All in Series

Steward Well - Give Well

What a series, what a year, hopefully you have renewed your commitment by returning to your first love and after Pastor Ted’s last week series, you are paying attention to the details.

How important it is to examine our lives and pay attention waiting for the Lord’s return. Doing what he has asked of us, listening to his voice, making good use of the gifts, talents, and finances, that God has entrusted unto us.

Today we talk about stewarding and being generous.

It is clear that God talks a lot about money—and you don’t talk about what you don’t care about.

Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, one out of ten verses (288 in all) deals directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. It’s undeniable, the management of money and generosity is a core component of the Christian faith and it’s clear:

Stewarding well and giving well is the mark of a mature Christian

Keeping is the mark of an immature Christian.

Here are two of the biggest arguments of people and why they don’t …

1. I can’t I’m just not financially able…and I would say that is because you don’t steward well, because everyone is able to give something even if it requires you to hurt a little, or pull back from something, or do something less.

So what does it mean to steward?

Stewardship: The job of supervising or taking care of something

So, lets pick on me for a moment, I love eating out, trying new foods, and I love taking my family out to eat but my family is big. For us to go out it cost no less than $50 each time (and we all drinking water and my kids are tiny). Not to bad right? Let’s say we do that every day each week, that is $350 that week, by the end of the month that is $1470. EVERY MONTH!!

That’s a huge house note, two or three car notes, that is crazy!!

Unless you are super rich in this crowd this is NOT STEWARDING WELL!!

When you get your check and you go crazy this is NOT STEWARDING WELL!!

When you live in debt this is NOT STEWARDING WELL!!

When you don’t know where your money is going this is NOT STEWARDING WELL!!

So, what I have to do is steward what God has given me. Supervise. Take care of.

So we have budgets for you and everyone gets one!!

If we are gonna go All In in 2020 we are gonna have to Steward Well.

And when we steward well the first things we do is GIVE WELL.

If you don’t give when you have little, you will never give when you have lots!! If you are going to go ALL IN this has to be an area that you allow God to have access in. Your giving and your stewarding.

And notice the first part of the budgeting…GIVING.

Being generous is not some we do with the leftovers, its something we do with the first.

Today, most Christians don’t tithe or give

This isn’t a judgment. It’s just an observation. Consider these statistics: · According to State of the Plate, only 10–25 percent of church members tithe · Only 5 percent of the United States population tithes · On average, Christians give 2.5 percent of their income, which is down from the 3.3 percent given during the Great Depression

2. So, this leads me to the second of many reasons people don’t give (besides not wanting to or just give a couple of dollars) I believe that tithing is Old Testament and I am free from the burden of the law so I don’t give, besides I pay taxes.

If you think for one moment that your taxes are going to benefit the spread of Christianity and the heart of Jesus here and throughout the world you are wildly mistaken. Even Jesus said give to “Ceaser” what is “Ceaser’s” the government at the time and give to the Lord what is the Lords.

Tithing in the Old Testament

What does the Old Testament say about tithing? Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:20), and Hebrews appeals to this account to support the superiority of Melchizedek’s priesthood over Levi’s (Heb. 7:4–10). God met Jacob at Bethel and promised him covenant blessings; the patriarch promised God a tenth of everything granted him (Gen. 28:22). A tenth of Israel’s seed, fruit, and flocks were given to the Lord (Lev. 27:30–32; Deut. 14:22–24; cf. 2 Chron. 31:5–6; Neh. 13:5, 12). The people gave a tenth to the Levites to support them (Num. 18:21–24; cf. Neh. 10:38; 12:44), and the Levites, in turn, were to give a tenth to the chief priest (Num. 18:25–28). Those who didn’t tithe were threatened with a curse, while those who did tithe were promised blessing (Mal. 3:8–10).

Malachi 3:10-12

“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. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

I do think that America’s prosperity has come from being a generous nation.

Though we might assume Old Testament Israel gave a total of 10 percent, it’s actually difficult to discern how much was given.

Some think the Israelites gave 14 tithes over seven years; others believe they gave 12. Regardless, when we add the required tithes together, the amount certainly exceeded 10 percent. In fact, the number was probably somewhere around 20 percent per year.

And now you groan because you are like wow 20 or 30 percent

So here is Jesus’s voice….

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38

Paul Writes… 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

So even if your argument is that tithing has been done away with, or I don’t have to give it all to the church, which personally I think are valid points, being generous has not…

And biblically 10% is a good and sound way to start…

And biblically even in the New Testament our generous giving should…

Your Tithe Should Give To The Poor (really poor, not because of poor decisions)

There are a plethora of Scriptures featuring Jesus’s heart for the poor, so let’s first go back to God’s book of wisdom. Proverbs 19:17 states, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” If this Scripture is true, which I believe it is, then any giving to the poor is merely a loan to God—and God never fails to make good on His promises.

The 10% who make less than $1.90 a day, the millions of kids that don’t go to school…

Do you seek out the poor? Do you make it a priority to give to those in need around the world? The Lord says what we do for the poor, we do for Him. Sponsor a child, support a Christian charity, give to the poor in your own city, after all, you are simply lending money to God.

At Hope Community we are committed to it…

Even our tithe here at the church goes to it…

Cebu shelter of Hope, Orphanage in Uganda

El Salvador Missions, Locally,t we feed and give clothes and food

We personally house Hope Extreme for Students and Hope Restored for Mothers

So, whether you do that through the church or on your own be generous…

Give to the Needs of the Saints Romans 12:10-13 says, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”

This is one among many passages that command Christians to meet the needs of the saints. This is also a principle clearly upheld throughout the New Testament. This is the command discussed above in the Romans passage is the universal doctrine for the church that is intended to be played out locally.

At Hope Community We are committed to it.

We support Charlie and Tina spreading the Gospel In Tequila Mexico

Josh and Jolie in India, and Amanda Kilora in Asia

Alisson Mars in ULL Campus, Katie and Joseph on LSU’s Campus,

Place of Restoration Men’s Drug Rehab and Women’s Restoration Women’s Rehab

So whether you do that through the church or on your own be generous.

Give to Shepherds in Your Life

How much would you pay for a doctor to heal an infection in your body? $125? Maybe more? Why do we hesitate to pay the pastor who heals the infections in your soul? Is the healing of your pornography addiction not more valuable than a throat infection? Is the saving of your marriage not more valuable than changing the oil in your car? Is having the wisdom and counsel on how to navigate big life decisions not more valuable than the man who installs your dishwasher? All of these individuals exercise their right to collect money for the material solution they provide. Do shepherds not have the right to collect an income for the spiritual labor they provide? Paul and Jesus affirm this idea in Luke 10:7 and 1 Timothy 5:18 when they say, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” Galatians 6:6 brings additional support when it says, “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.”

If you are sitting under the regular teaching of Christian doctrine please determine a way to allow the plowman or woman to enjoy the fruits of their harvest.

That may be gratitude, honor, and surely financial if possible.

All In is About Stewarding.

In 2020 determine to be a better steward.

Pass those stewarding techniques on to your children.

All In is about being Generous.

To the poor.

To the saints.

To the shepherds.

This year lets…

Steward Well…

Give Well…