I mentioned on Sunday during the Family Bible Hour, that we will be introducing a Faith Promise Pledge to help us budget better for our Missions Ministry. With Pedro and Victorina being sent out by us next year, it is important that we plan our finances so that we can send them out well.

The Faith Promise Pledge is above and beyond our tithes. There is a difference between tithes and offerings. Tithes are God’s method for believers to provide financial support for their local church. Faith Promise Pledge is a freewill offering above and beyond your tithes.

The Faith Promise Pledge will be exclusively for “Missions”. Faith Promise Giving is simply a PROMISE to give a certain amount of money every month for a period of a year, over and above your tithe. It is a commitment or vow we personally make to the Lord Jesus Christ and His local church. At New Life Church, it is a voluntary commitment to give a certain amount on a consistent basis for the coming year to plant, establish, and multiply local churches all around the world.  Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Ecclesiastes 5:4; Psalm 50:14-15; 2 Corinthians 8:10-12

On Sunday we heard about the church at Antioch being a “Generous Church”. The reason they were generous was because they were well aware of the sacrifice of grace they received through Jesus. They knew their sin, they understood their lostness and they grasped the grace of God expressed to them through Jesus' great work on the cross. They had been shown great grace and as a result, they determined to show great grace to others.

That’s how we who have received God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ should be. We are so blessed to have our spiritual eyes opened that we want everyone to know, so that they can receive the same blessing.

NLC has also matured over the years and by God’s grace He has used us to help other churches in other parts of this nation, and even other parts of the world. The Word of God has shaped us to experience some measure of sacrificial giving. And those days are not all behind us.

New opportunities await us. May the Lord give us such grace that we will see this as a blessing and never as a burden. As one missionary from the church of Antioch said to the elders in Ephesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

• First, prayerfully consider the Faith Promise amount that you can trust God to provide for the year to come. Put your faith in God’s power to provide, not your own power or resources. Also, remember that the Faith Promise offering is to be above and beyond your regular giving to the church (tithe). Please do not rob Peter to pay Paul.

• Once the amount is clear in your heart, fill out your Faith Promise card at the end of our Missions Emphasis Month.

• Cards will be handed out in the beginning of the service. Every member of NLC faith family is encouraged to complete their own Faith Promise card, including a separate card for children and youth. During the offering you can place your Faith Promise card in the offering plate.

• The Faith Promise Offering is a one-year commitment.

Pray with us that God will give us the grace to give faithfully, cheerfully, and sacrificially for the cause of Missions so we will be more fruitful and effective in making Jesus known for the joy of all peoples.