You, also, are to make disciples, as well as, send and support others who are going to where the gospel’s not been heard. God, in his kindness, is calling out many to go into the world. We’re praying for them – we celebrate and support them. But this series proposes the question: Are Millennials joining the effort to not only go but to send? 

Be engaged. Ask the Lord what role you are to play. Many have seasons of both – times to go and times to send. God intends to use all things to further his mission. This means that those who stay, don’t opt out of the Great Commission. Their participation in making disciples of all nations is a serious, consistent, and radically generous investment in sending.

Often motivated by relationships and uniquely innovative, Millennials may be unlike any other generation that precedes them. But so what if they have the potential to be the most outstanding generation of supporters for missions? It won’t matter if you,…Millennial, don’t mature from milk to meat in this area. In order to maximize your potential for the kingdom of God, you must read and apply what Scripture teaches regarding your life as worship. It is freeing…and it includes your giving.

If you’re a church leader listening in, are you building up the next generation of senders within your church, discipling them specifically in the area of finances and eternity?

We, at Encompass, believe that Millennials will fund the work of the gospel as senders when they grasp a Biblical foundation for giving. For our post today, we offer a first five. These are five truths from Scripture that we hope serve as a starting point for shaping you and a new generation of senders.

Giving is never a loss for a person who has everything promised to them in Christ.

“You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” (Hebrews 10:34). Since we have a better possession and an abiding one in Christ, our giving away of our resources is never a loss. Christ is an everlasting joy that can never be taken from us. The way we spend our resources should reflect this. Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred for his faith, believed “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” We could have all of the resources in the world except Jesus and still be poorer than the man who has Christ alone. “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18:29-30).

Using the resources God has entrusted to you glorifies God, reflecting your love for Him.

The way we use our resources will show where are true values rest. “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Mark 12:30). If our love for God is the foundation to all that we do, we can’t go wrong. As John Piper has stated, “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” This applies profoundly to our giving. What better way, as a North American Christian, to show your love for God than to use your entrusted resources for Him? On top of that, what better way to show others around you your love and satisfaction for God than in the way you give? “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

How you use your resources will show where you believe your true HOME is. 

According to Philippians 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” Our eternity in the Kingdom of God should be where our investments rest. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,…Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). It is tempting to use our resources to build a residence in this life, but we must invest in the “better country” (Hebrews 11:16) and live as passing pilgrims on earth.

Since everything belongs to God, you are either stewarding or stealing. 

We are managers of the talents, opportunities, and materials that God has given entrusted to us. “The earth is the Lord’s, and EVERYTHING in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). As stewards we are by definition using God’s resources for God’s purposes. If we commandeer these resources to propel our own self-centered desires, we no longer are stewarding but stealing. Thus, it honors God when we use the entrusted resources in a way that displays His ownership of them. If we believe that our resources belong to us, then our giving glorifies our charity. When we give away what we believe is God’s, He is glorified. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.

God will always give you what you need, so give without fear.

We cannot “set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything for our joy “(1 Timothy 6:17). Do not let the anxiety of tomorrow rob you of joyfully giving today because we are more than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field (Luke 12:22-31). God knows our needs in a way that exceeds our own understanding. He will provide what He knows we need, not what we think we need. Instead of worrying about our needs, we should set our hope in Him. He has given us the promise of provision. This frees us, and blesses us to give without fear.

Because of Christ, we are in all ways blessed to be a blessing. We are not blessed to self-indulge. If this is a season of sending for you, consider supporting the work to shepherd and disciple the next generation of goers. Join us in the work of sending as Encompass recruits, trains, supports, and deploys more cross-cultural workers.

Why not consider becoming a Great Commission Partner with Encompass? Kingdom work is better done together!