INGATHERING SUNDAY IS ALMOST HERE!

"It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

Many people go to church for what they can get. Well, if you go to church just for what you can get out of the music, or what you can get out of the sermon, or just to get blessed, you've missed the point and therefore you may miss the blessing. The music and the sermon aren't ends in themselves, they are but stimuli to cause you to seek and worship God. And if you have any thought less than that, you've missed the point! Giving God the glory He is due is central to the Gospel and central to life!

We go to church to worship God, and that's done by giving, not getting. How can our worship be pure if our first instinct is to “get what we want.” No, instead, we first go to offer something to Him. We offer Him praise, a humble heart, a willing spirit. We lay our service and even our treasure at His feet to worship Him. Worship is a consuming desire to give to God, and it involves the giving of ourselves, our heart attitudes, and our possessions.

So, as Ingathering week approaches, plan to give well! Give sacrificially! Yes, give financially but also come prepared to offer Him great praise from a pure heart. In doing so you and I will be giving Him the honor & glory & praise He deserves. Let’s bless the LORD next week with all the passion we can muster! Let us come together and honor Him, and as He asked us to in Malachi, let us test Him and see what He might do amongst us when we give sacrificially to His Kingdom work.

Building Bridges Through Love and Prayer

Building a bridge is an art. Not literal bridges that you drive over, although those are incredibly important...no, instead bridges for the gospel…bridges that help us sow the seeds of the gospel.

I love the prayer emphasis we are experiencing together right now. It is a joy to know a group of our members are praying every day and for the same things. Yes, we are agreeing and seeking the LORD in prayer, asking for his favor, for revival, and for a blessed offering this month at Ingathering.

Likewise, we should pray, as we learned last week, for God to break our hearts for lost people. And, we should pray for the wisdom and opportunity to reach them. Here are some other ideas to help us all:

1. Love people until they ask why. Then give Jesus all the credit.

2. Ask more questions than they do. Show your genuine interest in other’s lives…and this helps you to know how to pray for them.

3. Pray for them. And let them know you are doing it by continually checking on them.

4. Pray for your heart. We are by default selfish and we need to pray daily to ask the Lord to help our focus be on loving others as we love ourselves.

5. Connect them to church/gospel. Continually invite people to your church, your group, & your home.

6. Follow up. This is the step that everyone seems to forget. Never assume their silence means they are not interested. They’re busy, just like you. Keep reaching out. 

Givers…Can I Get an Amen?

Two men were marooned on a tiny island. One man paced back and forth worried and dreadfully frightened, while the other man sat back, whistling and sunning himself. The first man said, "Aren’t you afraid we’re going to die here?" "Nope," said the second man. “How can you be so sure?” the first man asked. “Well, you see…” said the second man, “I make $100,000 a month and I tithe faithfully to my church… My Pastor will find me."

Did you laugh at that? That is a funny story, but it speaks of a perception that isn’t true in most cases. The perception is that pastors are motivated to preach on giving because of their selfish concern for the church budget and building program. Do pastors shy away from preaching on giving so as not to appear focused on the bottom line? (not this one) No, our mission is not to “pay our bills,” instead our mission is the glory of God through gospel sharing and serving others!

Can’t we just assume if people are growing spiritually they will eventually learn to give? Consider this: there is no other area of spiritual growth where we make assumptions that believers will grow without reminders, exhortations, and accountability. Do we learn to pray, witness, or serve without being taught these things? No. Nor should we learn to give without being taught to give.  

The reality is the bible speaks extensively about giving, tithing, sacrifice, sharing, and stewardship. Therefore, we should have the conversation and challenge one another to such obedience with regularity. We should embrace the conversation about giving with great joy and give, give, give!