Living by Faith

Dear Crosswalkers,

The New Testament says this about life as a follower of Jesus: We live by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). This is what makes the spiritual life such a great adventure! God’s plan for us is not spelled out every step of the way, like an itinerary for a road trip. But each day we get to follow the Lord in faith. How do we live by faith in the Lord in today’s world? Honestly, we have insurance to cover just about everything.

Here is an exciting way to live by faith: Participate in our Faith Promise Missions giving program. A Faith Promise is a financial commitment you believe and trust that God will enable you to fulfill during the next 12 months. A Faith Promise is not a pledge, and so you will never be asked by Crosswalk to “make good” on it. It is rather a promise you make in faith that God will provide additional funds for you to give in support his mission on planet earth. Here’s how it works: On Sunday you will be given a faith promise card. Please prayerfully enter an amount you will trust God to provide. And then watch and pray for God to provide. That is living by faith!

How does God provide? There are many possible ways! Here are just a few:

Unexpected Income: This can be retroactive pay raises, bonuses, unexpected gifts, inheritances, a second job, tax refunds, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Decrease in Expenses: Loans are paid off, kids educational expenses end, etc.

Reordering of Priorities: When we manage our lives according to God’s priorities, we can generate additional income for the Lord’s work. Examples include a commitment to live more simply, perhaps fasting one meal a week and giving that money to missions, cutting back on unnecessary expenses, etc.

Innovative Ideas: Some folks are really creative with this! You can have a garage sale, develop a hobby that can produce some income for the Lord’s work, get people to sponsor you in a marathon, etc. Again, the possibilities are endless!

Do Faith Promises work? YES! On the authority of the Bible, and according to my experience of many years of faith promise missions, I can tell you that God does provide! Why? Because God wants his world to be reached with the good news. Jesus said, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The Lord is looking for people like you and me who will be open channels through which he can provide for the gospel to be preached to every people group. This is God’s plan A, to reach the world through his church, and there is no plan B!

Here are the percentages of how much of our Faith Promises God has provided during the past 5 years:

2008/09 – 83%

2007/08 – 118%

2006/07 – 71%

2005/06 – 105%

2004/05 – 101%

Note that in the past 5 years, God has provided a high of 118% of our Faith Promises, and a low of 71%. This is the beauty of it: We are trusting God to provide. If God doesn’t provide, we don’t give. The pressure is on God, not us! But one of God’s names in the Bible is “The God who provides” (Genesis 22:14), and it shows how much God wants to provide for us. Speaking of which, we have one more week in our 09/10 Faith Promise year. To date we have received $81,185 in Faith Promise money, which is 66% of the promised amount, $122,846. I know these are tough times, but they are not tough for God!

Will you join me in prayer that God will provide more for this Sunday?

Emil Brunner said, “As fire exists by burning, so the church exists by missions.” May we ignite a wonderful new flame for the Lord as we continue the Faith Promise tradition at Crosswalk!

By the way, this Sunday we will celebrate our Faith Promise year with an International Potluck meal at noon. Please plan to join us for this celebration. And please bring an international dish to share! You can drop it off in our church kitchen prior to worship.

Living by Faith,

Pastor John Christie