Jesus followed a long line of prophets from God who warned against the mysteriously idolatrous power of money and possessions. He prohibited His followers from putting their trust and security in material, 'earthly' things, and instructed His followers to invest in what would last for eternity. We cannot serve two masters\kings or kingdoms. We have to choose who we serve, where we invest our hearts. The choice is ours who and what we will serve. What will your choice be?
Unselfish Generosity - Basic Practices #7
Another dynamic of the early church was the voluntary, sacrificial giving of those who had extra financially and materially for those who were in need within the church community. This kind of generosity was a fruit of the unity the church experienced because of their shared faith in Jesus. How do we form the kind of unity that leads to this kind of generosity today?
Purposeful Generosity
Generosity allows those who are in need to be blessed. But what blessing does God have in mind for those who give? What impact in the life of the giver does God see generosity having? These are some of the questions Jesus answers through the Parable of the Dishonest Steward.
Proportional Generosity
The church has constantly wrestled with the question of how much are followers of Jesus required to give by God. In this message we trace the biblical passages regarding tithing to try to answer this question. In the end we are called to give in proportion to what we receive. Generosity is not found in an amount, but in the proportion of what we spend and keep for ourselves compared to what we give for the sake of God and others.