All mature Christians share a high value for generously sharing God's resources, which have been entrusted to them, with the church for the advancement of the gospel. Sometimes, we're positively challenged in our kingdom generosity by the example of others. John Wesley, the 18th century English evangelist, is a man to inspire us. As his ministry and fame spread, his annual income increased - but so did his generosity to the church and the poor in monumental ways. The following chart tracks Wesley's increasing percentage of giving (altered from English pounds into American dollars):
Income Living expenses Giving
1st yr. $30 $28 $2 (7%)
2nd yr. $60 $28 $32 (53%)
3rd yr. $90 $28 $62 (62%)
4th yr. $120 $28 $92 (77%)
By the end of Wesley's life, he was making $1,400 annually while living on $30 and giving away $1,370 - 98% of his income.
2 comments:
Andy,
Very convicting! Can you post the source of this information--where you found it?
The stats came from an article in Christianity Today.
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