Imagine what your life would look like if you only committed 2.56% of yourself to the things you do.

How healthy would your marriage be if you told your spouse, “I love you with 2.56% of my heart”? Where would your career be if you performed at only 2.56% of your capability?

We wouldn’t dream of doing such things. Yet, this is exactly the attitude the average Christian has when it comes to financing the work of the church.

The average church member only gives an estimated 2.56% of his or her income to any church or charity. We can’t accomplish the massive goals of telling every person in the world about Jesus and making disciples of all nations with such miniscule giving.

While it is true that much of the problem is the sin of greediness in the lives of average church members, it also could be the case that our lack of sacrificial giving is the result of disorganization. That’s why there is a great need for Christians to begin to evaluate everything financially.

Here are four steps each of us can take to begin meeting the financial aspect of fulfilling the Great Commission.

1. Give at least the first tenth of your income to your local church.

It has been suggested that if every church member increased his or her giving to ten percent, the church would have an additional $86 billion dollars to fund Gospel work around the world.

With that amount of money the church could address in an unprecedented manner poverty, hunger and sickness. It also would open massive avenues to take the Gospel to every corner of the world — all as a result of each of us obeying the first-tenth principle prescribed in God’s Word. We need to be obedient in giving at least ten percent of our income, because when we don’t we are quenching the work of God through our small-minded, close-fisted habits of financing His work.

2. Give over and above the first tenth of your income.

Let me illustrate how this works. If you have a smart phone, chances are you have a game or two that you play on your phone. Many of these games progress through increasingly difficult levels. Staying on one level loses its appeal because at some point it ceases to be a challenge. Just as the games we play have progressive levels with increasing difficulty (Angry Birds, anyone?), our giving needs a progressive pattern as well.

When we realize that God has given to us over and above all that we could possibly deserve, it stirs something in our hearts that says 10 percent is not enough. No longer is it a sufficient challenge. Our giving should be sacrificial, and as we mature in the faith we enter into a deeper worship of God through larger gifts that are more costly to us. Just as we grow in other areas of our faith, we must grow in our giving continually and ceaselessly.

3. Leave a legacy of at least one-tenth of your estate to your local church.

Local churches need financial freedom to be able to do all they should in God’s name, and you can help them achieve that freedom in your lifetime by following steps one and two. You can also do this in your death. It truly is an awesome feeling to know that a decision to follow this step is an investment that will last beyond your life.

More importantly, you set a godly example for your children and grandchildren that demonstrates to them that God’s work is the most important thing in your life, as well as in your death. Evaluate everything financially, including the event of your passing. Billions of dollars should be left through estates over the next decade because Christ-followers want to leave a legacy of reaching the world for Jesus Christ. If you have great financial resources, give this part of your estate now for the need is urgent. Regardless of the size of your estate, small or great, through giving in life and in death you will experience joy beyond your imagination.

4. Leave a legacy of at least five percent of your estate to the Great Commission.

Just as we give above and beyond the first tenth in our lives, we should leave as much as possible in our deaths for the furtherance of the Gospel. Designate at least an additional five percent of your estate to be given to missions through your local church or denominational mission boards (i.e. International Mission Board or North American Mission Board). Seminaries are another opportunity for you to help advance the fulfillment of the Great Commission as they train pastors and missionaries who will take the Gospel throughout the world.

Christ-followers are typically not the wealthiest people in the world, so we do not necessarily have the most to give. However, we ought to be the most amazing, inspirational givers in the world because we have the most to give to. Seeing people all over the world come to saving faith in Christ is the most noble of reasons to give, yet we presently offer less than three percent of what we believe to be ours.

But we know better. It all belongs to God. A deep realization of that fact will make us better givers. Our goal should be that nonbelievers look at us and immediately think of words such as generosity, compassion and love. Only when we become serious about giving back to the Lord will we be able to fulfill the Great Commission.

2.56%: Is this all we love Jesus, His church and changing lives globally? Surely not! It is past time for all of this to change. The change will start with you!

Ronnie Floyd is senior pastor of Cross Church (crosschurch.com) in northwest Arkansas, with campuses in Springdale, Pinnacle Hills and Fayetteville, and the author of a newly released book, “Our Last Great Hope.”

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) — Research suggests that only 11 of every 100 people in the world claim Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. About 50 percent of the world’s population presently has no realistic opportunity to hear the Gospel and the percentage is growing. Every minute, 120 people are born, likely to live their entire lives and never hear the name of Jesus, not even once.

What is the greatest need in the world today? Awakening! We need to see an awakening of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the earth. We must go places we’ve never gone to, talk to people we’ve never talked to, and share Jesus where His name has not yet been spoken. Our last great hope in this world is to experience an awakening of the Great Commission.

Consider three brief questions that I believe must be answered if we are going to meet our world’s greatest need:

1. How should we define the Great Commission?

It really is a clear vision: Tell every person in the world about Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations. The challenge is getting people to realize that the Great Commission is about more than going “over there.” It is also about reaching people “right here.” It is not an either-or for Christ-followers, but a both-and!

In fact, Jesus shows us in Acts 1:8 the progression of how we are to fulfill the Great Commission. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus starts where the listeners were and moves farther away. Notice it is not progressive in a chronological sense. He never uses the word “then.” We are not intended to go here then there, but here and there. We are to be witnesses for Jesus locally, nationally and internationally, all at the same time.

This is the missional vision model we have adopted at Cross Church where I pastor: “Reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ.” The Great Commission is the task of reaching every person in the world with the life-changing power of the Gospel and helping them grow in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. How can I see my church awakened?

We need to see a major global spiritual awakening in the church of Jesus Christ. We need a global spiritual shaking to occur all around the world. In seeking the catalyst for this spiritual movement, we need to:

– Wake up to the need itself. The world has seen too long what the arm of the flesh will do in and through the church. We need the world to see what God will do in and through the church. Business as usual has to stop and stop immediately. We need to experience a mighty spiritual movement of God.

– Prioritize prayer. When we pray, it demonstrates that we are depending on God. When we do not pray, it shows we are depending on ourselves. Prayerless worship services will develop prayerless churches. Prayerless churches will operate in the power of the flesh, rather than the power of the Spirit.

– Act on fulfilling the Great Commission NOW. Yes, this is our NOW moment. We can no longer delay in capturing our communities with the Gospel or proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the world. Spiritual awakening will occur when the church is doing Gospel work. Acts 1:8 affirms that spiritual power is commensurate with our commitment to taking the Gospel to people and places where the Gospel has never been before.

3. How can I make the Great Commission more personal to me?

One of the reasons many churches do not have an emphasis on the Great Commission is that the members and leadership of those churches are not personally committed to it themselves. Each Christ-follower must own the Great Commission! To awaken the Great Commission personally, we each need to ask ourselves three questions:

– Do I know Jesus intimately? Developing an intimate relationship with Jesus will create a deep desire to fulfill the Great Commission. It works the other way too. The more passionate you are about the Great Commission, the more intimately you will know Jesus.

– Do I love Jesus passionately? There is no better way of becoming passionate, intimate Christ-followers than through prayer and the Word of God. Despite our best efforts, awakening the Great Commission will lack its full effectiveness if we do not follow biblical principles and cover everything in prayer. Pray for a personal rediscovery of your passion for Jesus and a Great Commission awakening will surely follow.

– Do I share Jesus constantly? Knowing Christ intimately and loving Him passionately will always lead to sharing Him with others. These three ideas are inseparable. To know Christ is to love Him; to love Him is to share Him.

Never has there been a better time to live than today. While we might bemoan the events occurring in the world today, we need to see these moments as God moments. This is a special defining moment for the church to become awakened spiritually, resulting in an awakening of telling every person in the world about Jesus Christ and making disciples of all the nations.

I am believing God for a global spiritual awakening. This is our last great hope!
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Ronnie Floyd is senior pastor of Cross Church (crosschurch.com) in northwest Arkansas, with campuses in Springdale, Pinnacle Hills and Fayetteville, and the author of a newly released book, “Our Last Great Hope.”

Yesterday we looked at three dimensions to the urgency of the world’s need for the gospel. My desire is that you will sense the urgency, as I have, to tell every person in the world about Jesus and make disciples of all the nations. Here are three more dimensions to the urgency of the gospel.

Statistically Urgent:

We must understand the numbers when it comes to those around the world who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. I served on a task force that assessed our efforts to take the gospel to the world and the statistics we uncovered are heartbreaking. Only 11 out of every 100 people in this world are willing to claim Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. We also discovered that just over 50% of the world’s population (approximately 3.5 billion people) has no realistic opportunity to hear the gospel at present. The statistics are bad and will continue to get worse unless Spirit-filled Christians begin to act with urgency.

Strategically Urgent:

We must organize and execute an effective strategy for taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. We have one gospel but thousands of people groups and billions of individuals. Our urgent need is for strategic ways of reaching each one. Perhaps the best solution is to plant new churches. Churches that are ready to address languages, cultures, and needs. Here is a sobering thought: We simply cannot reach billions of people with our current means. Every existing church should be planting multiple new churches.

Personally Urgent:

We must come to a place where it is unthinkable to leave the work of the Great Commission to others. Each of us must own it personally. At some point we must stop simply talking about theology or mission philosophy and take personal ownership in seeing it fulfilled. Reaching people for Jesus and making disciples of all nations is not someone else’s “problem.” It is my burden and it is your burden. Each of us, individually, is responsible for seeing the gospel proclaimed locally, nationally, and internationally.

Doors are opening around the world that we have never been able to step through before. We cannot afford to assume they will stay open for long. Now is the time for action! Billions of people urgently need the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Fulfilling the Great Commission truly is this world’s last great hope and it all starts with each of us owning the task personally. Will you join me in acting with urgency to reach people for Jesus? What ideas do you have for urgently taking the gospel to the world?

Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie Floyd
Author of newly released book, Our Last Great Hope

I am convinced that the greatest difference between the churches of the first century and the churches of the twenty-first century is the sense of urgency. Unfortunately, modern day Christians do not live as messengers of an urgent gospel. If we are going to be a generation that takes seriously the task of fulfilling the Great Commission we must recapture the sense of urgency. I believe there are six dimensions to this urgency. Today I want to share the first three of them with you.

Theologically Urgent:

We must begin by understanding the gravity of what Scripture teaches about creation, salvation, and eternity. Human beings are created in God’s image but chose to live as slaves to sin. Yet, God provides salvation through His Son and is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). The Bible also teaches that every human being will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell, depending on whether or not they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Isn’t this decision that everyone must make enough to instill a sense of urgency to take the gospel to the entire world?

Spiritually Urgent:

We must remember that those who are without Christ are spiritually dead and headed toward an eternity of punishment. As Christians who trust the Bible, we affirm that the lost will ultimately go to hell. We scorn the universalists who believe there is no hell and no judgment but we are seemingly just like them. If we truly believe that people all around us stood on the precipice of eternal suffering, then we will be moved to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need a renewed spiritual urgency in our churches today.

Physically Urgent:

We must recognize that the Bible teaches us that no one is guaranteed their next breathe. James tells us, “You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring – what your life will be! For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.” (James 4:14). Telling ourselves that we will share the gospel with that co-worker, family member, or friend at a later time may not work out since we are not even sure tomorrow will come for that person. With urgency, present the gospel to others before it is too late!

Urgency needs to exist not only personally, but through our churches. Churches MUST

Fast track the taking of the Gospel to their communities, their states, our nation, and across the entire globe.

Let today’s challenge be to renew the urgency of the gospel in your personal life and in the life of your church. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring. Therefore, pray that God will give you someone to share Christ with today. Create strategies in your church that will penetrate your community’s lostness. The need is urgent!

Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie Floyd
Author of newly released book, Our Last Great Hope