G’day Church,
I’m not sure how the end of financial year impacts your thinking. For some of us it rolls on by without much significance, for others it is a peak season of thinking through finances, budgets, savings plans and tax. Regardless of how it impacts you personally, we’re all seeing EOFY sales advertised, and many of us are likely to receive emails from various charity groups to contribute to their EOFY appeals. What’s it look like to think biblically about all of this?
Well, as a starting point, the Bible teaches us that everything we have comes from God “Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things” (1 Chronicles 29:12). More than that though, “he has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:3). For this reason, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:17 – but also check out Col 1:12, 2:7, 3:15, 4:2!) So, whenever we think about our finances, we should start from a position of thankfulness – even when things are tight!
And what’s the significance of the EOFY? Well, not much really. It’s just a way our society has organised things. But if it gives an opportunity to think carefully about the way we steward the gifts that God has given us, then that’s a great thing. And with various organisations asking for your tax deductible gift, it’s a good prompt to think about what generosity looks like and the things you want to support. Many Christian organisations have tax deductible status for their great work in caring for the poor and oppressed. Thankfully that is something our secular government still values! But there’s no tax incentive for giving to the spread of the gospel. There are loads of great ministries sharing the good news of Jesus that we can joyfully partner with regardless of the tax incentive, but I want to put a few in particular before you for your prayerful consideration:
- We’re delighted to partner with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) with the great desire to see a world that knows Jesus. In particular, we want to stand alongside our sister K, serving in South East Asia. Security concerns mean that I can’t put K’s name or specific location in an email. Currently, her costs are only about 50% funded. Wouldn’t it be great if she could push forward in gospel work without having to worry if she’ll have the finances to be able to stay on the field. You can get on board with K here.
- God is doing wonderful things on our University Campuses, growing young Christians in Christ and bringing people into the kingdom. Our very own Lauren serves with Evangelical Students at Flinders Uni 3 days a week, and she depends entirely on the generous support of her brothers and sisters in Christ to make that possible. At this stage, Lauren’s not fully funded for the time that she spends on campus, and we’d love to change that to enable the gospel to continue to spread and bear fruit in this vital ministry. Find out how you can partner with Lauren here.
- Our friends at Engage Work Faith are passionate about helping Christians honour God in their workplaces. From facilitating prayer groups to highlighting great resources to hosting top class events, we love their work. Jump online here to help keep the ministry going and growing.
- God’s doing great things in our midst here at Trinity Church Brighton too! Lots of people have joined us in the last year, friends have been introduced to Jesus, more and more kids are learning about Jesus, people are making big calls for the sake of the kingdom. We don’t have any funding source other than the generosity of God’s people as moved by his Spirit. Will you join us in that? https://www.trinitybay.church/more/about/giving-information
Whatever your circumstances, whether the EOFY impacts you or not, whether you can give heaps or just a few copper coins (see Mark 12:41-44), I pray that you’ll know the great joy of partnering in God’s wonderful work of making Jesus known.
God bless,
Simon
Upcoming Dates:
Monday Evenings from June 10 – BCSA Public Lecture Series. https://biblecollege.sa.edu.au/bible-college-sa-celebrating-100-years/
Wednesday July 24 – CMS Online Dinner. https://cms.org.au/event/annual-online-dinner/