I’ll never forget the day a leader of a small home-church community asked me, “What do I do with all the money?”
He explained that their church met in a home and was led entirely by volunteers, so there were no costs. They had been teaching about giving to God and people had responded generously. Before long, they had thousands of pounds in their account and no idea what to do with it.
I encouraged him to go away, read Scripture, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide them. A few weeks later, he returned with a story. The group had spent time reading through the book of Acts, looking at how the early Church handled money. They concluded that giving was meant to fund the mission of the Church and relieve poverty.
As they prayed, one person felt prompted to give a sizeable gift to a local community nursery to provide free places for single parents who couldn’t afford them. When they told the nursery leader, she became tearful and said, “How did you know?” She explained that when she first set up the nursery, it had been her dream to offer free and discounted places to help parents back into work, but she had never been able to do it.
When she asked why they were doing this, they told her that it was Jesus who knew her heart and the need she had seen in her community. He had led them to respond. The following Sunday, she and her family joined the church in their home and have since come to faith.
When we ask God what He wants us to do with the finances He has entrusted to us, we join him in meeting the needs He longs to meet and in revealing His presence to others.
John McGinley
CEO, Myriad Collective
Reflect
‘All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’
Acts 2:44-47
Pray
Pray for open eyes to notice practical needs around you.
Ask God to unite churches and neighbours to share what they have.
Thank Him for providing daily bread for families in need.
Act
A generosity challenge for you to complete today:
| Add an item to your grocery shop or pick something from your cupboard to give to a local foodbank or someone you know in need. Check what’s needed most and give with care and prayer. A small act could be someone else’s lifeline. |
About Myriad Collective
Myriad believes the Holy Spirit is renewing the Church as a disciple-making, church-planting movement by equipping everyday people to start new worshipping communities.
Myriad has since grown into an independent charity with training hubs nationwide, supporting more than 100 teams and 400 people.
