Finances Presented Through a Biblical Lens

I have taught Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" course three times here in João Pessoa. I requested permission to translate and teach the course before teaching it.

The beginning of August I began the course for the third time. I changed things up a little this time around. Instead of teaching the nine of the thirteen lessons I translated, I only taught four. The whole reason I began searching to better administer my own personal finances was because I was lacking contentment in my relationship with God and the finances He had given me to administer. In this course, the first two classes were all Bible passages looking at how God and His people see, think and handle money. The foundation is contentment forged from a gratitude of what God has given us both spiritually as well as materially. After the first two classes on contentment, I get into how to administer your personal finances using Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace material.

As the class went on during the months of August and September, peoples' vernacular changed from worry about how to make ends meet to contentment for what God has given us. That change in mentality, I did not see happen in the first two courses I gave using just Dave's material.

Please pray:

* That the Church will live a life of gratitude and hope for an eternal home in heaven and not make this world their home.

* That the members of the church will invest more in God's kingdom than in their own personal kingdom, supporting evangelists, buying Bibles for those who do not have them, visiting other congregations to encourage and share faith, and make friends who will receive them in heaven.

Comments

Consecration

We know that God can do anything. The question is what will He do? What will the Lord do in the lives of His people when they consecrate themselves to Him? We hope to find out. Friday, May 22 nd , the Luna congregation had an all night vigil of consecration. We went from 9 pm to 5:30 am, and over 50 people participated, from the ages of 10 to 75 years. In the prayer corner, brothers and sisters signed up for time slots so that we would have prayer without ceasing. The vigil focused on Consecrating our Lives, in Gratitude, in Unity, in Service, and in Sharing . Each part consisted of prayer, singing, Bible Reading and Reflection, and practical activities, like in Service, we washed everyone’s feet, and then everybody joined in making breakfast for the group: homemade bread, fruit, tapioca and eggs, juice, and coffee. In Sharing, we ended with a wonderful meal together in family, talking about people with whom we want to share the gospel. Spend

Luna Men

The men of the Luna church of Christ have a weekly meeting for the purpose of edification and planning God's work in the congregation. Some are going strong, others have family problems, and we all want to grew in God's purpose for our lives. Last night's meeting included a discussion of what really happened on the cross, on resting in Lord in the Psalms. We made plans about the upcoming Carnaval (Mardi Gras) retreat, and talked about the need to do some manual labor on our building. Though the group was smaller this week, there is a hunger to serve. Five out of the six committed spending Wednesday ripping up a big wall that needs to be redone. Whether leading, studying, admonishing, evangelizing, or tearing up a wall, let God use us to His glory!

Pentecost in Paraíba

"This is Pentecost in Cajazeiras," Rivaldo Café said, "Almost three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem, almost ten in Cajazeiras." A wild comparison, of course, but the excitement that produced it was legitimate. Six young men gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized on Saturday. I was blessed to be there: the sixteen hours on a bus, going and coming, was worth it. I went to teach a weekend couples' seminar on the theme "God Gave Me You". The couples (around 12) were mostly parents of kids in the Right Step Program. The changes in these boys' lives have made an impression on the families, many of which have started Bible studies too. Saturday morning, after the soccer practice, three of the boys asked to be baptized. We headed to the building. Café began filling the portable swimming pool while I talked to the boys about what it means to come into the Family of God. Franze (15 yrs), Luam (14 yrs), Jorcelam (17 yrs)

McKinney Report

Search This Blog