Eugene International Church of Christ

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Amy and Jeremy Ciaramella

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-8

Paul, Silas, and Timothy wrote these moving words to the church in Thessalonica. You can feel the deep sense of relationship between these leaders and the church they planted. (Acts 17:1-8) Later in the 1 Thessalonian letter, they compare their involvement in each other’s lives to “a mother caring for her little children” as well as “a father dealing with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging [them] to live lives worthy of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2: 11-12)
The brothers and sisters in Thessalonica experienced firsthand “the power, the Holy Spirit, and deep conviction” in Paul, Silas and Timothy’s words and lives. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) Since the Thessalonians imitated their faith and lives, their church became a model for other churches, the message rang out from them and their faith became known everywhere!

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Jeremy asked me to give a lesson on finances and financial responsibility. This lesson is NOT about “giving to the church” but about being a steward of your money. I will try my best to do so from God’s perspective, using his Word at every opportunity.

The challenge with doing “financial” lessons is that everyone in the audience is at a different place in their financial life. No two people or couples find themselves in exactly the same spot… married no kids, married with kids, college student, single, responsibilities, health issues, debt load, etc. We are all in a different financial situation in any given moment.

Unfortunately, that uniqueness that we currently find ourselves in can often cause us to “shut down” to the lesson because we feel the person speaking to us could never relate to our situation or financial condition. Like a teenager who thinks their parents could never understand, forgetting the fact that they were once young men or women as well, we also can think that someone who is in a different financial position in life could not relate to what we are going through. Read the rest of this entry »