Entrusted Ministry

1/8/06

 

 

There are three things that I want to address this morning.

 

Ÿ         The absolute importance of entrusted ministry.

Ÿ         Our financial operation at Community of Faith.

Ÿ         The way leadership (or government) works at Community of Faith.

 

I want to begin by saying Sue and I feel so honored to pastor Community of Faith.  This is not a perfect church because there’s people in it.  But our Lord and Savior Jesus has blessed this church tremendously!

 

1 Tim. 6:20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care.

 

Let’s personalize this for us:  “The people of Community of Faith, guard what has been entrusted to your care.”

 

Being entrusted with ministry is a very serious responsibility!

 

Mat. 25:14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

 

¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

 

²¹“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 

²²“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

 

²³“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 

²⁴“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

 

²⁶“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

 

²⁸“‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

 

Lk. 12:48 (NASB) From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

 

The Refuge Home was given to Community of Faith as a miracle.

 

The Lord Jesus has entrusted this ministry to us.

 

A couple of weeks ago in an elders meeting the Lord revealed something as if a neon light was turned on in the room!

 

Ÿ         In order to not make uncomfortable any of the residents we have in the Refuge Home I never say anything about it from the pulpit.

 

Ÿ         This has been done to a fault!

 

Ÿ         We would never violate the confidentiality of any of the residents.

 

As a matter of fact, arrangements have been made this morning to take the ladies on an outing.

 

When Teen Challenge comes we see the men and see the fruit of the ministry--you have been deprived of that!

 

If you talk with director Jack Smart from Teen Challenge, every man who enters the ministry is not a success story--but those who are--make it worth it!

 

We need to really grasp some of the magnitude of this ministry this morning.

 

The Refuge Home is 24/7.

 

It’s unlike anything else we do.  Even today, our trip to Jenner School, which is also a tremendous door of opportunity given by God--is still done only once a year!

 

 

Even those who have left the Refuge Home prematurely God has done a work in their heart.

 

Ÿ         The young lady who called back to Denise at Christmas time.

 

Recently in a two-week period Sherrie had to turn down 15 applicants.

 

One young lady who came to the Refuge Home had already made arrangements for adoption.  She found out about the Refuge Home, came and visited the home, applied for entrance, was accepted and her heart was completely changed!

 

The credibility the Refuge Home has earned with area agencies is remarkable!

 

DCFS Department of Child and Family Services; Catholic Social Services; Franklin and Williamson Human Services; numerous crisis pregnancy centers throughout Illinois and other states refer women to the Refuge Home.

 

When we first started the Refuge Home we wondered about the legal ramifications if we took in a girl under the age of 18.  A 15 year old girl with a baby was ordered by a local judge in come to the Refuge Home is she wanted to keep her child!

 

The favor and credibility the Refuge Home has earned with these agencies and the county courthouse is a work of God!

 

I know it’s hard for you to feel ownership when you don’t hear about the results and for that I am sorry.

 

It’s critical that you feel ownership and share in the vision of the Refuge Home!

 

Let’s look again at what Jesus said....

 

Mat. 25:20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!

 

The Refuge Home was built to house 12 residents--6 ladies and their babies.  Right now we have 5 mothers and 5 babies and one lady who is expecting.

 

We have had as many as 8.

 

The leadership believes we have a mandate from God to do everything we can to grow the ministry of the Refuge Home until the Lord says stop.

 

Community of Faith has always been a faith operated church.

 

Someone recently made the statement that Community of Faith is in financial trouble--well I guess we’ve always been in financial trouble because we’ve never had a surplus.

 

We strongly believe in investing our money--not in the money market, stock market, mutual funds or whatever else might make us some money--but we believe in investing in people.

 

The question has come up about our budget.

 

Here’s our budget--We do what God tells us to do and he provides!

 

What God has done here is unexplainable!

 

Our assets are probably somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million dollars!  And we are debt free!

 

We are not a business we are a ministry!

 

Someone asked Sherrie recently if we could afford 8 people in the Refuge Home--her response was--how could we afford not to!

 

How do you budget for what God has done here?

 

We have a $35,000 bus that was a gift to the church.  We have a shuttle that was bought brand new for the church that cost $58,000.  Our white van was bought new and was mostly paid for as a gift.  The car that the Refuge Home uses was a gift!

 

We can’t be foolish.  We are not extravagant, we are not wasteful, we have a very nice facility--we worship in a pole barn!

 

I totally dislike mentioning money.  This leads to a story I have to tell.

 

Because I don’t plead for money there are those who think that Community of Faith has a wealthy bank account--not the case.

 

We always pray for the Lord to meet our needs and He does.  But again, my lack of sharing is sometimes to a fault.

 

Let me share something that happened.  How I asked Diane to bring bills in to me and put them on my desk and the elders would pray over them and trust God to meet the need.  Then the $20,000 dollars earmarked for hurricane relief.

 

Bottom line--this person told me to be more open with our financial needs.

 

Now, let me go back for just a moment about the Refuge Home.  We have filed for a 501-3c which will give us the opportunity to receive money from organizations that can’t give to a religious organization.

 

We need someone who has experience in grant writing.

 

We recently had two CPA’s go through our books just to see if we could do anything better.

 

Let’s talk about our church government.

 

The Bible doesn’t say much about church government.  It has nothing to say about committee’s, boards, democracy or voting.  All of which are good when used in the right way.

 

But the Word of God does give us some insight.

 

1 Tim. 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

 

The leadership of Community of Faith is made up of 9 men.  Three pastors and six elders.

 

You have access to any of these men or ladies if you feel uncomfortable with that go to one of their wives.  Whatever concern or idea you have will be listened to and prayed about.  If you want to meet with the elders in one of our meetings about something please let one of us know and that will be arranged.