Where else?
Recently when I was at the gym I saw an ad on ESPN about Where Else? Talking about where else – but in sports – could you see records broken and champions made. It was actually a good ad for them. It got me thinking about the Gospel and Building the Church on the earth and what happens to our investments in doing this.
Where else can you give/invest and see people saved, healed, set free, and have their lives changed in so many good ways? There isn’t anywhere else that converts money into changed lives like building the church (People).
Sometimes it is difficult to look at our donations as an investment. Let’s look at this for a moment.
Mark 4:8 TPT
But some of the seeds fell onto good, rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty-and some even one hundred times as much as was planted!
Every farmer expects a return on their seed planted or there would be no point in planting. Jesus used this parable to emphasize a spiritual truth. Where else can you plant money and see people’s lives changed?
Our role and assignment has developed over the years. At one time we pastored a local church and directed a Bible school, then multiple campuses. Today we facilitate and oversee. We work on Expansion and books in many languages. We train leaders and we have great teams who we help to succeed in any way possible. This has multiplied what can be accomplished. Instead of one church and one school now it is 60 campuses, 5500 students, plus the books and leadership training. Worldwide we touch over 275 Campuses, 18,000 students, and 7000 people that make all of this work. Why bring all of this up? Two reasons – One, to encourage those who already invest that your seed, your investment is in the perfect place to produce a great Return on Investment (ROI).
And second, if you aren’t already a partner in this work, is there any reason not to join the team? Together we can believe God that this work is accelerated and your return is supernatural.
You can join right here.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 NLT
[6] Remember this-a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. [7] You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” [8] And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. [9] As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” [10] For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. [11] Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
Where else can you plant money and have God watch over it?
Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 work together.
2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT[9] You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
The reason we can expect to have a full supply or harvest is because of what Jesus did for us. This verse is redemptive. He did something for us and it is called a “generous grace”. We have been saved by grace through faith. Every aspect of grace needs the element of faith added to it to activate it. Chapter 9 above tells us how to activate this generous grace mentioned in Chapter 8. Giving with a purpose into good ground.
God is the most generous of all and that is the grace and the spirit on the Body of Christ. There are some people in the world that have tapped into this more than many of us have. Generosity Activates His Grace.
Where should our generosity point? Or how do we aim our generosity where it maximizes the mutual benefits for giver and receiver? Maybe we should say, How do we channel God’s Generosity through us to where it should go?
Find good ground, proven ground, prepared ground, and plant there.
What does all this do when added together? God’s Plan for man, His Purpose for the abundant life is to see the church built on the earth and then we must Pursue His Plans and Purposes. When we get involved in what is on God’s heart the harvest is supernatural.
After a year like we had, some people came out very blessed, some not so much. It is natural and wise to always watch our finances. At the same time let us not miss God’s plan in this area for the plan of the world or even our adversary.
Sow in times of Famine – When Michelle and I were in the car driving back from Arizona in March of 2020 I heard something and looked to Michelle to see if she heard it. She was reading and didn’t. I heard, “Sow in times of Famine”. I didn’t think this was our famine but more the direction to sow into others. We have done that and keep listening to where we should do more.
This was God making sure we didn’t tighten up beyond what he wanted.
In Malachi, The Israelites were speaking the wrong things. This will always create or perpetuate a negative cycle of poverty and lack in areas beyond money. What did God do? He speaks to them about Generosity- particularly tithing. What did that have to do with anything? When the mouth is wrong, which might be a simple agreement with circumstances or the ways of the world, we are not in faith.
If God can get our wallets and bank accounts He can get our hearts. Faith is of the heart and God wanted them functioning out of a heart of faith. This would break the negative cycle they had gotten into. So, we must clarify; this generosity is not a work that gets us into heaven. It is one of the Good Works we were created for as an outworking of our faith.
The Spirit of Generosity is on the Body of Christ but we all must act on it. This is Where God can turn our money into a harvest of souls and a harvest of money.
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Is Building the Church on the earth seeking Him? Yes!
Where Else could we receive a greater Return on Investment than by investing in what God is doing on the earth?
John, Michelle, and the Grunewald Ministries Team