Building Up the Kingdom, One Stimulus Check at a Time

You can feel the pandemic pain everywhere. So many lives have been lost. A myriad of businesses have been shuttered. The eyes of countless people peer over their masks in weariness and despair. Yet, we have seen God provide through it all. For many people the stimulus checks issued by our government have been a necessary relief. I praise God for that. For many others who have not struggled financially, the stimulus checks have been a mysterious monetary excess. Perhaps it’s not so mysterious after all…

Families and businesses have not been the only ones to feel the pandemic pain. The church has faced this challenge head-on, adjusting on the fly and reinventing ministry. Some churches and ministries have weathered the storm quite well. Others are holding on by a thread. All of this comes at a time when we stand on the brink of radical federal policy changes, some of which are in direct opposition to the free practice of our Christian faith.

Wouldn’t it be great if God would issue a huge monetary stimulus to encourage and strengthen His church at a time like this? I believe He has.

With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan, $1,400 will be sent to most Americans, whether they need it or not. If you need it, keep it. God has provided. If you don’t need it, maybe God didn’t intend it for you. Perhaps God has given it to you so that you could bless your church or a Christian ministry. Just think of it. If God’s people were to practice radical generosity right now, it could strengthen our Kingdom work for years to come.

Feeling the Spirit moving in your heart? Let’s keep it going with a few giving suggestions:

Find a struggling church and give.

They aren’t hard to find. Imagine their surprise as they open God’s gift from you! Not only would they be encouraged by your love, but they would have more confidence to pay their staff and reach out with the Gospel.

Pay off some church debt.

This is also not hard to find. So many churches, mine included, have carried substantial long-term debt that weighs us down. Pay down some principal and allow your church to be more financially nimble for years to come.

Give to a Christian charity or your church’s Benevolence Fund

While a stimulus check is great, it doesn’t solve many of the underlying problems that face so many people. Let’s be ready to love them when the money runs out.

Support a Christian school or mission agency

Missionaries and Christian school teachers give their lives to spread the Gospel. Many live in poverty so that they can reach those who have never heard of Jesus. A little goes a long way. A lot goes ever further… to the ends of the earth.

Finally, I have to acknowledge the irony. God loves irony. It’s all over the Bible. Could it be that God is using the very government who is actively seeking to limit the practice of our faith to strengthen and encourage His churches and ministries? Yes, but only if His people are willing to give.