Here at GracePoint we believe that all that we own comes to us as God’s good gifts to be used for the magnifying of his greatness and goodness for the joy of all people through the gospel. This means that money is an area in our lives that needs to be informed and shaped by the gospel and used to serve the gospel. What this means is that as partners in God’s ministry and mission at GracePoint all of us need to think carefully about our personal commitment to Jesus and the work of his gospel, and what it means for each of us to be financial partners supporting the work of the gospel. Our giving is a reflection of how much we treasure God’s greatness and goodness to us in Jesus and his saving work in our lives. So to not give, or to give unthinkingly, or to give unwillingly or poorly reveals much about where Jesus and his gospel sits in our lives.
At GracePoint we believe that our financial giving needs to be guided by the principle of generosity that we have experienced in Jesus towards us (2 Cor.8:9). We believe that there are no rules as to how much you must give. In fact in the Old Testament, ten percent or a tithe was the minimum (Mal.3:10-12; Deut.14:23). In the New Testament there is no stipulation as to how much we should give because the principle is generosity that exceeds the ten percent or tithe. The principle is generosity that accords with the grace of God in Jesus to you. Ten percent is too small a price to put on God's goodness to you in Jesus. So your giving should always be guided by God’s goodness and overflowing generosity to you in Jesus and his saving work, which actually goes beyond the tithe. The measure of your giving should always be guided by Jesus and his generosity towards you at the cross (2 Cor.8:1-15; Phil.1:1-11; cf. 4:14-20). In fact we are called to grow in the grace of giving as an expression of God's grace in our lives (2 Cor.8:7)
And to grow in gospel generosity involves 3 things:
- it means making sure that our giving is shaped by God’s generosity to us in the gospel (2 Cor.8:9)
- it means making a firm decision in our hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, but joyfully (2 Cor.9:7)
- it means planning to give in keeping with our income, and saving accordingly (1 Cor.16:2)
So What Does This Practically Mean For You As A Financial Partner In The Gospel?
- Plan to give a percentage amount of your income. Setting in your mind a percentage figure enables you to review your giving so that as God increases your wealth, you will also naturally increase your giving to support the work of the gospel. The Old Testament principle involved God’s people giving 10% of their income to God for the upkeep of his work and ministry. 10% at the very least is what we believe honors God and his place in our lives at GracePoint, though generosity goes beyond that as we come to better understand, love and treasure God’s greatness and goodness to us in Jesus and his gospel in our lives.
- Prioritize giving towards our ministry and mission at GracePoint, then towards external ministries. Just as you prioritize the needs of your own family, so prioritize the needs of your spiritual family as we serve together to realize God’s vision for us at GracePoint.
- Be generous to the poor and needy. Consider giving to Christian aid organizations that care for both body and soul, such as the Compassion Australia and Presbyterian Social Services.
- Allow room for sacrificial giving and do it cheerfully (2 Cor 8:7).
What’s The Next Step?
- Firstly, PRAY that God will move your heart to trust him and enable you to make faithful, wise, responsible and generous decisions with your finances to support his ministry and mission at GracePoint. Ask Him to help you treasure His greatness and goodness to you in Jesus and his gospel in your personal life, so that you might grow in generosity as a financial partner here at GracePoint.
- Secondly, as a member and a regular at GracePoint set yourself the goal of becoming a regular and faithful financial partner in our ministry and mission as a church. God’s ministry and mission at GracePoint cannot run and grow without your partnership. This helps us not just plan and prepare for our existing ministries, but will open the door to new ministry developments and church plants that we’re planning for.
Regular giving to support our ministry as a gospel partner can be made by direct deposit to any of the following accounts:
- Burwood Campus A/C - BSB: 032 000 Account No: 734 684
- Lidcombe Campus A/C - BSB: 032 000 Account No: 405 418
- Granville Campus A/C - BSB: 032 000 Account No: 734 676