Ministries of Mercy – Chapter 4: Giving and Keeping: A Balanced Lifestyle

MERCY MINISTRY MOMENT

• Hannah More House - Reisterstown, Maryland
  • Author, abolishonist, school planter in poor/rural towns
  • 24 hour emergency shelter, meals and counseling for single women and families with children
  • WIC involvement via Nancy Rodo

GIVING AND KEEPING

• Luke 10: 25 - 37
  v 35
  "The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."

• Keller
  "We are to ponder the condition of the poor and seek ways to bring them to self-sufficiency. This takes a personal investment of time and of mental and emotional energy."

• Giving and Keeping - Exercise
  • Empty your wallet
  • Count your money
  • Decide:
    • How much to give?
    • How much to keep?

SIMPLE LIVING

• Simple Lifestyle

• John Wesley
  "If I leave behind 10 pounds, you and all mankind bear witness against me that I lived and died a thief and a robber"

• John Newton

  • choose a standard of living of the bare necessities

    • "barely decent"

    • "spend a penny on the poor for every penny we spend on ourselves"

  • use entertainment funds for a family ministy to the poor (Luke 14:12-14)

  • make genorosity to the poor a higher priority than your savings and retirement (Proverbs 19:17)

• ? Is it possible to live like this? why/why not?

• Simple Living

  • Keller
    "Their basic teaching is this: give away to the Lord and the needy everything you make except that which is necessary for bare essentials of life."

  • Reba Place Fellowship
    About 30% of all wage earners gave over 50% of their earnings to the church; another 20% gave over 30%.

• Giving and Keeping Exercise

  • How much to give?
  • How much to keep?

JUSTICE LIVING

• Biblical Contenment

  • ? Why do you find it hard to live a "simple life?

    • Philippians 3: 18 - 20

    • Sex, Money, Power

  • Hebrews 13:1-5

    • ? What does this passage say about Power? Sex? Money?

      • Be moderate

      • Be content

• Generous Lifestyle

  • Share THEIR burden
    "we must give so that we feel the burden of the needy ourselves...be sure that your giving cuts into your own lifestyle"

• Share YOUR gifts

  • "Every person and family must minister in mercy"

  • Do you have a special call to mercy ministry?

    • desire?

    • ability?

    • opportunity?

• Provide for YOUR family

  • "wisdom tells us that we must not give away our income so that we or our children become financial burdens to others"

  • "the extent of savings is a matter to be left to a Christian's own conscience, but let's remind our conscience that we will always have a tendancy to rationalize too much investment in our family rather than in the poor."

• Explain how the ministry of mercy can be seen as "justice living".

• What rule of thumb can be used to determine how much to give?

• Giving and Keeping Exercise

  • How much to give?
  • How much to keep?