PART ONE - Review
The “Blessed life” is characterized by GENEROSITY..
2 Corinthians 8..
The Macedonian church we an extremely poor church who were under fierce pressures, yet were outrageously generous.
The Bible says…. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians.
They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor.
6 simple lessons:
Everybody can be Generous.
Generosity is Evidence of God at work in you.
Generosity opportunities are not always timely.
Generosity is the result of Revelation from God
Generosity leads to Purity of heart.
Generosity is a privilege and spontaneous
BLESSED NOT STRESSED….PART TWO
John 3:16 For God "So Loved" the "World" that He "Gave"..
The Churches command is to go into ALL the World and make disciples.
- God’s plan is to use the church to go into “ALL the World”...
- The Church is to be a Blessing to the World
“If God’s desire is for you to live Blessed not Stressed, then it is God’s desire for the Church to live Blessed not Stressed.”
There are many Biblical principles and practices for us to adopt and live by. The practice flows from the principle which attracts the blessing.
Personal Blessing
Jeremiah 17:7 But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
Proverbs 16:20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers
Deuteronomy 30:16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Collective Blessing
Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
TITHING
Tithing is essentially giving a tenth of your income to God.
· It was established before the Law
· The tithe is Holy.
· The tithe belongs to God
· It transcends the law and It is found in the New Testament. Luke 11:42
· The OT practice was based in Law and was done out of a “Have To” approach
· The principle was perfected in the NT by the Law of Grace and moves from a “Have To” to a “Love To” attitude
1. Giving is a Grace
2 Cor 8:7
7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
· Just as you freely receive by grace, therefore you can freely give, by grace.
· Giving is a Grace that has been given to you, just as love is a grace by which we operate by.
· Salvation is a Gift of Grace.
· The extension of Grace toward ourselves and others is linked to our revelation of own personal salvation.
”Tithing is an Act of gratitude responding to the Gift of salvation." - RT Kendall
2. Forgiveness flows from Giving
Luke 6
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
- As giving is an Extention of the Grace of God. As you extend forgiveness, you are “for” the extention of the Grace of God to others.
3. Freely Receive to Freely Give.
Luke 19
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.
8 Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
”If you struggle in the area of joyful giving you could actually struggle in the area of receiving.”
When we understand Grace, we understand freedom. Giving does not become an issue when we understand GRACE.
4. Money represents “Unredeemed Time.”
Tithing: “Gods Plan for the Church to live Blessed and NOT Stressed..”
“If all Christians tithe there would be no such thing as poverty.”