freedom is found not in what we have, but what we can afford to give away.

6. We Will Be Held Accountable for Our Stewardship (2 Corinthians 5:10,

Ephesians 2:8, 9; Mathew 16:27, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, Romans 14:12, 1 Corinthians 3:14, 15). Our redemption does not remove us from responsibility and accountability before God. It will be an evaluation of both deed and heart.

7. Our Stewardship Embraces Both the Spiritual and the Material (Ephesians 5:15,

16; 1 Corinthians 6:19, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9). The use of time and opportunities to minister certainly must be governed with wise stewardship.

II. FOUR MAJOR BARRIERS TO STEWARDSHIP There is no effective difference between ignorance of God's principles of stewardship and rebellion to those principles. A thorough understanding of four practical barriers we all face is needed to address human resistance to stewardship issues. A. SPIRITUAL WARFARE: Those subject to the spirit of mammon suffer under a satanic lie that man-made things (job, work, luck, and money) are their providers instead of God, the true provider. Christians must be alert and ready to employ the weapons of spiritual warfare in the ordinary world of wage earning, bill paying and giving. B. THE HEALTH AND WEALTH GOSPEL: In reconciling the positive and negative scriptures dealing with wealth, it is our attitude, namely our desire for it, that can make its possession evil (1 Timothy 6:9-10). We reject as unbiblical the suggestion that God has set up universal laws of prosperity, put into action by faith and positive confession. There is equal error in believing God must meet both our needs and desires or that somehow the poor have

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dishonored God by not being delivered from poverty. We affirm that material poverty is part of the curse of our fallen world and it is never God's pleasure or delight that his children remain in poverty. Our contention is that if the church embraces the reign and rule of God in the management of all its possessions, then it will see, as a by-product of the advancement of the Kingdom, a powerful liberation of God's people. C. THE SPIRIT OF THE TITHE: Although Christians today disagree over the place of the tithe, historically, the tenth, or tithe has always symbolized the whole. The tithe is a token symbol affirming that the whole belongs to God. Viewed this way, the amount or percentage given is not the issue; rather, it is the spirit or the heart behind the gift. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus affirms the tithe, but rebukes the Pharisees for losing the spirit behind it: "You give a tenth of your spices . . . but you have neglected . . . justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." If in fact the heart is the key issue and if we are merely stewards of what is ultimately owned by God, then the driving question we must ask is not, "How much do I give?" but "How much dare I keep?" To this end, five practical principles apply to the spirit of the tithe:

Give First: the tithe reminds us that God comes first in our lives, that He alone deserves preeminence.

Give Cheerfully: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (1 Corinthians 9:7)

Give Faithfully: faithfulness is the heart of biblical stewardship. Christians should live their lives in a way that will result in the Lord saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21-23).

Give Wisely: the investment of God's resources must be done with wisdom. It is wise to give first to one's home church (your community of worship where all stewardship starts) and then to other ministries as God guides and directs

Give Without Seeking Recognition: "But when you give to the needy [not if], do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3). Such giving not only guards against religious pride, but also is one of the primary ways God builds faith into our lives.

D. THE STRANGLEHOLD OF DEBT: Many believers are unable to obey the clear directives of God on stewardship because they are in bondage to debt. Romans 13:8 says, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another . . . ." The goal here is not to be legalistic or foist guilt but to ask, "Are my finances headed in the direction Scripture is pointing?" Our stewardship teaching must address this problem or it will fail to produce effective disciples of Jesus Christ. It is not God's will for His people to be enslaved by debt but that they should be free in all areas of their lives. III. THE FOUR STAGES OF THE STEWARDSHIP GROWTH PROCESS

Every person is at a different stage in their stewardship growth process. A person never

arrives until all is given, but moves in and between the different stages throughout their Christian life. The stages are not a spiritual grading system, meaning that the people who are in stage #4 are not better than those in stage #1. Here’s a “typical” journey along this road of stewardship provided in the hope it will assist your “journey”, as well.

1. We learn to “WORSHIP GOD”!

2. We learn to “DO ACTS OF LOVE”!

3. We learn to “LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE AS OUR VOCATION”!

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4. We learn to “BE FREE TO GIVE”!

STAGE #1 — “We Learn to WORSHIP GOD”! A. Biblical References

1. Genesis, chapters 1 and 2 “In the beginning...” — In the beginning GOD is written all over the blue print of life. In the beginning God CREATED...God saw that it was GOOD... God was in the CENTER OF THE RELATIONSHIP between creation and the creator. God was the CREATOR and humans were the CREATURE. This is a picture of a "perfect stewardship relationship”. 2. Genesis, chapter 3:1-7 “The big deception (the Biblical term is SIN)” — The temptation for us is to confuse the “job description” of God and of people. “When you eat of it (the fruit) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(Genesis 3:5) This is the “big deception”, that we want to “play God” and therefore believe that we are “god” instead of being the creature whom God created, loved and gave a promise to provide everything we need. The created life of being a steward is destroyed through this “deception”. 3. Genesis, Chapter 3:8-24 “Living in the wilderness” — Created to live in a stewardship relationship (Creator and Creature) has become broken and instead we live a life of hiding from God. In verse 8 it is described, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." God did not create us to live in hiding, in a wilderness of dark colors and drought conditions. We were created to live in the bright colors of creation and enjoy its beauty! 4. Genesis, Chapter 3:9 and 15 “Hide and Go Seek, and God’s Calling” — It is not God’s nature (the Creator) to neglect us (the creature). “But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” God always seeks, calls and invites us back into a holistic stewardship relationship. All major religions, except Christianity, teach us to (1) fear God and (2) to do something to satisfy an angry God or else suffer he consequences. Through out history this has included everything from (1) sacrificing humans (such as the Aztec natural religion) and/or animals to satisfy God or (2) living a life with the heavy burden of legalism and doing something to calm or quiet God’s anger. Christianity is different! God really does love us and calls us to a restored relationship of being stewards — God is the CREATOR and we are the CREATURE. In Genesis 3:5 we have the first promise that God will send a Savior to redeem us instead of punish us. Our stewardship response begins and is always restored through our devoted worship of God as the source of our life!

B. A Modern Summation of Worship

A Reflection on Worship by William Temple, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-1944)

Worship is the submission of all our nature to God! Worship is... The quickening of our conscience by God's Holiness The nourishing of our mind with God's Truth

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The purifying of our imagination by God's Beauty The opening of our Heart to God's love The surrendering of our Will to God's Purpose The sacrificing of our Body to God's Service

Jesus said to the lawyer: "Do this and you will live!" (Luke 10:28): "Love the LORD your

God with all your heart [body and will] and all your soul [conscience & imagination] and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself [all of the above].

St. Paul said (J.B. Phillips trans.):

"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Roman 12:1

Stewardship begins with worship in spirit and in truth!

C. Tell Story of God Calling You to a Stewardship-Worship Relationship D. Making it Personal

1. Discuss YOUR story of “Living in the Wilderness”.

2. Define YOUR relationship with God?

(This includes describing both God and yourself.)

3. How did YOU first come to know God’s call to live in a stewardship relationship

with God through Jesus Christ?

4. Describe YOUR struggle to continue living as a steward in God’s world?

5. How do YOU become your own god in YOUR life today? What deceptions do

YOU hold on to?

6. Hiding from God seems to admit to shame. Where do YOU hide? How? Why?

7. Where do YOU look for quick fixes? What religious traps to YOU fall into in

YOUR quest for God’s wholeness?

Stage #2 — “We Learn to Do ACTS OF LOVE!” A. Biblical References

1. Galatians 5:13-26 “You Shall Love Your Neighbor as yourself” — If worship of God is the highest act of stewardship, then the care for all people is the next most important expression of our stewardship response. As God’s People we are asked in Galatians 5, verse 22, to live as servants of one another and care for people in the following way: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” 2. Matthew 15:32-38 and John 6:1-14

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“Jesus is the Perfect Example of Caring for People” — Jesus’ life is marked by his persistent care for people with whom he had contact. He took the initiative, not waiting for people to ask him first. In both of these Biblical accounts of the “Feeding of the Multitudes”, Jesus acts out of compassion; not because the people were his friends or because they were of his own race and nationality. Jesus acts because as the Bible says in I John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” Jesus is teaching us to “DO ACTS OF LOVE”! We do not apply a litmus test of who is worthy or deserves our love. We love and do acts of love because Jesus set an example for us. 3. Hebrews 13:1-2 “Reaching out to those who Have no Community” — Our culture today tempts us to live in autonomy primarily depending upon ourselves and our material assets – not in community depending primarily upon family and a circle of friends, and so too many of us live as “strangers” or “boarders” or “visitors” or “onlookers” in our own homes and communities. We are a culture that lives with the motto of “Do your own thing”, and so we fail to have an interdependent support group of family and friends. The call of the Christian steward is to build community that cares and loves and shares — through doing acts of love.

B. Questions for discussion

1. Visualize a news report (newspaper, radio, TV) that gives stories on the acts of love, particularly by in the context of sports or sports ministry. What do you hear, see, and feel? 2. Why does our culture dwell on the devil and destruction stories rather than the redemptive and caring stories?

C. A Story of God calling you to Stewardship by Doing Acts of Love in Relationship. D. Making it Personal 1. Recall a story in which YOU acted out of love and kindness towards another person (friend,

family or stranger), and how YOUR actions changed the “culture of the moment”.

2. What is YOUR most common excuse for not caring about another person?

3. Driving on our roadways is best described as “survival of the fittest!” If YOU dare, share

YOUR driving habits! Who is changed when a person applies “Acts of Love” on the roadways?

4. What litmus tests do YOU apply before YOU reach out to do “Acts of Love”?

5. Recall a situation in which YOU were the recipient of “Acts of Love” and how did this affect

YOU?

6. How do YOU contribute to building your family or your church into a caring community

where the member and stranger experience “Acts of Love”?

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Stage #3—“We Learn to LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE AS OUR VOCATION!” A. Biblical References

1. Philippians 3: 12-16 “Not Perfection, Faithfulness” — Often, people associate being a Christian with being perfect. Nothing could be further from the truth. A Christian is fully aware of their sins and daily need for God’s love and grace. God calls us through Jesus Christ to be FAITHFUL! As Philippians 3:13-15 states, “Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own...I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus...Let those of us who are mature be thus minded.” Being a Christian steward is finding a balance in our life and every moment, hour and day is lived in FAITHFULNESS! 2. Ephesians 4:1-6 “Live a Life Worthy of God’s Calling” — A Christian steward is never “off duty”. Our calling is not for special days, moments or emergencies. Our calling is to be a Christian steward at home, at work, at play, what ever we may do. As a Christian our vocation is “BEING CHRISTIAN”. I am first and foremost a Christian, and happen to use my talents as a laborer, a teacher, a store keeper, a manager, a lawyer, a student, a doctor, etc. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:1-3 “...lead a life worthy of your calling...with patience...in love...maintaining peace...” 3. Matthew 5:38-48 “Build Mature Relationships and Live as One of God’s Stewards” — While we cannot return to the “once perfect life of the Garden of Eden”, we are called to a “higher righteousness” (we do not use the word standard, as that infers a legalism or that we can obtain a higher quality of life through our own doing.) Jesus calls us in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:38, “You have heard it said...but I say to you...” (Look at the behaviors he compares) —and then he compared a Christian life lived as our vocation and a life out of relationship with God. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” 4. Matthew 25:14-30 “Invest Your Life!” — Being a Christian steward is not a part time job. There is no “time off, coffee breaks, or leisure time!” All of our time, whatever we are doing, is a part of our investment as a steward. This point is well made in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew. The point of the parable is to invest our selves and our talents and abilities. The one, who went and hid their one talent, had it taken away. The ones who had two and five talents invested theirs and multiplied their gifts. INVEST YOUR LIFE! Is the call of God’s Children, for this is our VOCATION!

B. Questions for Discussion

1. The biggest heresy (false teaching) of the Christian Faith is believing that we earn our favor with God or satisfy God’s laws by what we do. Discuss and name these heresies?

2. “Look at how they love one another!” is the description of the early Christian Community

by the non-believer. Does the description still apply?

C. Tell Story of God calling you to live a Christian Life as our Vocation D. Making it Personal

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1. Recall a time when YOU or someone else accused a Christian of being a hypocrite, because they were not perfect? What was YOUR misunderstanding? 2. YOU enjoy coming home after a days work and being “off duty”. How do YOU feel about being “on duty” 24 - 7 - 365? 3. Who do YOU believe has the highest status? A Pastor, a Doctor, a Garbage Collector? Why? Is this the way YOU really feel, or are YOU just giving the answer expected? 4. We usually describe a vocation as the work we go to each day. How is YOUR life enriched and expanded when YOU live YOUR life in relationship to God and YOU call this life-style YOUR vocation? 5. If YOU feel too much is expected of YOU, how do YOU feel? Do YOU feel cheated? Do YOU say, “I’ve done MY share, let someone else do it?” Or do YOU say, “It’s my life’s calling?” 6. What talents and abilities are YOU not using as one of God’s stewards? Make a plan for using all of your gifts!

Stage #4 — “We Learn to BE FREE TO GIVE!” A. Biblical References

1. Psalm 24 “It All Belongs to God! Sorry!” — The song from the ancient Psalm sums up the belief of the Christian steward, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” (Verse 1) As the story goes, “There are no trailers allowed in heaven.” It’s always been only about oneself and one’s relationship with God. The stuff is here for us to be stewards of (care-takers). So don’t hold on too tightly, it will one day disappear. 2. Luke 12:32-48 “Manage...Manage...Manage...Not the Owner” — Jesus reminds us in Luke 12 that the “faithful and wise steward” is the one who understands that they are taking care of the “household”, not owning and abusing the household items. Translated this means that for the Christian steward, we know that our pocketbooks, checkbooks, purses, stocks/bonds, titles and all other possessions are not ours; but we are mere managers of these gifts. What are we to do with what has been given to us to manage? “To be found faithful”, Jesus says, “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required...” (Luke 12:48) 3. I Timothy 6:17-19 “Be Generous!” — The two year old cries out, “Mine!” The mature Christian steward says: “I give you what you own, What ever that gift may be; all that I have belongs to you, a trust O Lord from you!” The two attitudes are as different as night and day. We are to “do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous...” 4. 2 Corinthians 8 “Not ‘How Much is Enough?’, But Rather, ‘I’m Free to Give’!” — Jesus did not ask, “How much do I have to give to these sinful people?” He gave his all. Jesus is our model. The Apostle Paul argues this point to the Christians in Corinth. We get involved sometimes in asking, “How much should I give?” The Christian answer is that we need to be involved in “Sacrificial Giving”. We give of our time, talents and finances because God through

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Jesus Christ first gave unconditionally to us. The SURPRISE of sacrificial generosity is that we are really blessed. WHY? Because when we 1) Worship our God, 2) Do acts of love, 3) Live a vocational life of serving, and 3) Give freely — we’ve come as close to heaven on earth as it will ever get!

B. Questions for Discussion

1. The age old debate in Christianity is how much is expected of Christians? What is the measure of expectation to give (time, talent, financial)? 2. Compare the Old Testament “tithe (10%), and the New Testament concept of “Sacrificial - Proportional Giving”?

C. Tell Story of God calling you to Be Free to Give – You Can’t Out-give God! D. Making it Personal

1. What is YOUR stewardship lifestyle?

2. In Malachi 3:8, the Old Testament Prophet has some pointed words for God’s People. “Will a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In your tithes and offerings.” How do YOU respond to these words?

3. Martin Luther said, (paraphrased) “There are two conversions for the Christian, the conversion of the heart, and the conversion of the pocket book.” Describe YOUR two conversions?

4. There is a saying, “The one who dies with the most toys wins!” How do YOU react to this saying?

5. Do you have a financial plan for the disposition of your assets when YOU die? How may YOU be a good steward through this process?

6. List the ways YOU are blessed (unmerited favor)?

Let us rekindle our passion to become good stewards - men and women who handle all of God's resources with integrity. Our vision to become "a movement of Great Commission Christians who are glorifying God by building Christ's Church worldwide," will only be realized if we make a wholesale commitment of all we have and all we are to Him. The Scriptures calls us to be wise and faithful stewards who handle life, money, spiritual gifts, and the gospel message faithfully. To summarize and help you remember this principle, consider Pastor Randy Alcorn’s TREASURE PRINCIPLE: DISCOVERING THE SECRET OF JOYFUL GIVING (copy attached) and never forget:

“The promotion of the practice of stewardship is important for the mission of the Church and for the spiritual well-being of each individual Christian. Everyone benefits from the

sacrificial gift one makes of his time, talent and treasure.”

-His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI-

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TTHHEE TTRREEAASSUURREE PPRRIINNCCIIPPLLEE Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving*2

1. Treasure Principle

Key # 1 GGoodd OOwwnnss EEvveerryytthhiinngg.. II aamm HHiiss mmoonneeyy mmaannaaggeerr

2. Treasure Principle

Key # 2 MMyy HHeeaarrtt AAllwwaayyss ggooeess wwhheerree II ppuutt GGoodd’’ss mmoonneeyy

3. Treasure Principle

Key # 3 HHeeaavveenn,, nnoott eeaarrtthh,, iiss mmyy hhoommee..

4. Treasure Principle

Key # 4 II sshhoouulldd nnoott lliivvee ffoorr tthhee ddoott,, bbuutt ffoorr tthhee lliinnee..

* As taken from Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving (Lifechange Books, Multnomah: Sisters, OR 2001)

I affirm God’s full ownership of me (1 Cor.6:19-20) and everything entrusted to me (Psalm 24:1). I recognize that my money and possessions are in fact His. I’m his money manager, His delivery person. I will ask Him what He wants me to do with His money.

I will set aside the first fruits – starting with at least 10% -- of all I receive, treating it as holy and belonging exclusively to the Lord. I do this in obedience to Him, desiring His blessing (Malachi 3:6-12). By faith I take God up on His challenge to test Him on this.

•------------------------------------------> The Dot: The Line: Life on earth Life in heaven

I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His purposes, including helping the poor and reaching the lost. I commit myself to avoiding indebtedness so that I don’t tie up His funds and can therefore feel greater freedom to follow the Spirit’s promptings to give.

Out of the remaining treasures God entrusts to me, I will seek to make generous freewill gifts. I recognize that God has entrusted wealth to me so that I can be “generous on every occasion” (2 Cor. 9:11). Realizing I can rob God by withholding not only the tithe but whatever offerings He calls upon me to give, I ask Him to make His will clear to me.

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5. Treasure Principle Key # 5 GGiivviinngg iiss tthhee oonnllyy aannttiiddoottee ttoo mmaatteerriiaalliissmm

6. Treasure Principle

Key # 6 GGoodd pprroossppeerrss mmee nnoott ttoo rraaiissee mmyy ssttaannddaarrdd ooff lliivviinngg,, bbuutt ttoo rraaiissee mmyy ssttaannddaarrdd ooff ggiivviinngg..

MMAAII ((wwwwww..mmaaiissoocccceerr..ccoomm))

RReeccoommmmeennddss tthheessee RReessoouurrcceess ttoo HHeellpp YYoouu WWiitthh GGiivviinngg aanndd MMoonneeyy MMaannaaggeemmeenntt

RRoonnaalldd BBlluuee && CCoommppaannyy wwwwww..rroonnbblluuee..ccoomm 880000--998877--22998877 CChhrriissttiiaann LLeeaaddeerrsshhiipp AAlllliiaannccee hhttttpp::////wwwwww..cchhrriissttiiaannlleeaaddeerrsshhiippaalllliiaannccee..oorrgg//hhoommee ((994499)) 448877--00990000 CCoouunnsseell aanndd CCaappiittaall wwwwww..ccoouunnsseellccaappiittaall..oorrgg 771199--557799--77777777 CCrroowwnn FFiinnaanncciiaall MMiinniissttrriieess wwwwww..ccrroowwnn..oorrgg 880000--772222--11997766 EEtteerrnnaall PPeerrssppeeccttiivvee MMiinniissttrriieess wwwwww..eeppmm..oorrgg 550033--666633--66448811

TThhee NNaattiioonnaall CChhrriissttiiaann FFoouunnddaattiioonn hhttttpp::////wwwwww..nnaattiioonnaallcchhrriissttiiaann..ccoomm//hhoommee

(423) 822-1007 TThhee GGaatthheerriinngg wwwwww..ggaatthheerriinnggwweebb..ccoomm 990033--550099--11990099 GGeenneerroouuss GGiivviinngg wwwwww..ggeenneerroouussggiivviinngg..oorrgg 442233--775555--22339999 TThhee GGoooodd SStteewwaarrdd wwwwww..tthheeggooooddsstteewwaarrdd..ccoomm 770044--884411--77882288 CChhrriissttiiaann FFiinnaanncciiaall MMiinniissttrriieess wwwwww..ggoooodd--sstteewwaarrdd..oorrgg 667788--779977--99444477

Recognizing that God has given me my family, my friends, my church and others in my circle of influence, I ask Him to help me share the Treasure Principle with them so they too may experience the greatest present joy and future reward.

Recognizing that I cannot take earthly treasures from this world, I determine to lay them up as heavenly treasures – for Christ’s glory and the eternal good of others and myself. Affirming that heaven, not earth, is my home and Christ is my Lord, I commit myself to lay out his assets before Him regularly – leaving nothing as untouchable – and ask His direction for what to do with and where to give His money. I’ll start with this question to Him: “What am I hanging on to that You want me to give away?”

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