Greetings brethren, Happy New Year to us all! God has been so good to us. We are all counted among the living and are still counted as members of the @mcgicares community. The Lord has indeed been faithful to us. Thankful and surprisingly, I managed to join the Day 11 Mass Indoctrination program and got ushered into the new year with some great wisdom from the messenger of God, Brother Eli.
I must say that if this is how all the previous meetings have been, then I have missed a lot. But thank God, I did not miss today's own. On that note, I jotted down some lessons from this gathering and wish to share them with you. Please spare a few minutes of your time to come along with me as I take you through what I took from the unadulterated message from the man of God, Brother Eli Soreno.
Volunteering is something that is very much encouraged to be observed in the Household of Faith.
It is always good to be a volunteer in the house of God. There are a series of areas where brethren are encouraged to be volunteers, and these areas include paying tithes and offerings, providing services in the household of faith, observing vows, and making of sacrifices. The Bible verses below are the scripture references.
11 Corinthians 9:7, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Philippians 4:15, Mathew 6:2
Tithes and offerings are very much needed in the church. These are sources from which funds are generated to carry out certain activities in the church. The early churches were all encouraged to pay tithes and offerings on the first day of every week. These were instructions from the Lord to the people. There might be abundance in the house of the Lord. They had to give tithes in the form of bringing out a percentage of what the Lord has blessed them with into the house of the Lord. On the other hand, offerings are just any amount you feel like giving to the Household of Faith.
These funds are used by the man of God to run the church. Even in recent times, funds from these means have been used by the church to pay for social amenities like water and electricity and other necessities like data bundles for social media broadcasting, transportation of church leaders and other members, and a whole lot of church organizations. These are all means through which the church gives back to society.
It is also good to offer voluntary services. These include making yourself available to carry out certain church activities out of free will. These are things nobody asks you to perform, but out of common sense and the spirit of offering a helping hand, we make them. These acts are very good, and they are not imposed on anyone; they are done out of free will. Some of these acts include joining the choir, the users and protocol team, or even just deciding to help with certain needs that arise. I believe these acts are very good, and they are not forced or imposed on anyone.
Also, one voluntary act is sticking to and obeying vows. When vows are made to the Lord for Him to do something good and miraculous in our lives, we are encouraged to stick to them. It is always important to do what we have promised when saying the vow. If it's a Thanksgiving we promised to offer to the Maker after He had made a certain breakthrough possible, so be it. We need to thank Him for everything, for His word says, "In everything, give thanks." Hence, it is very good that the household of faith is filled with lots of thanksgiving and prayers to the Maker. If you made a vow to thank God after He had made it possible to pass an examination, then so be it. Although it is out of free will, it is good, and it is an act of gratitude observation.
Sacrifices are also some forms of voluntary acts within the Household of Faith. These acts are very good and very much welcomed in the house of God. Performing a sacrifice brings about good outcomes in the lives of others. It was the sacrifice our Lord and Master Jesus made on the cross of Calvary that brought us all salvation. Brother Eli made an example when a church member once approached him and offered him huge sums of money as a token of appreciation for the breakthrough he had brought upon him and the family. After he accepted to take it after a long denial, another church member came to him later, needing help, and he also gave it to her. This was possible because someone did good through his sacrifice to the Lord, and he also channeled that sacrifice to someone else who was in need of help.
Voluntary acts are welcomed in the household of faith because they were very common in the early churches, like the church of Mecedonia, Galatia, and among the Philipians. These acts were well acknowledged by the men of God and prophets; hence, they are something we are also encouraged to copy and practice. It comes with a lot of blessings because God loves a cheerful giver. It is also a must that it be out of a good heart. That is what brings the blessings. Well here is where i draw the curtains om the act of volunteering in the household of faith. See you in our next meeting.
Thank You.