LEAD BY EXAMPLE: THE GIFT OF GIVING
Perhaps you’ve heard the axiom; everything rises and falls with leadership. Most of you already know that Global Partners Executive Director, Dennis Jackson, is a passionate and gifted leader, but you might not be aware that he also leads by example when it comes to generous giving! We asked Dennis to share his insights on Kingdom investing.
How did you discover that God was inviting you to give?
I came to Christ at the age of 15. Later my parents started coming to church. At the new year, the pastor shared on tithing and made offering envelopes available to every person in the lobby. My father, who was not yet a follower of Christ, grabbed a box of offering envelopes and asked me, “Are you going to grab a box?” Honestly, I had no thought of giving, but at my dad’s question and with the desire to see him come to Christ, I grabbed a box and started tithing the very next week. My dad, not even yet a believer, put his treasure in the Church, which later helped lead his heart to Christ.
Over the years I found myself moved to give—to tithe—to building programs, to special needs and eventually to missions. I found deep joy and sensed that God blessed my giving with amazing provision—so many stories—that would build my trust. I also sensed that it brought a deeper clarity to the priorities of mission to our lives as a family. Opportunities—even more than needs—moved me to invest significant portions of our income.
With Gwen’s committed partnership to be engaged in giving throughout our years of marriage, we have sacrificed together and experienced the joy and provision of the Lord in this journey.
Can you tell us a little bit more about this spiritual gift of giving?
Like all spiritual gifts, it involves a growing partnership, dependence and enablement on and from the Holy Spirit to move the work of God forward. It really is a supernatural experience of God’s leading and a sacrificial and focused response to give. Like any gift, and because it is so measurable and comparable, we can be tempted to be self-reliant or even proud when in fact, it is special point of grace—something we cannot produce but only receive to accomplish His work.
What inspires you to invest in the ministry of Global Partners?
I find myself both inspired and broken by the mission of Global Partners. When I think of the missionary team, when I think of the heart of our workers and national church leaders, when I think of those who are hearing the gospel—many of them newly transformed, I AM INSPIRED. But when I think of the 4 people out of 10—the 4 in 10—who have no access to the gospel in their communities, I AM BROKEN. When I think of villages in Mongolia, the millions in cities all across Asia, the middle east, and north Africa, I realize that we have to send workers—missionaries and marketplace multipliers—from North America and from Everywhere to Everywhere. This involves funding the strategy of Christ.
Despite the risks to their lives, many of our national church leaders have a love for Jesus and the gospel that compels and drives them to also give. Their generosity is simply an overflow of their trust and surrender to Jesus. Do I know this love—this trust? It’s not about the actual money—that’s not what moves the Kingdom. It’s all about the mission—those 4 in 10 people who haven’t heard the good news. When we glimpse the goodness of this message of hope we’re sharing and let that move us forward, the rest will settle…including our giving.
No matter what it costs us, will we trust Jesus with what and how He wants us to give?
What if we all play our part in this? What if we all made one next step towards giving? It wouldn’t take much from all of us together to see the mission move forward and people’s lives be transformed by the hope of Jesus.
Have you ever wondered how you could play your part in fulfilling the Great Commission? Learn more about Team Amplify by emailing info@gponline.org