WEBVTT 00:00:13.070 --> 00:00:15.949 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:15.949 --> 00:00:19.530 or to give online, please go to hcv .church slash 00:00:19.530 --> 00:00:23.719 connect or hcv .church slash give. If at any 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:25.960 point during this message you feel called to 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:28.820 make a change in your life, text change me to 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:33.380 97000. Now enjoy the message. Good to see you 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:36.200 guys. Just like our first gathering, a loud, 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:38.659 vibrant response. So good to see you. If you're 00:00:38.659 --> 00:00:40.740 joining us from home, thank you for welcoming 00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:43.740 us into your space. It's so good to be home, 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:47.039 to be back in the saddle. We had a great vacation. 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:50.469 I'm rested. And I'm ready to jump back into advancing 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:55.130 the kingdom of God. Dare I say, friends, that 00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:58.009 God is moving in our community of faith. Last 00:00:58.009 --> 00:01:01.609 Sunday, I attended our annual pool party and 00:01:01.609 --> 00:01:08.870 baptism, and we baptized 52 people. 52 people 00:01:08.870 --> 00:01:14.290 publicly declared that they are now following 00:01:14.290 --> 00:01:17.530 Jesus. Last night, We saw hundreds of people 00:01:17.530 --> 00:01:21.450 gather to declare they were all in for our worship 00:01:21.450 --> 00:01:24.450 night and back to school bash where we prayed 00:01:24.450 --> 00:01:27.290 over the teachers and the students so that they 00:01:27.290 --> 00:01:31.659 would go be a light into their schools. It's 00:01:31.659 --> 00:01:34.000 funny, you're away on vacation and you don't 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.599 realize how much you miss it until you attend 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:40.560 a baptism like that. Last Sunday evening, Jess 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.579 and I were sitting in bed and we were just discussing 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:46.299 what we saw and how we experienced it. We had 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:49.200 three people from our Hagerstown health care 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:52.180 location, God bless you guys, that got baptized 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:55.599 in their wheelchairs. And we literally found 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.780 ourselves in our bed talking and weeping over 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:03.969 the experience. excitement and the joy of pastoring 00:02:03.969 --> 00:02:06.870 a church that's seeing people come into a relationship 00:02:06.870 --> 00:02:10.949 with God. It's so exciting to be a part of. A 00:02:10.949 --> 00:02:14.210 big thank you to Stephen and Rhett and Rudy for 00:02:14.210 --> 00:02:16.710 stepping in and leading our Sunday gatherings 00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:20.050 in my absence. It's so refreshing to know that 00:02:20.050 --> 00:02:23.150 I can take a break and trust that God is going 00:02:23.150 --> 00:02:26.469 to mightily use each of them in a special way. 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:29.840 So this morning, Pastor's picks for the month 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:33.719 of August continues, and I have chosen to spend 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:37.520 the final two weeks of August focusing on money, 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:43.900 finances, and stuff. Now, some of you, right, 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:46.599 you're sitting there, and immediately upon hearing 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:48.740 that topic, you're thinking, come on, Chris. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:51.680 You just got back from vacation, and you're going 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:58.900 to talk about money in church. Well. Money impacts 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:02.139 every area of our life. If we're to think about 00:03:02.139 --> 00:03:05.520 an ordinary day of each of our lives, like an 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:08.120 ordinary day, like tomorrow being Monday, money 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:11.180 is a big part of it. We spend our day accumulating 00:03:11.180 --> 00:03:14.680 or trying to earn money. We spend other parts 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:18.719 of our day spending our money. And then the rest 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:21.659 of the day, or at least a big large portion of 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:24.819 it, are the worries that come along that is associated 00:03:24.819 --> 00:03:30.330 with... Money. So if we're honest, money consumes 00:03:30.330 --> 00:03:33.050 a lot of our lives. And see, once we begin to 00:03:33.050 --> 00:03:37.110 follow Jesus, he invites us to make him Lord 00:03:37.110 --> 00:03:39.530 of our life. And some of you are thinking, what's 00:03:39.530 --> 00:03:41.889 that mean? Well, it just means he becomes the 00:03:41.889 --> 00:03:44.590 number one priority in our life. And this includes 00:03:44.590 --> 00:03:48.530 everything. Not just our spiritual life of prayer 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:51.909 and Bible reading and worship, meditation, encouragement 00:03:51.909 --> 00:03:55.000 on Sunday mornings or in groups. See, our relationship 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.120 with Jesus is to be holistic. It's to include 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:01.599 all of our lives, our relationships, our children, 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:04.199 our jobs, our service, our hobbies, our sports, 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:09.759 and yes, even our money. But there's a tendency 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:14.240 for us to separate our finances from our relationship 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:17.759 with Jesus. See, quite often as people, we want 00:04:17.759 --> 00:04:20.459 to hold on to our money with a clenched fist. 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:23.279 But when we try to control our money and our 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:26.459 finances and our own strength, we quickly learn 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:29.920 it's to our detriment when we try to handle money 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:32.860 independent of God. Because after all, we have 00:04:32.860 --> 00:04:37.439 a heavenly father that is a good father. We have 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:41.699 a savior that is very, very wise. We have the 00:04:41.699 --> 00:04:44.819 Holy Spirit which reveals God's plans and purpose 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:49.860 to us every single day. In fact, As you read 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:52.199 through the gospels, you quickly realize that 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:55.160 Jesus' instructions for how we should live our 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:58.779 everyday lives, he promises it will release abundance 00:04:58.779 --> 00:05:03.100 into our life. Why would we not want abundance 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:06.839 for our finances? Now please understand, I've 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:09.839 been pastoring this church for 19 years now, 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:12.540 and probably for the first 12 or 13 years, I 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:17.240 very rarely spoke about money. And it wasn't 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.740 because... I didn't think money was a valuable 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:23.100 topic. Rather, I didn't want the perception of 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:26.540 our community of faith or our church to be the 00:05:26.540 --> 00:05:29.920 one that they just want my stuff. They want my 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:33.600 money. Rather, I wanted our perception as a church, 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:35.720 as a community of faith to be, no, they give 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:39.399 it all away to serve people and to see our community 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:42.240 of faith be a change agent for God's kingdom. 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.360 However, over the last five or six years, God 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:49.439 has been changing my life. And I've gained an 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:51.540 understanding of the importance of this topic 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:55.420 in the church, which is you and me. Because, 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:58.500 just like I said earlier, it impacts our everyday 00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:01.740 lives. So these next two Sundays are all about 00:06:01.740 --> 00:06:06.060 what God wants for you in the area of your finances. 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.279 Not what we want from you, but what God wants 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:13.389 for you. And in order for us to understand the 00:06:13.389 --> 00:06:16.470 importance of our finances and our everyday lives, 00:06:16.730 --> 00:06:20.949 we have to see life differently. We have to see 00:06:20.949 --> 00:06:25.269 and look through life with a kingdom lens. Now 00:06:25.269 --> 00:06:27.889 this past Monday, I had an eye appointment with 00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:30.529 the eye doctor. And as I was going through the 00:06:30.529 --> 00:06:34.410 tests, I quickly realized that I was losing my 00:06:34.410 --> 00:06:39.069 sight. I couldn't even read the first line on 00:06:39.069 --> 00:06:41.829 the first card. Now, I didn't know this, but 00:06:41.829 --> 00:06:45.709 he had to switch down a card so it was like jumbo 00:06:45.709 --> 00:06:49.089 -sized letters so I could read the first line. 00:06:49.750 --> 00:06:53.850 Now, after struggling to read these lines, they 00:06:53.850 --> 00:06:56.189 drop down the medical machine, you know, that 00:06:56.189 --> 00:06:58.129 makes you feel like you're putting on Iron Man's 00:06:58.129 --> 00:07:02.110 armor. And they begin to flip through the lenses, 00:07:02.170 --> 00:07:06.550 and they ask you questions like one or three 00:07:06.550 --> 00:07:13.120 or... So you've been to the eye doctor. Then 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:16.079 by the end of the session, I could see clear. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:18.839 I was like, I was in my arm romance. I was like, 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:21.160 oh my gosh, Iron Man, I'm healed. I could see. 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:25.439 Only to learn from the doctor that I should be 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:28.959 wearing glasses all the time, every single day. 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:32.319 So next week, you will see me sporting a new 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:35.839 look for the foreseeable future. But what if 00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:39.720 today... we take a look at the lens of our financial 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:43.920 life. And we see that our lens for giving determines 00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:48.139 something about our life's pace, our life's spending, 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:53.019 and the outlook that we have. What if a clearer 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:56.300 vision for giving creates a clearer vision for 00:07:56.300 --> 00:08:00.220 living our life because our focus impacts our 00:08:00.220 --> 00:08:03.519 function? How we see life, how we walk through 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:08.019 life, it impacts who we are. And to see our finances 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:10.800 through a new lens, we have to see our giving 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.500 through a kingdom lens. And we will achieve this 00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:17.240 by understanding what the Bible says about our 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:19.759 finances. Now, before I jump into these new lenses, 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:23.079 let's first answer a simple question this morning. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:26.220 Why give? All right, Chris, I'm tracking with 00:08:26.220 --> 00:08:28.899 you. Why should I give? Now, I'm going to miff 00:08:28.899 --> 00:08:31.600 through these points rather quickly so that we 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:34.100 have an understanding, a foundation, if you will. 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:37.519 that God has something to say in the area of 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:41.740 our finances. First, giving makes us more like 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:45.559 God. Giving makes us more like God. John 3, 16, 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:48.179 for this is how God loved the world. He gave. 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:52.059 Everyone say, He gave. His one and only Son, 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:53.840 so that everyone who believes in Him will not 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:56.600 perish but have eternal life. See, God set the 00:08:56.600 --> 00:08:59.740 example for all of us, not just us in the church, 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:03.210 but outside of the church. By allowing his son 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:06.570 to die so that humanity can have a relationship 00:09:06.570 --> 00:09:10.409 with the creator. God was the first to give. 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:14.889 Next, giving draws us close to God. Matthew 6, 00:09:14.950 --> 00:09:18.809 21. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires 00:09:18.809 --> 00:09:22.470 of your heart will also be. You know, I mentioned 00:09:22.470 --> 00:09:24.809 earlier that money and finances, they consume 00:09:24.809 --> 00:09:28.629 a lot of our day. They can also consume our entire 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:32.049 life. If we allow them to. And Jesus here challenges 00:09:32.049 --> 00:09:38.370 us. Prioritize him first. Giving is the remedy 00:09:38.370 --> 00:09:41.970 for materialism. 1 Timothy 6 .18 Tell them to 00:09:41.970 --> 00:09:44.470 use their money to do good. They should be rich 00:09:44.470 --> 00:09:46.210 in good works and generous to those in need. 00:09:46.289 --> 00:09:49.590 Always being ready to share with others. Materialism 00:09:49.590 --> 00:09:53.750 is rampant in our society. Two words. Storage 00:09:53.750 --> 00:09:59.179 bins. Or sea containers. We need to break the 00:09:59.179 --> 00:10:04.259 chains of materialism. Giving strengthens our 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:07.440 faith. Proverbs 3, 5, and 9. Trust in the Lord 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:10.500 with all your heart. Do not depend on your own 00:10:10.500 --> 00:10:12.580 understanding. In other words, don't make financial 00:10:12.580 --> 00:10:15.320 decisions on your own. Honor the Lord with your 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:19.740 wealth and with the best part of everything you 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:29.779 produce. In other words, the first fruits. Giving 00:10:29.779 --> 00:10:32.580 invests in God's kingdom, 1 Timothy 6 .19. By 00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:35.179 doing this, they will be storing up their treasure 00:10:35.179 --> 00:10:38.419 as a good foundation for the future so that they 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:42.000 may experience true life. See, God's kingdom 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:46.139 is the only kingdom worth investing in. Because 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:51.100 in the end, that's all that matters. Giving blesses 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:53.600 us in return, Luke 6 .38. Give and you will receive. 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:56.210 Your gift will return to you in full, pressed 00:10:56.210 --> 00:10:58.129 down, shaken together to make room for more, 00:10:58.210 --> 00:11:01.970 running over, poured into your lap. The amount 00:11:01.970 --> 00:11:04.730 you give will determine the amount you get back. 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:09.129 Jesus promises all of us that our giving will 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:12.909 result in a life of abundance, of joy. Because 00:11:12.909 --> 00:11:16.409 finally, giving releases joy, Acts 20, 35. You 00:11:16.409 --> 00:11:18.070 should remember the words of the Lord Jesus. 00:11:18.169 --> 00:11:23.080 It is more blessed to give than to receive. Now 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.080 that word blessed quite often is misunderstood. 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:27.960 Because when we think of blessed, we think, oh, 00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:31.360 I have more stuff. But blessed is actually defined 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:35.320 as to be made holy or consecrated, endowed with 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:40.220 divine favor and protection. And the Greek definition 00:11:40.220 --> 00:11:42.600 of the word blessed comes from the word makarios, 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.240 which describes a follower of Jesus as being 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:52.070 the receiver of God's provisions or favor. of 00:11:52.070 --> 00:11:55.570 being an extension of his grace. And notice that 00:11:55.570 --> 00:11:59.889 happens when we give, not when we take or we 00:11:59.889 --> 00:12:03.070 get. Which leads us now, let's change those lenses 00:12:03.070 --> 00:12:06.470 to discussing seeing giving or finances through 00:12:06.470 --> 00:12:10.389 a kingdom lens. Five different lenses that will 00:12:10.389 --> 00:12:14.690 transform our whole mindset on giving. And first 00:12:14.690 --> 00:12:18.809 is the inspired giving lens. The inspired... 00:12:19.389 --> 00:12:22.549 Giving lens is the moment in our life when we 00:12:22.549 --> 00:12:24.730 see someone, not necessarily someone that we 00:12:24.730 --> 00:12:28.309 know, in need, and suddenly our heart leaps within 00:12:28.309 --> 00:12:31.450 our chest and our conscience speaks to meet that 00:12:31.450 --> 00:12:34.789 need. You're behind someone in Walmart that's 00:12:34.789 --> 00:12:37.190 checking out, they're counting coins, they're 00:12:37.190 --> 00:12:39.750 setting stuff aside that they can't purchase 00:12:39.750 --> 00:12:43.070 because they don't have enough money, and immediately 00:12:43.070 --> 00:12:45.809 you say, put it on my bill. I want to meet that 00:12:45.809 --> 00:12:50.279 need. That is the inspired. Giving lens. What 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:53.480 just happened? Our heart was inspired. The Holy 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:56.639 Spirit spoke to us to meet the need, to make 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:01.039 a difference, to give to someone else. Paul, 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:03.879 writing to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:08.919 8, 7 -12, writes these words to all of us. Since 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:12.580 you excel in so many ways, in your faith, your 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:14.740 gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:18.799 and your love from us, I want you to excel, everyone 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:24.440 say excel, also in this gracious act of giving. 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:27.620 Now I'm not commanding you to do this, but I 00:13:27.620 --> 00:13:30.620 am testing how genuine your love is by comparing 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:32.399 it with the eagerness of the other churches. 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:35.340 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:38.659 Christ, though he was rich, yet... For your sakes, 00:13:38.700 --> 00:13:41.799 he became poor so that by his poverty, he could 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:44.980 make you rich. Here's my advice. It would be 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:46.919 good for you to finish what you started a year 00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:50.440 ago. Last year, you were the first who wanted 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:53.460 to give, and you were the first to begin doing 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:56.879 it. Now you should finish what you started. Let 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:58.879 the eagerness you showed in the beginning be 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:02.080 matched now by your giving. Give in proportion 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:05.059 to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:08.279 if you give it eagerly. And give according to 00:14:08.279 --> 00:14:11.379 what you have, not what you don't have. A few 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:13.919 things I want us to notice from these words. 00:14:13.980 --> 00:14:18.820 First, Paul promises us nothing in response to 00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:21.820 our giving. Notice, he doesn't say, when you 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:24.659 give, God's going to rain down gold bars from 00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:28.480 heaven. He doesn't say anything about God blessing 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:32.840 us. Why? Because we don't give to get, we get 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:37.080 to give. reminds the church of their initial 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:40.840 excitement to give, to make a difference. Now 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:43.700 he wants to compel them, to inspire them, to 00:14:43.700 --> 00:14:46.799 continue to live in that way every single day. 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.139 And he even writes, I'm not commanding you to 00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:54.460 do this. Rather, I'm testing your hearts. I'm 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:57.940 testing your attitude on giving. Paul says to 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:01.559 give based on what you have, not what you don't 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:05.000 have. That's freedom for many of us. See, when 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.620 we gather together, there should never be this 00:15:07.620 --> 00:15:09.899 feeling of shame or guilt around the area of 00:15:09.899 --> 00:15:13.840 giving. This is why I tell you what to give. 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:15.759 I don't tell you, hey, you give this amount. 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:18.860 I say be convicted by the Holy Spirit and allow 00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:22.279 him to tell you what to give. We are simply called 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.840 to steward what God gives us. We can't be comparing 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:30.419 our giving to what others give. Some of us steward 00:15:30.419 --> 00:15:34.350 a lot more than others of us. Our goal should 00:15:34.350 --> 00:15:38.309 be participation in the kingdom of God. An inspired 00:15:38.309 --> 00:15:40.429 giving lens is one where we're participating 00:15:40.429 --> 00:15:46.049 with HTV to give God and his kingdom the opportunity 00:15:46.049 --> 00:15:49.450 to advance throughout the tri -state area. A 00:15:49.450 --> 00:15:51.590 question we can ask ourselves today around the 00:15:51.590 --> 00:15:55.450 inspired giving lens is, what does God want me 00:15:55.450 --> 00:16:01.509 to do with my stuff? Whose stuff is it? Ah, now 00:16:01.509 --> 00:16:03.330 in a room like this, we're going to say, oh yeah, 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:10.129 it's all God's. Oh, it's all God's. But here's 00:16:10.129 --> 00:16:13.730 reality. Typically, when referencing what we 00:16:13.730 --> 00:16:17.610 own, it's my stuff. And I'm going to do with 00:16:17.610 --> 00:16:21.190 it what I want. So the question is, what are 00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:23.450 you doing with it? Which leads us to our next 00:16:23.450 --> 00:16:27.269 lens, the obedient giving lens. See, we move 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:29.850 from the inspired giving lens, the initial step, 00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:32.529 Of the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts to 00:16:32.529 --> 00:16:35.690 meet a need to make a decision to consistently 00:16:35.690 --> 00:16:40.929 and obediently give to God's kingdom. Paul continues 00:16:40.929 --> 00:16:43.230 to write to the church in Corinth and he writes 00:16:43.230 --> 00:16:47.549 this. 2 Corinthians 9, 6 -8. Remember this. A 00:16:47.549 --> 00:16:50.289 farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a 00:16:50.289 --> 00:16:53.289 small crop. But the one who plants generously 00:16:53.289 --> 00:16:56.990 will get a generous crop. And remember though, 00:16:57.029 --> 00:16:58.750 I want to pause there. Remember what Paul said 00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:03.059 earlier. based on what you have, not on what 00:17:03.059 --> 00:17:05.819 you don't have. See, God is not keeping a chart 00:17:05.819 --> 00:17:08.039 in heaven of who gives a lot and who gives a 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:11.559 little. Let's continue. You must each decide 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:14.859 in your own heart how much to give. Don't give 00:17:14.859 --> 00:17:18.380 reluctantly in response to pressure, for God 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:21.680 loves a person who gives tearfully. I want to 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.319 pause there for just a second. As I was reading 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:29.779 those words this week, I began to ponder. about 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:33.640 our offering time, about the opportunity that's 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:38.400 given to us to give back to God. What if, on 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.799 a Sunday morning gathering, we actually cheerfully 00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.220 gave with excitement? In other words, Rhett prays 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:47.500 for the offering, the welcome team starts to 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:49.940 collect, and people are saying, yeah, let's go! 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.640 Could you imagine that? Now, some of you are 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:57.539 thinking, Chris, that's a little weird. I've 00:17:57.539 --> 00:18:03.700 never seen that in a church before. But my question 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:10.119 is, why not? Because Paul's words just said God 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:16.119 loves a cheerful giver, an excited giver. That 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.519 actually should be our response every single 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:21.740 Sunday. I shouldn't have to manipulate you by 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:24.640 passing a basket around to think, oh man, I've 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:28.319 got to give. No, we should be excited and passionate 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:34.700 and happy about our gift. Maybe next week. Continuing 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:39.359 on. And God will generously provide. Notice, 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:41.380 when we're cheerfully giving, what's he going 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:44.339 to do? Provide for everything we need. Then you 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:46.079 will always have everything you need and plenty 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.440 left over to share with others. So in this letter, 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:52.799 Paul is challenging the people to first, right, 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:57.329 give. Cheerfully. Be excited about it. But if 00:18:57.329 --> 00:18:59.809 you were to read the whole letter, you have to 00:18:59.809 --> 00:19:01.650 remember, Paul is writing this letter to the 00:19:01.650 --> 00:19:04.769 very first church. So the people in this church, 00:19:04.950 --> 00:19:06.849 they're new believers. They're trying to figure 00:19:06.849 --> 00:19:09.529 out this Jesus thing. Right? He's telling them, 00:19:09.529 --> 00:19:12.190 get rid of sin. Get rid of infidelity. Get rid 00:19:12.190 --> 00:19:14.930 of greed. Be respectful to one another. Pray 00:19:14.930 --> 00:19:17.630 for one another. But he wastes no time in addressing 00:19:17.630 --> 00:19:21.069 the issue of money. Why? Because Paul knew what 00:19:21.069 --> 00:19:23.859 Jesus taught. That money should be a blessing, 00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:29.039 not a burden for our lives. Right? We don't give 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:32.240 out of compulsion or guilt. We give out of the 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:35.720 blessings that God gives us every single day. 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:41.380 Consistency, church, is important in life. I 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:45.880 am a person of habits. I love my habits because 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:50.170 I've learned that habits change my life. Right? 00:19:50.250 --> 00:19:55.009 I'm healthy. I made exercise a priority. I eat 00:19:55.009 --> 00:19:58.430 right. I take care of myself. I have made that 00:19:58.430 --> 00:20:01.910 a habit and a consistent pattern in my life. 00:20:02.029 --> 00:20:05.269 Because, see, consistency over time changes our 00:20:05.269 --> 00:20:08.930 desires. That's why Jess and I, right, we have 00:20:08.930 --> 00:20:11.890 our offering or our tithe taken out of our paychecks 00:20:11.890 --> 00:20:14.329 before we even receive our pay. Like, it's gone. 00:20:14.940 --> 00:20:19.099 10 % gone because we want to give above and beyond 00:20:19.099 --> 00:20:22.160 what God has set an example of what giving should 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.839 be. We want to be generous givers. And the same 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:29.920 happens in our relationship with Jesus. Right? 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:33.059 What is the sign of a mature believer or a mature 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:35.920 follower of God? Let me tell you what it's not. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:39.079 It's not that you can quote 41 verses of the 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:42.430 Bible. It's not that you can give me an interpretation 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:44.730 of Revelation chapter 3 or when the end times 00:20:44.730 --> 00:20:48.549 are coming. It's not that you can fast four weeks 00:20:48.549 --> 00:20:51.390 out of the year. It's not even that you're on 00:20:51.390 --> 00:20:54.869 the prayer team. None of those. The sign of a 00:20:54.869 --> 00:20:58.009 mature believer is consistent obedience over 00:20:58.009 --> 00:21:01.789 the course of your life. Being an example of 00:21:01.789 --> 00:21:04.289 Jesus by your words and your actions to your 00:21:04.289 --> 00:21:07.740 family, your friends, and your community. And 00:21:07.740 --> 00:21:10.319 see, obedience is the key to experiencing the 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:14.819 life of abundance that Jesus promised. A question 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:17.920 we can ask ourselves regarding this lens, what 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:21.759 do I do with God's stuff? Because see, what you're 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.039 going to learn is, these five lenses, they're 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:27.259 a trajectory that changes our very outlook. First 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:29.359 we ask, what do I do with my stuff? Now we're 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:33.220 asking, what do I do with God's stuff? Because 00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:36.019 when we recognize that it's all God's, then we 00:21:36.019 --> 00:21:38.660 begin to change, which leads us to our next giving 00:21:38.660 --> 00:21:42.619 lens, the intentional giving lens. Jesus speaking 00:21:42.619 --> 00:21:46.259 to us in Luke chapter 14, verses 28 to 30. But 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:49.920 don't begin until you count the cost. For you 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:51.859 would begin construction of a building without 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:54.680 first calculating the cost to see if there's 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:57.700 enough money to finish it. Otherwise, you might 00:21:57.700 --> 00:21:59.779 complete and leave the foundation before running 00:21:59.779 --> 00:22:01.559 out of money, and then everyone would laugh at 00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:04.670 you. They would say, there's the person who started 00:22:04.670 --> 00:22:06.910 that building and couldn't afford to finish it. 00:22:07.170 --> 00:22:11.210 We have to be intentional in terms of our giving. 00:22:11.849 --> 00:22:15.390 We have to consider that God has blessed us with 00:22:15.390 --> 00:22:19.509 everything in his life. Now my giving has to 00:22:19.509 --> 00:22:21.750 reflect what God has done for me. Why is this 00:22:21.750 --> 00:22:24.509 important? This is very important because we 00:22:24.509 --> 00:22:28.750 all live in a culture that tells us we need this 00:22:28.750 --> 00:22:32.519 to be happy. We live in the Amazon Prime, one 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:36.859 -click, buy -it -now world. You're lying in bed. 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.519 You can't fall asleep. Your pillow is hard. It's 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:42.920 so uncomfortable. It's 1 o 'clock in the morning. 00:22:42.980 --> 00:22:45.740 You wake up. You go to Amazon Prime. You watch 00:22:45.740 --> 00:22:48.160 the video. This pillow will change your life 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:53.569 forever. It's cooling, it's soft, you will sleep 00:22:53.569 --> 00:22:56.390 like you never have before. With this one click, 00:22:56.410 --> 00:23:01.269 for $125, your life will be changed. It arrives 00:23:01.269 --> 00:23:03.849 in two days, you sleep on it in one night, only 00:23:03.849 --> 00:23:06.769 to realize the $16 Walmart pillow is just as 00:23:06.769 --> 00:23:12.549 good. Every time you check out a store, if you 00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:16.529 still go to a store, what do you see? More stuff 00:23:16.529 --> 00:23:21.420 for you to buy while you wait in line. A question 00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:25.079 to ponder for the obedient giving lens is, what 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:31.039 am I giving to God, if anything? God is challenging 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:34.299 us that giving is important and is a priority, 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:36.980 which leads us to our next lens, our fourth lens, 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:40.680 the spiritual giving lens. Now I'll be expanding 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:43.859 on these verses from David next Sunday when I 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:48.240 discuss and break down his prayer. 2 Samuel 24, 00:23:48.460 --> 00:23:51.539 24 reads, I will give it all to you, your majesty, 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:55.220 and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice. 00:23:55.380 --> 00:23:59.279 But the king replied. So David, he was looking 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:02.809 for a place to make a sacrifice to God. He finds 00:24:02.809 --> 00:24:05.130 this man that was willing to give him his land 00:24:05.130 --> 00:24:07.869 and give him everything he needed to make this 00:24:07.869 --> 00:24:11.609 sacrifice. But notice David's response. No, I 00:24:11.609 --> 00:24:14.349 insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt 00:24:14.349 --> 00:24:17.630 offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me 00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:21.609 nothing. So David paid him 50 pieces of silver 00:24:21.609 --> 00:24:26.289 for the threshing floor and the oxen. David is 00:24:26.289 --> 00:24:29.569 not going to make a sacrifice to God, right? 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:34.359 Based on someone giving him the sacrifice. He 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:37.359 purchases the land. He purchases the material 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:40.900 to build the altar. He purchases what he needs 00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:44.000 to make the sacrifice. Then he makes the sacrifice. 00:24:44.599 --> 00:24:48.119 David made prayerful consideration. Before he 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:50.680 made the offering before God. Because that offering 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:55.119 cost him something. This is important. Because 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.180 in our spend it now culture. That says hey you 00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:01.559 earned it. Spend it on whatever you want, however 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:06.039 you want, even if it means going into debt. Let's 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:08.920 be honest. Living on a budget and prioritizing 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:12.119 giving rather than receiving goes against what 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:14.799 our society believes. It goes against everything 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:17.660 that our society believes. But when we separate 00:25:17.660 --> 00:25:19.779 our finances from our spiritual life, you know 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:22.819 what that is? That's manipulation. That's control. 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:27.079 You're controlling your own life. When we remove 00:25:27.079 --> 00:25:29.660 the voice of the Holy Spirit to speak to our 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:32.500 hearts about our finances and our giving, then 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:34.640 we make it about our jobs, we make it about me, 00:25:34.819 --> 00:25:37.220 we make it about our families, and we take God 00:25:37.220 --> 00:25:41.140 out of the equation. But when we allow the Holy 00:25:41.140 --> 00:25:45.039 Spirit to control our finances, right, when our 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:47.960 giving is surrendering control of our finances 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:50.920 to God, it changes everything, Proverbs 3, 9 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:54.660 through 10. Honor the Lord with your wealth and 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:58.759 with the best part, the best part of everything 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:02.740 you produce. Then he will fill your barns with 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:06.279 grain and your vats will overflow with good wine. 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:09.680 Now for the last six months, Jess and I have 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:12.259 been doing a two -year financial stewardship 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:15.279 initiative through Vineyard USA. Vineyard USA 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:18.619 got a $5 million grant from the Lilly Foundation. 00:26:19.470 --> 00:26:22.190 So that their pastors, all the pastors in our 00:26:22.190 --> 00:26:25.029 movement, can go through a two -year financial 00:26:25.029 --> 00:26:29.029 stewardship initiative where we learn about budgeting, 00:26:29.250 --> 00:26:31.250 where we learn about investing, where we learn 00:26:31.250 --> 00:26:34.569 about retirement, so that as we get older, we 00:26:34.569 --> 00:26:38.089 actually have something to live for. Now, a part 00:26:38.089 --> 00:26:41.730 of this initiative, we actually have a financial 00:26:41.730 --> 00:26:46.089 coach that meets with us every single month. 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:49.480 James and Amberlee Rich, our financial coaches, 00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:52.599 are actually coming to the East Coast and will 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:56.559 be at HTV for a weekend seminar coming up in 00:26:56.559 --> 00:27:00.339 September. We're calling it Money Talks. It will 00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:02.819 be a Friday night and a Saturday morning to early 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:06.789 afternoon. Child care will be provided. And they 00:27:06.789 --> 00:27:09.069 will be sharing the ins and outs of what it looks 00:27:09.069 --> 00:27:12.529 like to budget, to live within your means, to 00:27:12.529 --> 00:27:15.890 give and to give extravagantly, to see the kingdom 00:27:15.890 --> 00:27:19.029 of God forcefully advance. I want to encourage 00:27:19.029 --> 00:27:21.690 all of you, if you have an opportunity to jump 00:27:21.690 --> 00:27:24.190 in on that weekend, be a part of it. You can 00:27:24.190 --> 00:27:27.210 sign up at the Welcome Hub. We already have it 00:27:27.210 --> 00:27:29.690 happening during our first gathering. We had 00:27:29.690 --> 00:27:32.630 several families already signed up. It's an important 00:27:32.630 --> 00:27:36.759 part of who we are. A question. for all of us 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:40.400 to ponder based on this lens. What does God want 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:43.819 me to give out of what he has provided? See how 00:27:43.819 --> 00:27:45.880 we're changing the questions. We're changing 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:50.700 our outlook. This question now focuses on stewardship. 00:27:50.759 --> 00:27:54.160 Not my stuff, but God's stuff. That God is in 00:27:54.160 --> 00:27:56.799 control of every area of our life. Because remember, 00:27:57.019 --> 00:28:00.599 God provided the job. God provides the income. 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:06.200 God desires that we give. Which leads us to our 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:10.299 final giving lens, the surrendered giving lens. 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:14.619 Paul, writing to his young protege Timothy, writes 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:17.920 these words. And it's rather lengthy, but I feel 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:20.960 that it really speaks to where we are as a culture. 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:26.660 1 Timothy 6, 6 -19. Yet true godliness with contentment 00:28:26.660 --> 00:28:30.839 is itself great wealth. Notice that. Notice how 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:32.460 he starts it off. You should be content with 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:35.920 what you have. That that's godliness. After all, 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:38.019 we brought nothing with us when we came into 00:28:38.019 --> 00:28:40.259 the world, and we can't take anything with us 00:28:40.259 --> 00:28:42.019 when we leave it. I've done a lot of funerals, 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:44.099 and I've never seen a hearse pulling a U -Haul. 00:28:46.099 --> 00:28:49.720 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:52.880 be content. But to people who long to be rich 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:55.119 fall into temptation or trap by many foolish 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:57.940 and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin 00:28:57.940 --> 00:29:00.640 and destruction. For the love of money, notice 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:03.480 that it says the love of money, not money. It's 00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:05.380 the root of all kinds of evil. And some people 00:29:05.380 --> 00:29:08.039 craving money have wandered from the true faith 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:11.380 and pierced themselves with many sorrows. Teach 00:29:11.380 --> 00:29:14.440 those who are rich in this world. Look at your 00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:17.480 neighbor and say, you are rich. Now look at your 00:29:17.480 --> 00:29:22.299 other neighbor and tell them they're rich. Church, 00:29:22.420 --> 00:29:26.700 we are rich. Teach those who are rich in this 00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:28.920 world not to be proud, not to trust in their 00:29:28.920 --> 00:29:33.190 money, which is so unreliable. Their trust. Should 00:29:33.190 --> 00:29:35.650 be in God who richly gives us all we need for 00:29:35.650 --> 00:29:38.170 our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to 00:29:38.170 --> 00:29:40.089 do good. They should be rich in good works and 00:29:40.089 --> 00:29:42.710 generous to those in need. Always be ready to 00:29:42.710 --> 00:29:45.789 share with others. By doing this, they're throwing 00:29:45.789 --> 00:29:48.210 up their treasure as a good foundation for the 00:29:48.210 --> 00:29:51.589 future so that they may experience true life. 00:29:52.130 --> 00:29:55.910 See, true freedom is understanding the church. 00:29:55.970 --> 00:29:59.470 Everything we have, everything we own is from 00:29:59.470 --> 00:30:03.819 God. He provides it. And he desires that we give 00:30:03.819 --> 00:30:07.759 it back to him first so that we can continue 00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:10.039 to make a difference for the kingdom of God. 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:13.980 Now, many of you know a few weeks ago, I shared 00:30:13.980 --> 00:30:16.660 about God challenging my heart and giving me 00:30:16.660 --> 00:30:21.819 a vision where we lead and take over Meredith's 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:24.720 Park for a night of worship this fall during 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:26.259 our Compassion Weekend. Do you guys remember 00:30:26.259 --> 00:30:29.059 that? You were all excited about it. You were 00:30:29.059 --> 00:30:32.799 cheering about it. You were just like, yes, we 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:36.519 need to do that. Well, I, believing that God 00:30:36.519 --> 00:30:38.980 gave me that vision, took a step of faith and 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:42.220 said yes. I stepped out and rented the facility. 00:30:42.839 --> 00:30:45.200 Only to learn that the cost of the event was 00:30:45.200 --> 00:30:50.039 going to be much larger than I initially expected. 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:56.900 Much larger. I began to question myself. God, 00:30:56.900 --> 00:30:59.720 am I supposed to do this? Holy Spirit, did I 00:30:59.720 --> 00:31:01.900 not hear from you? Was that the enemy? Was that 00:31:01.900 --> 00:31:05.339 a distraction? Should I move forward? Should 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:09.299 this happen? Should this take place? And I began 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:13.880 to question hearing from God. Three days before 00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:17.220 I went on vacation, I was working out on a Thursday 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:20.039 morning, and my phone began to ring. And please 00:31:20.039 --> 00:31:21.960 understand, when I work out, I don't answer my 00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:24.549 phone. And many of you know when I work, I don't 00:31:24.549 --> 00:31:27.009 even talk to you because that's my time. And 00:31:27.009 --> 00:31:30.269 I'm into habits and that's what I do because 00:31:30.269 --> 00:31:33.569 that's my time. But as the phone was ringing, 00:31:33.670 --> 00:31:36.690 I began to hear you need to answer that. I felt 00:31:36.690 --> 00:31:38.650 God was speaking to me and told me to answer 00:31:38.650 --> 00:31:40.750 it. So I did. On the other end of the line was 00:31:40.750 --> 00:31:44.349 a friend and a local business owner who began 00:31:44.349 --> 00:31:46.609 sharing with me that he was actually working 00:31:46.609 --> 00:31:50.630 in Meredith Park that morning. And while he was 00:31:50.630 --> 00:31:53.009 working in Meredith's Park, he looked over the 00:31:53.009 --> 00:31:56.990 field and saw thousands of people worshiping 00:31:56.990 --> 00:31:59.529 together to proclaim the name of Jesus over this 00:31:59.529 --> 00:32:08.950 area. He went on to say that he would commit 00:32:08.950 --> 00:32:12.109 $5 ,000 to the community night of worship during 00:32:12.109 --> 00:32:18.170 the Compassion Weekend at HCV. I had no words 00:32:18.170 --> 00:32:21.180 to respond. I had to walk to the back of the 00:32:21.180 --> 00:32:24.619 gym because I was visibly weeping and crying 00:32:24.619 --> 00:32:27.000 because I was questioning whether we should even 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:31.440 do the event. His words to me were, I'm getting 00:32:31.440 --> 00:32:35.559 the ball rolling, more people will respond. And 00:32:35.559 --> 00:32:38.220 that was the encouragement that I needed, that 00:32:38.220 --> 00:32:40.759 God would provide the funds needed to make this 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:43.569 event a reality. That we are called to gather 00:32:43.569 --> 00:32:46.250 churches together to celebrate the name of Jesus, 00:32:46.349 --> 00:32:49.730 to declare revival in our lives and in this area. 00:32:49.829 --> 00:32:53.130 To see hundreds of kids around the world hurting 00:32:53.130 --> 00:32:56.349 and in poverty sponsored by people that are rich 00:32:56.349 --> 00:33:01.549 in the faith. So to take it a step further, if 00:33:01.549 --> 00:33:04.589 you're a business owner or you feel compelled 00:33:04.589 --> 00:33:07.049 by the Holy Spirit to give towards this event, 00:33:07.190 --> 00:33:10.650 please stop by the Welcome Hub and see Tracy. 00:33:11.529 --> 00:33:14.809 The money that is dedicated to Gather 2025 will 00:33:14.809 --> 00:33:17.210 become a reality and will grow directly to it. 00:33:17.230 --> 00:33:19.470 If you are a business owner, everything can be 00:33:19.470 --> 00:33:22.789 written off and the ball is already rolling. 00:33:23.170 --> 00:33:27.349 I need about four more businesses to give $5 00:33:27.349 --> 00:33:31.609 ,000 to the event and it will be paid for. So 00:33:31.609 --> 00:33:35.690 we must remember, God was the first to give. 00:33:35.970 --> 00:33:39.549 And he desires that we give back to him first, 00:33:39.750 --> 00:33:42.980 John 3, 16. For this is how God loved the world, 00:33:43.099 --> 00:33:45.900 that he gave his one and only son so that everyone 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:48.519 who believes in him will not perish, but have 00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:52.480 eternal life. I just want to let you know, this 00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:57.180 church is here today because our family surrendered 00:33:57.180 --> 00:34:01.339 it all to return to Hagerstown, our hometown, 00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:04.279 to plan a church for people who typically don't 00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:08.679 fit in church, to reach the forgotten. To reach 00:34:08.679 --> 00:34:11.920 the outcast, to reach the sinner, to see the 00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:15.320 broken healed, to see chains broken off of people's 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:21.219 lives, to welcome those on the outside into God's 00:34:21.219 --> 00:34:25.139 family. That's what our community of faith is 00:34:25.139 --> 00:34:31.440 all about. And please understand, 19 years ago, 00:34:31.539 --> 00:34:35.920 when we moved back home, We sold our house in 00:34:35.920 --> 00:34:38.579 Syracuse, New York, and we made 40 -some thousand 00:34:38.579 --> 00:34:40.800 dollars. I don't know the exact amount. I'm not 00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:42.820 going to say the exact amount because my wife 00:34:42.820 --> 00:34:44.679 will tell me I'm lying. So I'm going to say 40 00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:49.219 couple. Say 44, 45. Normally I say 50. She says 00:34:49.219 --> 00:34:51.099 I'm lying, so I'll cut it down a little, okay? 00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:55.360 The point was it's a lot of money to me. And 00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:58.639 we took all that money and we invested it in 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:01.760 what you're sitting in. And this church is a 00:35:01.760 --> 00:35:05.800 reality because our family surrendered it all. 00:35:06.420 --> 00:35:09.639 And the question for you and for all of us is, 00:35:09.780 --> 00:35:12.980 will we continue to surrender and give it all 00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:15.920 back to God and give it to him first so that 00:35:15.920 --> 00:35:22.219 we can experience true abundance? Our question 00:35:22.219 --> 00:35:26.320 for our final giving lens, what does your giving 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:32.000 say about your God? What does your giving say 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:35.579 about your God? Because you must remember, we're 00:35:35.579 --> 00:35:38.800 setting an example to our children, our grandchildren, 00:35:39.099 --> 00:35:42.780 and the community about how great our God is. 00:35:43.079 --> 00:35:46.739 And if we're not prioritizing Him with our finances 00:35:46.739 --> 00:35:49.500 and giving to Him first, then we're telling them 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:53.760 He's not a priority. When in reality, we should 00:35:53.760 --> 00:35:56.280 be setting an example that He's the most important 00:35:56.280 --> 00:36:07.079 priority. Will you stand with me? So many of 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:09.900 you know that every single Sunday, I pray a simple 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:11.780 prayer because that's the most important surrender 00:36:11.780 --> 00:36:14.780 that you could ever make. I believe God brings 00:36:14.780 --> 00:36:17.639 people into our midst every single weekend that 00:36:17.639 --> 00:36:19.699 are distant, far from God, have walked away from 00:36:19.699 --> 00:36:22.840 God, that have never met him. And he invites 00:36:22.840 --> 00:36:25.619 them to give their lives, to surrender their 00:36:25.619 --> 00:36:27.860 lives to him, even on a Sunday when we talk about 00:36:27.860 --> 00:36:31.760 money. So I'm going to pray a simple prayer. 00:36:31.820 --> 00:36:33.880 I'm going to invite you all to pray it with me 00:36:33.880 --> 00:36:36.000 because I believe people are going to come home 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:38.619 into God's kingdom this morning. Let's pray. 00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:44.320 Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, shame, 00:36:44.619 --> 00:36:50.880 regret, sin. Change me. I believe you're God's 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:55.780 son. I believe you died for me. Make me new. 00:36:56.500 --> 00:37:01.769 Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. Help me, 00:37:01.789 --> 00:37:07.210 God, to serve you and give you everything. In 00:37:07.210 --> 00:37:11.389 Jesus' name, amen. If you prayed that prayer 00:37:11.389 --> 00:37:13.789 for the first time, see me, high -five me, hug 00:37:13.789 --> 00:37:18.070 me, tell me, text me, do something so I can give 00:37:18.070 --> 00:37:21.010 you some next steps and tell you how to walk 00:37:21.010 --> 00:37:24.429 out this thing called a relationship with Jesus. 00:37:24.530 --> 00:37:26.349 Now, before we go, there are several words of 00:37:26.349 --> 00:37:30.349 knowledge. And these are specific. You have an 00:37:30.349 --> 00:37:32.929 itchy skin condition on the lower part of your 00:37:32.929 --> 00:37:36.150 left leg. You have pain on the right side just 00:37:36.150 --> 00:37:39.110 above your hip and your stomach. You have right 00:37:39.110 --> 00:37:43.250 shoulder tendonitis. You have pain in your right 00:37:43.250 --> 00:37:46.909 rib cage, possibly pulled a muscle. There's a 00:37:46.909 --> 00:37:49.769 man going to be here named Ron that needs healing 00:37:49.769 --> 00:37:54.010 for heart and respiratory issues. If any of those 00:37:54.010 --> 00:37:56.309 are you, our prayer team is here on my right. 00:37:56.809 --> 00:37:58.690 They will meet you and pray for you, not just 00:37:58.690 --> 00:38:01.590 for those needs, but any need you may have. It 00:38:01.590 --> 00:38:03.130 doesn't matter if it's financial. It doesn't 00:38:03.130 --> 00:38:05.610 matter if it's relational. We want to pray and 00:38:05.610 --> 00:38:07.989 believe that God moves. Healing happens in this 00:38:07.989 --> 00:38:10.130 corner. Let me tell you that. You're going to 00:38:10.130 --> 00:38:12.289 be hearing testimony soon of what God is doing 00:38:12.289 --> 00:38:14.710 in this corner right here as people are getting 00:38:14.710 --> 00:38:17.130 prayed for. So if you ever need prayer, find 00:38:17.130 --> 00:38:21.530 that corner. Next Sunday, I'll be focusing on 00:38:21.530 --> 00:38:26.639 David's prayer. He prayed a prayer. Of what he 00:38:26.639 --> 00:38:29.800 was to sacrifice and offer before God is an example 00:38:29.800 --> 00:38:33.179 of how we should all pray regarding our finances. 00:38:33.239 --> 00:38:36.519 Amen. I appreciate every single one of you. I'm 00:38:36.519 --> 00:38:38.340 excited to be back. I'm going to that door. It 00:38:38.340 --> 00:38:40.679 won't open, Scott. Block it. If you want to run 00:38:40.679 --> 00:38:43.719 over Rudy, go there. God bless you guys. I love 00:38:43.719 --> 00:38:58.559 you. Pour it out.