DAY TWO OF PASTORS SUMMIT

This morning was one of the most powerful times of testimony I have ever heard. We heard from several of City Church's Marketplace Ministry leaders. These are successful men and women of God who have the Romans 12 gift of giving. One after another shared their story about God, business, money, giving and their experience at church. There were some amazing quotes, but more than that was this captivating humility that came from each one. These are people God has anointed and given the ability to make money, lots of money. In turn they have given money, lots of money to the Kingdom of God.

Here are a few of the amazing take aways:

"We've been giving money away our whole lives and it just keeps coming back."
"Business people are just like any other person, they just have the gift of giving."
"If someone is a singer and gives their gift to the church people recognize, the gift of giving is no different than the gift to sing."
"I came from poverty, but my dad saw the importance of planting me in church and out of church I discovered what it took to live generously. This has always helped me in business."
"The amount of money we set out to make is always determined by the amount we want to give and never the other way around."

Laced in these powerful testimonies were stories of how poorly people are treated by some Christians when they become successful. One said, "When I drove my new Jag to the church I was going to I felt like I had to park it in the back of the parking lot because no one was excited about my recent success." Another shared about their success, "In the church I was a member the pastor actually asked me to stop giving the amount I was giving because the church did not want to become dependant on the amount." Another told me privately, "I drove a very expensive car and people seriously asked, 'Why don't you give that to missions?' What they didn't know is that in the same year I bought that car I gave double the amount of that car to missions."

Why is it that Christians get so hung up on money? God wants us to have money, but for money not to have us. We are either serving God or serving money, yes? Well then let's serve God with as much money as he gives us.

Business man/woman, go out today and make it big! There is adequate opportunity to have more than enough. When you give, it will be given back to you; when you tithe, the windows of heaven will open in your life; cast your bread on the waters, and it will return; give to the poor and God will repay; scatter and increase. Today is the day to walk in your gift of giving and may you sow into your church more and more the rest of your lives.

It is about dog gone time that Christians start looking at their ability to change the world through giving. We can achieve so much when we harness the power of generosity and release it on the world. Maybe today someone reading this will schuck the po'r mentality and believe God wants them to succeed in order to build the local church.

There are a lot of men and women at The Rock Church who have a world class vision complete with a business plan to get it done. They may not be the wealthiest people on the block today, but the vision and the work ethic living inside them will propel them to that place. I say we make way for great faith in these lives and let them run to the pinnacle of God's purpose--the gift of giving! May I get the privilege to hear the same stories like I heard today come out of TRC. There are a few already, but there are more in the making...