Is Knowing What God Calls Us to Do Enough?

Is knowing what God calls us to do enough?  In James 2:19, it is pointed out that even the demons believe in the one true God. But that belief is not enough to count them among the people of God. Secular scholars can know much about Christianity, but not believe in the saving power of Christ.  

The Bible is full of ways we are called to be good stewards of God’s resources:

§ Everything belongs to God. We are only Stewards. (Psalm 8:5-8)

§ Don’t spend more than you earn. (Proverbs 21:20)

§ Save for emergencies. (Proverbs 6:6-8)

§ Set long-term goals. (Proverbs 13:16)

§ Give generously. (Psalm 37:21; Romans 12:8)

Knowledge is important, but it is clearly not enough. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that a wise person is one who has the humility to hear and the courage to obey (Matt. 7:24-25). It’s one thing to “know” what we are called to do and it’s another to “do” what we are called to do. Proper theology is essential, but if it doesn’t affect your life… what’s the point? 

To begin to “do” rather than “know”, we need to learn to hear how God would have us manage His resources. Fortunately, we have a means to help us hear Him – spending time with Jesus.    Studying God’s Word is important, but I find that if I can get my mind to go silent and be still, that’s when I can really pay attention to what God is doing, showing, and telling me. Ask Him what you should do. Don’t just wait for Him to tell you. Finally, do what He tells you to do, even if He’s calling you to take a step that you aren’t comfortable taking on your own.  Growth occurs when we place our trust in Him and His plans for us.

The Winter/Spring Grove semester is wrapping up and we’ve been able to see growth occurring on a weekly basis in our Financial Peace Grove. The final lesson was about the great misunderstanding…that to get more you need to hold onto what you have all the more tightly. In terms of stewardship, we need to remember that we are not owners of our health, our family, our home, or even the earth. God is, and He wants us to give in all of those areas like He gave for us in Jesus.

In the aftermath of Easter, I can’t think of a better time for all of us to commit to spending deep time with God and seeing how He wants us to grow.

What Does Stewardship Look Like in YOUR Life?

Today most people think of Stewardship as budgets and requests for money. But for Christians, the idea of stewardship is much more. We believe that stewardship starts with our faith and trust in Christ. The following are the five basic ideas that guide us in a lifestyle of Stewardship.

Ownership – Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” This is biblical stewardship. We own nothing and God owns everything. Stewardship is an outward expression of our obedience to God in managing what He has graciously given us.

Responsibility – “Although God gives us ‘all things richly to enjoy,’ nothing is ours. Nothing really belongs to us. God owns everything; we’re responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it. While we complain about our rights here on earth, the Bible constantly asks, ‘What about your responsibilities?’ Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities.” – Bill Peel. Stewards are expected to manage assets according to the desires and goals of the owners. Just as we are responsible for using “our” assets to further God’s work, desires, and goals not our own.

Accountability – Just as a financial advisor is accountable to their client for the management of the client’s assets, so too are we accountable for our management of God’s assets. In Matthew, Jesus teaches us that we will all give account of how well we have managed the assets we have been entrusted with through the Parable of the Talents. We are all accountable for how we manage what God has given us including our abilities, time, knowledge, and money.

Gratitude – Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” The Parable of the Talents tells us those that are faithful stewards of God’s resources will be fully rewarded in heaven if not on earth.

Joy—Just think of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. What is it that prompts him to divest himself of all his wealth? It’s his discovery of the One who loves him and provides him with all that he’s ever desired. He’s a living example of the one who finds treasure hidden in a field. In his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field! (Matthew 13:44)

Stewardship goes beyond the monetary, it ties every aspect of our life to God’s will and how we show Him to the world. It is our responsibility to be faithful stewards of everything we have been given to further His kingdom.

Living As Faithful Stewards

As we reported in the last Herald, the 2017 Operating Budget totals $1,065,504. We can further break this down:

§ Pastoral - $234,049

§ Property – $234,749

§ Administration - $217,186

§ Program - $274,741

§ Mission - $104,780

Some of these expenses are easy to understand and some we take for granted or never notice. We all understand Mission, and in fact, many of us are involved in the missions we support on a personal level. It’s similar for Program and Pastoral which we see on Sunday mornings and throughout the week at Groves, Kidz Club and Thicket.  What you might not get to see are the little things that happen behind the scenes daily. The hospital and fellowship visits, the postcards to kids the teachers haven’t seen that week, and the sermon CDs that are mailed to shut-ins. It’s easy for me to come to Hebron, drive into a snow-free parking lot, walk up the salted steps into a clean, warm building, sit in my chair with my coffee and experience worship, or attend a Grove without ever thinking about what it takes to make that happen.

This year the Stewardship Team has made it a goal to create within the Body of Christ at Hebron a love and passion for living as faithful stewards of the resources God has graciously given to us. Yes, this does mean financially and we will be talking about that, but it also means faithful stewards of our building and grounds, our time, and our energy.

2016 Ends with Operating Surplus!

Thank you for your continued faithfulness and generous giving. You may be aware by now that we ended 2016 with an operating surplus of $29,556! Though we fell slightly short ($1,022) of our budgeted operating revenue for 2016, savings in expenses totaled $30,578. The result was a significant budget surplus.

The 2017 operating budget is a slight decline from 2016’s budget of $1,076,000. In December of 2016 Session approved a $1,065,504 operational budget. While the decrease of $11,924 represents a cut in certain elements of the budget, we are able to maintain our $104,780 Mission budget, as well as provide a $7,500 increase for Hebron’s Discipleship Budget of $43,785.  The 2017 budget also includes some staff raises for the first time in two years.

In our effort to keep you informed of our financial picture going forward, we will be reporting a summary of the weekly revenue every week in the bulletin as well as a comparison of revenue to expenses on a monthly basis. We will also continue to include a monthly Stewardship article in the Herald. The goal of the Stewardship Committee in 2017 is to create within the Body of Christ at Hebron a love and passion for living as faithful stewards of the resources God has graciously given to us. We are excited to see how God works in and through Hebron in 2017.

An Update on Operations

At the congregational meeting in October, Doug made you aware of an operational deficit approaching $49,000 through September. As you can see from the chart at the right, as a result of increased giving and decreased expenses in October, we were been able to decrease the operational deficit by over $15,000 to ($33,545).

Operations at 10/31/16

                 Actual     Budget   Difference

Revenue  841,917   897,107   (55,190)

Expenses 875,462   897,107    22,645

                                                 (33,545)

We have also been providing a snapshot of our revenue shortfall in the bulletin and E-newsletter each week. As of November 13, we had a year-to-date revenue deficit of $42,064 which has decreased from $55,190 at the end of October. Additionally, we were able to hold the line on expenses resulting in a $21,645 reduction in expenses through October.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

              

Operational Deficit Remains a Concern

While ministry continues to explode in and through Hebron (as you will see in this Herald), Hebron has an urgent need. We are running an operational deficit of $49,369 through September. 

While operational giving is significantly below budged revenue ($65,567), we have been able to make up some of this through savings in expenses ($16,198). However, as reported last month, we are still projecting a significant shortfall at the end of the year. Expenses have been cut as much as possible without affecting programming. So, at this time the Session is asking for your help. Please prayerfully consider giving generously to the Lord at Hebron over these next two months.

Ways to Give:

§ Check/Cash

§ Online Bill Payment through your bank

§ E-giving – online giving through Hebron by either credit card or direct bank debit

Contact me if you have any questions about any of these giving options.

                  Actual     Budget   Difference

Revenue  741,829   807,396   (65,567)

Expenses 791,198   807,396    16,198

                                                 (49,369)

A Financial Snapshot

Contributions so far this year are $676,071. This is 5% behind 2015. While 5% may not seem significant, the resulting revenue shortfall is $41,615 so far this year. If we continue at this pace, it is possible that we may end the year with a significant shortfall. Expenses are slightly under budget, but they in no way are they closing the gap in giving.

Our purpose in sharing these numbers with you is not to scare or worry you but to identify the need and spur us on to do what each of us can to provide for Hebron’s ministry. Our object at Hebron is to openly share our financial needs with you as well as our blessings, for after all, we are a church family.  

This Herald is full of examples of how God is using Hebron to show Himself to the world. As the fall semester gets going, please remember to continue your faithful giving. Let's see how God will continue to use us!