Leverage: God’s economics and finance

A friend sent me a very good and practical teaching on financial breakthrough and the principle of God’s economics. I sum up with this key: “You need to have something to grow or reproduce something of monetary worth.”
Here are some of the practical quotes which I agree and have in fact personally practiced all my working years:
“Deliver yourself from the creditors.”
“Don’t sleep until you are out of debts!”
“Decrease/diminish expenses.”
“Debt is a hindrance to prosperity.”
“God is not into ‘get rich quick’ scheme and He will not rig the lottery to make you rich!”
“Get Something for nothing -like doing two hours work and get six figures income-is ungodly.”
“God blesses your work and rain on your field when you have planted seeds, to prosper you. He will multiply and increase what you have worked on. If you have worked on nothing you will receive nothing. For example, if you work for a fast food place as a cashier He will promote you and you may become the owner. But if you merely receive welfare there is nothing for Him to multiply and increase or promote.” (Deuteronomy 28:11-12)
“There are plenty of creative work ideas that will generate good income.”
“Everyone has something you can do and God will prosper you.” (For examples the two fish and five loaves Jesus blessed and multiplied into thousands.)
“Find your ability and talent that others do not have and work.”
“You ought to be working even though you say you can afford not to. God prospers you to do good work for others.”
“You ought to be increasing and not decreasing (as in retirement).”
“I exert leverage with what I have-talent, ability-”

Bible verses:
2 Kings 4:1-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

Elisha Helps a Poor Widow
4 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”

2 “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”

“Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.

3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. 4 Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”

5 So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. 6 Soon every container was full to the brim!

“Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons.

“There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.

7 When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”

Other Bible verses: Proverbs 6:2-5; Romans 13:6-8

http://www.awmi.net/audio/audio-teachings/#/awm_1052a_steward.mp3

(In the following blog I shall post my summary of the book “Financial Stewardship“)

A new direction from Andrew Wommack

A personal note to all my readers from AAA Jack Watchman: I am led to post this following letter of appeal and update as I believe many of you are like me, beneficiaries of many years of good free teachings from Andrew Wommack. I have listened to his teachings since the time when we used cassette tapes. I am thankful for his vision and the encourage to carry through the Charis Bible College through which many are being trained and equipped for good works. I pray that the Lord will lead you as you read the letter. Thank you for reading. Regards and God bless A New Direction (from Andrew Wommack)

Construction Continues at the Sanctuary

As I'm sure you're aware, we had to pause our construction at The Sanctuary at the end of December 2015 because of finances. I actually took out a line of credit on December 22 to meet our obligations with television and salaries, but the great news is that we paid that back in less than forty-five days. Thank You, Jesus! We are back on track to do everything debt free.

My original plan was to wait until we built up a $4 million buffer before restarting construction. This was to absorb any fluctuations in income or expenses so we wouldn't run into this problem again. But something happened that has presented me with a new opportunity.

We are so cramped for space at The Barn that we are facing forced limitations on how many people can come to our conferences. We are dealing with this by possibly having students and staff go down to our facilities in Colorado Springs and watch the meetings via live stream. This only affects our major meetings, such as Summer Family Bible Conference, the Ministers' Conference, Healing Is Here, and Charis Business Summit.

But the more pressing issue is office space and our Phone Center. As I told you months ago, I gave up my office space at The Sanctuary, and we've moved as many people as possible down to our offices in Colorado Springs, which already house over 250 employees. I went to talk to one of our IT people at The Barn, and they are actually occupying a storage space on the roof for their offices.

Our Phone Center is 90 percent staffed by Charis Bible College students. This makes for wonderful prayer ministers who do a great job, but it hinders us during Charis class hours. Right now, one of our largest volumes of calls comes from Daystar viewers, beginning at 6:50 a.m. and continuing for the next hour. Our Charis students have to leave around 7:00 a.m. to make it up to Woodland Park by the start of classes at 8:00 a.m.

This drop in people available to answer calls has dramatically limited our ability to respond during this time. We are losing hundreds of calls per day. Some of them may call back later, but we don't know that for sure.

To solve these problems, my staff proposed looking at places in Woodland Park to rent for additional space. If we had our call center nearby in Woodland Park, the students would be able to take the vast majority of these dropped calls. As we began this process, the man who heads up our construction came to me with the idea of finishing off the part of Phase II that will house our new Phone Center and additional office space. I didn't know this was an option, but it appears that this will work.

So, we've come up with a new plan to finish off the second floor of Phase II on the north and east side of the building. This will allow us to have 150 people answering the phones at one time and will give us around 100 new work spaces.

The changes to accommodate this partial build-out are very minor, and the benefit is enormous. This could be completed by August 2016, and that would be just perfect to accommodate the 1,000 students expected for the new school year beginning in September.

I feel so good about this that I instructed my staff today to go ahead and pursue this plan. Of course, we need the whole building finished as quickly as possible-and I am continuing to believe for that-but this is a bite-sized piece that will provide us with some quick relief.

Over the last eighteen months, we have received an average of $791,000 per month designated for our building projects. It would require just over $1 million per month to complete this partial build-out, or an increase of about $300,000 per month over what we are receiving now. This is one-tenth of the cost of having construction on the whole building going at full throttle. I believe this is very doable and would stop the need for us having to rent additional facilities in Woodland Park.

I'm sending this letter out to the 100,000 people who receive our monthly mailings, and it will also go out to 185,000 people on our email list. We will record some television spots announcing this, reaching millions more. Altogether, this is a piece of cake for Jesus.

I'm asking you to pray about this and participate if the Lord directs you to. As I've said many times before, it's not about the buildings. These buildings are just tools that enable us to minister the true Gospel to people. But they are essential for accomplishing that goal.

Jamie and I and all the people being impacted by this ministry appreciate all you have done and will be doing to get this done. I am more convinced than ever that the Lord is doing something special at Charis. Not long ago, I was able to sit in on chapel at Charis when the students received a taste of our latest musical, God with Us. The writers of all the original music for this were telling us about how people want them on Broadway and in Hollywood and can't understand why they are living in a small town in the mountains of Colorado. But they shared how the Lord brought them here. This is just one more example of what God is putting together.

No man has done this. No man could do this. Even if I were smart enough to figure this out, there is no way I could compete with all that the secular world has to offer these people. We have millionaires and business tycoons who have fallen in love with Charis and are pouring their lives into these students. David Barton and political figures are investing time and effort into raising up people to take our nation back.

Our media department is training people to communicate the Gospel using all the tools available to us today. Our missions program and ministry track are touching lives all over the world. Our evangelism courses are making a profound impact on our students, who, in turn, are touching the people in their worlds.

Altogether, Charis is doing things I've never been able to do. It's like a tank being brought into battle. Satan's kingdom is being hurt by what the Lord is doing here. Thanks for being a part of it. We couldn't do it without you.

Thanks in advance,

Andrew and Jamie

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"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;” - Psalms 46:1-2

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Be wise investors: Be foundation builders

State Of The Ministry
By Andrew Wommack(from: http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/state_ministry)

Foundation Builders are people who understand the importance of equipping faithful men and women for the work of the ministry. And they know that equipping them with the message of God’s unconditional love and grace will give them the power to affect other lives. With that understanding, Foundation Builders have committed to helping Andrew build a new facility large enough to accommodate a student body of 3,000.

I remember the first time Jamie and I heard preaching on prosperity. The message was great, and we needed to hear it again and again. But we couldn’t afford to buy even one tape. Jamie was eight months pregnant, and we hadn’t eaten in days—we couldn’t afford food. As I looked at the tears in her eyes, I made a commitment to God: “If You ever give me something that will help others, I will never refuse them access to it because of lack of money.”
I really had no idea what that would mean, but thanks to the faithful support of our partners, we have now given away over six million tapes, CDs, and booklets.We receive emails and letters every day thanking us for the free materials and telling us how their lives were changed as a result.
Those early times in the 1970s were days of humble beginnings, to say the least. There was absolutely no evidence back then that would have convinced anyone of where the Lord would one day take this ministry. As I look back over the years, I am amazed at what He has done.
Today we have the potential of reaching one-third of the people on the planet with the Gospel Truth television program. Our signal is being broadcast around the world by satellite and being received by viewers through satellite dishes and cable and even old-fashioned antennas in underdeveloped countries like Uganda. Certainly not everyone who could view our programs does, so there is still much to be done.
We have begun broadcasting in other languages. This year the Gospel Truth can be heard and seen through the CNL network across the eleven time zones of Russia, in their language. I can hardly imagine what I must sound like speaking Russian or Hungarian.
Much of the world now has internet capability. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can go to our website and watch or listen to the Gospel Truthand download hundreds of hours of teaching materials. We are currently receiving nearly 600,000 website hits per month (over 19,000 per day). And new for 2010, we have just launched Charis Bible College (CBC) Online.
The CBC Online school is changing everything about the way people can study. We will go to them wherever they are via the internet, with downloadable lessons and videos and a facilitator to lead interactive discussion forums online. This will be as close as one can get to attending classes in person. Based on the interest we’ve already gotten, I believe that thousands of students from across the globe will be enrolling in online school in the next few years.
The CBC first-year curriculum is designed to build a strong biblical foundation through basic course study. Therefore, it can easily be accomplished online. The second year, however, requires class attendance because it goes beyond study to hands-on, practical ministry. Second-year students participate in events, are given opportunities to minister, and must travel abroad on a missions trip.
Upon completion of the first-year classes online, many of these students will find themselves wanting to enroll in one of our schools to complete their second year. In America, besides our parent campus in Colorado Springs, we have schools in Atlanta; Chicago; Kansas City; Dallas; Jacksonville; and Dyer, Indiana.
Worldwide CBC schools are located in Walsall, England; Belfast, Northern Ireland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Belize City, Belize; Chennai, India; Kampala, Uganda; and soon, Heidelberg, South Africa. We currently have over 1,000 students attending our schools, over 1,000 enrolled in correspondence courses, and now the online school will provide thousands more with the opportunity to learn.
In addition, new in 2010, we have just launched a third-year CBC program, available only at our Colorado Springs campus. The third-year “Vocational School of Ministry” curriculum is designed for those who desire to make the ministry a career. It will offer courses emphasizing everything from music to business administration in the church.
Happy Caldwell, Duane Sheriff, and Bob Yandian will anchor the third year by teaching the “School of the Pastors” courses. Each area of study has qualified and experienced leaders teaching the classes. For details, go to our website at http://www.charisbiblecollege.org.
During my recent trip to Europe, I witnessed the power of books and literature. Andrew Wommack Ministries Europe (AWME), has overseen the translation of many of my books into thirty-seven different languages. Every place we held meetings, from Poland to Hungary to Germany, teaching materials in printed form were in high demand. When people can read about the message in their languages, it makes all the difference. When I leave, those materials stay behind and keep on teaching. They are usually passed from one person to the next, affecting dozens of lives.
To help distribute materials and serve needs more efficiently, we have opened several new offices in addition to the AWME office in Walsall, England. We are now operating from offices in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; St. Petersburg, Russia; Kampala, Uganda; Heidelberg, South Africa; and Chennai, India. As you can see, offices and schools usually work hand in hand using the same facilities.
To say the ministry is experiencing growth is an understatement. Since 2001, when I first began on television, we have grown at the rate of 28 percent per year. That means we have doubled every 2.6 years. I could give you all of the statistics that measure the growth, but there is something much more important than statistics: The lives that those statistics represent.
In America, for instance, over 20,000 people per month call our Helpline, most of them in need of prayer. We see people healed and set free all day, every day, through the anointed people in the Phone Center.
Our Production Department ships over 30,000 packages of teaching materials each month. Combine that with the 122,000-plus downloads through the website, and it gives you an idea of how hungry people are for the truth of the Gospel. By the way, all downloads are free, and 52 percent of what we ship has been requested and mailed without a gift of any kind. Thank God for the many faithful partners who make all of this possible.
Growth is a blessing, but it also presents us with the challenge of accommodating the results. The school is the most pressing issue. At the present rate of growth, we will be maxed out in three to five years. It leaves us with the choice of expanding and building or limiting enrollment. I believe God wants us to expand, and He has just provided us with a miracle that will allow that to happen.
In September of last year, we purchased 157 acres of pristine mountain property within the city limits of Woodland Park, Colorado, fifteen miles west of Colorado Springs and only thirty minutes from the Colorado Springs Airport.
One year ago, the property was priced at over $10 million. We closed on the property September 21, 2009 for $4 million. As a special bonus, there is an 8,400-square-foot lodge that by itself is worth over $2 million, not to mention the three ponds, the barn and other outbuildings, and the fact that it backs up to the Pike National Forest. This purchase would not have happened in a strong economy. Only God could have arranged this timing. It’s the blessing of the Lord.
We are currently working on a master plan with architects and going through the process of city and county zoning and approval. It is my hope that we will complete the first phase of this project by the end of 2012. That phase will include an auditorium, facilities for the school, and the Phone Center. The rest of the AWM departments will move to the new location as phases two and three are completed in the years to come.
I am not condemning or criticizing other non-profit organizations; they all have reasons for the decisions they make. But for little more than the price of purchasing and operating a large private jet, we can complete this entire project. I would much rather change the lives of thousands of future students who will impact the world than fly in comfort.
Please prayerfully consider becoming a Foundation Builder. Ask God what He would have you do to help with this building program.
Jamie and I could not be more thankful to our partners. Yes, God is changing the lives of thousands through this ministry. However, it’s not just Jamie and me. We cannot complete this project any more than we can provide free teaching materials without the Lord first speaking to you about helping. God has built a team to accomplish His purpose. Thanks for being a part of the team.
http://news.awmi.net/v-tour

Many are long-time partners who have been led by God to give above and beyond their current pledges, to help complete this building project. Some are people who have never helped the ministry before. But all are people who love God and want to see lives changed as this message spreads around the world.
http://www.awmi.net/foundation_builders