Giving: The Divine Plan

Generosity

Sunday October 20, 2024 - Reverend Richard Reaves

Acts 4:36-37

KEY THOUGHT:

Generous giving emerges from acknowledging we have a generous God.

How many conversions have you experienced?

Martin Luther

There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse.

• The goal we are seeking to attain is Heartfelt Giving.
• Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol
• Our enemy here is Greed
• The heart's antidote to greed- Contentment
• The graduate level of true financial freedom- Generosity.

Generosity: An example of a true conversion

The story of Barnabas - Acts 4:36-37 (NIV)

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

Generosity: A response to God's gracious nature

Christians can give out of love, the highest and best motivation. Why love? Because God has loved us first in Christ. Paul expressed it this way in Romans 5:8 (NIV)

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The natural response to receiving this love is to respond in kind. Jesus told His disciples plainly in Matthew 10:8b (NIV)

Freely you received, freely give.

John made it even plainer in 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

We love because he first loved us.

William Barclay's on loving generosity/generously:

If love is true, there must always be a certain extravagance in it. It does not nicely calculate the less or more. It is not concerned to see how little it can decently give. If it gave all it had, the gift would still be too little. There is recklessness in love which refuses to count the cost.

If this is the love Jesus gave to us and continues to give, how can we do any less?

Generosity: Grows through intentional steps

Our goal as disciples of Jesus is to strive towards greater and greater levels of generosity- one step at a time. Our basic goal was voiced by John Wesley,

The question is not "How much can I keep for myself?" but "How much can I give away?"

The healthy heart is a heart growing in generosity. Just like working out in a gym, we need to utilize various financial exercises to strengthen our inner heart.

Generosity: What is your next step?

What is your next step in discovering the freedom to give generously to the Lord's work? We begin at the basic level.

• Step #1 Create a monthly (household) spending plan
• Step #2 Perform some plastic surgery
• Step #3 Reduce (and eliminate) your credit card debt
• Step #4 Begin giving on a percentage basis
• Step #5 Begin giving a tithe regularly

  This is the Biblical standard- 10%. And it should go to your local church! Malachi 3:10 (MSG)

  Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple.

  As Dr. Hoyt says, "Where you eat is where you pay."

• Step #6 Increase your giving beyond 10%

  Remember Wesley's comment,

  The question is not "How much can I keep for myself?" but "How much can I give away?"

Homework: What lifestyle change can I make now that will enable me to give more generously to the Lord's work?