As we become a church, a community of people learning to follow Jesus in sync even while apart, we are working to be commited to five key things.  This week, we’re looking to be commited to generosity in our resources.  We want to be known for this as a community.

One of the first church leaders, Paul, wrote this to Timothy, who he was mentoring to lead churches after him:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. – 1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV

We asked yesterday if you knew anyone who worshipped money, and how you could tell.  That’s exactly what Paul is warning about here.  He doesn’t want the church to be a community where people set their hopes on material things.  If we do, we will quickly find they are not eternally safe.  Stocks fall, companies bankrupt, mortgages default, technology goes obsolete, and goods rot and rust away.

A right attitude about money and posessions doesn’t start with rules, principles or anything on this earth, rather it starts with God himself.  If you put your faith and trust in him first, you will see money and material differently as a result.  We’ll look at four shifts in our thinking:

It All Comes from God

God is not trying to take money away from us.  We are being invited to share in God’s work and to commit our resources to this work.  This invitation is always a privilege. It comes from our need for God, not God’s need for us

The book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell says something that Chrsitians have known all along.  He looks at highly successful people in our world, and searches for the origins of their success. Not once does he find a self-made person who engineered 100% of their own success.  Each had unique opportunities handed to them, that allowed them to excel.  This is how Christians have always known our lives to work!

This is a shift: We are now managing the money, time and talents that have been entrusted to us by God, in order to make sure that God’s work is done.  When applied to personal finances, to how we use our time and our natural skills and abilities, this is an absolutely radical concept. It goes to the very core of who we are and how we see ourselves.

We Need to Give

The conventional wisdom concerning money is that we have to learn how to hang on to it, not how to give it away.

We need to give in order to be free:  The seductive power of money is undeniable.  But it is disarmingly subtle.  In ensnares us without our even being aware of it.  It wraps chains around our hearts, our minds, our imagination without our even noticing….

There is only one way.  The power of money can only be broken by learning to give it away.  The basic question is simply, Will I control my money, or will my money control me ?

When we begin to give, the chains begin to break.  This can be very uncomfortable, frequently it is painful.  Yet once the chains are broken we experience the sheer exhilaration of freedom.  Only then do we realize how tightly the chains were wrapped around our heart.  Only then can we really understand what Jesus meant when he said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  We were created to give, not to hoard…Jesus wants us to be free.

We need to give in order to find fulfillment:
Enough always seems to be just a little bit more than I have right now.  A study was done by an economist called George Barna and it shows that most people seriously believe that they need approximately $8-10,000 more a year to live the way they would like to and no matter how much their income increases they still believe they need 8k-10k more.  They never find it.

People who give of their time and resources in service of others will tell you time and time again how incredibly fulfilling it is…that happiness doesn’t come from wealth, financial or otherwise, but rather because they are happy with what God has given, they are able to be contented and happy in all things, and that is a kind of wealth in itself that overflows into all parts of life.

Question: Have you ever found freedom or fulfillment in giving?  Why?

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - June 6, 2013

Thursday - Act On It - Judgement

One friend, speaking on this passage, gave this advice: When in conflict, we typically assume it's 80% their fault, 20% ours. But approach the argument as if it's the opposite, since that’s how the other person sees it! Jesus said, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." It's a ridiculous image. But usually we can recognize some truth in it. It's embarassing for us, because we know it's something we've done. Story of someone driving down road, sketchy people, judging them. Reazlizes speeding! “They might be breaking, or planning to break the law, but I am 100% guilty!” We don’t judge ourselves by the same standards we use for others. It's right in the log and speck imagery: We are the worst possible eye surgeon, but ready to give it a try all the same. Specks are not harmless – don’t ignore one! Left alone in our own eye, or anyone else's, they become inflamed irritants…you are a bad friend if you ignore the speck in someone else's eye. But to be that good friend, first take log out of your own eye - approach other person with humility and self-awareness. Jesus' death on the cross is central. It allows us to become aware of brokenness and sin - we needed Jesus to die for us. This can help us believe we are no better than others - we all needed relief from sin. To approach that other person, we have to believe we are worse, or as bad, as anyone else. But Jesus' death on the cross also tells us we are loved. By showing us how loved we are, Jesus has removed any of our motivations to avoid hard conversations by fear. We are loved, even in the hard conversations. Challenge: Who do you want to criticize or judge? Are you guilty of the same? Approach that person on the level, tell them you’re working on this issue in yourself, and see what happens from there.

Related Topics: Fear, Judgement | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

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