Freedom

Posted by Chris on July 5, 2009 under Sermons

Americans are passionate about the concept of freedom. Freedom and independence define our experience. Many of know that freedom comes with a price – freedom is not free. That’s why we cringe at the thought of squandering freedom. Giving up precious freedom simply to avoid struggle or to gain something as simple as comfort strikes us as a losing bargain. Statements like “give me liberty or give me death” are written deeply into our history. We aren’t always sure that our nation will live up to that spirit, but it is still there.

If we can be so passionate about political freedom and if we can understand the spirit of freedom that is a part of the legends and history of our nation, then we ought to be even more passionate about freedom in Christ. We really need to understand how the Spirit of God is the foundation of this freedom. Read Galatians 5 …

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law …

Paul is greatly discouraged that the Galatian Christians have given up their freedom and submitted themselves to systems of rules and beliefs.
Instead of trusting in the grace of God, they have decided to make themselves right with God based on what they can do.
Some of it probably seems harmless: observing special rituals, following certain rules and customs, nothing too extreme … but Paul’s warning is that grace plus anything else really isn’t grace.
What concerns me is our fascination with lists – five acts of worship, five steps/six steps of salvation, threefold patterns of interpretation: Yes, these can be helpful, but when observance or adherence to these lists become a test of fellowship and/or become the sign of faithfulness, then we are getting bound up into a type slavery.
There is a dangerous temptation to view our salvation in terms of a knowledge that we must have and a work that we must do that secures that salvation. We are not dependent on our own efforts. Our faith is not measured by our accomplishments.
Our faith, our life isn’t the sum total of keeping a list of requirements and commands.
We are free from religious law.

v 13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters.

What does it mean to be called to live in freedom? Do we grasp the importance of this statement?
We are free in Christ which means …
We are free to love. We do not love God and love others because we are coerced. Not because there is some legal obligation. We are free to serve.
- I can understand why Paul would find it disappointing that the Christians in Galatia were giving up on faith and freedom and substituting it with commands and obligations.
- We have not fully matured if our only motivation for following God’s ways is “because he commanded it.”
- When we live in freedom we are free to serve God and serve others – or not.

So if we are free not to serve God and others, why would we?

It’s sort of a shame that Americans – who understand that freedom isn’t free – have to ask this. Freedom demands certain responsibilities. Those who seek freedom are filled with a certain spirit of responsibility and maturity.
Much more so, in Christ, we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit when we live in freedom.

But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
v 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Those who live in Christ’s freedom do not act in ways that are determined by others.
We are free from the reaction and response of others.
We are also free to act in a way that reflects the spirit rather than act in a way that is defensive or reactive to others.
Think about it, such defensive and reactive behavior is childish. “I acted this way, because she did this or that.”
Paul is pushing the Galatians to be guided by the Holy Spirit because they are being guided by other spirits. How often are we guided by other spirits, other attitudes, other expectations.
We are often so worried about what others think and what others do, and we become less interested in what God thinks, what he is able to do and we are less interested in what we are thinking and especially what we are doing.
Because we are free …
- We are free from manipulation by others
- We are free from the temptation to control others
- We are free from the need to feel like we must know better than others.
- We are free to do good – always (Galatians 6:10)

Vengeance is Mine

Posted by Chris on June 28, 2009 under Sermons

Saul in David’s Hands (chapter 24)

Saul is vulnerable
David’s Men: “This is the day God promised – Saul is in your hands!”
David cuts of piece of robe but protects Saul: “He’s the anointed.”

Saul in God’s Hands

David confronts Saul: “God will avenge me!”
David puts the matter in God’s hands
Saul is humbled by David’s grace
Who is right? In whose eyes?

Aftermath

David promises respect to Saul’s family
They part company. The pursuit is over
Samuel dies

David and Nabal (chapter 25)

David and his men ask Nabal for hospitality
Nabal is rude and selfish
David plans revenge on Nabal
Abigail intervenes. David trusts in the Lord – again.
Nabal is stunned and later dies.

David in Saul’s Camp (chapter 26)

David and Abishai enter Saul’s camp
Saul is in David’s hands once again
He calls Abner out and chides him for not protecting king
David and Saul call for peace

David and Christ

Christ did not defend himself, but trusted in God
Christ could have avenged himself, but he trusted in God’s justice
Christ was rightfully God’s anointed

God Favors You

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

What do you expect when you come to worship? I wonder what the worshippers who came to synagogue in Nazareth expected? Maybe they thought it would be a day like any other. Saying prayers, reading Scripture, some study. …

I want you to imagine what it would have been like for the men and women who had high hopes for Jesus’ ministry. They were there that day when Jesus read Scripture. He said …

The Spirit of the Lord is on me and he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. (Luke 4:18-19)

He claimed that this ancient reading was fulfilled even as they heard it. Jesus certainly proved to have the power to back up his claim. No wonder people followed him and wanted to learn how to live.

But now it is years after that and those same men and women have lost their hopes. Jesus is hanging on a cross.

Do you know what a cross is? It is a form of public execution. It is a method of political execution. The ruling power reserved crucifixion as a way of publicly shaming those who threatened their laws and their power. It was a way of saying to everyone in the land – if you oppose our rule or break our laws we will destroy you.

What did Jesus do to end up hanging on a cross? The answer is not “nothing.” In fact Jesus did everything that he said he would do. He proclaimed good news to the poor. He set captives free. He restored sight to the blind. He released the oppressed. He had the audacity to say that God favored us.

Now, I understand if you feel like that isn’t fair. I understand if you feel like that isn’t just. It isn’t. In fact it sort of makes us think that there’s something sort of broken with the way things are. It shouldn’t be like this. You are right. It shouldn’t.

But Jesus was a threat to the powers that keep us poor, blind, imprisoned, captive, and oppressed. And they would do anything to keep their power – even if it meant remaining captive to sin. They nailed Jesus to a cross in order to send the message that there was no good news for the poor, blind, captive, and oppressed. They wanted to reserve God’s favor for those that they considered worthy.

Can you feel what the disciples of Jesus felt when all of their hopes were dashed?

What happened to the Spirit of the Lord that rested on Jesus? Did God remove his favor?
Even as Jesus suffered and died, he trusted in God and his goodness. He said “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

The cross seemed like the end, but it wasn’t. Jesus’ trust and submission to God was not misplaced. God raised him from the dead and exalted him. Hope was restored.

Here we are now. What did you expect today when you came to worship? Maybe a song, a prayer, communion, some preaching and scripture reading.

What if I told you that the Spirit of Christ is still proclaiming Good News. For those who are poor, captive, oppressed, there is hope. God favors you.

But be warned …

Some people rejected Jesus in the synagogue – as soon Jesus got very generous with God’s favor, they wanted to kill him.
Some people rejected Jesus at the crucifixion. Jesus threatened the truce that they had made with the powers of sin and evil. They had become comfortable in their blindness and captivity. Jesus threatened that comfort.

Those who reject God’s favor, choose poverty, captivity, blindness, and oppression. Could that be you?

Some of us are poor – literally and figuratively, our spirit is impoverished – we quench the joy that can be ours by submitting and trusting our spirit to God the Father.
Some of us are captives – to the state, to debt, and to our lusts
Some of us are blind – to the truth, to the needs of others, to the sin in our own lives
Some of us are oppressed – by our own selfishness, our anger, our hatred, our sin.

The Spirit of the Lord, through Jesus, is proclaiming good news. Something good and something new … The good news is this: God favors you.

The Holy Spirit of God was working through those disappointed disciples who had their hope restored when they met the risen Christ.

Peter preaching to those who rejected God’s Favor …

(Acts 2:38-40) Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles-all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

There is hope. God favors you. Will you trust your spirit to God? Will you accept the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Giving Away

Posted by Chris on June 21, 2009 under Sermons

I stand before you preaching today because there were believers not much different that you and I who put a lot of energy and effort into a method that was aimed at giving away the gospel.

The Center Street church gave away rides to church. They had a church bus in the 1970’s, just like many churches. Yes, those buses were a lot of work. Yes, it was difficult to maintain a church bus in the midst of an oil crisis. Yes, there was a too much rigidity to the method of bus ministry and promotion of a one size fits all program. Yes, bus ministry was sometimes sold as the magic bullet that would produce instant church growth.

But thank God that those people in Fayetteville drove that bus down Turner Ave. Thank God that he was working in the hearts of men like Blondie Edwards and Lonnie Farrar. Thank God that Blondie knocked on the door of our house and asked if the kids wanted to come to church. And when my mother asked if she could ride the bus to church too (because she thought my sister would not go without her), thank God that Blondie didn’t wonder if this conformed to the guide book nor did he tell her that he had to ask the elders – thank God he said, “Absolutely!”

Thank God for Colleen Shirley who befriended my mother and made her feel welcome. Thank God for the men who made my father feel welcome. Thank God for people at that congregation who welcomed my unbaptized mother and father into their community. Thank God for Tommy Dockery who preached and conversed with my mom and dad. Thank God that he eventually baptized them into Christ.

There were all sorts of methods at work in that church family. Everything to one-on-one kindness to high powered bus ministry. I don’t think for a second that it was all perfect and I rather suspect that there may have been some people who were annoyed by it. But thank God that those believers all had a mission to give away the Gospel!

I don’t know how many others turned them down. I don’t know how many others slammed a door. I don’t know how frustrating the work might have been. I don’t know if there was criticism or concern within the church. I just know that they offered my family a ride to church and VBS and it made an eternal impact on us and anyone that we’ve been able to help along the way.

I tell you this because I want you to forget for a second that I’m the preacher. I wasn’t born with a label that said “Minister or Evangelist.” I didn’t grow up in a heritage of saintly men of the cloth and god-fearing women who served the church. My forefathers were not church leaders. Rather I grew up in a basically good family that wasn’t particularly religious, and yet we loved each other and we did the best we could for me and we lived our lives like anyone else.

I tell you this because I want you to forget that I am preacher and understand that if it weren’t for the grace of God I probably would live a self-consumed life as a basically good person who had no sense of eternity.

And the difference maker was a group of people who were caught up in God’s mission to give away the gospel. They got intentional about it. They employed the best methods they could come up with and did something to share and give away something that was given freely to them. Have I made this clear?

Intentionality vs Perfection.
We have to be intentional. This isn’t something that we can hold onto and give away to those we deem worthy. Intentional about outreach.

One of the greatest obstacles that we have had is that we see the Gospel as something we have to sell. We don’t. We just give it away.

Method vs Mission – The Church Bus was a method. When it became the mission itself, it made it possible to lose sight of why we invested all the energy and effort into maintaining a bus and picking up children. Keeping sight of mission means that when it became unfeasible to maintain a bus, we could all of us use our own cars to bring people to worship – which in itself is still a form of method.

VBS is a method. It’s a good method. It can change. If it fails or falters, it doesn’t mean that the mission has failed. Even in our failed methods, God can accomplish his mission.

If the mission to make disciples is the polar star, then we are always course correcting according to the mission. Course correcting according to method is missing the point.

[Illustration: Negative Illustration about Method and Mission.]

Note: The lesson here is not that we must support bus ministry. Center Street and West-Ark no longer have bus ministries. That method may not be feasible, but the mission can still be accomplished. The lesson is that we must also keep the mission in focus and let method adapt to fulfill mission. Otherwise mission will be forced into the shape of method and that is not responsible.

Our mission is to give away the gospel. Our mission is God’s mission. All of our energy and effort should be in line with what God is doing. One way to imagine this is to see that our methods and efforts, our resources are sails and ships. God’s mission is the wind that drives all of this.

How can I inspire us to keep the mission in view? How can I inspire us to keep the mission in sight whether it is around the world or across the street? How can I inspire us to keep the mission in view personally and as a church – right here and now in Fort Smith.

Illustration: Funerals

But there is something that stirred me and inspired me during these three funerals. I could say with boldness and confidence in each of these funerals that these three saints are safe in Christ. I could say that because they were united with Christ in his death, then they would be united with him in the resurrection. I didn’t have to lie. I didn’t have to sell it. I just said it. It wasn’t because these three were particularly good – even though they were. It was because these three trusted in Christ. The gospel was given away freely and they took hold of it.

I want us to be more concerned for all those who will pass away without to confidence that Larry, Lewis and Louise had because of Christ.

Let this stir us to be fixed on God’s mission. Let’s give the gospel away to the hands that freely open to receive it.

David the Outlaw

Posted by Chris on June 14, 2009 under Sermons

David at Nob

Abiathar the priest
Holy bread supplies David and his troops
David needs a weapon to match Saul
Doeg the Edomite

David at Gath

King Achish
David is recognized as a warrior
David acts insane to avoid capture

David at Adullam

David’s Army of Outcasts
David provides for his family (Moab)
Psalm 142

Saul at Nob

Saul vs Abiathar – The friend of my enemy is my enemy too
Saul’s men refuse his order
Doeg the Edomite

David at Keilah

The Philistines raid the farmers at Keilah
David has a choice – do the kingly thing and protect them, or avoid trouble
David listens to his men and God
Keilah does betray David

Giving Up

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

We’re living in the era of big bailouts. It seems like there is a plan for everyone to help us avoid change and the consequences of our overspending and greed.

Jim and Joweena Sanders have taken the bailout plan to the neighborhood level. They are broke and up to their eyeballs in debt. Do they sit down and figure out a budget? Do they get rid of the luxuries in their lives that are costing them so much? Oh no. They come up with a bailout that helps them avoid all responsibility – even if it shoves it off on the neighbor.

[Watch the VIDEO: “Meet the Sanders: The Bailout”]

The Sanders wouldn’t give up their stuff. So, they couldn’t give in to their fellow Christians, they couldn’t give out to help others, and they certainly couldn’t give up to God. All because they couldn’t give up their stuff.

The video is funny – maybe because it is true. Would it surprise you to know that this is exactly what God’s people were doing at a critical time in their history?

Rebuilding the Temple (Haggai)

Haggai – It is the 6th century BC. The Persian king has just released the captives who were taken from Judah by Babylon. The nation that was to be a light to the world is in ruins. God’s Temple, which was dedicated as a house of prayer for all nations, is destroyed. Now God’s people can get back to their mission and restore the temple.

Building the temple was central to the restoration of a nation that would glorify God. They were to be a light to the nations. But the people became consumed with their own houses rather than the house of the Lord. As a result, the mission was delayed for 14 years. Enter the prophet Haggai who holds the people accountable …

Haggai 1:1-11 (they respond 1:12-14)
Haggai 2:8-9

Giving Up means Giving Up on Stuff …

The people were not giving up to God because they wouldn’t give up their stuff. The irony is that the more they try to hold on to their stuff, the less they have.
- They have food, but they are always hungry
- They have clothes, but they are never warm
- They have money, but they cannot save it – they put it in a bag with holes.
Do we ever feel like that? So much work, so much toil, so much effort to acquire more stuff and we are never satisfied.
Giving Up means Giving Up to God …

Discipline is the antidote to dissatisfaction. See Malachi 3 …
- In pagan religion, worshippers give something to God to get something in return.
- Giving Up to God is not the same, but there is a long history of God’s people giving in order to get …

When we give in order to win God’s favor, we fail to recognize two things:

God doesn’t need an allowance from us. When we give him 10%, that’s not his cut. He cares about the 90% he has given us as well as the 10%.
God doesn’t change. We don’t give to change God, we give to God so that we might be changed.

When we give up on stuff and give up to God, we develop the heart, the mind, and the culture that resists the influence of the false God mammon. We practice our service to God rather than money.

All giving is giving to God. Don’t play games that leave us in control – those are ways that serve mammon. When you give, give to God. Trust that He will do whatever He wants with your gift. Learn to let go of it and don’t demand a receipt. We wouldn’t want God to hand us a bill would we?

The Fear of God’s Spirit

Posted by Chris on June 7, 2009 under Sermons

Saul against David

Saul has slain his thousands …
Reaction: Angry, galled, jealous
Tormented despite David’s music

Once the people praise David, Saul loses his cool and his graciousness.
He is troubled by the evil spirit even though David is ministering to him through music.

Saul’s Violence

Throws Spear Twice – 18:10
Sent to battle – 18:16
Price for the Bride – 18:24
Jonathan/Truce – 19:1-7
Spear again – 19:9
Assassination at Night – 19:11-17
Pursuit – 19:18-24

Outcome

David benefits Saul and Israel with his success
Saul grows more fearful and jealous
Saul is afraid of God’s Spirit upon David

The Triumph of God’s Spirit

Saul and his troops are overwhelmed by the Spirit of God
Saul is reduced to ecstatic prophesy – He is “among the prophets.”
Saul will not finally be able to resist God’s Spirit

Another Truce? – 1 Samuel 20

Jonathan advocates for David
Arrow message
Covenant between David and Jonathan
David hides out from Saul

Flight or Fight

David does not seek advantage
David will not retaliate
Maintains innocence
Oath with Jonathan

David does not seek advantage by marrying Saul’s daughter or by taking advantage of the military.
David could easy fight Saul – he defeated Goliath
He chooses to elude Saul
Question of who has the Spirit …

A House Divided – Psalm 55

If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me,
I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

Giving Out

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

The king of all reality television is “Survivor.” It was one of the first and it remains one of the most popular. For nine years American audiences have watched players outwit, outlast, and outplay one another in a game in which people are “voted off the island.” Double-crosses, alliances, tricks and strategies are all part of getting rid of others so that the winner is the last person left – the Survivor, who takes home a prize of $1 Million.

I wish I knew what it was about “Survivor” that bugs me. Maybe it’s the fact that it seems to tap into the “Survival of the Fittest, Dog-Eat-Dog” mentality that brings out the worst in our culture.

It’s not just a game. I wonder if we don’t sometimes think that to get ahead we have to compete. Outwit, outlast, and outplay is more than a catchphrase for a game show. It’s tapping into our worst fears as we struggle for our own way and for (what we think are) limited resources.

“Survivor” ends wrongly also. After all the alliances and backbiting, the game comes down to two people. A jury decides who will get the $1 Million. That’s revealed on a big final episode in New York, and the winner celebrates and all the losers are there to act like good sports. If “Survivor” is going to be true to its creed (Outwit, Outplay, Outlast) then I think the final “Survivor” should be left alone on the island with the $1 Million. After all, if the point is to get rid of everyone else, then really do it. Leave the winner with the cash and a note that says, “You got rid of everyone else. You outlasted them all. Here’s the cash. Now use it to get off the island.”

That would be a more fitting conclusion I think.

You won’t see a lot of giving encouraged on “Survivor.” Not unless there are strings attached. I could comment on a game show and we could all walk out of here lamenting how horrid TV is and we won’t gain a thing. But let’s stop and ask ourselves how we escape the corruption of mindsets and worldviews that make us think the goal is to outwit, outplay, and outlast. For if we do stick to that sort of mindset and behavior in family, work, society, or church, we will find ourselves stuck alone with cash – and no one to share it with, spend it on, or buy things from.

The antidote to the poison of selfishness is giving. Giving is a discipline that develops our godly character. Last week we mentioned how we are blessed when we give in. We participate in heaven’s economy when we share freely with one another. Sharing with one another as church is the mission of God at work in this world. But God’s kingdom is always larger than his church. God is drawing in the outsiders and adding them to his church.

Giving Out means …

Outflowing of God’s Grace

It is a troublesome misconception that giving out is simply the rich sharing with the poor. Giving out is a grace that we all must participate in. If you have two cloaks and your neighbor has none, then you are the rich one. Give.
2 Corinthians 8. Paul praises the Macedonians for giving, not because they gave out of excess, but because they were poor. And Paul let them give because they had God’s grace. Not because they were rich.
Too often we apologize for asking people to give because we don’t want to burden people who are poor or on fixed income. Etc. This is our misunderstanding of giving. We are never asked to do what we cannot do. We are simply being asked to do what we can do.
How dare we not encourage each other to give because we assume that someone cannot afford it! Will we also say that we don’t want prayers because we aren’t sure someone has enough spirituality?
When we make giving into a country club sport we are exalting our own abilities and focusing on the gold rather than the grace. Share what you have and are able – it’s the outflowing of God’s grace that counts.
Billion dollar philanthropist says he had enough. His story would be the same if he had a thousand to give away. He had enough. He was giving out.

Caring about the Outsider

Alien and stranger texts (Exodus 22:23, 23:9, Leviticus 19:33) – Israel was charged to treat the alien and stranger with respect. Don’t make them work on the Sabbath. Don’t enslave them. Don’t use them. You were once outsiders, so treat the outsider among you lovingly.
Showing love to enemies and hostile – Matthew 5:44 – Love your enemies and pray for those who mistreat you.
Samaritan being a neighbor … The question is not “Who’s my neighbor?” but “How do I act like a neighbor?”

Outrage at poverty and injustice

In God’s Law are little statutes that are to be obeyed not just because they are right, but they also discipline us to turn outward and pay attention to what’s wrong with the world. It rouses us from our slumber and the numbness that causes us to ignore what’s just not right with the world.
Leviticus 23:22 – Don’t harvest the very edge or corner of your field. Leave it for the poor and the alien (outsider). It flies in the face of greed and gain and gives out. It leaves room for God’s Grace to Flow Out. When Ruth and Naomi are left without means they find a field owned by a man named Boaz who kept this rule and it made a way for them to survive. Boaz paid attention to what isn’t right about the world and gave outwardly and challenged the philosophies of greed, gain, and limited resources. We can too.
Baby Bottle Campaign – a simple way to create a different kind of culture. Create an option for life.
Service Camp – “First is Third.” Why did our kids do that? It roused them out of the status quo of the world and pushed them into God’s Grace (not guilt) and it moved some of us too.
- That sounds sort of like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11)

Giving In

Posted by Chris on May 31, 2009 under Sermons

Explanation of the four parts:

Giving In is how we share and contribute to the body of Christ. We give in, meaning that we share what we have internally to the community of believers. Understanding what it means to truly have all things in common.
Giving Out is how we share with those outside the body of Christ. We give out meaning that we share what we have with the outsider, the alien and the stranger.
Giving Up is how we share all that we have with God. We give up meaning that we perceive all giving as sharing what God has already shared with us.
Giving Away is how we share something that is not ours to control, to sell, or to hoard – the gospel of Christ.

Giving In

Let’s be visionary. What will heaven’s economy look like? What will finances look like in the world to come? We probably do not tend to think of those very common categories of life in the world that is to come. And yet, Jesus teaches us very plainly to store up treasures in heaven. Notice that he is using the language of economy and finances to describe the world that is to come.

I think it is safe to assume that finances and economy are going to be radically different in the new heaven and earth. This radical change ought to cause us to take another look at how we view economy and finances in the now.

Do we have any clue as to what it will be like? God’s people (Israel and the Church) have always been a community that is living like heaven is here and now. In Acts 2:42-47 the church is described in this way …

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This is a glimpse of what it will be like in the new heaven and new earth. This is very much beyond any statement on economic policies (i.e., communism vs capitalism). This is the outgrowth of life in the Holy Spirit. This is the future kingdom of God seeping in present.

What is the economics of the kingdom of God? To put it another way, what happens to “stuff” in the kingdom of God? Well it is all about fellowship. There is radical sharing, feasting, celebrating. There’s no buying, selling, loaning and saving. Is that possible? Well it was then and I would say that we have seen glimpses of this over the ages. In fact the only things that hinder us from being radical about “giving in” is the brokenness, sinfulness, and unredeemed nature of the world. For instance, we might think, well its fine to share with one another but what about those who would take advantage of that? That’s a problem now (but the one who would take advantage of generosity doesn’t have the Spirit of God). We can still, even now, experience what is to come even if everything isn’t perfect.

How shall we practice using our stuff and spending our money for the future of God’s kingdom?

Let’s put aside notions of doing good deeds and investing in God so that we get a good spot in heaven. We don’t buy our way into the kingdom of heaven. Our place in God’s Kingdom has been purchased by another. And it came with a bonus gift! The Holy Spirit! So let’s put this spirit into practice.
Giving In means having the Inclination to give. In Acts 2, the believers were filled with awe. They had glad and sincere hearts. No one had to tell them to give, they just did. They understood how Christ changed everything, including their economy.
- Too often say that one of the things that effects our ability to give is “the economy.” Who’s economy? We encourage one another to be different morally, why not economically? Who’s economy are we invested in? Notice that in Acts that they do not pull their money out of the banks and run off to live in caves. But they do participate in earthly economy with a vision beyond Dow Jones. Why can’t we? Let’s try and develop the inclination to Give In by paying attention to our economy as it relates to God’s Economy.
- Notice that in Acts 2 all this Giving In results in God adding to the church those who were being saved. Do we really believe that God controls the borders of his kingdom? God is entrusting those who seek him to churches that have learned how to Give In and share. Imagine a soul seeking God. When this soul finds God and has a relationship with Christ and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, God will add him or her to a fellowship of believers. God can add him or her to any group of his people that he chooses. God set up the appointment between Peter and Cornelius. It did not have to be Peter. God had his reasons that it was. Let’s be the community that God trusts by developing the inclination to Give In.
Giving In means being Intentional about giving. The Inclination is not enough. It has to become action. Practicing means doing.
- The tithe is the way to get intentional about this. Texts like Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 14 spell out intentional ways of giving. It would be a mistake to read these texts legalistically. Tithe simply means tenth. To think of it as a maximum or minimum is to miss the point. It is a means of being intentional about the way we give. Let’s more attention to what was done with it.
- The use of the tithes in Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 14 were for three things: Supporting the Levites and the worship is Israel, fellowship feasting and worship, and caring for the poor.
- Notice that most of these functions are Giving In. They are supporting the development of their culture and sharing with one another. The description may not be as visionary as Acts 2, but it is still a glimpse of how we use our stuff for kingdom purposes.
- West-Ark has made some intentional decisions about the ways we give in. We all benefit from that. I was noticing how my family and I were blessed by that just this weekend …

When inclination and intention combine and we grow in our practice of Giving In, can you imagine what we might be able to do? The good news is that we have the funds and resources to do anything we might imagine. The bad news is that it is in your wallet. Now let’s try and change that bad news to good news and start practicing the economics of the age to come …

So What?

How do you use your stuff? Do you plan your spending? Are you intentional?
Some of us can look over our spending and spend less on self so that we can give more. Let’s have the inclination and get intentional.
Some of us cannot give more because we in debt or other financial stress. How would you like to get out of debt’s economy? Do you have the inclination to give? Then get intentional. Let’s encourage one another in that. Let’s build the sort of momentum that allows us to give in.
Some of us just cannot give more at all and may have to give less. But do you have the inclination to give? Then what can you be intentional about giving? I have heard that the poorest in a certain African church would put their hand in the offering tray. This was there way of giving themselves. The Levites had no inheritance, but they gave God their service for the sake of God’s people.

Let’s show the world what the kingdom of God looks like.

A New Champion

Posted by Chris on May 24, 2009 under Sermons

Editorial Issues – 1 Samuel 16-17

Chapter 17

Emphasis on King

Chapter 16

Emphasis on God’s Spirit

Did Saul meet David twice?
16 and 17 are not chronology
Reports with different emphases

1 Samuel 16

Emphasis on the Spirit
Spirit and Anointing
Holy Spirit empowerment or tormenting spirit
What does the text mean by spirits?
God ministers to Saul thru David

A city in the territory of Judah, 6 miles south of Jerusalem, possibly mentioned in the El Amarna letters. In the Bible it appears first in connection with Rachel’s death and her burial ?in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem’ (Genesis 35:19). It was also the scene of the story of Ruth (Ruth 4:13, 22) in the period of the Judges, Bethlehem was the birthplace of David, and the place of his anointing by Samuel (1 Samuel 1 ff.). Negev, A. (1996, c1990). The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall Press.

1 Samuel 17