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Mona's Devotional - Giving to Missions 7-31-2022

7/31/2022

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​July 31, 2022
This year was the first time we did not have a fundraiser pig roast for the Home of Refuge in at least 23 years. It was a hard decision to make but since we usually pay for the food and pig and give all the money that comes in to Home of Refuge, we knew it would not be good stewardship of our finances. The roasting pig is about 6 times the price of last year and almost double from June. Rosa was not able to come and some people will not come if they are not here. So, we prayed and felt like the Lord told us to have a Mission Sunday where we let you know who we support. We plan to start highlighting a missionary each month so you can get to know them better.
 
When we started pastoring this church in 1994, 28 years ago in June, we took over the missionaries and everything that came with this ministry. We weren’t sure what we were doing so just started to pray and hear from God. I had been the treasurer for many years and knew how the missions program worked. The church tithed, gave 10% of offerings, and divided it up unequally between the many missionaries. I would send 1% to a few, 5% to one, 2% to a couple others. Basically, this meant that the missionaries never knew how to plan or what they would be getting from month to month. I continued with the same plan after we were pastors. Then our daughter and son went to a ministry called YWAM. Most missionary ministries have their missionaries raise their own support. This means they have to write letters, speak at churches, or whatever else they knew to do to raise support. They were required to live by faith. Our kids did raise their support but still struggled. One month they may get $40 (that was a lot) or they could get $5. There was no consistency and to top it off most people who committed gave for a month or so and quit. We ended up helping them a lot because people were not faithful to their commitments.
 
I did lots of praying about this situation. I had always wanted to be a missionary so this was near and dear to my heart. I felt like the Lord said to commit to a certain amount and give that every month, regardless of our income. That was challenging but we have done that now for 25 years. In the beginning it was $25/month to 10 missionaries’ month after month. Then we would add some more support each year and add new missionaries year after year. I wanted the missionaries to be able to count on at least a certain amount not matter what. So, this becomes more than a tithe of our offerings. We do not know from week to week what our church offering will be but we do know what we will give. We have done this now for years and we haven’t lost money but the Lord was always faithful. The seeds this church family has planted around the world in the last 28 years is beyond our understanding. We have reaped a harvest of relationships, healed hearts, salvations, educated orphans, and consistent provision for our needs here at Mtn High.
 
My passions are to see lives healed, salvation, children, prayer and missions. I love to give to those who are reaching the world. Most of our missions are based out of the US right now with not too many able to “go ye” as we all once did.  We know most of the missionaries personally and most have been in our home at some point. We know their heart’s passion and they have all been consistent in their ministry for as long as we have supported them. We have them here as often as possible but it is different now. We talk to all we support often, checking in on them and praying for them.
 
The Bible talks about 4 types of giving. The Tithe – Firstfruits – Alms – Seed. Through the years we have learned the importance of giving in each way. There are different results in each type according to the Word. I wasn’t heading this direction but I feel the Lord is telling me to share a bit about these. The Word says “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
The Eteam, leadership, of Mtn High pray and seek the Lord about who to give to. We come into agreement in Him and we are never making a decision out of necessity or grudgingly but delight in doing what the Word says.
 
Tithe - “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:8-12
 
Back in 1984 this was the first verse we learned about tithing. I cannot preach on it but some key points. When we give our tithe into the storehouse, the ministry that feeds us, that the blessings are so bountiful that there isn’t room to receive them. Then the enemy is rebuked for our sake. I also understand that all this came with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Many argue that we don’t have to tithe because of Grace and I agree, we don’t have to. Yet, I haven’t always seen these blessings flowing as this verse promises. We know that these blessings are already ours but in obedience to the Word we trust Him with our tithes. We give the tithe, 10% of the church’s tithes to Andrew Wommack Ministries. This is the ministry, storehouse, that is feeding us at this time. This is a huge step of faith that we just started to do in the last year or so, during the lowest point in our offerings. Yet, we have never missed a bill, are able to save and every other ministry has been blessed.
 
Alms – “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.” Proverbs 19:17 This is when you give to the poor, those in need. This is one of the most common ways of giving. We give to Homes of Refuge and Kenya Children’s Home weekly to help with food and other needs.
 
Firstfruits – “Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 These are special offerings. This is when bring the first part of your “harvest” as a special offering. There is more here than I can explain right now but this is a special offering not a regular giving.
Seed – In Mark 4 it talks about our seed and the results of sowing our seed on different types of soil.  “But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”” Mark 4:8-9 You can read Mark 4:3-9 to see the results of different soils, or different motives, different heart conditions, that seeds are sown into. We believe the rest of the ministries we sow into are ministries that are doing great work around the world and we know that they are good ground to plant into. The results are 30-60-100 fold return on what we give. We can see that return in finances, in lives changed, in blessings that come that we don’t even understand. We see that in your testimonies as you share incredible stories of how the Lord has worked in your lives. Or we see victory in the frontlines that many of these ministries are standing against. We give about $100-125/month to 8 ministries. One is a marriage ministry, one is a ministry on the frontlines of Intercession for our country, one is ministering to Muslims, another to marriages in Russia. I do not have space to explain it all but we will be sharing monthly about each of our missionaries.  I hope this brief explanation helps give you vision to give and you know that this is good ground that goes around the world with the love and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Thank you for all you give.
 
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    Author
    ​Mona Shirley

    Mona has been in ministry since 1982 and her and her husband, Ed Shirley have been the Senior Pastors of Mountain High Chapel since 1994.

    Their heart is to share the Good News of God’s unconditional love all over the world. They have traveled to much of the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, India, Nepal, Venezuela, England, Canada, Peru, Africa and Portugal. They have sponsored and helped to build an orphanage in Kenya.

    ​Ed and Mona have raised 5 children who all have a heart to serve the Lord. They have been blessed with 22 grandchildren.

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