Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33
“Not one of this world’s blessings belongs to its owner securely enough to prevent time destroying it or envy transferring it elsewhere… Let us profit by them in the only good way we can, that is, let us gain possession of our souls by giving alms, and share our earthly goods with the poor so as to enrich ourselves with the wealth of heaven.”
Gregory of Nazianzus (329-391) as recounted in “The Catholic Storeroom.”
Again I am exploring the thinking of Gregory because he was in the room pictured above in the year 381 for the proceedings so I want his words to echo today.
How do we provide for ourselves purses in eternity? How do we enrich ourselves with the wealth of heaven? How do we secure resources so time neither destroys them nor envy transfer them elsewhere?
We share them. But you may ask, how do I do that in practical terms so that it does not take shape as a handout that creates dependency but serves as a hand up to build disciples?
Support ministries like GTP that empower national workers to build trust and grow local giving like we did this week in Istanbul. Listen to a summary of their retreat feedback from the trip report.
Sher (Nepal) – “I liked Handful of Rice and Palmful of Maize. I will share it with my church and spread it to the 6,000 churches I serve.”
Palmira (Angola) – “As God provides enough, I see that stewardship and standards are the keys to solving the problem of sustainability.”
Vazgen (Armenia) – “Stations of Generosity has great stories that inspire us to action.”
Pavel (Uzbekistan) – “We can be both receivers and givers. We need to make a transparent church that gives and receives to develop the culture of generosity.”
Ujjwal (Nepal) – “I plan to follow these 4 steps to multiply stewards: I do, you watch. I do, you help. You do, I help. You do, I watch.”
Adeel (Pakistan) – “I will try my very best to show that sharing is caring. To share is to care and let others see how God is caring for us.”
Talant (Kazakhstan) – “Generosity is about money and seeking God’s kingdom first.”
Vitali (Turkey/Bulgaria) – “Together with God we can do anything. Nothing is impossible.”
Shalom (Kenya) – “God is sending out an invitation to raise stewards that will bring His kingdom on earth. Will I join him in this?”
Right now we have opportunities to do program work to multiply stewards and mobilize peer accountability groups in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Qatar, Pakistan, Ireland, Albania, Nepal, and an invitation to Uzbekistan, but we lack the funds. Help send us. Give to GTP today and you will enrich yourself for eternity.