The Joy Of Faithful And Cheerful Giving Wonderful Principles To Embrace

“That money talks, I’ll not deny. I heard it once, it said ‘goodbye!’” I grew up hearing this saying, and it often made me chuckle. Maybe that’s because on our farm we had plenty of land and livestock but little cash. Once I began pastoring a church, however, the humor in that little jingle began to fade. There is little doubt that one of the great challenges for Christian leaders today is the task of securing adequate funding and other resources for ministry. There are numerous reasons for this, and Brother Vincent Nwankpa does a tremendous job uncovering these and other issues in his new book, The Joy of Faithful and Cheerful Giving: Wonderful Principles to Embrace. Enjoying the read, I found his research to be biblically solid, up-to-date, and relevant to today’s realities. The people in our pastorate were generous. Even though our salary was low, they gave affection, time, energy, food, and faithful support to my wife and me as we began our ministry life together. But along the road, our years in ministry have been a financial struggle, and for most pastors and missionaries today, the difficulties are a real and present danger to their health, wealth, and mission. Kudos to Dr. Nwankpa for taking the time and energy to share biblical wisdom and a lifetime of experience to encourage and teach all of us in Christian service. You are correct, Brother Vincent, when you assert that too little instruction about giving is being given in churches today. It is time for a renewed focus on the basic principles of giving and the joy that comes from giving generously in the body of Christ! Mick Boersma, PhD Professor Emeritus of Christian Ministry and Leadership Talbot School of Theology Biola University January 17, 2021 When you think of giving to the Lord, do you feel burdened? Or do you get excited about the amazing opportunities that will open up when you surrender your resources to His control? In this wonderful little book, Vincent Nwankpa unlocks Biblical secrets about giving that will show you how giving to the Lord and to others is a pathway to joy and victory that you have never known. Putting these principles in practice will not only transform your giving, but also your walk with God for the rest of your life! by Jack Littlefield

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Discover how the joy of giving can make your life richer, starting today. Bestselling author Randy Alcorn introduced readers to a revolution in material freedom and radical generosity with the release of the original The Treasure Principle in 2001. Now the revision to the compact, perennial bestseller includes a provocative new concluding chapter depicting God asking a believer questions about his stewardship over material resources. Jesus spent more time talking about money and possessions than about heaven and hell combined. But too often we’ve overlooked or misunderstood his most profound teaching on this topic, from his words in Matthew 6. Jesus offers us life-changing investment advice. He actually wants us to store up treasures for ourselves—just not here on earth. Instead, he urges us to store our treasure in heaven, where they will await us, and last forever. We can’t take it with us—but we can send it on ahead! Readers are moved from the realms of thoughtful Bible exposition into the highly personal arena of everyday life. Because when Jesus told His followers to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” He intended that they discover an astounding secret: how joyful giving brings God maximum glory and His children maximum pleasure. In The Treasure Principle, you’ll unearth a radical teaching of Jesus—a secret wrapped up in giving. Once you discover this secret, life will never look the same. And you won’t want it to be. “Supercharged with stunning, divine truth! Lightning struck over and over as I read it.” - John Piper, Senior Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis

Every year thousands of God's servants leave the ministry convinced they are failures. Years ago, in the midst of a crisis of faith, Kent Hughes almost became one of them. But instead he and his wife Barbara turned to God's Word, determined to learn what God had to say about success and to evaluate their ministry from a biblical point of view. This book describes their journey and their liberation from the "success syndrome"-the misguided belief that success in ministry means increased numbers. In today's world it is easy to be seduced by the secular thinking that places a number on everything. But the authors teach that true success in ministry lies not in numbers but in several key areas: faithfulness, serving, loving, believing, prayer, holiness, and a Christlike attitude. Their thoughts will encourage readers who grapple with feelings of failure and lead them to a deeper, fuller understanding of success in Christian ministry. This book was originally published by Tyndale in 1987 and includes a new preface.

John Piper pleads with fellow pastors to abandon the professionalization of the pastorate and pursue the prophetic call of the Bible for radical ministry.

21 surgeries by age 13. Years in the hospital. Verbal and physical bullying from schoolmates. Multiple miscarriages as a young wife. The death of a child. A debilitating progressive disease. Riveting pain. Abandonment. Unwanted divorce... Vaneetha begged God for grace that would deliver her. But God offered something better: his sustaining grace.