God’s Ministers – Our Responsibility

I’m running with a very “different” crowd of friends these days…and it’s
changing my life.

Some of my new friends have no homes.

Some of them have no transportation.

Others are taking in widows and orphans with no clue as to how their needs
will be met…but they invite them in anyway.

Some of them are in third world nations while others are living out of RV’s
and cars packed full of everything they can carry, criss-crossing the good
ol’ USA.

Some live this way every day because it’s the best their government will allow
them. Others live this way by choice and are traveling with the bare minimum
out of necessity.

Some are so accustomed to doing without that, when given the chance to
request a blessing, their response is, “God is my Provider.” One might humbly
ask for a shirt. Others are “forced” to ask for money because they’ve just spent
hundreds of dollars on gasoline and were “blessed” with a mere $50 love offering
after they spoke.

As for me, I’m helping in very way I can. I know it isn’t much but little IS much
in the hands of God. I send eMail messages and make phone calls. My wife,
Barbara, and I – inspired by the example of others – now open our home for these
traveling ministers as they pass through. We’ve dedicated our home to the
Kingdom and that’s what we’re feeling led to do. I mentor others by eMail,
website and telephone as well. I mention that because it’s not only money
these people need. In some cases, however, it’s all we can do for them from so
far away.

CIRCUIT PREACHERS TODAY

It seems a shame to me that a minister should have to pass the plate after he
preaches and hope that his brothers and sisters will give him enough money
to fix their car’s air conditioner as they travel through America’s desert Southwest
(there’s a traveling family staying in our home right now in this exact situation;
last winter, a couple had trouble with their heater as they parked in a WalMart
parking lot, cranking the engine all night long to stay warm).

I don’t recall the apostle Paul ever requesting finances for himself – even though
he gave his stamp of approval for a person to make their living off the Gospel.
I could never understand why a man wouldn’t make his needs known to his
Church and expect to be “sent out” (the word “apostle” actually means
“sent one”). Better yet, The Church should simply KNOW that these people
would have needs and sow into their lives accordingly.

SOW SPARINGLY, REAP SPARINGLY.

So, what is OUR responsibility toward those who have laid it all down” for the
cause of Christ? What are we supposed to do as part of The Body of Christ?
Whether it’s a new set of tires, assistance in feeding a man’s family, Bibles or
funds to provide for an orphanage in a war-torn country, or a motorbike to
increase a minister’s efficiency as he tends to the needs of people 15 miles
around on hilly terrain, what role are we supposed to play?

My contention is that, once a minister makes his needs known, or once a need
is perceived by those who are listening to the Holy Spirit, someone needs to
write a check.

Simple enough? It’s not our money anyway. I often hear the excuse, “Yes,
Michael, but aren’t we supposed to be good stewards of what God gives us?
What if he’s a scam artist?” Such cynical comments are inspired of the devil!
I find it amazing how we can spend an average of $80 each time we take a trip
to the mall, “stewarding” God’s money in the most wasteful manner, yet
arriving at all kinds of clever, even spiritual-sounding excuses where advancing
the cause of Christ is concerned. Some of these traveling ministers are being
forced OUT of the ministry and into getting secular jobs simply because The
Church has failed to support the ministries God has given them. Ministry in one’s
workplace can be a very good thing – and these ministers WILL take advantage
of every opportunity – but ‘good’ is the enemy of ‘best.’

THE WHEAT AND THE TARES

Sure, there are hucksters and scammers and charlatans in every field. Always
will be. We’ve got to take the good along with the bad. Once again, whose job
is it to whip out the Flesh-O-Meter and determine who is carnally-minded and
who is being led by the Spirit? Will we use that same Flesh-O-Meter on
ourselves? How about using it on the preacher at our own Church? The choir?
How about those who toss a bit of money in the offering plate – are they giving
in the flesh or by the Spirit?

What we do with God’s money is between us and God. What the receiver does
with God’s money is between HIM and God. Whether they buy a bottle of booze
or a bottle of formula to feed an orphan, it’s not our concern. Many who have
given to some of the most high-profile, polished ministries in America were
ripped-off. How do we know that our favorite preacher isn’t a closet drunk,
a porn addict or a gambling addict? We don’t. God does and He is well able to
deal with His misbehaving kids.

The book of 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outside but God looks
at the heart.” God is so much more concerned with our character than our
comfort. His goal is to conform us to the image of His Son. We who live life in
these earth suits tend to judge everything according to our five senses. That’s
why we are to walk by faith and not by sight; we are so easily deceived by that
which sparkles. A baby will more readily play with a few shining dimes than a
crumpled old $100 bill.

OWNING UP AND GROWING UP

It’s time we, The Church, recognize the error of our ways and repent. It’s time to
grow up where our giving is concerned. We can waste our money buying
playground equipment, paving church parking lots and buying gargoyles for the
cathedral, or we can follow the admonition of 3 John 5-8 (AMP) which says,
“Beloved, it is a fine and faithful work that you are doing when you give any
service to the [Christian] brethren, and [especially when they are] strangers.
They have testified before the church of your love and friendship. You will do
well to forward them on their journey [and you will please do so] in a way
worthy of God’s [service]. For these [traveling missionaries] have gone out for
the Name’s sake (for His sake) and are accepting nothing from the Gentiles (the

heathen, the non-Israelites). So we ourselves ought to support such people
[to welcome and provide for them], in order that we may be fellow workers in
the Truth (the whole Gospel) and cooperate with its teachers.”

Read that again.

Must so many toiling ministers always come with their hat in their hand? Should a
man of God be so concerned with buying food for his children while he’s trying to
minister to others? Are we, The Body of Christ, able to obey the Head – Jesus
Himself – and simply respond when they make their needs known? HINT: They
have MANY needs. Rather than wait for them to ask, are we able to simply glance
at their itinerary, or their list of needs, and send them money they need?

Friends, it’s time that we matured where our giving to the work of The Church
is concerned. We’ve all been impacted by the shyster-ministers and are fed-up
with money-grubbing televangelists. But we mustn’t let the few bad apples
spoil the whole bunch. That’s exactly what Satan intended. Too many of us
have fallen for his deceptive scheme and are, instead, sowing God’s money into
buying all kinds of other things that moths and rust will destroy while we, at
best, toss a few bucks in the direction of God’s Kingdom.

If YOU would be interested in helping some truly committed, downright awe-
inspiring people as their needs arise, send me an eMail with the word “CASH”
in the SUBJECT Bar and I’ll keep you posted when needs arise. In each case,
these will be people with whom either myself or a friend in ministry have a
relationship on some level. That should put many minds at ease.

Thank you in advance for giving to the Lord. That’s exactly Who you’re giving TO.

I like this translation from The Message, Matthew 25:37-40: “‘Master, what are
you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and
give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to
you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one
of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me–you did it to me.’”

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

A servant of God

Finance Budget 2015: Super-Flop For The Automotive Industry

The very first full-term budget of FY-16 laid down by the new central government was lack-luster for the automotive industry.

Many issues were raised in the past by the Indian automobile manufacturers, like the lowering of base interest rates on sale of cars, additional excise cuts, faster implementation of Goods and Services Tax but none of them seem to have been met apart from allocation of Goods and Services Tax.

The Finance Minister of India, Mr. Arun has stressed on the faster implementation of infrastructure projects to promote industrial growth in this budget.

Budget Details

• An assurance for speedy implementation of the Goods and Services Tax has been given by the central govt. which will bring it into effect from April 2016.This implementation will help to create an unbiased and uniform tax structure across all the various states of India.

• The excise duty was lowered by a narrow margin. Now it is 24%for the SUVs, 20% for the mid-sized cars and 27% for the large cars. For the smaller-sized cars, it has been hiked up from 12% to 12.5% this means that car prices will either remain the same or increase marginally, but will not decrease at any cost.

• Excise duty on the chassis for an Ambulance has been cut down from 24% to 12.5%.

• Corporate tax has been reduced (30% to 25%). This will help to indirectly promote growth within the automotive industry and will give them a chance to recover 5% of their funds. This tax-cut is expected to begin from next year.

• The custom duty for all fully built and imported commercial vehicles has been increased to about 20%.

• An impetus for production of green vehicles has been proposed to the tune of INR 75 crore under the Faster Adoption &Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. The excise duty discount EVS will be maintained.

• The demand to ask banks and other financial institutions to lower the interest rate on vehicles and vehicular loans has not been secured.

• INR70,000 crore will be invested in laying of about one lakh Kilometres of asphalt roads across the country especially rural areas.

To summarize, this budget was really measly for the Indian automotive industry. Nothing has become cheap for the hardworking consumers. The companies can somehow hope to recover a lost revenues due to the cut in excise duty but that will amount to INR 1000 per car only.

For companies grappling to meet their demand-supply schedule, this isn’t enough. Only a miracle can now save the automotive industry from the current turbulent state it is currently in. The chump change allocated in this budget won’t make a very big difference!

Aprit Jain is a blogger and loves to write about automobiles. He has written many articles and blogs for Mahindra Parts

Are You Losing Sleep Over Your Church’s Finances?

Over the years, I have kept coming back to the words of Edwin Friedman, “Stress comes less from overwork than from taking responsibility for the problems of others.” We can adapt these words for church finance: “Stress comes less from money challenges than from taking responsibility for the money problems of others.” So often pastors end up carrying the anxiety for church finances. Who is staying awake at night? It’s often the pastor, although I talked recently with a church treasurer who was losing sleep over whether there would be enough money in the account to pay the bills. In fact, the potential shortfall does not belong to the treasurer but to the church, but the treasurer is the one who was carrying all the anxiety

Family systems theory includes the idea of overfunctioning and underfunctioning, where some take too much responsibility, and others do not take enough responsibility. There is something of a dance between the two, a balance that gets created. In church finance, perhaps the most obvious example is the way that a small percentage of members frequently give the lion’s share of the budget. The 80/20 rule is operative here, with 20% of the congregation giving 80% of the money. Often it is 90/10, with 10% giving 90% percent.

The pattern is often at work in how the minister relates to the church financial life. This can be seen in a variety of ways: the minister may be the largest single giver to the congregation (and often no one knows that). Or, the minister accepts a salary year after year which is not adequate, because the church just cannot afford it – or, as is becoming increasingly common, takes a salary reduction to balance the budget (without necessarily a reduction in hours).

Overfunctioning can show up in other areas of church money. Some churches have one family or individual who can be relied on to rescue the budget at the end of the year. The other members can underfunction in their giving because they know (consciously or unconsciously) that someone will come to the rescue. Sometimes a church member will give a gift for a specific project, to underwrite a salary or to pay for a consultant if there is a problem. There’s nothing wrong with special gifts per per se, but sometimes they serve to relieve others of appropriate responsibility for the life of the church.

Overfunctioning is driven by anxiety. We feel anxious as to whether others are going to step forward and be responsible, and so we step in, either to help them, or to do it ourselves. The basic rule of the overfunctioning-underfunctioning reciprocity, as it’s called, is that underfunctioners do not step up to take responsibility until overfunctioners step down. For most of us who were born to overfunction, this is not easy. And when it’s in a high-anxiety area like money, it’s even more difficult.

When pastors and church leaders realize their own overfunctioning around money in church life, what should they do? First of all, it’s important simply to watch the pattern. How closely can you observe what you do? You do not even have to try to change what you do – if you begin to observe yourself. Beginning to recognize the pattern is an important first step.

What do you notice, if anything, about how you overfunction around money in church life?

Functions and Powers of the Prime Minister

Introduction

In the Parliamentary system Prime Minister is the head of the government and the whole system of the state revolves round him. He is the leader of majority party in the parliament and he is the source of power. He is more power full than the president.

Relevant provisions

Article 46,91,95 of the constitution of Pakistan.

The office of the Prime Minister according to the constitution of 1973

The Prime Minister under the constitution of 1973 is the real executive and head of the Govt. The president is merely a constitutional figurehead who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister. Infact he is the real ruler of Pakistan.

Qualifications/characteristics for the office of Prime Minister (P.M)

Citizen of Pakistan

He should be the citizen of Pakistan.
Member of National Assembly

He should be the member of National Assembly.
Should not hold any office of profit

He should not hold any office of profit in the service of Pakistan.
Ideology of Pakistan

He should believe on ideology of Pakistan.
Mentally and physically fit

He should be mentally and physically fit.

Nomination of the P.M.

The president in his discretion appoints from amongst the members of National Assembly who has command the majority of members in the house.

Election of the P.M

The members of the National Assembly elect PM, the leader of the majority party. Assembly in its first session elects speaker and Deputy Speaker and then the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister shall be elected by the majority vote of the total membership of the National Assembly.

Oath of the P.M

After election the P.M takes the oath in the presence of the president. He declares to be Muslim and the belief in the finality of Prophet (S.A.W.W) promises to act upon the Islamic ideology, to give presence to national interest, protect the constitution and be loyal with the country.

Allowances and salary of the P,M.

Prime Minister is given different allowances and salary of Rs. 56 thousands.
Term of the office

The tenure of the post of the P.M is five years.

Powers and functions of the P.M

The powers and functions of the Prime Minister are as under:-

Chief Advisor of the President

The P.M is the chief advisor of the president. The president performs his duties with the consultation of the P.M.

Formation of Cabinet

The Prime Minister after taking oath select his cabinet. Every Minister, individually and cabinet as whole are responsible for their acts to the parliament.

National Leader

The P.M is a national leader. He leads the nation and organizes the public opinion in favour of his party.

Leader of the cabinet

The PM is the leader of the cabinet. All the minister work under the supervision of the PM.

Leader of the House

The PM is the leader of the National Assembly. His proposals are honoured in the house. He expresses his views in the Assembly.

Power to confer titles and awards

The PM has power to confer titles and awards to those who show excellent performance in different field of life.

Power of appointments.

The PM has power to appoint the high ranking officials with the approval of the president of Islamic republic of Pakistan. He appoints diplomas, ministerial staff and judges of the Supreme Courts and the High Courts. He also appoints the members of National Finance Commission etc.

Financial Powers

The PM also performs finance matters. The budget is prepared under his supervision.

Public welfare

The PM works for the public welfare. He takes every possible step to improve the life style of the people of his country.

Foreign Relation

The foreign policy is prepared under his guidelines. The diplomats are appointed by the president on the recommendations of the PM.

Power of Legislation

The PM takes part in legislation. All proceedings are conducted with the consent of the PM. He plays a vital role in law making.

Administrative Duties.

The PM performs the administrative function. He is responsible for the smooth running of the affairs of the country. He maintains law and order in the country.

Defence of the country

The PM is responsible for the defence of the country. He can take step to improve the defence system of the country.

Power to Dissolve the National Assembly

The PM can ask the president to dissolve the national assembly.

Party head

The PM is the party head. He belongs to party who has majority in the house. He has his political significance.

Power to terminate ministers

The PM if not satisfied with the function of his minister he can terminate them.

Bridge between president and Cabinet

The PM is a link between president and cabinet. The PM is duty bound to inform the president about work of cabinet.

Representative of the Nation

The PM is representative of the nation in international level.
Resign of Prime Minister

The PM may tender his resignation to the president as and when he desires so. After PM has resigned all the minister shall seased to hold offices.

Termination/ Vote of no confidence against Prime Minister

Under the present procedure, a resolution for a vote of no confidence can be moved by not less than twenty percent of the total membership of the National Assembly. The resolution shall not be voted upon before the expiration of three days, from the day on which such resolution is moved in the national assembly.

Acting Prime Minister

On the death, sickness leave, resignation or foreign tour of the PM the senior minister look after the work.

Ending Remarks

While summing up it can be said that the PM is the real executive of the country. He has strong constitutional position. The PM is the Chief Advisor of president. He is the leader of the hou

« Newer posts