Bread end of year giving.
Every December, we launch our End of Year Giving Campaign. In this talk, we consider how, as followers of Jesus, we are called to treat money. Paul writes to Timothy with instruction to three groups of people: those who have lost sight of Jesus and who are solely interested in financial gain; those who are materially poor; and those who are wealthy. And, in this context, he exhorts Timothy, and all three groups, to refrain from being distracted.
Our focus is not the love of money, but to take hold of the kingdom of God. It is only here where we are freed from the power money can exert over us to become the generous givers we have been made to be. There is no better use of the resources we have been given than to give them away for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
By Ed Flint
Seven Years: The value of generosity.
Before bread was even a church, people connected with the idea of bread have been incredibly generous towards it. We want to continue that marker of generosity in everything we do.
This should be no surprise. To be a Christian is to be generous: it is who we are. The more we experience God’s grace - his unmerited generosity - the more generous we become. The key is having him as our bottomline, as opposed to money, or success, or anything else.
When we operate from grace, our giving becomes active and regular, rather than passive and irregular. And the benefits are invaluable- God's glory and His kingdom extended in our lives and all the lives of those connected to us.
By Ed Flint
Philippians: How to be content with money.
In the final section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he thanks them for their generosity in supporting him financially. However he is at pains to show he’s more appreciative of the friendship and partnership in the gospel that their generosity reveals than he is with the money they have given. This is because, in God’s kingdom, people are more important than things. The gospel is more important than money. To have our priorities correctly aligned like this requires learning to be content in all circumstances. In particular it requires contentment in relation to money. We live free from the enslaving power of money when learn to treat it as Jesus taught - something not to be worshipped, nor fled from, but to be mastered and held lightly. Generosity, discipline and learning to give money away is one of the best ways to set ourselves free. At the end of this talk we consider why and how all of us, as integral parts of the church, can financially support the work of bread.
By Ed Flint
Giving & Vision Pt. 2
We’re called to be generous with our money. This week we consider the specific subject of giving money to the church. The New Testament knows nothing of solitary Christianity: to be a Christian is to be the church. It is you and you are it. We cannot escape it (as much as we might like!). So giving to the church is about giving to something we are intrinsically part of. It is a cognitive dissonance to hold back part of ourselves from who we are. There’s more: the church is not just us and ours, it’s also Christ’s. He is the head of the church. When we give to the church we are investing in Jesus. And we are investing in his eternal, infinite, perfect kingdom. There is no better use of money. His kingdom is one of beautiful powerful unified diversity. When we give we are giving to promote and grow the full representation of the people of God- where everyone matters and all have a role to play. The more we operate and develop in our God-given gifts, the more the church looks like and does the things of Jesus.
By Ed Flint
Giving & Vision Pt. 1
Twice a year we dedicate two services to the subject of money and generosity. Jesus’ proclamation at the beginning of his ministry was to announce God’s age of favor for humankind. He has come to make us happy. But, in contrast to what culture has often proclaimed, Jesus knows that happiness and wealth are not intrinsically linked. In his parable of the talents, Jesus teaches that all money belongs to God which he distributes as he wishes. Our job is to hold lightly to what we have been given, not compare what we receive to others, but use it all for the building of God’s kingdom, and give it back to him. The more we do so the more we will receive from God - not financially, but in terms of kingdom-building responsibility. This is where we enter into God’s rest and experience his joy, favor and happiness.
By Ed Flint