Berita NECF Newletters

Will Kingdom Work Slow Down?

Description: No recession. Embrace the Sabbatical Principle.

Will Kingdom Work Slow Down?

No recession. Embrace the Sabbatical Principle.

By now, church offerings would have shown signs of the global financial crisis as a result of retrenchment and salary cut among church-goers. Fear of the uncertain future may even cause worshippers to hold back when the offering bags go round. And for those still holding on to their jobs, the real challenge for them will be to continue to give at the pre-recession level.

With smaller intakes and reduced budgets, church ministries will undoubtedly be affected. Some churches may even have to lay off their workers or cut their salaries. The world is undergoing recession, but should God's Kingdom suffer that too?

 

Seizing the Sabbatical Principle

Recessions come and go. How then should Christians respond to each cycle of financial woes, especially the present one, without fear and doubt but instead, with Scriptural security? Let us look at the Sabbatical principle as a way out of this fear.

Firstly, it is important to under-stand the financial implications of the Sabbatical principle - how the Lord has provided in the past - in order to enable us to continue to give sacrificially to support and sustain Kingdom ministry whether in good or bad times.

By grasping the Sabbatical principle, we will be able to emulate Joseph who made the appropriate 'financial' preparation for future hard times.

More importantly, it will transform and renew our attitudes in order to resist or break the bondage of materialism and self-centred individualism.

Additionally, we will be able to stamp our Christian presence in the world as the true witness of God's love and charity in manifesting the spirit of koinonia and diakonia (providing immediate relief to those who need help).

The Sabbatical principle underscores the fact that God has already made preparations for future down times. The principle refers to the provision made concerning the land in Lev. 25:2, "…the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord." It is also called "sabbath of solemn rest" (vs 4) and "year of rest" (vs 5).

Just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God gave them specific instructions on working the land. For six years, they were to sow, prune and gather but on the seventh, they were to let it rest and lie fallow. During the seventh year (called land Sabbath), whatever the land produced was for the poor to glean and the leftover was for the beasts (Ex. 23:11).

The Israelites were not to till their land nor harvest the produce. God gave this command to teach them to look to Him as their provider. In the long run, it was intended as an encouragement to all His people, in all ages, to trust Him by obeying His commands, and to cast their care upon Him.

To allay their fears of depravation or hardship, God assured the Israelites that the sixth year would yield enough food for the next three years.

Lev. 25:21 records, "And if you say, 'What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?', Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years."

But why made provision for three years, instead of one (for the seventh year rest)? The answer is found in vs 21: "And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest." (Lev. 25:20-21)

God had prepared everything ahead of time, even taking into account the fact that it would take two more years before the harvest would arrive. By observing the seventh year of rest, God promised them:

1 Security: "…you will dwell in the land in safety" (vs 18). The word "safety" signifies both outward safety and inward security and confidence of spirit, that they would be free from harm or evil and from the fear of evil.

2 Sufficiency: "…you will eat your fill." (vs 19). If we are careful to do as God commands, we may confidently and cheerfully trust God to provide for all our needs.

 

What About Us?

The economic recession is a cyclical process and will recur over certain periods of time. Likewise, the Sabbatical principle is a cyclical process in that it occurs every seven years. Therefore, it is God's design by His divine intervention that provision is made during the suspension of labour.

Have we experienced God's provision and His security and sufficiency as mentioned in the Sabbatical principle of Leviticus? With our accumulated wealth, properties, investment and savings from our past abundance, what does God want us to do with this blessing in the midst of the present economic crisis? Bear in mind that in planning ahead of time, God had taken note of the poor and even the animals by forbidding the Israelites to reap what the land produced on the seventh year, but to leave it to the needy.

If we have not experienced this provision of God, what should be our immediate and future response to this biblical truth?

We are in a time of great change, but we are certain that God is committed to our growth. Let us not allow the enemy to rob us of this hope. Let our faith and trust in God grow day by day as we work together to build His Kingdom.

Meanwhile, let us:

  1. Repent of our greed and unethical ways of living our lives if we have not walked in His ways;
  2. Make practical and realistic adjustment to any misappropriation of financial commitment;
  3. Adopt biblical stewardship and early-church radical life-style;
  4. Reach out to those in need, including the many full-time workers whose livelihood may suffer as a result of smaller donations; and
  5. Continue to give so that Kingdom work will continue to flourish.

 



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