Series: Connecting to god’s family...

AbingdonCommunity Church Sunday 26th April 2015 Series: Connecting to god’s family...

OUR VISION... God’s UP GET CONNECTED TO... IN OUT on Mission Family Together in & around Abingdon

Recap last week: God’s family • Multiple pictures of the church in the Bible • Body, Flock, Bride, Vine, House, Nation • Family • “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:34 • Three characteristics: • Families share a family likeness • Families are there for each other • Families aren’t perfect! KEY ATMOSPHERES: HONOUR & SERVICE

Ed Evans Sunday 25th April 2015 Finance and generosity in God’s family

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.” “Money is the root of all evil” “You cannot serve both God and Money” “On the first day of the week, each one of you should set aside a tenth of your income ” “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” Is it in the Bible? IN Ecc 5:10 OUT IN c.f. 1 Tim 6:10 Mat 6:24 OUT c.f. 1 Cor 16:2 IN Heb 13:5

JESUS: 16 out of 38 parables (~40%) 1 in every 3-10 verses in Matthew, Mark & Luke BIBLE VERSES ON... Baptism Prayer Faith Love Money & Possessions PART 1:WHY The bible is obsessed with money... 30 275 350 650 2,350

“Why so much about money?”“What’s it got to do with THE KINGDOM?”

Parables of the kingdom... Mat 13 “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (v22) • Rich young man... Mat 19:16-30 “Teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” ... “Go sell your possessions...” Money, the kingdom of heaven & eternal life

Billy Graham: “A cheque book is a theological document: it will tell you who and what you worship.” “If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.” Martin Luther : “People go through three conversions: their head, their heart and their pocketbook...Unfortunately, not all at the same time.” MONEY REVEALS OUR INNER motivations

Treasures on earth or treasures in heaven? “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” “You cannot serve both God and Money” MATTHEW 6:19-24 – a matter of the heart

“Your use of money shows what you think of God” Brian Kluth 1. Who or what do we put our trust in? “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” Deut 8:17,18

Matt 6:25-34 “Worry is not a little weakness we all give way to from time to time. It is a sin that is strictly forbidden” Michael Green “Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God” R H Mounce Worry is unnecessary, even for the hardworking. (v26) Worry is useless. (v27) Worry is blind. (v28-29) Worry is essentially a failure to trust God. (v30-32) Therefore, worry WILL affect our choices... 1. Who or what do we put our trust in?

Invested in heaven or invested in earth? 2. Our use of wealth shows our heart What does this mean in practice? Parables... • The rich fool (Luke 12:13-21)INVEST IN KINGDOM OR OUR OWN FUTURE/RETIRMENT? • The shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-9)INVEST IN PEOPLE & RELATIONSHIPS THAT IMPACT ETERNITY • The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)INVEST IN NEEDS OF OTHERS OR OUR OWN COMFORT? • The minas or talents (Luke 19:11-27, Mat 25:14-30)PLAY IT SAFE OR TAKE RISKS FOR KINGDOM ADVANCE?

Amy Carmichael(1867-1951), missionary to India: “You can give without loving... But you cannot love without giving.” 3. Giving stores up treasure in heaven God is the “Yahweh Yireh” - Lord our provider God is an extravagantly generous Father!

“6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Cor 9:6-11

“9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Cor 9:6-11

TRUST “Give to God what’s right, not what’s left.” • GRATITUDE “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17 • GENEROSITY END OF PART 1: Our response TO GOD

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 tim 6:17-19

THIRD KEY ATMOSPHERE: GENEROSITY OUR PRACTICE: EVERY FAMILY HAS TO HAVE A WAY TO HANDLE FINANCE PART 2:FINANCE IN GOD’S FAMILY...

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the right-eous give generously... They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.” Psalm 37:21,26 “Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.” Psalm 112:5 “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25 “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 Generosity is A KINGDOM ATTITUDE!

Give back 10% of all God blesses us with (i.e. gross income) • Give this to local church as place of spiritual feeding & nurture • Give as much as we can in offerings over and above this to support those in need, spread the gospel and build God’s kingdom • Alongside this, we take responsibility for our own support & that of our family – so giving is in faith not presumption. RECOMMENDED FAMILY practice - GIVING

‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’ Malachi 3:10

Bible overview... First giving: Cain & Abel Gen 4 Offerings to God (sacrifices etc) e.g. Gen 8 Abraham & Jacob: spontaneous 10% Gen 14, 28 Mosaic Law Prophets calling Israelites back to this Neh 13Mal 3 But is this really biblical?

Mosaic Law... • Multiple offerings, firstfruits AND tithe = 10% of all you harvested/received Lev 27:30-33 • Firstfruits brought to temple, part offered on altar, rest went to priests Num 18:12-15 • Tithes went to Levites, and their tithe to priests Num 18:21-29 • Tithes usually at temple, some eaten in celebration & rest to Levites Deut 12:17-19, 14:22-27 • After every 3 years, tithe kept locally to feed Levites, foreigners, fatherless & widows Deut 14:28-29 But is this really biblical?

Why tithe in the OT? To honour God Deut 14:23, Mal 3 The support God’s ministries Num 18:21,Neh 13:10-11 To ensure care for the poor & needy Deut 14:28-29 To secure God’s blessing! Deut 14:29, Mal 3:10-12 But is this really biblical?

23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. Gal 3:23-25 PLUS Rom 7:4, 8:1-4 & many others... Christians are free from law...

We respond to God by giving in proportion to our income 1 Cor 16:1-2 Minsters of the gospel get their support from the gospel 1 Cor 9:11-14 We are commanded to remember the poor e.g. Gal 2:9-10 Promise is still there that those who give will receive e.g. 2 Cor 9:6, Luke 6:38 ...But NT confirms some principles...

No law on giving Generosity is the rule God’s people have always given 10%, “generous” must mean more than this! This is just the start ... Offerings, time, love, hospitality, shared lives... Conclusion ON TITHING...

FAMILY practice – use of money YOU! Gift Aid return from government Specific offerings Tithes & general offerings Local church: day to day work Capital projects (currently New Yatt road site) Youth & Schools work ~90% Region: pastors salaries, working together, church planting... Contribute for use ~30% profit OCC: Wider apostolic work, nations, HR, legal & finances bursaries King’s Centre King’s School External giving Hire fees Parents External users / groups

Our God is able to bless us abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work ... ...we will be made rich in every way SO THAT we can be generous on every occasion, and through others our generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. AMEN! 2 Cor 9:8, 11

Our finances are a key battle ground in heaven’s invasion of earth: they reveal where our heart is. CONCLUSION • A battle of the headDO WE SEE GOD AS AN EXTRAVAGANTLY GENEROUS FATHER OR ARE WE STILL STRUGGLING TO PROVIDE FOR OURSLEVES? • A battle of the heartDOES OUR USE OF MONEY SHOW OUR HEARTS TO BE IN HEAVEN OR ON EARTH? • A battle of the handsDOES OUR GIVING MEASURE UP TO THE GENEROSITY OF GOD?

Series: Connecting to god’s family...