The Resource Challenge

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Here I sit preparing for messages in 2008, some in October of this year and looking into the future of Olathe Life Fellowship and I am hit with the reality of the Resource Challenge we face as a "church for the un-churched". Because as a "church for the un-churched" we are almost more of a Mission Organization, than a normal church.




  • The un-churched typically do not understand giving or the concept of tithing to your local church.


  • The un-churched typically don't trust "religous organizations" because of what they have seen from Religous TV personalities who seem to always talk, beg, steal and manipulate people to give their hard-earned money to them so that, "God can bless them in return".

So, this my friends is a challenge we face. How to over-come, or "take on" if you will, this Resource Challenge is my question.


Here are the facts:


1.) It takes money to operate an organization!


2.) God "commands" us to give! (I like the word "encourage" better, but "commands" is more biblical.


3.) God talks more about money then just about any other subject in the Bible.


4.) Giving to your local church, IS in fact GIVING to God. (We (the church) are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world; so when we give to our local church we are actually giving to God because we are giving to God's work, or God's purposes here on earth.)


5.) We are blessed when we give! (This is hard to understand, even for me (a churched guy). As I have said many times before, God can do more with the 90% then we can do with the whole 100%, so give God a chance by giving Him 10% first... and just see how far the 90% goes!)


6.) We've always done well financially and we've given 10% and as much as 20% for 13 years! And we've never gone hungry, or had to walk anywhere we didn't want to, and we've been able to give 3 cars away in the meantime.


7.) Giving to God (through the local church) your first 10% of all your increase shows where God is on your priority list.


I once heard it said, "If you want to know what is important to people... look at their checkbook registry". Wow, that is true; where people spend their money shows their heart, their commitment, and their priority!


Peace for now!


- Timmy