We Have a Dream

“We Have a Dream”
(Proverbs 29:18)
Dr. W. Jamie Kim

This Keep the Dream Alive campaign will most likely be my last major fundraising effort at NCFC before my retirement. Therefore, I feel it’s imperative that I share with you some important basic principles that we must be familiar with before our participation.
The reason for the campaign is good. I feel I don’t need to apologize to ensure everyone’s support. Unlike other campaigns, like the building campaign for instance, the reason for this campaign is sound and biblical. After all, this is what the church is all about: world missions. Who among us can disagree with what we are about to do? It is the essence of our mission. It is the first priority of our church. It is the reason the church exists in the first place. And it is the right thing to do. And it has every right to demand our support and participation.
Having said that, however, it is not an easy thing to do. Traditionally, people respond more favorably and enthusiastically when they can benefit more directly from the campaign, like a building campaign. It’s easier to imagine and visualize what they will soon get as a result of their sacrifice when they participate in something like a building project. As the building goes up, people are excited and encouraged every step of the way. Not in the case of world missions. You will hear about those sent out occasionally but you will rarely get to see what has been done. And so there is no immediate gratification that comes from your giving.
It is extremely critical and crucial, however, for our church to do this if we are determined to stay faithful to what God is doing. As I shared before, if we can raise what we need to raise in 4 years, we will be debt free and that will unleash one million dollars a year to support our missionaries around the world. On top of that we will save 1.6 million dollars of bank interest which we otherwise would have paid as a result of paying off the loan way in advance.
Now, without further ado, I would like to tell you how you can participate.
As I said, the goal is 4 million dollars in 4 years. That means each family that usually gives on a regular basis will have to give 10,000 dollars. That comes to 2,500 dollars a year. Since our annual income is almost 4 million dollars it represents a 25% increase in our annual giving. Therefore if each family gives 25% more than they are giving this year for the next 4 years, we will meet the challenge. It’s that simple.
For example, if you give 10,000 dollars a year, you will have to increase that amount by 2,500 dollars, so you end up giving 12,500 dollars a year for the next 4 years. If you give 2,000 dollars a year, then you will have to give another 500 dollars so that your giving will increase to 2,500 dollars a year. You might say that’s a huge commitment and I agree, but I also say it’s not an impossible goal.
Now, I have never in my life actually calculated and then proposed something according to calculations like this. I have never done it and I’m not going to do it this time, either. What I have explained above is just to demonstrate that it is a challenge we can meet.
Of course, I’m aware of the fact that many people are still suffering from the economic downturn and simply don’t have any room to increase their giving. I fully understand and appreciate their situations. And that’s why some of us will have to do a lot more on their behalf to get this job done.
So, here are the principles which you should consider when you decide the extent to which you plan to participate.
First, it must be done by faith. Any major commitment should be done by faith, because without faith we cannot please God. The Bible says, “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor. 5:7) Every time we respond to God in major challenges like these, of course, we have to do it by faith. Therefore, as you ponder how you should respond, you have to believe that God will supply all your needs. And ultimately God will provide what you are promising to give.
Our father of faith, Abraham, lived his life like that. And that’s why he was blessed by God. He believed God when God said he would be blessed with descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore even when he didn’t even have one child. And that’s also why he was willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac later in his life even though it didn’t make any sense.  He just believed that God would find a way to keep His promise.
That is what we need to do. If we look at ourselves, we are not going to be certain that we can do this, but if we look to God we know He can and He will make it possible.
Second, in order to do this, some of us who have been blessed more will have to give more, not proportionally more but progressively more. The Bible says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Lk. 12:48) From this, we learn that those of us who have more will have to give significantly more since it is not ours to begin with anyway. Everything belongs to God and it has been ‘entrusted’ to us.
At the same time, when the Bible talks about “who has been given much’” it is not exclusively talking about material blessings either. It could include material blessings, but it means much more than just that. In fact, first and foremost, I would argue that it refers to the “spiritual” blessings rather than material blessings. In my role as a pastor, I have often witnessed many people who give generously even though they are not affluent, and at the same time, to my dismay, I have witnessed people who are stingy even though they are wealthy.
So, in this context, I don’t believe the Bible is talking necessarily about people who are well to do economically, but rather, who are quite content with themselves and therefore love to give because they feel that they have been blessed so much. So, those of us who are blessed with generous hearts, we shall surprise God by going the extra mile.
Third, we must give cheerfully. The Bible says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful (hilarious) giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) We sometimes witness people who react badly to any kind of campaign like this because they feel they are pushed to do it. It should never be the case. One should never feel required to participate unless you have voluntarily signed up in the first place. Then your commitment might call you to participate, but it should never be forced upon you.
God (or the church) never asks you to give because He (or it) needs your money. It is always for your benefit that God asks you to give, as Paul was quick to remind the people that “God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)
Our chief motivation in giving should never be to impress people or make ourselves look good. We don’t give in order to receive more from God, either. Nor are we looking for rewards in this life. We simply give because we want to be abounding in good works for the glory of God.
Fourth, it has to be sacrificial. Again Paul exhorted us by reminding us how the churches in Macedonia responded to his urgent request of special offering for the people in Jerusalem, “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” (2 Cor. 8:1-5)
This is exactly what we want to do. For the sake of those people who are lost, we want to give sacrificially by first giving ourselves (not our money), and then our money. They say they gave out of extreme poverty. Some of us are poor, but none of us is that poor!
Fifth, it has to be well planned and prepared in advance. Paul further suggests, “So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gifts you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.” (2 Cor. 9:5)
It points out that we have to seriously ponder and then decide how we are going to participate. I’m almost certain that no one in our congregation will approach this campaign haphazardly. But the danger is always there, so this kind of reminder is always welcome.
Sixth, we should not squander any opportunity that God presents before us. The Bible is clear that there are seasons in life. And an opportunity to give back to God and invest in His work is not always available. Even as a Christian we give to the church but often wonder if the church is being a good steward of the money. We, here at NCFC, try very hard to earn your trust. And, as you have seen from our annual congregational meetings, we have done an excellent job for the last 22 years. But rarely are you asked to give for something that is clearly good and right. And this campaign is one of those rare occasions. So I adamantly want to appeal to you to become co-partners in this campaign.
As you can see we have worked very hard to obey God and follow His will in the last 22 years. And now, as a result of our faithfulness, we are at the brink of seeing the fruit of our labor. It hasn’t been easy. It came with a lot of sacrifice from a lot of people. But thanks be to God, we are where we are. We fought bravely and resolutely. As Paul said in 2 Cor. 6:3-10, “Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, and yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything!” We have earned our stripes!
Finally, I want to give you some practical suggestions:
Wait for a specific impression from God. Many of us who have experienced this in the past know that God almost always give us a specific amount. And subsequently we see how God provides in an amazing way, every single time without a failure. So, if you are married, I suggest that you first pray without consulting your spouse then when you have a specific amount in mind, share it with each other. It will surprise you how like-minded you are. And that serves as an answer from God. If you are single, then you can talk to your friends or mentors and see if you can get confirmation from them.
Always pledge the first impression. Often you will come up with a certain number but as time goes by you will be tempted to change it and almost always it will be less than what was the original amount. Don’t give in to the temptation but pledge the amount you first decided.
Remember it will hurt you. Sacrificial giving will always hurt because you will have to go without things that you want. But our commitment to God and to this church demand that we sacrifice. That’s what God did on the cross and He deserves nothing less in return. I mean how often do we really go without something that we really need or want? Not often and certainly not for a long time.  But through campaigns like this we are somewhat forced to sacrifice and it will be good for our soul!
When we say sacrifice we don’t mean a great sacrifice, but instead small sacrifices. For example, if your family goes on two vacations a year, maybe you go once a year instead and do something locally so you can save some vacation expense. You might even choose to go on a short-term mission trip together as a family, instead of a costly vacation.
You can delay big item purchases. For instance, when we went through the first building campaign, I remember that a lot of us delayed replacing our cars. I had a 10 year old beat-up station wagon which used to break down frequently and eventually I had to overhaul its engine but I drove it until we came into the new building. I was proud to drive that car because I knew that each time I got into that car I was doing it for God. If you plan to buy a house, maybe you want to delay it until this campaign is over. You might say, “But the price might go up!” Well, you are right. In all likelihood, the price will go up. The interest rate might go up too. But if you have any previous experience in these things, then you will know how God can surprise you by giving you special favor in your negotiation and all of a sudden you make or save tens of thousands of dollars in the sale or purchase of your home.
Entrust your children’s education to God. I know as parents you think you have to give the very best for your children. But often this reflects a very secular mindset. You don’t have to let your child do everything that their peers do. You don’t have to spend money to help them succeed. In fact, you can let go of many things, but God can and often will bless your children.
If your income goes up in next 4 years, give that increase to God and live with what you live with right now. If you get a promotion, you can do the same. In fact, you can be proactive and challenge God to promote you. You might be surprised by His response. If you own your own business, this is a good way to test God. There is no other delight for God than to bless His people so they can bless others.
Give up little things like expensive coffee or other drinks. If you eat out often, decrease the number of times you eat out. If you buy lunch at work, how about packing your own lunch. These small savings can add up to about 10 dollars a week which translates to 500 dollars a year, and in four years, 2,000 dollars.
Ask God to prevent major incidents that will require an immediate lump sum of money, like car repairs or major appliance repairs or replacements. If you run your own business sometimes one major replacement or repair can cost you thousands of dollars.
If God asks you to give something big, then don’t be surprised. Just obey. An audacious dream requires audacious people who respond in an audacious manner because God will fulfill His work and His plan with people like that. That means He has something special in store for you. So, don’t hesitate. Go for it and find out how God’s going to increase your faith.
Now, some people might say I talked about money today and that is right. But I didn’t just talk about money. I talked about God’s dream. I talked about obedience and response. I talked about commitment and sacrifice. And I talked about God’s grace and blessings. I just hope and pray that you will take advantage of this exceptional opportunity with me and many others in this congregation to be blessed beyond your wildest imagination. “Just Imagine!”