Well, good evening, it’s good to see you, you’ve all made a perfect fan, I’m going to have to really turn my neck tonight to see everyone, it’s alright, it’s good to, just to be with you, to be in God’s word, I want to do something different tonight, we’ll be back in Revelation next week, I want to talk about something that’s near and dear to everyone’s heart tonight, and that is money, you thought I was going to say China, the persecuted church in China, I want to talk about money, because I think money,

what you and I do with our dollars, what you and I don’t do with our dollars, is just as important, or has everything to do with, at the same time, the persecuted church in China, or anything else related to gospel ministry. You probably have seen the same video clips I’ve seen, if you’ve seen the video clips of the creeks and the rivers in East Palestine, Ohio, they look like really good, healthy creeks and rivers from afar, you think they’re fine, but someone will drop a rock in, or run a stick through the mud of those creek beds, and what happens is all those chemicals are coming up to the surface, right, and it’s really nasty, and it reveals that from a distance, those rivers, those creeks look okay, but when you get to the riverbeds, and when you get to the bottom of them, they’re not, they’re not, they’re dirty, and they’re polluted, and that’s the same thing in the Christian life, there’s a correlation between what’s actually going on in our hearts, okay, and at the same time, what we do with our hands, what’s going on in my heart, and what am I doing with my hands, and that proves so true when it comes to the Christian life. to our finances, so I’m going to, I’m going to look at the entire Bible almost tonight in terms of finances and money, so if you have your Bible, I’m going to go all over the place, and I’ll ask you to kind of join me as I go, but I’m going to start in Acts chapter 4, okay, Acts chapter 4.

Verses 32 to 37, and it says,

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that anything, any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common, and with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony, and they were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as they had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas, a Levite native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. And what happens here in this? This passage is a pattern that I want you to see, okay? What’s happening here is the church, very early on, right, we’re only a few chapters into Acts, they’re so unified, they’re so together, that they’re happy to relinquish what’s in their pockets for the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of the ministry. And you say, well, what’s… What’s the binding agent there? What is it that’s making these people so together that they would do that? And simply, it’s the testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it says. They’ve all heard the gospel to such a degree that they are happy to do what? To open their hands and say, God, here’s what I have, let it bless the kingdom. Use it. And it’s not the first time we see that. That’s chapter 4. If we go all the way back to chapter 2, verse 42, this is the very first time we see the togetherness of the church. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers, and it all came upon every soul. Many signs and wonders were done through the apostles, and all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any… had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number. So it’s the same thing. What do we see in both accounts? In both accounts, you have a mix of people who are unified by what? The gospel. The gospel. And in both accounts, what’s one of the first signs? One of the first signs that you see, what’s a sign, a show that they really have believed the gospel, and they’re living for the Lord? What’s that they have open hands? Because you have Acts chapter 2, they’re unified, their hands are open, they’re serving, they’re giving, and then you get for the first time persecution in between those two little sections we read, John and Peter are persecuted, they’re freaking out, they come back, what do we see happening for? It says they pray together. They pray for boldness. They pray for courage to the Lord. And it says the whole place shakes. The Holy Spirit shakes the place. And then we come back into them saying that everything doesn’t belong to them. The apostles are preaching and teaching the word. And then you get this radical act of generosity by Barnabas. He sells a whole field to give it to the Lord. That’s a pattern all over the Bible. So here’s my main thing. Here then tonight. OK, when our hearts are in sync with the gospel, our hands are immediately open to give our first and our best. OK, when our hearts are in sync with the gospel, our hands are immediately opened to give our first and to give our best. And I don’t think it’s coincidence the very next episode you get in in Acts related to money has to do. With a contrast, you remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira in chapter five, right? They supposedly apparently are believing in sync in step with these gospel people who are radically generous and are giving their first and their best to the Lord. But what happens? They do so in pretense. They do so in pretense and they’re immediately struck down in struck down. Dead by the Lord. So it’s interesting that at the beginning of the book of Acts, you’re getting money as one of the priorities of the church. People love to talk about the ancient church to justify a lot of things today. A lot of times in a lot of streams, it has to do with why we should be like anti buildings, anti structure. You know, even we don’t need actual pastors. We can all just pass through each other and homes. And this very. Loose, fluid thing, which is an abuse of the text. Now, obviously, if we go back to the beginning, we do see intimacy there. We see there in homes loving one another well, and that’s good, but we don’t see the same time. I think the way in which these ancient Christians were so generous with their finances and they wanted this new birth Holy Spirit church to have their financial first and their financial best. Contrast Ananias and Sapphira with Zacchaeus. Remember Zacchaeus? He was a stinker. He was he was happy to betray his own people, to overtax them. Right. And who would possibly be worthy of the presence of Jesus in their home? Not Zacchaeus. Yet Zacchaeus, when he is forgiven and he is loved by the Lord, what’s the first thing Zacchaeus does? He says in Luke 19, eight, behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I’ve defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus says today, salvation has come to this house. So, again, what are we seeing in that principle played out when God has our hearts without question? He has our hands in everything that’s in them. It’s not even just a New Testament. Let’s let’s go before Pentecost. Go all the way back to the beginning. We go to Genesis chapter 14, verse 18.

It says in Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God most high. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram by God most high possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be God most high who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And Abraham. Gave him a tenth of everything. A tenth of everything. Now, who’s Melchizedek? This is going to clear up a lot and make more sense. Melchizedek was an Old Testament prefigure of Jesus. So Melchizedek, we don’t really know where he came from. We don’t know why, but he is priest outside the normal order of the Levitical system. So he prefigures Jesus and the Hebrew writer spells it out better. Hebrew chapter seven, verse one. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. And to him, Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first by translation of his name, king of righteousness. Also king. And then he’s also king of Salem, but as king of peace. So speaking of Melchizedek, he’s without father, mother, genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the son of God. And he continues a priest forever. See how. Right. This man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the spoils. So what happened in that story? Here’s what happened. Abraham and Lot are living out in Canaan. God told Abraham to go. He drags Lot, his nephew, with him. Lot gets in a bad place. The country in which Lot lives, they get overthrown. So Lot’s kidnapped his family. Abraham gets a band of his servants together and he goes and he whips all these nations, saves Lot and his family back from these nations. When Abraham is there with all this vast spoil, Melchizedek, this Jesus prefigure symbol character shows up and Abraham gives to Melchizedek a tenth, a tithe of the first and the best of what he has. And if you’ve ever wondered where that tenth number came from or the tithe number comes from, it’s the same word in the Hebrew. It just means a tenth or a tithe. It’s interchangeable in the Old Testament. So Abraham, who is our kind of prefigure Christian, if you will, remember Jesus said, Abraham by faith saw my day and was glad for it. Abraham by faith recognizes giving to this Melchizedek is giving my first and giving my best to God. After this, we get that Levitical system with Melchizedek. Moses, right? God says to the people in Leviticus 27, you’re going to give a sport. You’re going to give your tenth to me out of everything that you have. Now, I want you to think about it with me. Why does God tell us to do things in the law?

Because we don’t. Why is the speed limit out here on the road say go 35 miles an hour?

Because you won’t. In other words, God gave them a law to force them to do what they did not want to do.

God gave them laws to not murder, not commit adultery, because it’s what they would really like to do. When we come to the close of the entire Old Testament, the very end in Malachi, it says in Malachi 3, 6, for I, the Lord, do not change. Therefore, O children of Jacob, you’re not consumed. From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, how shall we return? Here’s what God says. Will man rob God? Yet you’re robbing me. But you say, how have we robbed you in your tithes and in your contributions?

Why do we want God to have to force us to do a thing that we should want to do from the heart? You see what’s happening? You see what’s happening? Abraham, before the law was giving, is doing something from the heart that gospel people in the New Testament are doing what? From the heart. So that imaginary but not so imaginary person that says, where does it say in the Bible that I have to give whatever? Where does it say in the New Testament that I have to tithe or make offerings to the church? That question, it assumes and reveals your heart. You would rather. See a law that says you have to do it than be in the place of the man of faith, Abraham or the church and say, I get to do it from my heart. I naturally desire to give God my tenth, my tithe, my first, my best. You see it in the time of King Hezekiah. So Israel, like so many times, they’re wicked, they’re unruly. Hezekiah comes in. He brings a national revival and he demands. Everyone turned back to the Lord. They bring in so much tithe and an offering, grain, wine, all that stuff that they were called to bring in beyond what they should have even. And so Hezekiah goes to the priest and he says, the priest, what’s all this stuff everywhere? And the priest say back to Hezekiah, the people won’t stop bringing contributions. You see the principle again, their heart was turned back to God. So their hands opened up immediately without being forced to be open, which is what the law does. It. Forces us to do what we don’t want to do, what’s good and what’s right.

What does your giving say about your heart?

Is your heart in sync with the gospel of Jesus, with the work that God is doing through us at Providence in this local church and how God is using us and beyond to work? In and for the eternal kingdom of God. That’s what it comes to, doesn’t it?

Second Corinthians chapter eight. Again, we get another picture of the principle.

Paul says, we want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God has been given among the churches of Macedonia for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according not to their means, as I can testify, but beyond their means.

So the Corinthian church so longed to put some money together to be a blessing to the church in Jerusalem that was suffering. Paul says they didn’t even just give what was required, which was according to their ability. We’ll look at that in a second. They gave out of their poverty. Why? Because their hearts were in tune with. The gospel. I want you. I want you to really think about your money with me tonight. Money. It’s just as important as fellas. What you’re doing with your eyes, what you’re doing in your mind. It’s just as important as the conversations you have and don’t have. It’s just as important as every other facet of the Christian life. So I want to say giving and giving to the local church is not optional. Nor is it only something you must do. It’s something friends that we get to do. It’s something we get to do. Do we see it that way? So if there’s a mandate principally in the Old and New Testament, but then I think a really clear example in the New Testament that Christians give their first and their best to their church. The question becomes and it would be a really good question. How? How do I give? How do I give in the Bible? Paul. Give us a really simple answer. Here’s the simple answer. Cheerfully and according to your means. I’m to give financially, cheerfully and according to my means. Two verses here. Acts 11, 29. So the disciples determine everyone. Here it is. Look, according to his ability, send relief to brothers living in Judea. We come to 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 6. The point is this. Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves what kind of giver? A cheerful giver. And God’s able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, he is distributed freely. He’s given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. So you see what Paul’s plainly saying to us. One. The only kind of giver there are, and it’s the kind that we should all be, is cheerful. Why cheerful? Not because cheerful is better than lack of cheeriness, right? We give cheerfully because cheer in my heart when I give my first and my best is an indication that I’ve really experienced God’s gospel. Because what is God’s gospel? Well, it’s a generous gospel. It’s the gospel about someone who has no means of salvation. Someone who’s destined to hell. Someone that’s spiritually impoverished. And what has Christ done? He’s given his very first. God’s given his very best to me and giving me his son, Jesus, and promising not just eternal spiritual riches, but God has promised himself to me as a father to take care of my physical needs in this life. So I can give away everything God asked me to give away because I don’t take care of myself. God takes care of me. And if God wants to use me to further this gospel through faithful giving, let me do that. Because that’s what honors the Lord.

Secondly, give according to your means because we’re spirit and dwelt believers. So I don’t get to come up here and say, folks, the spirits moved. And what he’s told me is everyone should give a thousand dollars tonight. A thousand dollars. Oh, a thousand fifty. It’s going up. It’s going up. It’s going up. I stand here. That doesn’t happen. What Paul says we do is each of us full of the spirit. We pray about God. What does it look like for me with the life, the situation, the job, the finances you’ve given me? What does it look like for me to give generously and sacrificially in a way that honors you? But at the same time, I can take care of my family and pay my bills and do things in a responsible way. So giving generously and sacrificially, it does not equal foolish. And I think. Sometimes we think, well, if I was really a good giver, gosh, I would just sell all my stuff and my family. We would each have one outfit and I would just give away all my money all the time. And that’s just unbiblical. Twice, Paul, we see we see it said you give according to your means. Be a good father, husband, whatever, and take care of your stuff in life. And with the margin that God’s given you, you should give generously. You should give sacrificially to the church. So there’s a question for you that you have to deal with. I can’t deal with it for you because I’m not the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy Spirit want you to give? What does it mean for you in your life with your finances to give generously and cheerfully to the work at Providence Fellowship? It’s commensurate to who you are and what you have. Which raises the next question. Does God need my money? We’ve just talked about this God of the universe saving us. Why in the world is this God asking me to give money? Surely God doesn’t need it. And you would be 100 percent correct. God does not need your money or my money. Psalm 50, verse 12. God says, if I were hungry, I would not tell you for the world and its fullness or mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the most high. So God doesn’t need your documents. God doesn’t need your dollars at all. God doesn’t need my dollars at all. Just like He doesn’t need your prayers to do His will on earth.

Just like He doesn’t need you to share the gospel for people to get saved.

God is so gracious and kind that He would not only save you to Himself, He would give you the high and eternal privilege of being employed in His service. That’s why God gives you money. And that’s why God calls us to pray. And that’s why God calls us to evangelize. And so that we can be used of Him in mighty ways. And ultimately do the thing that the psalmist here says. That we can offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving. God, use me. I want to bless your name. Whatever I have, Lord, I give as a thanks to you. God uses our giving to bring Himself glory in our obedience in the Spirit. God uses our giving. God uses our giving to grow our faith. To grow our faith. Sometimes God asks us to give more than I think we want to give. Or more than what’s comfortable. Right? That’s what makes it a spirit endeavor. It’s the Lord saying, Do you really believe that I’m your provider? Do you really believe I’m still going to take care of you if I asked you to give away X number of dollars? It’s a faith issue. Are you allowing God to grow you in how you’re being generous? So money is incredibly practical and physical, right? Like change in your pocket. I need a Coke at the gas station. Or I got to pay my bills, which I do every month. But then at the same time, looking at all these scriptures, money is not at all practical. It’s entirely spiritual. And it actually has effect and bearing on eternity. The way that I could say yes to the Spirit. And using my dollars for His kingdom. Is actually going to be a part of God’s story. And how He’s using it to bring people to Christ. To see many discipled up. Both in the local church I’m a part of. And all the auxiliary arms off that. And how my money goes around the globe so that the gospel is preached. So stop seeing money as this really small thing. And if I do give, it’s because I’m told I’m supposed to. Friends, you should be as excited about giving your first and your best to God financially. As you would about seeing someone come to self. Because it’s the Spirit working through you. To use you for the end purpose of making disciples. Seeing God’s kingdom come. And that’s part of just the work of the local church that we get to be a part of. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again. Stop seeing yourself as an owner.

You own what in life? Nothing. Nothing. You get to be the steward of a great God. great many things. You get to be a steward of a great many things. How are you stewarding what God has given you? And are you using your money, your first and your best, open hands in sync with the gospel for the purposes of God’s eternal kingdom? I think we can find our warning

in the parable of the rich fool, who he’s got so much. He’s like, I got so much. I’m going to build barns, bigger barns, so I can store it up and just say to my soul, eat, drink and marry. You know, you’re taking care of for years. And what did God say to that man? No, that’s not what money is. God says, I require of you your soul. You’re going to die. You foolish person is what God says to that to that individual. To that individual. So, friends, your money funds kingdom work. It’s what it actually does. Your money disciples. And maybe you need to see money as more of a spiritual issue to get your heart in the place it needs to be to give what God wants you to give. Money really matters for Christian discipleship. It funds kingdom work. Money makes local church life happen. And that’s like slightly different for every church because churches are unique in different time periods and how they’re doing ministry. But just to think particularly here, what does money do? Do you like sitting on those chairs? Do you like having the walls air conditioning as we hear the word of God preached? Do you like having a place where you can come and gather and sing the word? We can come and take communion together, a place where we can come and our children can learn about the Lord. And I’m so excited about which is another thing. Like, I’m so excited about our children’s ministry and how we’re starting to see that flourish. And guess guess what? Like small practical things. Paper for printouts cost money and goldfish cost money and supplies for crafts cost money. And like when you come in and you get a cup of coffee and you’re talking and fellowshipping before service, which is valuable discipleship. Guess what? Coffee costs money. And when we get together throughout the year and we do different events, we get together and we do different events. And we do different events together, which is good. It costs money. And the more we do community outreach events and we need supplies for that and different things that we’ve been talking about that costs money. I’ve met missionaries recently who I’m like, oh, I would love to give to you. Like, it would be so awesome. And I want to see us give to missions and missionaries around the world more and more. But what does it take to do that? It takes more generosity and more obedience. Like we gave to the the the. Church planer conference to support struggling New England church planers. That’s money that we can use for God’s kingdom. And there’s miscellaneous stuff like insurance, like some kid busts their head like, oh, what are we going to do? Some kid busts their head. Hey, it’s OK. We have insurance website. So just things in life cost money. And the church isn’t any different. It’s not any different. Last and perhaps certainly not least.

I cost money. I cost money. And I only say I because I’m in the office of pastor elder. I want to read you two verses to back me up because it’s a weird thing to say. Here’s what Paul says in First Corinthians nine. Is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who’s who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating or any of its fruit? Who tends to flock without getting some of the fruit? Who tends to flock without getting some of the fruit? Who tends to flock without getting some of the fruit? Who tends to flock without getting some of the fruit? Who tends to flock without getting some of the fruit? Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Is it for the oxen that God’s concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake because the plowman should plow and hope in the thresher, thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim, on you, do not we even more? And again in 1 Timothy 5, let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain and the laborer deserves his wage. So again, it’s not about me. It’s about if I’m in a local church, God’s expectation is don’t take from the guy that’s spiritually feeding your soul and helping you get home to heaven. If you’re in a local church, don’t take from the guy that’s spiritually feeding your soul and helping you get home to heaven. But then keep him poor by not feeding him physical things and taking care of him and his life. It’s a simple spiritual principle. If you’re getting spiritual food, Paul seems to think what you should do is compensate physically those who take care of your souls. Now, hopefully you know me well enough and long enough to know I’m not a charlatan and I’m not taking that verse and I’m like bending that to try to get like money out of you. Of course not. You know, I think back when I started here four years ago, you know, and we were just like living on a prayer and God brought the money in and it didn’t come from our tithes and offerings. I mean, it was quite a flip-flop upside down thing. And I remember one night even just being on my knees in my office crying, Lord, I cannot keep living under this pressure. I cannot keep doing this. And God used that in my life to grow my faith that, you know what? God will take care of me. God is my provider. So if everyone stopped tithing tonight completely, it would be a shame. But guess what? God’s still going to take care of me and my family. I invite you just to be obedient to the word of God is what I want to invite you to do. And if you think, so talking about this, if you think, isn’t this a little forward to get up and say all this? That’s the profession of a pastor. If you think this is forward, I should stop preaching the gospel because if I get up here every Sunday, I’m going to be a pastor. I’m going to be a pastor. I’m going to be a pastor. I’m going to say something that offends your flesh and makes you go, I don’t want to do that. I’m really bad at my job. You need to be offended by the word of God. And if me saying start tithing and giving to the local church offends you, be offended and repent and start giving and be glad to do it. God blesses churches corporately and God blesses families individually when they obey, especially when it’s difficult. When Jessica and I were in our early 20s, mid 20s, we loved these things called credit cards. They’re so cool. You get to just get whatever you want and it doesn’t cost anything. Or so you think when you get a bill, right? And there came like a brick wall day when it’s like, OK, we didn’t have any money. We got married or whatever. But now we have all this credit card debt and this is not on to the Lord. And we had to make a decision when it was really hard. We’re not going to short. God, even though we have all this credit card debt. We’re going to do what’s responsible to pay this credit card debt off, which means we’re going to have to sacrifice and give up luxuries. But God’s still going to get that first and best top cut right off the top. And really, that’s what’s so wonderful about reoccurring direct deposit is whether you want to tithe it or not that month, boom, it’s going out of your bank account. So I’m not speaking like, hey, why don’t y’all figure it out? I’m speaking from experience and saying God is always good to take care of His people when His people obey, especially when it’s really hard and it’s really difficult. I want your individual family to be blessed.

I want your family to be blessed. Trust God will take care of the rest. That sounds like something a TV preacher would totally say. In this context, I’m not talking about you getting some big fat house and having a million dollars. I’m talking about you being spiritually kept and I’m talking about God putting food on your table and taking care of your children and a roof over your head. That’s what I’m talking about. I think you know that.

So I’m challenging you.

Take God up on His challenge. He says in Malachi, test me. He says, try me. Give God your first and your best financially. See how God will bless your family. If we as a church

corporately gave God our first and our best financially, let’s test Him and see how He would bless us to the ends that we can in a greater capacity be useful for His kingdom. What’s the end of all this, Chad? We all get like a 5,000 square foot home, right? No.

No. We can be satisfied in Jesus and we can know that we are doing the work of the ministry and we can trust the word that says, I have never seen the righteous forsaken or His children begging for bread. You can take that promise and give your first and your best to God. That’s what I want for you and your family. That’s what I want for our church. Okay? So where do I go from now on that? Just kind of end with some thoughts. If you’re here and you, Jesus sitting in the room, you’ve clear conscience, man, my family, we’re tithing what we know we should be tithing. It’s generous. It’s sacrificial. It’s according to our means. It’s cheerful. Praise God and just be encouraged that money is an important part of discipleship. If you’re like, well, we maybe give something but, you know, it doesn’t at all cost us anything and, you know, whatever. We’re just giving and you’re not thinking through it. I would encourage you if you’re married with your spouse, pray about it and think through it. What should we be giving? How can we grow in our generosity to God’s kingdom to see our church, our family blessed to the greater end of seeing Jesus made much of? And then lastly I would say, if you give nothing financially to Providence Fellowship, start. If you’re a member, if you’re a regular attender, I would say to you that the step of, you know, practical step of application here is just start giving. Start giving. I think that tenth is a great train. My old pastor used to say that and I appreciate it. Tenth is a great training wheel number. Like if you’re trying to figure out how low you can get and stay by that tenth, something’s wrong in your heart. You should be saying, Lord, how much more than the tenth can I give? And so I would say to you as well, start giving your first and your best to God and let your faith grow as God takes care of the rest. Don’t give nothing. Give your first and your best to God. Isn’t that how the whole Christian life is supposed to work, by the way? When are we not called to give our first and our best to God?

Anywhere. Nowhere. Jesus has our all, doesn’t he?

On the issue of debt, if you’re hearing that and you go, I would love to give, but I’ve got all this debt. Again, I told my story. I think you should still give God your first and your best. Secondly, I would say to that, Ms. Kathy, and I’ve mentioned this before, Ms. Kathy is a certified Dave Ramsey teacher. She’s also an accountant. She truly is very good at accounting. I know she would love to sit down with you, get knee-deep in your finances if you want to do that with her and her help you make a game plan about how to give debt free. Here’s the beauty of being debt free. Being debt free is not about, ooh, now I can get a bigger house and a nicer car. Being debt free, is about, now I’ve got more money to give away for God’s kingdom. So friends, let me tell you, you don’t even know how much money you have for God’s kingdom until you get debt free. So let me encourage you, seek to both give God your best and honor him in getting that debt, getting that off your back and stop being a slave

to the bank, right? Where are your priorities? Where are your priorities? Can you imagine life without a Netflix account? Could you imagine life without a number of subscriptions? Could you imagine life eating out less than you do? Where is God directing your heart to rearrange your finances so that you can give God your financial first and your financial best? So again, are your hands in sync with your heart and is your heart in sync with the gospel and the heart of a generous father who has given us all things and who has promised to take care of us in all things, okay? I think that’s so clear in the Old and the New Testament for us to walk in obedience and experience God’s blessings so that we can be a blessing and for his glory, okay? So there’s a extremely topical fly through the Bible about a critical part of what it means to follow Jesus, be a part of the local church, all right? So if you need to ask how to sign up for online giving, we can get you going on that as well, okay? If you want to talk more about debt, how to lose that debt, all those things, please talk to Ms. Kathy, one of us is elders. We would love to help you walk down that road, okay? Okay, let’s pray together.

Let’s pray together. Lord, help us to see that

we truly are stewards, that the only

thing we really possess is your Son, Jesus.

That’s our possession, and having your Son, Jesus, is the only thing that we should really be excited about. Lord, everything else needs to be so loose in the palm of our hands. Everything else needs to be expendable for the sake of Christ and His kingdom, so Lord, our prayer is that our hearts, where they long for and lust after security, where they long and lust after possessions, Lord, let them be turned to Christ. Let them be turned, Lord, towards obedience to what you, what He has called us to do in giving generously, giving sacrificially, cheerfully, Lord, to our local church. We ask that you would multiply and bless that, God.

And we pray it wouldn’t be just our dollars.

Lord, we pray it would be everything. Take every thought captive, every action, every emotion, every decision. Lord, let the full person be surrendered to the person of Jesus. That’s our prayer. Amen. We pray it in Christ’s name. Amen.