If you were asked if you were rich what would you say? If your household income is more than $34,000 then you have more money than 99% of the world population!
1 Tim 6:17-18 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. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, & be generous and willing to share. NIV
According to this portion of Scripture, wealth is uncertain. It is an interesting thought but shows up in a very obvious way when we start asking people to define being rich. A Gallup survey asked people who made $35,000 per year what it was to be rich. They said they were not rich but people who made $75,000 per year were rich. They then surveyed people who made $150,000 per year and these people said they were not rich. Readers of Money Magazine said having $1,000,000 in liquid assets was rich. After surveying people with $1,000,000 in liquid assets these people said they weren’t rich but having $5,000,000 in liquid assets was rich.
The conclusion of all of this is that wealth is uncertain. It seems that everybody thinks being rich is something they haven’t yet achieved even when they’ve achieved what they wanted to achieve when they were younger. Wealth is uncertain! Wealth is so uncertain in the world’s perspective faulty conclusions are constantly drawn. It is faulty to believe you can’t take it with you. The reality is that true riches are relationships and the one thing we can take with us is people. God is all about people and we should be too!
Have you ever invited somebody to help you do a job only to discover it was a lot more work to have their “help” than if they’d just get out of your way? This is how God must feel all the time but God is on a mentoring venture. He could get it all done without us but he’s chosen to include us because his focus is us and not just getting stuff done!
Ex 3:7-10 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out…So I have come down to rescue them…(to bring them into) a land flowing with milk and honey… 10 So now, go. I am sending you...” NIV
Notice God came to Moses saying he’d heard the cry of God’s people and he came to rescue them. God came to rescue them but he’s now talking to Moses. After talking to Moses he’s then sending Moses.
We’re looking for a move of God. God’s looking for a move of man!
What God does in the earth He does through you and through me. We are hoping Jesus will change our world but Jesus is hoping we will change our world!
If North America tithed for just one year it would produce $150 billion! The #1 killer in our world is contaminated water and the United Nations reports that we could solve contaminated water worldwide for $10 billion. An additional $30 billion solves world hunger creating solutions for all humans in the world to be able to eat. A total of $40 billion alleviates human suffering in both of these areas of horrible human suffering! After spending $40 billion of the $150 billion we would still have $110 billion left over to solve all kinds of other problems in our world. Imagine what kind of world could exist just on the other side of our obedience of tithing and giving to further the compassionate work of God in the earth.
The Israelites came out of Egypt with the gold of Egypt in their hands. God wasn’t trying to establish another Egypt. It was for the Tabernacle! This gold was used to establish the work of God in the earth! Loving, serving and giving in our church positions you to stand before God with the works of our church assigned to your life?
1 Cor 4:5 He’ll bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. NIV
We completely understand why we would praise God but this verse says God will praise us. I remember playing the character, Pedro, in the play, The Man of LaMancha while in college. After the production was over we all joined together to celebrate at the cast party. The Director of the play went around thanking everybody for his or her hard work to make the play such a success.
After the production of this world is over we will apparently have a big cast party in heaven. God will address each and every one of us giving us praise and appreciation for all we did to contribute to his plans to transform the earth. I’ve pondered this, wondering what the conversation will sound like when God’s talking to Corrie Ten Boom, Martin Luther, Billy Graham and others. John Wesley rode 250,000 miles on horseback to preach the Gospel, delivering some 40,000 sermons in his lifetime. At the age of 83 he was angry with his doctor who would only allow him to preach 14 times each week. What will God say to all of these people who lived such sacrificial lives to expand the work of God in the earth? What will God say to you? What will God say to me?
Part of our call as a church family is to establish a church that is spiritually well and financially strong. This should be a ministry legacy that outlives us all and produces fruit well beyond our lives! Every time you give, every time you serve, every time you make a sacrifice to see vision furthered this is applied to your spiritual account. We can take it with us! True riches are relationships and we can take people with us if we choose to live our lives sacrificially expanding the work of God in the earth!
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Make your giving about your worship as we join together in projecting financial sacrifices we will make this next year to further God’s Kingdom as a family!
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Who is the most generous person that you have ever met?
Why would you describe them in this way?
2. How would you like to grow in being generous to others?
Generosity encourages and enhances relationships in every direction in our lives. When we sacrifice others are served, we are blessed and God is glorified! God is constantly trying to enrich our lives and cause us to flourish. Just because God wants this in our lives doesn’t mean it happens. We have a responsibility to cooperate with his sacrificial plan that involves the sacrificial expression of Christ and the sacrificial expression of our lives as we follow His example.
Luke 9:23-24 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
3. Are we still disciples if we don’t (choose not to) take up our cross?
4. How have your priorities changed since you became a Christian?
5. If you had to guess, what do you think he will want you to work on in 10 years?
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it...”
This verse clearly says how God owns everything. Everything in the earth is the Lord’s. All of the world’s resources came from God. God owns it and God loans it. We have nothing before we arrive in this earth and nothing after we leave. We have about 100 years to use what has been entrusted to our care to see God’s kingdom expand.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
6. What will you need from God to help you to become more generous?
Take some time this week to ask him for those things specifically.
Being a responsible part of your church family is part of the reason why we tithe but it’s goes much deeper than that. God’s plan is for us all to keep Him first in our lives.
Deut 14:23 The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives (TLB)
Our children won’t learn sacrificial generosity from their buddies. This is something we must teach them as we lead by example.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Make your giving about your worship as we join together in projecting financial sacrifices we will make this next year to further God’s Kingdom as a family!