20:20:20 Challenge
Many of you will be familiar with the Met Police commissioner’s 20:20:20 challenge, and challenging it has been as we see services cut or consolidated and thousands of jobs lost to cope with the shrinking budget.
Christians from all walks of life will probably have felt the pinch themselves in the current recession. Many charities are facing budgets issues as people give less and the LCPF has not been exempt from this.
What does the Bible say?
Money is a powerful force for good in the Kingdom of God. It promotes the salvation message to those who need to hear it, it feeds people who are hungry and it helps the needy. So, God asks us to give money to minister to the world in this way.
In 2 Corinthians 9:7 it says:
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Giving is not supposed to be something that Christians are forced to do. It is something that we should be able to do willingly and cheerfully out of our love for God. It is entirely up to the individual believer to decide what to give, rather than any Old Testament law or church dictating how it should be done. God by His Holy Spirit is now in our hearts and we can be led by what He wants us to do for each and every need that He brings to our attention. So, there is a freedom in giving.
However, with this freedom comes responsibility. Freedom is not a ‘get-out’; the onus is on us to be sensitive to God’s leading. He has made us stewards of His provision, some of which He has given to us to look after ourselves and our families. But a portion is for supporting His Work and we should diligently and prayerfully consider each need that He presents to us. If we don’t and we withhold that portion, then His Will is going to be obstructed in some way, so someone may go hungry, someone may suffer through lack of medical care, someone may not hear about God’s love for them, or someone may die not knowing Jesus.
The words of C.S Lewis concerning giving are a good yardstick by which to examine ourselves on this matter:
‘I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charities expenditure excludes them.’
For most people, giving generally entails some sacrifice. While God rarely asks us to suffer real hardship by foregoing necessities, giving presents a challenge to us as we give up or delay certain expenditures on some things that we would enjoy. To some extent, it requires a dying to self in order to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Our 20:20:20 challenge
The LCPF spends 100% of its income on its vision:
- The flourishing of Christianity in the Police Service
- Christians to fulfil their potential in Jesus Christ, to be confident in presenting God’s truth with grace and love
- Those who are yet to know about Christianity to learn more about Jesus Christ, and come to know him personally
- The close cooperation between the Police Service and the churches of London, to work together to reduce crime and improve quality of life for all
(We have no paid staff, and no member, trustee or leader claims personal expences)
But we do need money to achieve our vision. So our 20:20:20 challenge (prayer) is to have 20 people to commit to a salary sacrifice of £20 per month within the next 20 days!
For those in the Metropolitan Police, you can donate direct from the payroll. All you need to do is email office@lcpf.org.uk from your MPS aware email telling us how much you would like to come out of your salary each month (e.g. £20!). Include your pay/warrant number and we’ll do the rest.
If you are from outside the MPS or wish to donate by standing order or make a one off gift, then please email us or click here, and we’ll send you details of what to do.
We pray that you will join us in this challenge!