IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Pastor Tim P. Blaisure – 01/29/23 – Message #2 “Mission of Money Part 2”
(Info from: “Money with a Mission” by Dr. Leroy Thompson, SR.)
Intro:
Last week we started a new series about “PUTTING YOUR MONEY TO WORK IN THE BODY OF CHRIST”, Mission of money and becoming money missionaries.
We went over, using MONEY FOR SOULS and THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME:
This week we are going a little deeper into How and why we need to be good stewards (managers) of our money and possessions God has given to us.
Foundation Scriptures:
Luke 16:1-13 NIV
The Parable of the Shrewd (quick practical cleverness) Manager
“Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions (goods).
2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—
4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
I. WASTED GOODS:
· Notice the phrase in verse one where it says, “HE HAD WASTED HIS POSSESSIONS – GOODS.
· Until we understand the call that God has put on our lives in the area of financial management, we will continue to waste the lord’s possessions – goods.
· When we waste what He has given to us , He can’t afford to give us much more.
· Because we haven’t grown enough yet to know how to handle it properly.
· Many in the body of Christ today waste the Lord’s goods.
· Many who have been called to be Money Missionaries, have not been sensitive enough to the call and to the Lord’s leading.
· They have gotten sidetracked on other things and have lost sight of the primary purpose for their money.
· The primary call that is on all of our lives is to see to it that not one man, one woman, one boy or one girl goes to hell because we held back a dollar.
· Are we wasting any money?
· Are we using our money to try and get what we want in life?
· God will make sure we get what we want – but only if we will give Him what He wants.
· We need to stop wasting what we have and use it for the glory of God and then He will bring in finances like we have never seen them before.
II. WHY WE HAVEN’T HAD OUR BREAKTHROUGH YET:
· We need to check our stewardship – money management.
Luke 16:1-2 NIV
“Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions (goods).
2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’”
· There are those in the body of Christ who used to be good managers of their money but are not any longer.
· They are irresponsibly handling what God has given to them.
· They need to repent of this and change their ways and their relationship with money and God before He can take them further as Money Missionaries – Good Money Managers.
· You might be saying to yourself. “What is the problem? I love God, and I’m praying.
· I’m not committing adultery or living in sin?
· I’m tithing. Why don’t I get my financial breakthrough?
· Your breakthrough is waiting for you on the other side of being a good money manager – Good Money Missionary!
· You are going to have to give an account and repent.
· Then God will release your stewardship again.
· Give an account as to why you didn’t do what He wanted you to do with what He entrusted to you.
· We as the body of Christ are on the verge of the biggest money explosion that ever existed in the history of mankind.
· We are on the verge of turning the key of wealth transference so that the world’s wealth gets into the hands of Christians who are Money Missionaries.
· Some think their doing good, but they are not doing what they could and should be doing.
· They have settled into their giving routine.
· Being a Money Missionary is a revelation not a system.
· You cannot prosper on someone else’s revelation you need to get it yourself.
· But you can seek God and let Him reveal to you day by day or season by season what your stewardship is to consist of.
· Let God tell your heart, your spirit, what you are supposed to be doing as a money missionary.
· As a money missionary, you are putting the devil on notice – and Heaven will back you up.
· You are going to start handling what God has given you, will be giving you in the future in a way that will please God and win the lost all over the world.
Conclusion:
· We now know that the resources God has given us are for reaching the lost, so they don’t go to hell. And that when we do this God will make sure we don’t lack in any area of our lives.
· We know that this world is not our home, but that heaven is and that is our destination.
· We are not to waste what God has given to us if we want Him to trust us with more here and when we get to Heaven.
· We have found out that bad stewardship will stop our finances and other breakthroughs that we have been praying about and believing the Lord for.
· Are you ready to move forward and be the best Money Manager possible in this life. Be a Money Missionary!