Facing Challenges and Confirm the Work 2024

If you have been alive for very long, you have faced challenges. The truth is that you will continue to face challenges. The challenges may be relational, physical, emotional, financial, cultural, systemic… or, just fill in the blank.
 
Jesus said it like this:
 
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart [have courage]! I have overcome the world” (John 14:33).
 
Facing challenges:
 
It matters how we respond to challenges, troubles, trials, tests, and difficulties. Through the years, the Lord has taught us how to respond.
 
First, we run to God. Cast all your cares [anxieties, and worries] upon the Lord, because he cares for you (1 Peter 1:5). We pour out our hearts to God. We talk with the Lord, and we listen to God.

To have confidence to run to God and to hear from the Lord, we want to get our lives established in intimacy with God. Then, we know where to run in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Praise the Lord: the center of the universe is a throne of grace where we find help in our time of trouble and need.

Second, we run to others. You and I were created for dependence upon God and interdependence with others. We were not meant to live in isolation or as independent contractors (Gensis 2:18; 1 John 1:7).

So, we seek out others for prayer, wisdom, counsel, and support that comes from just being with one another. We practice being an authentic people who express and experience true Christian community.

Third, we run with the Lord. When you face various trials, troubles, tests, and challenges, there comes a point where you have to step out, trusting in the leadership of the Lord Jesus and getting in action around what the Lord is showing you to do. After the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples responded to the command of Jesus to go a particular mountain in Galilee. When they saw Jesus, they all worshiped him. And, some disciples still struggled with doubt (Matthew 28:16-20).

The Lord invites us to run with him (Song of Songs 2:8-13).

The Lord is a great leader. We seek to get next to God so that we know his heartbeat, values, and character. We seek God for his wisdom, direction, and leadership. We seek godly wisdom, counsel, prayer, and insight from others. Then, we step out in faith humbly walking out what we believe the Lord is working in us (Philippians 2:12-13).

It is good news that we can follow the Lord and obey even if we have doubts, fear, or anxiety. We simply step out with obedient courage in the Lord’s leadership.

We are seeking to extend the kingdom of God in the earth as we partner with Jesus on his mission in our spheres of influence together with others.

When facing challenges, we remind ourselves that God is faithful. The past faithfulness of God prophesies his current and future faithfulness. Since we can trust God with your eternity, we can trust God in the present. So, I invite you to take time to reflect upon God’s faithfulness to you, your family, your church community, etc., as a way to build and encourage your most holy faith in God. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).

Here is our corporate identity. We run to God, we run to others, and we run with God. And, we are a people who rise up and face challenges before us with trust in our faithful God, with dependency upon and authenticity with God and one another, and with obedient courage to the Lord and his leadership.

Currently, we are facing a challenge as a church family. It is a financial challenge.

Here is what I know: 

• We have great and magnificent promises from the Lord in his word for us.
• We have significant prophetic words for our congregation.
• We are partnering with Jesus on his mission in our spheres of influence both locally and globally.
• The Lord is allowing us to have impact because we are working out what he is working in us.
• We are responding to the initiative of the Lord as individuals and as a congregation.
• What we do matters forever; there is eternal impact and fruit.
• We are a church family that is open and honest. We practice authenticity.
• We are a family. Like any other family, we deal with challenges together.
• The Lord has always taken care of us, and we believe he will do it again this time.

Here is a review of our current financial situation:

We celebrate what the Lord did for us this past year financially.

• We ended the year 2023 strong.
• We began the year 2024 strong.
• We were able to set aside funds for contingency, giving us one month of savings and cash flow.

Our giving pattern changed this past year.

• After beginning the year strong, we hit a rough patch.
• We are grateful that the Lord provided for us proactively late in 2023 and in January 2024 to help us deal with this financially rough patch.
• We pulled down our cash balance significantly from March – September 2024.
• YTD, we are running about $2,130/wk behind budget in terms of giving.

Just like you, we have been impacted by inflation and repairs.

• Our property insurance more than doubled.
• And, we have had a lot of a/c repairs.

In light of running behind in tithes, we as a church family want to accomplish 2 financial goals for year-end 2024:

• We want to finish the year strong financially, with all of us being faithful in our tithes and offerings.
• We want to give a special offering to help us navigate the next year financially.
  • This special offering is over and above our regular tithes and offerings.
  • We are not asking everyone to give the same dollar amount.

We are asking everyone to pray and to give sacrificially as the Lord gives you the grace to give.

• In order to tackle our current and projected financial situation, we want to come together through our Confirm the Work 2024 special offering.
• The dates for our Confirm the Work 2024 special offering are Nov. 3 – Dec. 29.
• Our goal for the Confirm the Word Offering 2024 is $125,000.
• This special offering is over and above our regular tithes and offerings.

 Calvary and friends: you are a part of a generous church. Members of our church give joyfully, generously, and sacrificially of their time, talents, and treasure for the kingdom of God. People at Calvary and friends associated with us pray, give, and go in order to join Jesus on his mission locally, nationally, and internationally.

Here is our prayer for this special offering:

Let Your work [power] appear to Your servants and Your majesty [presence] to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands (Psalm 90:16-17 NASB).

Obey the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:7).

But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7).

Step out in faith in the Lord (Philippians 4:14-19).

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:14–19).

Please accept this invitation to participate.

• I want to invite everyone to participate in this campaign.
• We are not asking everyone to give the same amount.
• We are asking everyone to listen to the Lord and to give something in faith as unto the Lord.

 Thanks for being on this exciting journey with us and for facing challenges like this one with faith and faithfulness.
 
Blessings,
 
Pastor Jeff
 
PS: Here are some prayer points:
 

• Thank the Lord for seeds getting sown, for people coming to Christ, for guests coming to Calvary, for financial provision, and for our kingdom assignment. 
• Pray for people who need jobs, full employment, promotions, etc.
• Pray for blessings, bonuses, windfalls, and abundant provision for people.
• Pray for laborers for the harvest field.
• Pray for financial provision for the vision and for true riches (fullness of God; gifts of the Holy Spirit; character of Jesus; signs, wonders, and miracles).
• Pray into Wayne Drain’s prophetic words of multiplication, generosity, and impact.
• Pray for the Lord to restore what has been lost to or stolen by the enemy: Total Recovery.
• May the Lord make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you may abound in every good work.
  • And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:8-15).