Money is always a sensitive subject in church. This week (11/13/2011), Kent takes an approach on the subject that will challenge the way you use and spend your money. Don’t miss this message and the potential impact for your life to see a financial turnaround by applying the principles found in scripture!
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
Money is always a sensitive subject in church. This week (11/13/2011), Kent takes an approach on the subject that will challenge the way you use and spend your money. Don’t miss this message and the potential impact for your life to see a financial turnaround by applying the principles found in scripture!
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
Money can either be a weapon or a tool for a marriage, this week (2/20/2011), Kent Wagner of Epic Church in Wichita KS helps couples look at how to change their attitude (Ephesians 5:22-26) about money and gain aptitude in dealing with it! Learn how to budget today by visiting http://www.epicchurch.us/give-online/learn-to-budget/!
If you have been encouraged by Kent’s messages, we would encourage you to join Epic in helping people connect to God one person at a time by partnering with us through an online contribution!
In my sermon today I mentioned some ways you can get on top of your money, here they are:
3 Steps
1. No longer spend more than you make
-This is a hard change – but until you make a firm decision that you will do whatever it takes to live within your means, money will always control you
2. Pay off all of your debt
-This is impossible without making a firm decision about #1. Once you decide this and go after it for real, you can make some huge gains!
3. Going to save money
-This will help you from ever having to go through #2! Start saving – become your own creditcard
Practicals
-Tithe
if you are a Christ Follower but don’t display trust in God by tithing off the first fruits of your income, your words don’t really matter much. (at Epic you can always do your tithe online http://epicchurch.us/donate/ – we believe that being part of the body of Christ is to really support the work and mission of the church)
-Budget
(http://epicchurch.us/donate/learn-to-budget/ is a free budget worksheet for you to go through – it takes some work but completely worth it!)
Here is how Jenni and I set up our accounts to ensure that the right money goes to the right place:
-Checking account (bills, gas)
-Savings account (insurance, taxes, fixed expenses save up towards pay ourselves monthly)
-Checking account (occasional expenses toiletries, diapers, etc.)
-Savings account (building security)
-cash (food, eating out, etc)
-Menu - calendar it out, make list, shop once or twice eat out less – Jenni and I are able to spend $200/month on groceries this way
-Savings: 6 months worth of expenses saved up but start with enough for a car repair
-Paying off debt: Snowball it pay smallest amount of debt first (don’t worry about interest) once that debt is paid off, snowball that payment towards the next smallest debt.
-Drive old over new get rid of car payments – stop thinking you have to have nice over simple functional (how much debt could you pay off with that $350/month car payment)
What or who we follow matters! This week Kent challenges us from Matthew 25:31-46 to determine who we really follow. This message challenged the very core of what many of us have taken for granted as Americans – how we use our money! Ultimately, each of us has to deal with the hard hitting question of whether we have been changed by an encounter with Christ, or just claim to be. Finally, Kent gave the practical application of starting to live a life where you pray – look – and do!
The financial system that most of us live in is actually designed to work against the thing that we care the most about – our families. This week Kent challenges us from Matthew 6:25-34 and presents a different way of dealing with our finances that turns everything upside down!
It’s hard to know how to spend your money. What does God care about when it comes to finances? Does he care about how we use our money as long as it’s not for something bad? This week, Kent took the question back another step and asked the question of how we actually view God? Are you a tipper or a truster? Ultimately, the question is, can God be trusted and are you willing to give up control?
The Widow’s Offering
Mark 12:41-44
Most Americans are facing a lot of fear when it comes to our finances. Whether you’ve lost most of your retirement, been laid off, or just have a lot of credit card debt, most likely, you have financial issues. This week, Kent opened the bible to Daniel 4:28-33 and looked at the story of King Nebuchadnezzar. Kent reminded us that the key issue with finances is whose money it is anyway. The main idea was stewardship! Stewardship is the foundation that can help our financial house from crumbling.
Most Americans are facing a lot of fear when it comes to our finances. Whether you’ve lost most of your retirement, been laid off, or just have a lot of credit card debt, most likely, you have financial issues. This week, Kent opened the bible to Daniel 4:28-33 and looked at the story of King Nebuchadnezzar. Kent reminded us that the key issue with finances is whose money it is anyway. The main idea was stewardship! Stewardship is the foundation that can help our financial house from crumbling.
Last week at Epic we talked about being intentional with your money. I gave real practical tips on how you can pay off your debt using the same system Jenni and I used to pay off our debt (you can listen to the message by clicking here). I also mentioned a couple of resources in that sermon, the first is a bible study reading guide called 30 Days to Knowing Jesus. The other is a budgeting resource to help you and your family get your finances under control.
I hope this helps you, if you can think of questions you might have or any other resources that will be helpful for you we would love to try and make those available to you!