“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ Zechariah 7:9-10
“Kindness goes further than money. Zechariah 7:9-10 is one of many verses in the Bible to explain the gracious nature of kindness as an attitude of giving time, talents and indeed our all to God…In kindness, our very lives are engaged with Christ’s purposes in our world, and Acts 1:8 reminds us that the Holy Spirit will assist us in those purposes, reaching others for Christ to the end of the age.
Those laboring in the Great Commission not only must receive Christlike kindness in all its forms but also must know how to give so that their communities and nations see Christ in the flesh. Thus, what we are calling “Faith Reliance” is more than a message about giving money generously. The Western church will never, on its own, reach the ends of the earth. It will take every believer’s participation to accomplish the biblical goal of reaching every ethnic group with Christ’s message of love. As our forefathers in the faith knew, the local church in every community will need to practice and disciple others as examples of Christ.
Faith Reliance is a call not for dependence on funding plans administered abroad but for reliance on God for every kindness in every nation.”
Barbara Shantz champions this message as she serves as TWR’s Global Fund Development Strategist and as the Lausanne Catalyst for Resource Mobilization. Today’s post appears in “TWR and Faith Reliance: Promoting Global, Generous Christian Living” 5-6.
It’s been good for Jenni and I to interface with Shantz among so many other wonderful fellow workers in God’s Kingdom in Malaga, Spain this week. To enjoy and share God’s kindnesses requires faith. Let’s resolve to live this way wherever God plants us. Amen? In so doing God is glorified through our humble obedience and His kingdom is expanded through faith reliance.
For those who grasp definitions best by contrasts, faith reliance is the opposite of “financial sustainability”. Those who lead ministries according to the economy of this world (cf. “The Common Path” as Willmer, Rodin, and I refer to it in our book The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes) look to money and financial models to fuel and sustain mission.
Faith reliance is about functioning in God’s economy. His work is advanced and sustained through the humble obedience of faithful servants who enjoy and share His kindnesses and by faith rely on Him to fuel mission.