Giving as a Lifestyle! The Trust

1. Giving as a Lifestyle!The Trust God’s Plan for a Successful Lifestyle of Stewardship Ray of Hope Christian Church September 6, 2011

2. Give, and it shall be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you.Luke 6:38

3. Give your way out of debt!

4. Human Way of Thinking: • This does not sound logical, it does not seem reasonable. • You do not have disposable income to give. • You are disappointed that you cannot give as much as you would like. • You are in debt and need to meet your obligations and pay bills.

5. In our economy, giving one’s way out of debt does not make sense, but in God’s economy, in the kingdom, it is the only way.

6. Give and it shall be given to you! Spiritual Law

7. The law of reciprocity! Reciprocity means to “give and to take mutually, to return in kind or agree to make a return for something”.

8. What goes around, comes around.. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

9. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you……. • First you must give. The law of reciprocity does not work unless we give something. No giving no receiving, no deposit no return. 2. Then you receive- Once you give, you will receive. You will receive.

10. Your act of giving sets off the reaction of God and others.

11. 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 open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

12. 3. You give then you receive from other peopleGood measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into our laps.

13. What you pour out through giving, God pours it back into your life. • You get back in proportion to what you give. We reap what we sow- Galatians 6:7-8;11 II Corinthians 9:6

14. What we receive in life is largely determined by what we give.

15. Giving is the joy of living! • A primary purpose in life is to be a steward or manager of all that God owns. • Giving is a characteristic of servants and stewards of Christ. • You cannot be a good steward or manager of God’s resources without giving

16. God wants his wealth in circulation. God wants his resources to be used to bless others. God is a Giver John 3:16

17. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

18. God is the model for our giving. God gives 1. Lovingly Romans 3:23 –for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 5:8-But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

19. Romans 6:23-For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Salvation is the gift of gifts through Jesus Christ

20. Romans 8:32What has God given you? • Life andbreath-Isaiah 42:5 • Food, clothing andshelter-Matt 6:25-33 • Protection andSecurity-Psalms 62 • Peace-II Thessalonians 3:16 • Deliverance-Isaiah 41:10

21. Romans 8:32What has God given you? • Strength andPower-Psalms 68:35 • Family andchildren-Psalms 127:3 • NewHearts-Ezekiel 11:19 • Faith-Ephesians 2:8-9 • Word ofGod-Timothy 3:16 • Victory-Revelations 20-22 • ? • ?

22. God gives 2. Graciously He (God) causes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 3:45

23. 3. Generously Now unto Him who is able to do immeasurably more than you can ask for or imagine, according to his mighty power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

24. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you “will” abound in every good work. II Corinthians 9:8

25. God gives so generously to us that we might give generously to help others. • Deuteronomy 15:11-14 • Proverbs 25:21 • II Chronicles 28:15 • Isaiah 58:7 • Matthew 5:42 • Luke 12:33 The New Testament Church and Christians were givers- Acts 3:1-10

26. The point of this story for our purpose today is: • Give what you have. • Everyone has something to give. • We can give even when we think we can’t.

27. II Kings 4:1-7 a destitute woman gave her only jar of oil, in obedience to the word of the Lord through Elijah. The Lord multiplied it until its value paid her debt and provided income for her and her sons.

28. Matthew 14:23-31 a little boy gladly gave up his lunch of bread and fish to God who blessed and multiplied it and fed 5000 men and their families who were hungry and had leftovers.

29. II Corinthians 8:1-4, the people of the Macedonian churches, who were experiencing hard times themselves, begged for the privilege of giving to the Jerusalem Church where the saints were also going through.

30. As much as they were ableEven beyond their abilityEntirely on their own

31. They were able to give joyously and generously to help others when they themselves needed help because they gave themselves “first” to the Lord.

32. Proverbs 11:24-25 • A person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; he or she who refreshes others will be refreshed.

33. Proverbs 22:9 • A generous person will be blessed, for he/she shares his/her food with the poor.

34. Proverbs 19:17 • He/she who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him/her for what he/she has done.

35. Psalm 41:1 • Blessed is he or she who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him or her in times of trouble….