Articles Number Five
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians echo throughout this edition of ARTICLES - as Christians our worldview is shaped by the cross. We may feel that the opposition we face by holding on to this message is something new, but the Apostle Paul was preparing the first Christians for the same kind of hostility. In this edition we look at youth violence, medical ethics, sexuality, money and workplace witness. Each issue is explosive, and we are thankful to the writers for their prayerful approach to each topic. None of these articles are the final word, but they hold up the issue to the cross and look to the wisdom of God, no matter how far it is from the wisdom of the world. So please read, pray and talk about these ARTICLES - and as you do, remember our brothers and sisters in Corinth, and our brothers and sisters across the world today. As we contend for the Gospel, and contend for the truth, remember that it was God himself who chose the things the world thinks are foolish to shame the wise. And God himself chose the things that are weak to shame the strong. God chose the things that people hate, the things they think are nothing, at all - and He used them to bring to nothing things that seem so much.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians echo throughout this edition of ARTICLES - as Christians our worldview is shaped by the cross. We may feel that the opposition we face by holding on to this message is something new, but the Apostle Paul was preparing the first Christians for the same kind of hostility.
In this edition we look at youth violence, medical ethics, sexuality, money and workplace witness. Each issue is explosive, and we are thankful to the writers for their prayerful approach to each topic. None of these articles are the final word, but they hold up the issue to the cross and look to the wisdom of God, no matter how far it is from the wisdom of the world.
So please read, pray and talk about these ARTICLES - and as you do, remember our brothers and sisters in Corinth, and our brothers and sisters across the world today. As we contend for the Gospel, and contend for the truth, remember that it was God himself who chose the things the world thinks are foolish to shame the wise. And God himself chose the things that are weak to shame the strong. God chose the things that people hate, the things they think are nothing, at all - and He used them to bring to nothing things that seem so much.
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With your help, we are aiming to raise £20,000 this weekend.<br />
These funds will be split two ways:<br />
PRACTICAL IDEAS<br />
Here are some other entrepreneurial suggestions to consider:<br />
• Try spending no more than £1 on lunch when at work. Compared to the £5+ that many workers<br />
spend you could save up to £1000 a year to give away. Use Gift Aid and it will be worth even<br />
more. (Don’t do this if it stops you making friends with colleagues you could be witnessing to!)<br />
• Use an accountant. For under £200 I have someone who can answer my questions to make my<br />
giving and expenditure £1000s more efficient and tax effective.<br />
• When a church needs a house for the Pastor I’ve seen people increase the % mortgage on their<br />
own house to lend the money to the church at an interest rate much lower than church could<br />
borrow. This makes it far cheaper for the church to buy than to rent.<br />
• Insure your life. I realised that giving all our savings away might leave my family destitute if I died,<br />
so I’ve insured my life for £450k at a cost of £14/month until our youngest is 21. Now we can get<br />
rid of the burden of more worldly wealth without being irresponsible!<br />
• Give radically into a new ‘shrewd dealing’ gospel fund. My sermon in Luke 16 happened just as I<br />
came into some inheritance – so in application the Lord promted me to set up a Charitable Fund<br />
designed to invest assets entrepreneurially for kingdom purposes; a kind of gospel hedge fund.<br />
Normally these funds are exclusive to the super-rich, but my aim is that anyone with a windfall,<br />
some inheritance or excess savings (however small or large) can give into it. You can give cash,<br />
shares, a garage or a plot of land etc into this Fund and the trustees will use their financial<br />
expertise to invest it profitably. You maintain ongoing influence on which charities/gospel projects<br />
the profit goes to, including your local church (which should be your first priority).<br />
If you’re interested in finding out more about this Fund or want to talk through how to be more<br />
entrepreneurial with your own money, email me via giving-article@co-mission.org<br />
- Acts 4:32-35 is possible!<br />
ALEX LYELL<br />
is Senior Pastor at Streatham Central Church<br />
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