The scriptures teach us clearly that our God is a God of covenants. As such, He deals with His people through covenants (e.g., Gen 9:9; Gen 15:18). In its simplest form, a covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties. One aspect of God’s overall covenant with His people is the area of their finances, which is the focus of this article.
At the outset, it is important to note and state that God has a financial covenant with every believer. If this premise is true, then by reciprocal extension, it follows that every believer should have a financial covenant with his/her local church. Historically, the area of finances has been an area of tremendous misunderstanding, controversy, conflict and skepticism within the body of Christ. As a result, sound biblical financial stewardship has become a “lost art,” or practice within the modern day church. This article aims to shed some light on this very controversial area, in the hopes of liberating the people of God from mindsets and practices that have left us with a legacy of financial impotence, which I argue is not the Will of God.
There are three critical components in God’s financial covenant with every believer (you):

• First Fruits (Prov 3:9)
• The Tithe (Mal 3:6-15)
• Freewill Offerings (Ex 35:29)

Each of these components is tied to particular (divine) covenant promises and blessings.

The First Fruits is really about (individual) increase. It is the first aspect of God’s financial covenant with the believer because the first part of anything in the life of the believer really belongs to God. This is where and how the believer honors God with the first fruits, or first part of their increase. In other words, the believer is really saying to God, I recognize you to be the true owner and giver of everything that I have, and will ever have, and as such, I am honoring you with the first part of all my increases in life (Proverbs 3:9). The first fruit offering is very powerful because it is the first fruits that really guarantee the remainder of the believer’s harvest. In honoring the Lord with the first fruits/first part of all your increases, the writer says (because you do this) your “barns will be full…….” (Proverbs 3:10).
The second component of God’s financial covenant with believers is the Tithe. The tithe is defined as “a tenth” or the tenth part. It is separate from the first fruits and the freewill offering. This particular component God says is His- it belongs to Him. Because it is God’s, it automatically becomes consecrated, dedicated or devoted in its very nature. This really means that no one else has a right to touch, take or use “the consecrated/devoted thing,” for themselves; else they run the risk of becoming “accursed,” or “doomed to destruction.” The tithe is the power aspect of the financial covenant. It is where the believer acts in obedience to God, and gives God what God says is His. In response to the believer’s obedience and faith, God gives the believer the “power to get wealth.” He does not give him/her wealth, but he gives the power – i.e., strategies, ideas, concepts, insights etc. to obtain wealth. It is in response to the tithe that God says he would “open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on you.”
References

• Genesis 14:20
• Leviticus 27:30-32
• Numbers 18:21,26
• Deuteronomy 14:22-29
• Malachi 3:6-12
• Matthew 22:21

The final aspect of the financial covenant is the Freewill Offering (Ex 35:29). This is the exchange aspect of the covenant. Here, the believer freely decides what he/she wants to give to God and proceeds to do that. God then takes what the believer has given, and exchanges it for what he/she needs. Offerings can be as much as, or even greater than the tithe. That is to say, there is no specific limit on the amount a believer can decide to give.

The first quarter of this year (Jan – Mar) is the quarter for first fruits at Rhema. Specifically, our man of God, Pastor Orim M. Meikle has designated this quarter as a time when he asks all covenant members of Rhema to honor the Lord with their first paycheque of the year, or the first fruit of the year, at the beginning or head of the year. In so doing, he wants to ensure that every member of Rhema secures their harvest for the rest of the year. We are moving into a year when we are believing God for all possibilities. I trust that you will partner with us, as we press towards practicing sound biblical financial stewardship. I also trust that this brief exposition has provided you with a better understanding of your financial covenant with God.

Wealth Management:  A Biblical Perspective for Us Today

In a church like Rhema Christian Ministries and at its present stage, Wealth management is unique. Some of the principles here apply universally; I hear the Spirit of God speaking to us, as He did to the children of Israel in the book of Haggai and chapters 1 and 2. The work of building the temple was not moving as fast as it should. The Lord spoke. “This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built” Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Consider your ways! You have sown much and bring in little, you eat but do not have enough, he who earns wages earns wages to put into a bag with holes. Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, You looked for much but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away, Why? Because of My house which is in ruins. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew and the earth withholds its fruit”. Hag 1:2-12
 
The people obeyed God, brought what was needed and began to build. Then God spoke again. “I will shake the heaven and earth, the sea and dry land and all nations, the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this temple with glory. The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine. I will shake heaven and earth.  I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms”. Hag 2:6-22

For the believer, tithing is a foundational principle. In order to experience the fullness of the promised blessing, we need to give God full access to the remaining 90%. As He bids, so we must do. The blessing lies in obedience to the Spirit of God; for it is not about the amount but percentages and obedience. The widow (Mark 12:42) gave two mites but it was 100% and it was sacrificial. Here’s what the scripture says about sacrificial giving - Psalm 126:1-6. We all love the first 3 verses, however notice that in verse 4,  prayer was first made; verses 5 and 6 tells us how the captivity was turned around: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him”.

Since Project Stepping Stones started, what amount of wood have you brought for God’s temple? What sacrifice have you made to ensure that the temple of God is built?  God wants a building of magnificent splendor- that captures the glory He spoke of in Hag 2:7. He declares in verse 8, that the silver and gold belong to Him. He wants beauty in His house, let us come together to build Gods house. This is our starting point for wealth management in this season. Consider your ways, return to God, and ask him what He wants you to do as an individual, so that His temple is built; and let us watch the blessing that will follow - it will be beyond anything we have ever experienced.

The Spirit of God is saying to those that obey (Hag 2:6-7 ); that your prayers will shake the heavens and the earth, the seas and dry land,  (Isaiah: 65:24) before you call I will answer and while you are yet speaking I will hear. Finally, Job 22:28 says, you will decree a thing and it will be established and His light will shine on your ways.

Akinwale Thompson, CFP
Wealth Management Team Lead

One of the biggest question in this season is: can we wage spiritual warfare through strategic and/or tactical giving? Can we successfully defeat the enemy by the way we worship the Lord with our finances? If yes, how is this possible?

Worship by far is the most political act that humans can express that in turn shapes economies, trade, and even currency. The Bible teaches us that when Solomon worshipped the Lord he was blessed on every level. On the other hand, the moment he turned away from worshipping the Lord with his riches and turned to different gods, his entire kingdom began to collapse. Where the economy was once strong, people then began to experience tremendous lack. Trade activities were put on hold as people focused on war. Ultimately, the currency plunged as the kingdom was divided and the new leaders fought against each other.

What does this tell us? We are called to worship the Lord with our money. We are called to give Him wholehearted attention through our giving. And in turn He will respond by showing up in our affairs. His presence will then be felt in the economy of our homes and we will then experience no lack. In honoring our obedience, He will also open/strengthen the businesses and trades around us.

The reason why the enemy fights us in the area of finances and distracts God’s children from giving tithes and offering is because he understands that money is first spiritual before it is practical. The enemy understands that if we only get to a place where we can worship God with our hearts as well as our money, God Himself will show up on every front. And we will then be manifestly unstoppable.

Is it possible to graduate from a level where we only use our money to provide for the basic necessities of life? Yes, when we decide to use our money to paint a picture of God that will reflect the experience of Solomon on earth. This is a promise that God is eagerly waiting to fulfill according to His promise in Deut 28.

© Elder Dimitri Boweya-Ngombo

The issue of the place and use of credit cards in the arena of public worship in the modern day church is part of what I believe to be a bigger and more interesting conundrum in which the modern day church has found itself. The struggle is really between relevance and identity. In striving to be more relevant, has the church lost its historical/traditional identity; or is it that in the quest to maintain its identity, the church has become less and less relevant, if not totally irrelevant? By definition, relevance really has to do with the ability to speak authoritatively to the anthropological issues of the day- issues that affect people. On the other hand, identity has to do with the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones- as under varying aspects or conditions; it is the condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is. For all intents and purposes, historically and practically, this is the “old” ecclesiastical notion of “in the world, but not of the world” idea. The real question that must then be asked is can the modern day church maintain her historical identity (positions, practices, methodologies) and still be relevant; or, in a dynamic world, is there a tradeoff between relevance and identity? Although the answer to these thought provoking questions lies beyond the scope of this article, it nonetheless brings to light the existential reality that like it or not, these are some of the macro-life issues that modern day believer’s must grapple and come to terms with in a post-modern world.

To illustrate this point, recently, following an announcement in one of our worship services where we indicated that our Treasury staff were prepared to serve those of our members who desired to make their contributions to the ministry via debit or credit cards, we received a few queries from some of our congregants, who were wondering about the place and propriety of credit card contributions in the context of worship- especially as it relates to the debt freedom component of our economic empowerment initiative. On closer examination however, at its core, it appears that this question is really the relevance versus identity issue in another form.

To arrive at a cogent and insightful answer to this question, we must first agree on certain fundamental truths concerning the placement, role and operations of the modern day church. For example:

• The church has been called and commissioned to impact the society;

• An effective church is a relevant church; and

• A relevant church is a leading edge church

If this is true, then it follows that the modern day church must be relevant in all facets of its operations: technologically, economically, physically and spiritually. Without doubt, and unapologetically, Rhema Ministries is striving to become this church. It is part and parcel of what our Senior Pastor calls “excellence”.

In our quest for economic and technological relevance, we strive to present our congregation with leading-edge contribution options. Meaning that we are cognizant of the speed and pace at which the world around us is moving, and we endeavor to keep up with it- if not ahead of it. In this regard, credit cards are just one of the options that we strive to present our members with.

Credit Cards and the Modern Day Church – Part III

Project Debt Freedom and Credit Cards

The issue contemplated here is whether or not the use of credit cards runs contrary to our efforts under Project Debt Freedom. To begin, perhaps it is helpful to understand what is really meant by debt freedom. Is the concept of debt freedom to be understood in an absolute sense, or is it relative? How do believers make sense of debt freedom in a culture and world driven by debt? Let’s take a closer look.

In keeping with the covenant promises of Deuteronomy 28:12-13, Rhema Ministries definitely holds to debt freedom as a principle. Without doubt, God wants His people to be absolutely free from debt. However, in the context of a people still in the process of becoming, the proper understanding of this concept must be that it is a destination of process that must be walked out progressively in a lifetime. While we must acknowledge that debt freedom can be and really is an instantaneous reality for God; as in most things, God is never the problem, it is always man. It would then seem to me that the process of debt freedom is a life continuum, best depicted in the following manner:

*--------------------------------------*---------------------------------------------------*
Debt --------------------Relative debt freedom ----------------Absolute debt freedom

Let’s take a closer look at this absolute versus relative debt freedom idea.

I believe it would be fair to say that debt is a present reality for most believers. It goes without saying then that if we held to an absolute interpretation of debt freedom at the outset, most believers would never be able to own a house, buy a car and enjoy some of the amenities of life, because they lack the ability to pay for these larger items immediately. As such, true ownership would never be a realized state for most believers. However, from the diagram above, it is clear that as believers become more and more empowered, they can begin to move along the debt continuum toward their God-desired destination. Thus, Project Debt Freedom has been designed to empower our congregation through education and strategy toward absolute debt freedom. Through education, our congregation will have the necessary information and tools to make better life decisions. The program also provides members with a strategy to get to the desired destination of debt freedom as quickly as possible, through proper management of their resources.

In the parable of the talents, one can argue that Jesus should and could have given the last servant a break. After all, he had received the least and sounded like the least gifted of the three servants. Yet, the Bible shows that the Lord went after him with a firm attitude. He demanded a return even where He only had deposited one talent. In today's terms, He expected the same performance from a minimum investment in the hands of the least knowledgeable stock broker as from a major investment in the hands of savvy investor on Wall Street.

The story shows simply that it's not the size of a seed that matters so much but rather the size of the wisdom in the mind of the seed holder. In other words, the Lord is saying through this story that faithful application in wisdom will always yield an expected harvest.

Wealth creation is not just for the wealthy, it is accessible to all who have seeds or gifting or resources in our hands. The difference between the wealthy executive and the blue collar worker in the factories is not always in the paycheck but in the consistent willingness to invest and become workers of the financial markets.

In this season where the Lord has promised open heavens for all His children in the Kingdom, we do need to pray not necessarily for big seeds but simply for seeds with big potential and the wisdom to faithfully invest that which He has given and also faithfully expect the increase.

© Lay Minister Dimitri Boweya-Ngombo

When someone is choking in our midst, someone who understands CPR is called to step up to the plate and respond with haste and precision. Otherwise the person in need may obviously choke and die. In order to save the person’s life however, not just any response will do but a very precise one.

After the Lord’s crucifixion, the Church experienced what could be described as a major challenge or a choking point. Christians at the time were forced to hide and the name of Jesus was no longer mentioned in public. In response to this experience, the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room to pray. There they received precise instructions on how to operate.

By the time they were finished praying, they had reached a point of greater efficiency in ministry as they experienced massive growths in a matter of hours. They then spoke to a diverse group of people who were able to understand them everyone in their particular language. In today’s business parlance, this could be seen as the global business model: offer a service and product so appealing that everyone in the context of their different cultures desires to own it.

The Apostles went on to build the Church by working in the same spirit of precision. The key to this turnaround was that they spent time in prayer and turned their situation over to God who used each chocking point to give them a major breakthrough that went to affect many generations.

This example reveals a key principle: Kingdom Business grows by choking points: In growing our God given vision for our businesses, we will always reach a place of adversity. When this happens, remember that it does not mean that God wants to kill His own vision released through us but rather that He is preparing to move us to a greater place of impact.

In September some of us read about banks as old as 158 years filing for bankruptcy protection. How did this happen? Business analysts say that the system was being “choked by the credit crisis and falling real estate values.” In response, most investors rushed to purge their portfolios of bank stocks. When giants in banking like Lehman Brothers choked, many other sectors also choked as this bank in particular weighed more than $600 billion. In one way or the other, we were all affected by this fall and as a result, we should all pray and wait for the manifestation of our next dimension.

In this season of Kingdom Business, there is definitely a rebirth process and an expansion plan in the works for businesses and many organizations. Yet all this will only come to those who understand that choking points are not a place of adversity sent to cripple growth but rather a divine experience meant to stretch us to new heights through prayers.

© Lay Minister Dimitri Boweya-Ngombo

In the Western world, highways and signs were designed to ensure a smooth transition from one point to another. Yet, motorists still get stranded or delayed. We can experience the same thing in the area of education. While our education system was designed to ensure a smooth transition to an independent life, our cities are filled with people who have yet to achieve full financial independence.

Why is that? Because in order to succeed in life, we need more than highways or education: we need the grace of God. Let me illustrate this with facts from the life of the Apostle Paul:

1- Highways and education systems were created to make our travel experience easier but they do not guarantee that we will reach our final destination on time.

Before Damascus, Paul was not upset with the Christians as they confessed that Jesus was the Messiah. But more specifically as Christians presented Jesus Christ as the way to Salvation: Paul was upset because Christians were now implying that obeying the Law was no longer the way to salvation. He only understood this when the Holy Spirit taught him how Grace works on top of the principles contained in the Law.

2- On the highways, we may get penalized for all sorts of things. Yet after having received a ticket or seen our vehicles impounded, with the Grace of God we can still manage to reach our final destination on time.

After Damascus, Paul worked with people from less fortunate backgrounds yet who were very relevant in the global economy. In spite of their failures to comply with the Law (education), God anointed these individuals to master the systems in which they had operate.

3- Highways are filled with all kinds of vehicles. Different pocketbooks afford different vehicles. However, a more expensive car will never guarantee a safe or quick trip.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “But in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” It is not so much what others deposit in a man that matters but ultimately what God deposits in a man that makes the biggest difference in one’s life.

In all our academic pursuits this year, let us understand that what will ultimately guarantee financial freedom and relevance in the Kingdom is the Grace of God.

© Lay Minister Dimitri Boweya-Ngombo

The scriptures teach us clearly that our God is a God of covenants. As such, He deals with His people through covenants (e.g., Gen 9:9; Gen 15:18). In its simplest form, a covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties. One aspect of God’s overall covenant with His people is the area of their finances, which is the focus of this article.

At the outset, it is important to note and state that God has a financial covenant with every believer. If this premise is true, then by reciprocal extension, it follows that every believer should have a financial covenant with his/her local church. Historically, the area of finances has been an area of tremendous misunderstanding, controversy, conflict and skepticism within the body of Christ. As a result, sound biblical financial stewardship has become a “lost art,” or practice within the modern day church. This article aims to shed some light on this very controversial area, in the hopes of liberating the people of God from mindsets and practices that have left us with a legacy of financial impotence, which I argue is not the Will of God.

There are three critical components in God’s financial covenant with every believer (you):

• First Fruits (Prov 3:9)
• The Tithe (Mal 3:6-15)
• Freewill Offerings (Ex 35:29)

Each of these components is tied to particular (divine) covenant promises and blessings.

The First Fruits is really about (individual) increase. It is the first aspect of God’s financial covenant with the believer because the first part of anything in the life of the believer really belongs to God. This is where and how the believer honors God with the first fruits, or first part of their increase. In other words, the believer is really saying to God, I recognize you to be the true owner and giver of everything that I have, and will ever have, and as such, I am honoring you with the first part of all my increases in life (Proverbs 3:9). The first fruit offering is very powerful because it is the first fruits that really guarantee the remainder of the believer’s harvest. In honoring the Lord with the first fruits/first part of all your increases, the writer says (because you do this) your “barns will be full…….” (Proverbs 3:10).

The second component of God’s financial covenant with believers is the Tithe. The tithe is defined as “a tenth” or the tenth part. It is separate from the first fruits and the freewill offering. This particular component God says is His- it belongs to Him. Because it is God’s, it automatically becomes consecrated, dedicated or devoted in its very nature. This really means that no one else has a right to touch, take or use “the consecrated/devoted thing,” for themselves; else they run the risk of becoming “accursed,” or “doomed to destruction.” The tithe is the power aspect of the financial covenant. It is where the believer acts in obedience to God, and gives God what God says is His. In response to the believer’s obedience and faith, God gives the believer the “power to get wealth.” He does not give him/her wealth, but he gives the power – i.e., strategies, ideas, concepts, insights etc. to obtain wealth. It is in response to the tithe that God says he would “open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on you.”

References

• Genesis 14:20
• Leviticus 27:30-32
• Numbers 18:21,26
• Deuteronomy 14:22-29
• Malachi 3:6-12
• Matthew 22:21

The final aspect of the financial covenant is the Freewill Offering (Ex 35:29). This is the exchange aspect of the covenant. Here, the believer freely decides what he/she wants to give to God and proceeds to do that. God then takes what the believer has given, and exchanges it for what he/she needs. Offerings can be as much as, or even greater than the tithe. That is to say, there is no specific limit on the amount a believer can decide to give.

The first quarter of this year (Jan – Mar) is the quarter for first fruits at Rhema. Specifically, our man of God, Pastor Orim M. Meikle has designated this quarter as a time when he asks all covenant members of Rhema to honor the Lord with their first paycheque of the year, or the first fruit of the year, at the beginning or head of the year. In so doing, he wants to ensure that every member of Rhema secures their harvest for the rest of 2008. We are moving into a year when we are believing God for all possibilities. I trust that you will partner with us, as we press towards practicing sound biblical financial stewardship. I also trust that this brief exposition has provided you with a better understanding of your financial covenant with God.

Praying for your possibilities and increase in the Year of New Beginnings!