Primum Deus

In this episode, I share some precious personal experiences (very dear to me), about when, why, and how I became a "Promisor". Of course, I will also explain what is "Promise".

Originally presented as a seminar at the SDA Community Church, in Singapore, on Aug. 3, 2019, this podcast's audio was extracted from an amateur video, which was recorded by one of the participants. 

Glossary:

“Promise”: regular and systematic offering; an offering that is given as regularly as someone receives an income or increase, and is given under the proportional system (a percentage of the income); the percentage of the income to be given must be determined in prayer by the worshiper; that percentage is promised to God, in prayer, not to the church, or to any human being; this offering is motivated by God’s blessings, and not by appeals, sympathy for projects, or missionaries, etc; it should be given as an act of worship.

“Promisor”: someone that has promised to God to return regular and systematic offerings, as described above (given as regularly as someone receives an income or increase, and given as a percentage of that income).

To know more about Promise, click here or copy and paste the following URL in your browser: https://stewardship.adventist.org/promise-offerings

* In the episode's picture - My Mom with my sister and myself, when my parents were missionaries in a remote area near the Brazilian Pantanal, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The original video recording is still available on YouTube. You may watch ⁠it here⁠, or copy and paste the following URL on your browser: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12yeltCsiFM&feature=youtu.be ⁠

MORE PODCASTS RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT:

If it seems that your prayers are not answered, that your spiritual life is barren, without meaning, and that God does not pay attention on you or even that He doesn't love you, this podcast if for you.

Learn in this podcast how to exert faith amid darkness, and to discern between faith and feeling, because they are distinct. Learn that faith does not require correspondent feeling to be genuine; that it is exactly when feeling is absent that we are called to exercise our faith. Learn not to evaluate your faith through your feelings (which can be a very deceptive attitude).

Discover also how not to rely on feelings for your religious experience. Know that good feelings does not automatically mean God's approval, and that the opposite is also true. After all, what are the evidences that you are living by faith?

This message, presented during the General Conference Sabbath School and Stewardship Departmental Worship on November 18, 2020, is based on Hebrews 11:1 and Ellen G. White's Testimonies, Vol. 1, page 167 (https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/116.838#838).

(Para a versão em Português deste episódio, procure pelo #128 - Como Viver Pela Fé em Meio à Escuridão?)

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCASTS:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide

Are you looking for maintenance? In the story of Isaac, in Genesis 26, the Bible establishes an interesting connexion between relational generosity and material prosperity. Find out in this episode how undeserved kindness, when extended to others, may strengthen damaged relationships and open the way for God to work on our behalf, providing for our needs.

By this kind of generosity, God may guide you to the very place where He wants you to live, succeed, and testify about Him. Would you sacrifice all, surrender all, and allow Him to guide you to that very place? How to recognize His voice and obey His guidance? 

Open your Bible and your heart, as you allow God's Spirit to instruct you through His word in this episode!

You may also watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6h9sZUV90Uc

Presented originally on Nov. 29, during the 2020 Caribbean Union Conference Week of Prayer (Nov. 28-Dec 05, 2020).

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCAST EPISODES:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide

This podcast, aimed to reach pastors and church leaders, starts with a pertinent question: why to increase giving in the local church? just to have more money available for the church's budget? Would it be the right motivation? What could be a better motivation for increasing giving in the church?

The presentation suggests that regular and systematic giving (Promise) should be considered as a spiritual discipline, instead of simply as donation. If giving should generate spiritual growth, spiritual financial givers in the church should be considered as "worshipers", and not as "donors". For this reason, that presentation suggests that when offerings are promoted, there should be given more emphasis on the motivation (for giving) than on the destination (of what will be given).

The correspondent Power Presentation may be found under "Presentations by Marcos Bomfim" here: https://stewardship.adventist.org/powerpoint-presentations.

(Click here if you want to hear more about #111 - The Concept of Promise: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5WEfXFzyKz8qedGncVb4GU?si=9c5kG3FwRomNyfAQMzP5OQ. Look for the #111 and also for a link for the Power Point on the podcast description).

This seminar was presented to Stewardship Directors of the Southern Union Conference (SUC), North America Division, on November 19, 2020.

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCASTS:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide

Nutrición y Conservación de miembros es un importante tema discutido en la Iglesia Adventista, que enfrenta una desafiadora tasa de evasión de miembros en años recientes. Entonces, ¿cómo nutrir a los miembros adecuadamente para prevenir apostasia? ¿No sería apropiado desarrollar un preditor de apostasia, permitiendo a pastores proveer cuidado ministerial prioritário a los que están en mas grande riesgo? Por otro lado, ¿seria suficiente, para la vida eterna, solamente mantener a los cuerpos de los miembros en la iglesia?

En este podcast vamos a descubrir no solamente que ya existe un preditor de apostasia muy confiable, como también vamos a conocer cómo levar a los miembros de la iglesia a poner sus corazones en el cielo, en lugar de ponerlos en la iglesia solamente.

El Power Point de este podcast está disponible (en Ingles) aqui: https://stewardship.adventist.org/2019-nurture-and-retention-summit

OTROS PODCASTS EN ESPAÑOL (procura por los números):

PONENCIAS:

#145 - Padres y Hijos: Interacción para la Salvación o la Perdición

#144 - ¿Cómo Educar a los Niños para la Fidelidad?

#140 y 141 - El Espíritu Santo, Família y Misión

#135 – Diezmos y Ofrendas Cómo un Acto de Adoración

#131 – Diezmo: ¿Una Invención de la Iglesia?

#130 – La Ofrenda que le Agrada a Dios

#129 – El Crecimiento Espiritual y las Promesas de Dios

#113 – Nutrición y Conservación del Corazón (Mayordomía, Nutrición y Conservación de Miembros)

#73 – Escenario del Tiempo del Fin y la Economía (sermón)

SEMANAS DE ORACIÓN SOBRE MAYORDOMÍA:

#119 hasta #126 – Semana de Oración: Preparación en el tiempo del fin

#99 hasta #103 – Semana de Oración: El Génesis de la Mayordomía

#87 hasta #93 – Semana de Oración: Serie Espíritu Santo

Nurture and Retention has been a major issue discussed in the Adventist Church, as it is facing a worldwide challenging evasion rate during the last years. So, how to nurture members in order to prevent apostasy? Would it not be appropriate to have an apostasy predictor, allowing pastors to provide priority ministerial care for those at greater risk? On the other hand, will it be enough for eternal life, just to keep church members' bodies in the church?

In this podcast you will not only discover a very reliable church evasion predictor, but will also learn how to lead church members to set their hearts on heaven, instead of on the church only.

The correspondent Power Point for this podcast is available here: https://stewardship.adventist.org/2019-nurture-and-retention-summit

Presented to Stewardship Directors of the Southern Union Conference (SUC), North America Division, on November 19, 2020.

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCASTS:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide

In this Podcast you will learn more about "Promise," a new name for the old concept of the regular and systematic offering. Is there any biblical basis for this kind of offering? Is there any mention of it also in the writings of Ellen G. White?  (You may watch this presentation on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/wXaVzJklqRg).  

Unlike special offerings, the "Promise" offering is given as regularly as God's financial blessings are received. It is not triggered by any suggestion or request for donations from any human agent or institution, but it is triggered by God's giving. A Promisor will always give after His giving, as an act of worship, recognizing that He is always the first to give. As a way to partner with God in His plan to save the human race, a Promisor will prayerfully establish a fixed proportion of their income/increase to return to God every time there is a financial blessing (proportional system).

The regularity with which a Promisor gives is established not by the calendar, emotions, sympathy, acquaintance with good projects, mystical feelings, but by God's giving. A Promisor gives as regularly as he/she receives something from God, which leads them to recognize God as the Origin of all blessings. Instead of a donor, the Promisor giver identifies himself or herself as a worshiper.

They don't give to be recognized as philanthropists or benefactors. They give simply because they were given before, reminding themselves that every giving starts with God.

You may download the Power Point of this presentation here: https://stewardship.adventist.org/powerpoints-on-promise (copy and paste the link on your browser).

Find more about "Promise" here, or by copying and pasting the following link on your browser: https://stewardship.adventist.org/promise-offerings.

Presented during the EUD Stewardship (virtual) Advisory, November 19, 2020.

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCASTS:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide

What is the main focus and the strategy proposed for the General Conference Stewardship Ministries Department for the years 2020-2025? Find here the Power Point and more resources about the GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation (https://stewardship.adventist.org/strategic-plan). Also available here is the General Conference "I Will Go" Strategic Plan (https://iwillgo2020.org/).

Presented during the SID Stewardship Advisory, on November 16, 2020.

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCASTS:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide

What does it mean to trust and then to be saved by grace? Why do I need that provision? Learn about the advantages of believing and submitting your life to Jesus and giving Him complete control (which is the concept of Stewardship).

MORE ENGLISH STEWARDSHIP PODCASTS:

#117 – My Testimony: Why and How I Became a Promisor

#116 – How to Live by Faith Amid Darkness

#115 – Relational Generosity and Material Prosperity (Sermon)

#114 – How to Increase Giving in your Church?

#112 – Nurture and Heart Retention

#111 – The ‘Promise’ Concept

#110 – 2020-2025 GC Stewardship Strategic Orientation

#109 – Invited to Trust

#108 – To Trust Him More – A Call for a Renewal of Vows

#107 – Integrity and Finances in the Time of the End

#106 – Christ’s Solution for Chaos

#56 – Enterprises in a Time of Crisis

#52 – Only Needs, or Also Desires? Four Conditions for God to Provide