Jesus in All of Life - Part 3: Jesus in Our Finances | Pastor Pablo Morales

Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is

an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,

with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.

We invite you to connect with us from wherever

you are through our website ecb .asia or our

mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed

by this week's sermon. We have explained before

that at ECB, Our mission is to make disciples

for global impact. People that are following

the Lord, loving the Lord, living for the Lord.

And one thing that separates a Christian who

is not mature, not really committed to Christ,

is that they compartmentalize their Christianity.

There are Christians on Sunday here at church,

but during the week... The relationships, the

way they live, all of these things are different.

We believe at ECB that something that marks the

life of a follower of Jesus is that Jesus is

not compartmentalized. We experience Jesus in

all of life. And Jesus is the core of who we

are. And that's why this series has explored

three different areas in which we want to make

sure we're not compartmentalizing. Our following

Jesus. The first one was to understand that God

wants us to experience this aroma of Christ in

our careers. And therefore our careers are an

opportunity for us to be the salt and the light

of the world. We also learn that we want our

relationships to be marked by the presence of

Jesus. Any relationship but in spirit. special

focus, our homes, our marriages, our parenting,

that Jesus is really sitting at the center of

our homes. We don't want to compartmentalize

our relationships, but Jesus to define them.

And today we are going to be talking about how

we want Jesus to be the center of our finances,

that we do not compartmentalize our financial

life from our following Jesus, but we realize

that they are one and the same. One time I heard

a friend say that the last part of his life that

converted to Christ was his wallet. And what

he meant was that the tendency that we have is

to follow Jesus in all of these things, but there's

something about our finances that somehow is

much easier to compartmentalize, to separate,

and to give space to think differently about

that. Well, today we will learn that Jesus...

Does not want us to have space to think differently

about it. Because he wants us to follow him with

not only everything we are but everything we

have. And that's why in Matthew chapter 6 he

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

addresses this at the core. Matthew 6 is part

of the Sermon on the Mount. And he's addressing

several things about how the kingdom of God works.

And how following Jesus works. We will learn

about what Jesus says about these core motives.

But then we will also learn from the Apostle

Paul who wrote to 2 Corinthians chapter 9 to

2 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

the Christians in Corinth to tell them how they

need to think about finances and generosity because

these two passages, Matthew 6 and also 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9, form the... of a mature Christian

as this financial aspect of our lives is aligned

with following God. So we start with Matthew

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6. And this is Jesus himself speaking

to us. Pablo, no one can serve two masters. For

you will hate one and love the other. You will

be devoted to one and then despise the other.

Pablo, you cannot serve God and be enslaved to

money. This is why I tell you not to worry about

everyday life. Whether you have enough. Food

and drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life

more than food? And your body more than clothing?

Pablo, look at the birds. They don't plant or

harvest or store food in barns. For your heavenly

father feeds them. Aren't you far more valuable?

To him than they are. Can all your worries. Add

a single moment. To your life. And why worry

about your clothing. Look at the lilies of the

field. How they grow. They don't work or make

their clothing. Yet Solomon in all his glory.

Was not dressed as beautifully. As they are.

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers

that are here today and thrown into the fire

tomorrow, Pablo, he will certainly care for you.

Why do you have so little faith? Don't worry

about these things. Saying, why will we eat?

Why will we drink? Why will we wear? These things

dominate the thoughts of the unbelievers. But

you, you know me. You follow me. Your heavenly

father already knows all your needs. Pablo, seek

the kingdom of God above all else. And live righteously.

And he will give you everything you need. So

don't worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will

bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough

for today. And that is the end of this section.

If you've never read the entire Sermon on the

Mount. I encourage you to go back home and read

the entire section. It touches so many aspects

of our life, but here it reaches the climax to

tell us that at the core, following Jesus is

about a pursuit that completely separates us

from the pursuit of the world. Jesus does not

say that you do not need resources, that you

need to be poor, and if you're going to follow

him, You should not have abundance of any sort.

It does not tell us that working for a salary

is not what Christians do, that money somehow

is evil. However, it does tell us that money

was never meant to turn into your master. It

was never to be... The goal of your life. That's

why he says. I want you to think of finances.

And money. As a master. You either have me as

your master. Or you have money as your master.

But they cannot be. The purpose of your life

at the same time. Because they are not compatible.

And I'm going to tell you why. If money is your

master. Then the goal of your life is going to

be to have more. And to work so that you can

make a living. To work so that you can have a

paycheck. To work so that you can have a secure

future. One time a person asked that question.

How much can a person be satisfied? And as this

person was thinking of the answer. Suddenly came

to the mind. With a little bit more. That is

how much it takes for a person to be satisfied.

A little bit more. Ah, nice. But if you could

have a little bit more, that would be great.

Here. Oh, that's great. But if you could have

a little bit more, that would be even better.

And so it goes. The goal of a life that does

not have Jesus as the master, but money is the

master. It's going to live always to have more

and accumulate more. And that is how the world

works. And especially if you are working as a

follower of Jesus in a company that is revising

the numbers every year. We have to do better

than last year. So now our goal is higher. And

the goal is to always make more. You are in that

space. And that's understandable. Because they

are not functioning. With the mindset of Christ.

But you are there. For much more than just making

money. And this is what. Something that Jesus

is going to make very clear. But as I have this

goal. Of making more. Then what happens. Is that.

My deepest motive. Or my driver. Is fear. Because

I'm constantly. Pursuing. Something about the

future that is not there yet. And if I have come

from a background in which I lacked financially.

I was poor. And I had to suffer because of lack

of financial stability. Then my drive to make

sure that that never happens again. Is fear.

And the problem with fear. As a driver. That

gives me an outcome. And the outcome is that

I have become a controlling person. I have to

control the outcome. Not God. I have to control

it. Because money is my security for my future.

Therefore I'm always stressing out. And I always

want to make sure. That things are alright. Because

if they are not. Then my future will not be secure.

And the problem is. That to be married to a controlling

person is a pain. Or to be working for a boss

that is controlling. Is a pain. No one wants

to be married to you. No one wants to work for

your team. Because a person who is fearful and

controlling. And is always looking at the goal

of making more and more and more. As the goal

of life. Is not a person that is living in peace.

And joy. Jesus says, Pablo, I know you need money.

I know you need to acquire things. I know you

have needs. But that is not the way. For you,

it's going to be something completely different.

You have to make sure that I am your master.

Not money. Because let me tell you how this operates.

When this is your master. And now fear becomes

your controlling force. You are living all of

your life with lack of peace. And you notice

Jesus asks very pointed questions. And I picture

myself like you see. Sometimes in the movies,

you know, the guy goes to the psychiatrist and

he's sitting down in this nice sofa lying down.

And there's the person next to them. I don't

do that in my office. I don't have the space

for that, you know, but. It's like I'm lying

down there and Jesus is sitting there. It's as

probabilistic. Let me ask you a couple of questions.

Isn't life more than food and. Your body more

than clothing? Yes. Yes, Lord. Good. Aren't you

far more valuable to God than the birds? Yeah.

I think so. Yes, Lord. Can all your worries add

a single moment to your life? No. They can't.

Then why worry about your clothing? I don't know.

I just do. Why do you have so little faith? Is

this session over yet? I don't know. It's just

like I know it here. But it doesn't translate

here. I want to know it here and here, if you

know what I mean. Pablo, look at the birds. End

of the session. Next time we meet, you will bring

me your pictures. Look at the birds. Because

there's something, That you have to understand.

Every time that you look at those birds. And

if you know it here but not here. You need to

take more pictures. Because you have to understand.

That God who created that beautiful creature.

With intricate details. And takes care of that

bird. Every morning when that bird sings. And

then starts the day. trying to figure out where

the food is going to be, always finds the food,

and always goes back to bed happy. Wakes up the

next morning, singing again, and then the new

day begins. Do you know who takes care of that

bird? And do you know who takes care of you?

And do you know that you are more valuable than

that bird? It's interesting that when we talk

about finances and fear, they often go hand in

hand. I remember that some of the moments in

which I have wrestled with my following Jesus

the most was not because of the place he was

leading me to. It was because of the financial

implications. And you do the math and you think

about this and that and the what ifs. And I remember

particularly. that as we were in Dallas before

the transition here, it so coincided that my

oldest son was finishing high school. He was

turning 18, finishing high school, starting college.

And it's the same time that God was calling us

to come to Thailand. So as he moved to college,

to Oregon at George Fox University, we moved

to Bangkok at ECB. Like, perfect timing. But

for those of you that entered that season of

parenting, You know, what are the fears that

we wrestle with? And in that space, I had to

learn and I have to remember that there's something

that God has told me. It's actually a command.

Look at the birds. So it's something that for

some reason I started looking at more and more

in detail. It's almost like for me, I encountered

God as creator through nature. Since I was a

little kid, I loved watching those nature shows.

So when BBC came with BBC Earth and these shows

on planet Earth, I was the first one to buy the

Blu -rays on high definition, you know. I wanted

to watch all these things. God gave me a passion

for photography since I was young, since I was

little, you know. The first camera was this very

basic one. One moved to the next and then to

the next and to the next until I got to Nike.

Sorry, no cannon. And I started looking at the

birds. Last time I was in Texas taking a break,

I was visiting my mother -in -law. She lives

in six acres of land in a town called Aledo in

the area of Fort Worth. And it's beautiful because

it's just surrounded by trees and birds and things.

And I remember that last Sunday I was there.

I thought I was by myself at that time. I thought,

you know, which church do I go to today? And

for some reason, it's like... What I want is

to encounter God, not to go to church per se.

I want to encounter God. And I realized at that

moment, in that morning, that if I went to church,

I could not turn off the pastor brain. The pastor

brain, when you go to visit a new church, you

walk on campus and you're like, oh, that's a

nice idea. Oh, that's good. And the worship begins

like, oh, that's a nice, we should include that

song in our church. And you are always evaluating,

analyzing everything. You cannot turn that off.

So that day, I thought, you know what? I'm not

going to go to church. I want to spend time alone

with the Lord. And I got up, took my camera,

and started walking. And suddenly, I noticed

these little birds. It was a nest. And there

were the father and the mother right there. They

make this specific noise, specific sound. And

I noticed it. And they were both very cautious.

And then I saw the nest. So I spent the next

couple of days climbing on the ladder, making

a hole in the tree so I could have direct access

to the right angle. And I know, for my friends

who are photographers like me, you have a question

for me. Where's the camera? Where's the lens?

So I brought it for you to see. This is my baby.

Okay. And it's heavy, huh? So that's why I don't

go to the gym. This is kind of like enough. But

people love the pictures. They don't love going

with me to take pictures because it takes forever,

you know? But so it was. The cardinals, the mother

coming to feed the babies, the dad coming to

feed the babies, and God gave me front row. And

for me that means so much, not just a lot of

nature, but as a father. The provision for your

home, for your family, for their future. The

provision for retirement, the provision for the

schooling, the provision for education. All of

these things, as a father, are the things that

go to mind and that you constantly have to bring

to the Lord. And God says, Pablo, look at the

birds. Look at the dad taking care of the babies.

And you know who takes care of the bird? I do.

And the cardinal is a beautiful picture because

it's so red. You know, that's the male. But then

I saw a bird that is not a bird you capture here

in Asia because we only have it in the Americas.

It's called the hummingbird. It's a beautiful

small bird that flies like... Crazy, so fast

that it's very hard to ever take a picture of

it. So there I was, waiting for it, and there

it came. Feeding. Everything is there at the

right time. And so it was. If you have watched

the cartoons of these beep -beep, the roadrunner,

you know, this is the actual roadrunner. We have

it in Texas, too. Feeding. It's babies, they

had a nest, and they are very cautious as they

approach the nest before they go into the tree.

And the birds kept coming. Pablo, look at the

birds. Here in Thailand, beautiful, beautiful

birds. National parks everywhere. And they come.

And they feed. And they fly. And they take care

of their babies. I've seen them get the worms.

I've seen them get the fish. I've seen them get

the food. There they are. And who made them?

And who takes care of them? When I went to the

pyramids in Mexico City, amazing architecture.

But there was the bird flying. And my camera

went to the bird. Because the bird is flying

to look for the food. This was in Oregon in the

north of the U .S. 5 .30 in the morning when

the hummingbird comes to feed. Have breakfast.

Look at the birds. Because when you look at the

birds. you will remember that your future is

secure in the one who cares for you more than

he cares for the birds. I need that. I need to

remember. Because God has called me to follow

him and to follow him means that I have to make

him my master, not these other things. Because

he does not call me to live in fear, but to live

in peace and to let the aroma of Christ flow

through me, not fear flow through me. Because

when Jesus is our master, it's a whole different

picture altogether. The goal is no longer to

have more. The goal is to love more. To love

God more. To love people with His love more.

To reach out more people with the love of Christ.

Our goal is to love more. And the drive is not

fear, but faith. It's trust in knowing that God

knows me. He designed me. He brought me to this

time. To the earth for this very purpose. He

has purposes for me. And he's going to position

me. Always at the right time. At the right place.

Whether for a short term or a long term. I can

trust him with my needs. And my future. Because

I know his heart. I may not know the circumstances.

But I know his heart. And therefore trust drives

us. And therefore the outcome. Is not controlling.

I cannot control. Anything. God is the one that

is sovereign. And he is the one that is in control.

I'm just called to obey. And obey I can. And

as I obey him. And as I follow him. He takes

care of the future. And he did call me. I realize.

Not to make a living. But to make an impact.

And therefore. As we follow Jesus. And he is

our king. He is our master. And we live to pursue

his kingdom first. Whether he called you to be

a medical doctor. Whether he called you to finance.

Whether he called you to lead a non -profit.

It doesn't matter what he had called you for.

He positioned you. Not. To make a living there.

He positioned you to make an impact there. He

has you there to make a difference in the lives

of people. And in generating ideas and innovation.

New things that are going to make a difference

later. Everything that you are. Every gift that

you have. No matter the field that God has gifted

you or called you for. It's something that he

intends to use. For the impact of his kingdom.

And that changes everything. Because now I realize

that any need I have, I have to turn it to Christ

first. That is where my fear ends. That is where

my fear dies, at the feet of Jesus. So when you

go back next day to work, And you look at what's

happening. And you are in those meetings. Remember

that the people that you may be working with.

They do not know the Lord. Money is their master.

They do not know peace. But you know Jesus. He

is your master. And you have the peace of the

Holy Spirit in you. And you can be assured that

the future is going to be okay. And now you rest

in Him. That's how this differs. Complete different

ways of experiencing life and going through life

together. And that's why Jesus takes this time

to tell us, look, I want you to trust your needs

to my care. And then live your life simply for

me. Follow me. And in that space, we can do that.

The problem is that many of us take these two

things and we put them in the wrong order. We

think that money and financial security is the

means, is the goal. God is just the means for

it. So God, if I do this for you, you will do

this for me, right? God, if I go to church and

I do these things, you will do this for me, right?

And then you listen to a YouTube video or a radio

program where there's this so -called prosperity

theology. Which is a theological cancer that

has permeated many churches around the globe.

And the message they tell you is, yeah, give

me your money and God will bless you. Because

God's purpose for you is to be rich. And that

simply reinforces the misconception that the

goal of life is money rather than God. And Jesus

comes and says it's the other way around. My

kingdom, me, following me is the priority. Money

is just the means. That is how this works. And

to make sure that you do not Twist things around

and become enslaved to money. God has created

something that is very powerful as the antidote

for this. And it's a word called generosity.

Generosity is this idea of a heart that is free

to simply be a channel of God's blessing. I receive

from God. And then when God prompts me to give,

I give. I am generous with my time. I am generous

with my giftedness. I am generous with my resources.

I am a channel. I am not the end of it. I am

just a channel of it. And therefore, when we

live freely like that, now God is using us for

greater kingdom impact altogether. I remember

one time. I had an experience that wasn't very

encouraging, but that marked me in this space.

I was visiting Mexico City during those years

when I was in college, and I went to the supermarket

to buy stuff, and I had driven my dad's car at

that time, so I parked, you know, and in Mexico

City, what typically they will have in the supermarket,

it's a guy that is going to direct you. how to

park, you know, and then you park there. And

then after that, they will clean your windows,

everything, while you're at the store, you come

out, and you just give them a tip. And I remember

that that day, I was there, and I thought, oh,

okay, I'm going to give him this coin, you know,

and it was maybe like a dollar or so in American

currency. And I thought, you know, this is nice.

The guy just cleaned my windows, everything,

just take it, you know. At that moment, there

was a guy, a Christian man sitting next to me,

and he reacted like, of course you're not going

to give him that money. You only have to give

him like 10 cents of a dollar. You don't need

to give him all of that. But his reaction was

something as if I was sinning, as if I was doing

something wrong. Because for him, generosity

was not his way of life. And it felt so cheap.

It felt so wrong in my spirit that you start

counting the pennies to bless someone who is

poor like that. What for? To save 40 cents? The

Apostle Paul says, look, the way of the kingdom

is generosity. It's to be free, to bless others

because God blesses you. And he's going to write

in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 about it. And he tells

2 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

us here something that's happening because the

Christians in Jerusalem, they have been persecuted.

So they spread out throughout the Roman Empire.

But in the whole region of Judea, there was a

famine now. So they had a double crisis. They

were being persecuted, but also they had the

famine. So the Apostle Paul started contacting

the churches that they had established throughout

the years. And they started collecting some resources

from the Christians in those places so that they

could bring money, resources, now to share with

the people in need in Jerusalem. And that's why

when he writes the second letter to the Corinthians

who live in Greece in the city of Corinth. He

sends a guy called Titus with a couple of other

guys to meet them and collect the resources so

that they can bring them here to Jerusalem and

share. They had already told the Apostle Paul

before, we want to help. So he writes to them

confirming what they had already talked. And

this is what he says. I'm going to read this

section so you get the feel for the conversation.

I really don't need to write to you about this

ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem.

For I know how eager you are to help. And I have

been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that

you in Greece were ready to send an offering

a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that

stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to

begin giving. But I'm sending these brothers

to be sure. You really are ready, as I have been

telling them, and that your money is all collected.

I don't want to be wrong in my boasting about

you. It would be embarrassed, not to mention

your own embarrassment, if some Macedonian believers

come with me and found that you weren't ready.

After all, I had told them. So I thought I should

send these brothers ahead of me to make sure

the gift you promised is ready. But I want it

to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.

Remember this. A farmer who plants only a few

seeds will get a small crop. But the one who

plants generously will get a generous crop. You

must each decide in your heart how much to give.

And don't give reluctantly or in response to

pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.

And God will generously provide all you need.

Then you will always have everything you need

and plenty left over to share with others. As

the scriptures say, they share freely and give

generously to the poor. Their good deeds will

be remembered forever. For God is the one who

provides seed for the farmer and then bread to

eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase

your resources and then produce a great harvest

of generosity in you. And yes, you will be enriched

in every way so that you can always be generous.

And when we take your gifts to those who need

them, they will thank God. So two good things

will result from the ministry of giving. The

needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met,

which is great. But then they will joyfully express

their thanks to God, which is great. Their hearts

will be pointed to God in gratitude. As a result

of your ministry, they will give glory to God

for your generosity to them. And to all believers

will prove that you are obedient to the good

news. Of Christ. And that. Is the end. Oh sorry.

This is the last part. The final outcome. They

will pray for you. With deep affection. Because

of the overflowing grace. God has given to you.

Thank God for his gift. Two wonderful words.

And here with this section. He describes how

the heart of a follower of Jesus is characterized

by generosity. It's like you are not attached

to the things. You know that you are simply an

administrator of them. And when God says, I want

you to bless, then you bless. But generosity

is a tricky thing. It's not a mathematical formula.

What do I mean? Let me do this test. I called

it the M &M test. I first did it in Dallas a

few years ago. I did it here at ECB maybe two

years ago. If you've never seen the M &M test,

let's see how it goes. I have 10 M &Ms. And you

have to tell me if I'm being generous or not,

okay? So, you ask me for M &M? I have 10. I said,

sure. Here. Am I generous? Hey, that's my M &M.

At least I'm giving you half of it. You don't

deserve it. So on top of that, you're entitled,

huh? Okay. Well, if you don't think that's generous,

how about this one? Okay, here. But don't ask

me for more because these are mine. Like precious.

I've been watching the Lord of the Rings. So,

is that generous? Wow, you're really entitled.

Let's try this one. Okay. At least two. Can we

end it there? Because I really want my M &S.

Am I being generous? Now you're not sure. Maybe

you're not sure. How about that? I give you three,

I keep seven. Am I being generous? Yeah, maybe

now. A little bit better. You realize how generous

is not an equation? But you definitely know when

you're not being generous. You know what not

generous looks like. You may not know what generous

looks like, but not generous is really not generous.

And God says, look, I want you to be generous.

Generosity is the way of life for us. Because

everything we have is His. We are administering

them. By the way, that's why when we talk about

our Christian walk and as we serve in the church

ministry, some people talk about, well, tithing.

Tithing is like, The New Testament goes beyond

tithing and says be generous. Because tithing

is one M &M out of the ten. And you told me that's

not generous. But what happens is that generosity

therefore is an attitude, it's a way of life.

And God wants us to experience that because in

that there's freedom. A couple of years ago I

had the privilege of going on a morning walk

with David Eubank who works with... The Free

Burma Rangers. You know, every time I spent time

with him, I enjoyed just listening to him because

he's a man of deep faith. And one of the things

he told me that morning as we were walking, he

says, you know, Pablo, you can never out give

God. And that stuck with me. You can never out

give God. When you think that you're being generous,

God is watching. And when you're being generous,

God is. Being honored by your heart. You are

not just losing something. If God takes care

of you. And he's calling you to be generous.

Then you cannot out give him. So what happens

therefore. Is that in this passage of Corinthians.

The apostle Paul has basically summarized the

principles. That shape our mindset as Christians.

If we're following Jesus. and he's really our

master, then this is going to be true of us.

First, conviction, God is our provider. Rather

than thinking that this is my money, I realize

this is God's money. I am just someone who is

managing it. So God is the provider of everything

I have. Second conviction, God wants us to be

generous. So if I'm thinking, well, I make more

to accumulate more. No. You make more so that

you can be generous and bless others through

the means that God provides for us. God will

always bless me so I can always have enough to

always be generous. Third one, God will take

care of us. If I think, well, you know, giving

money is wasted money. This is what this guy

in the car with me in Mexico City was feeling

and thinking. Why are you going to waste all

the money on that man? No. Giving money in the

kingdom is never wasting money. God will take

care of us and we take care of others. That's

the way it is. That's what Jesus told us. Fourth,

we give so people will praise God. We no longer

think like, oh, I'm giving you so that you will

like me. Or I'm giving you so you will owe me

a favor. Because in giving you, that's my security

for the future. That's what pagans do. We give

without any strings attached. Because we know

that when people are blessed by God's blessing,

their hearts will be turned to God. And God is

the one they need. And the final conviction is

that God loves a cheerful giver. What counts

is not the amount. What counts is the attitude

behind the amount. That's why God says, I love

a cheerful giver, not a whining one. Really?

You want two M &Ms? Okay, here, you know. It's

like, you can keep your M &Ms to yourself. I

don't want any. With that attitude, I'll go abide

myself my own M &Ms. You see, God loves a cheerful

giver. That's a mature Christian. That's a mature

follower of Jesus. These five convictions are

the ones that characterize how we follow the

Lord. Do we have fears? Yes. Do we worry about

the future? Yes. But when we face that, we bring

it at the feet of Christ. Who is our true master.

And then we remember. The birds. And we look

at Pastor Pablo's pictures again. And we say.

God thank you that you care for me more. Than

you care for that bird. And we constantly realign

our hearts. With the Lord. All the time. Generosity.

If you are a person. Who is following Jesus.

But you don't have deep understanding. Of how

to have. a healthy financial life. If finances

are a mess in your life and they are stealing

peace from your heart, I want to encourage you

to have access to any of these studies that we

have in Right Now Media. Right Now Media is a

service of videos and movies and documentaries

and Bible studies that we make available for

free for you. If you already have the account

of Right Now Media, there are all these amazing

studies from very reputable organizations about

financial health from a biblical worldview so

that you can be free to live for the Lord with

finances that are spiritually mature in your

life. So this is something for you to be aware

of that you may build on this study. But before

I conclude this study, Two things. First, as

a way of summary, Jesus tells us you need to

think of finances from the perspective of master.

I'm your master. Finances are not. And if you're

going to seek my kingdom first, then Paul tells

us learn generosity as a way of life because

that is going to keep you healthy. That will

keep money from attaching to you. These two things

shape. how we engage. Second thing, internally,

as a ministry, generosity is the only way that

we have been able to do things for this almost

60 years. Next year will be the 60th anniversary

of ECB. And throughout the generations, God has

used the generosity of people to build the place

we're in here today. The generosity of their

time investing to serve God together. The generosity

of their giftedness to invest their areas of

expertise to serve God together. And the generosity

of their resources and money to be able to afford

things as we serve God together. Generosity has

been the mark of ACB. And I want to formally,

first of all, thank you. For walking in obedience

to God and being generous with these things.

For those of you who work as part of the staff

of ECB. I want to thank you for your generosity.

In fulfilling God's calling and being with us.

Because we know that you could be making a higher

salary somewhere else. But you have chosen to

work here at ECB instead. Thank you for your

generosity. Also. I want to clarify a couple

of things because the ministry that we do that

requires resources is well invested in making

disciples for global impact. And we have a vision

that we are pursuing and we're building this

together as we follow the Lord. And it is true

that this vision requires resources. And every

Sunday, we display something that looks like

this. It's just... For the sake of transparency

that is part of our values as ECB, financial

transparency, this is simply a way of saying,

look, this is how much we thought we were planning

to get this year. This is how much we've gotten.

And those two numbers don't interpret themselves.

So some of you have been concerned, have asked

that, is everything okay? You know, do I need

to know anything? So I want to clarify this.

First of all, We're not bankrupt, so don't worry

about that part. We're not on the red. Don't

worry about that part. What does this mean? Well,

let me explain a couple of thoughts. First, every

year, the leadership team with the elders and

the financial team, they have to make a projection

for the following year based on our vision and

the strategies that we are pursuing. What are

our ministry priorities? So from last year to

this year, there was a budget. We said this is

how much we expect that we will spend. It's so

hot that the budget from the previous year to

this one was about 13 % higher. Because of all

the ecosystems, all the things that we were going

to be doing. There were pastoral transitions.

Pastor Rene was going to leave. So we knew it

was going to be some extra cost. But it was a

calculated risk. What the eldership thought.

Was we know 13 % increase is high. But if for

some reason God doesn't provide all those resources.

Then we will go through our reserves to cover

the difference. And God will use that as his

provision. That was the way of calculating the

potential change in budget. So that's what we

budgeted. And that's what then we thought we

were going to spend this year. Pretty much the

same, of course, right? The budget. But then

comes the reality. How much money did come in?

This is from the third quarter, meaning the end

of September. So October, November has not been

included in this space. So compared to what we

thought we were going to get, this is how much

we got instead. Now, that would be a problem

if we decide to anyway spend all the money anyway.

Well, that's not how we operate. There's an amazing

financial team. an amazing financial committee

of people that are very well versed on finances.

And therefore we serve together, which by the

way, as a pastor, we separate finances here at

ECB. We want to protect the integrity of the

ministry. So pastors have nothing to do with

finances. We don't manage any money. We do not

who gives what. That's not for them. By the financial

team and the elders, yes. So therefore, We have

spent controlled spending, which means that if

you look at it this way, we receive this much,

we spend this much, we have this little that

we have not yet spent. And what typically happens

in the U .S., it was like that, ECB historically

has been the same, is that the budgets tend to

balance themselves by the end of the year. November,

December tend to be strong months, and then it

goes like that. Leading from this place, there's

a couple of things that are very clear. We have

to be financially responsible so we cannot spend

more than what we have. But at the same time,

we are vision driven. And because there's a vision

that God has given us that we are pursuing, we

believe in order to accomplish it, we need so

many resources. And we trust that if this vision

is from God, he will provide what we need. So

there's trust in that space. There's peace in

that space. And it's important for you to hear

that from us. There's another question that people

have asked us as they understand how these things

are working. And that is, well, Pastor Pablo,

how can I support? How can I give? You can find

all this information on our website. But if you

want to partake with what God is doing here at

ECB, if you want to participate in our mission

of making global disciples, disciples for global

impact, then the system is built for being smooth.

First, it doesn't matter where in the world you

are, you can make a direct transfer to our bank

account at ECB, no matter what currency you are

sending it from. If you are in that position

that you want to transfer from an account in

another country directly into our account, this

is what you do. This is the bank information

for ECB. Secondly, if you are locally here in

Thailand, you say, you know, I have Thai bank

accounts, everything, that's even easier. Get

your phone, scan the QR code, just like you do

when you go to the restaurant, you know, I'm

paying with the QR code. Same thing, just scan

that QR code, and you can give directly to the

Ministry of ECB. Thirdly, if you are in the U

.S. or you are from the U .S. and you say, Pastor

Pablo, I would love to support, but can I get

the tax exemption? Yes, you can. Because ECB

is part of the CMA ministry in the U .S. CMA,

the Christian Missionary Alliance, is an international

organization. It's a non -profit organization.

And you can give directly through them to ECB.

And for that, you simply follow that link in

the CMA website and gives you direct access to

be able to donate to us. And therefore, then

you get the tax deductible receipt from CMA directly.

These are ways that have been created for you

to be able to participate in this space with

us. If God has blessed you this year. If you

are one of our ACBers who lives in other countries

and you follow us and God has used the word to

bless you, would you bless this ministry by participating

with us financially as well? But there's something

that was my conviction all of these years and

has never ceased to be true. When God is leading

us, he will always provide what we need by the

time we need it. That's the way it works. So

in our hearts, there's zero concerns. And I want

to make sure that in your heart, there's also

zero concern. Just faithfulness will continue

to be generous and continue building to the next

and the next and the next generation. So God

can use CCB for his purposes. So with that clarification,

now we have understood what Jesus said, what

the Apostle Paul said. How our finances were

never meant to be compartmentalized. They were

meant to be part of our Christian experience.

And therefore, I want to conclude this study

with simply asking you, who is your master? If

you are experiencing anxiety and fear and you're

being controlling, maybe we know the answer.

But if what you want is the peace and assurance

from the Lord, May you bring your fears and concerns

to the Lord today in his presence. I want to

invite you to close your eyes where you are.

Close your eyes. If you've been functioning thinking

that you are here to make a living rather than

to make an impact, ask the Lord to reframe your

heart. Invite him to use you beyond what you

could ever understand or imagine. And if fear

has been crippling you this week, has robbed

you from peace, confess it before the Lord today

in his presence. Leave it at his feet. You are

more valuable than the birds. Lord, Thank you

for taking the time to say these words to us.

We needed to hear so badly. We love you, Lord.

And we want to learn what it's like to see your

kingdom first and to experience your peace and

assurance where fear cannot sneak in. because

our relationship with you is so tight. But I

ask you, Lord, in Jesus' name, let the fears

that have crippled in, that have brought lack

of peace in the heart, be brought to the light

today and be broken in your presence so your

peace is what governs our hearts in Christ Jesus.

Thank you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast.

Whether near or far, if you are looking for community

or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage

by sending us an email to If God is calling you

to support our ministries, you will find giving

options on our website. And remember to join

us next week. God bless you.