This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 9:12-13
“God blesses me so I can bless others. My giving is no longer based on percentage, but my responsibility is to give in proportion to my income. My giving is now motivated by love rather than duty or instruction. The prompting of the Holy Spirit, the burden placed by God in my heart and the love of Christ that constrains me are what motivate me to give. It is my responsibility to respond to these promptings not to free myself from guilt but to further experience the joy of aligning myself with God. I take it as my responsibility to give and share and help in any way I can in order to put a smile on my brother and on my sister and on my Father’s face…
From a selfish, greedy and idolatrous person, Christ has changed me into a generous person who shows love to needy brethren through the Holy Spirit working in me… Also, because of my frailty, I may be tempted to be self-centered at times and ignore the needs of others but being in a community and being stirred up by the collective efforts and burden by my fellow believers, the Spirit of love awakens me and stirs up in me again the generous spirit that God wants all His children to have. So in relation to this, my role is to always be part of this community or church and join the collective obedience of the brethren in responding to the call of God to help the needy.”
Ramchand John Pribhdas in “Meditation Journal #3” for my online course, Faith and Finances, in the MBA in Biblical Stewardship and Christian Management program at Asian Theological Seminary in Quezon City, near Manila, in the Philippines.
Want to go through this course? Click to learn about Faith and Finances: A Stewardship Curriculum for Schools and Churches or to order a copy for your church or school. Also check out the accompanying workbook I wrote for individuals or small groups, Good and Faithful: Ten Stewardship Lessons for Everyday Living. Both are hot of the press from Seedbed!
John works for Compassion Philippines as an accountant, and I am thrilled he is taking my class. He’s getting more than an MBA; he is taking hold of life in God’s economy. Specifically, the impact of “collective obedience” really resonated with me as I read his journal assignments.
At work, John’s collective aim with his colleagues is to serve the poor in a way that is Christ-centered, child-focused, and church-based. What’s encouraging to me is how his class work is stirring a movement among his colleagues at the office. When he shares what he is learning with them in the form of Scriptures and quotes from various writers, they are getting excited together about playing their part as catalysts of collective obedience.
Jenni and I return to Colorado this morning, while Sophie and Peter head off to worship at Rise City Church in Lakeside, California. We are thankful they are part of a community aimed at collective obedience in service to Christ, one another, and the needy around them.