Gospel Math

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[00:00:11] I'm God being generous towards me through the person in work of price.

[00:00:17] Now let's look at the person in work of Christy. He was rich and then he became poor.

[00:00:22] He was rich in that he was pre-existing and glory with a father.

[00:00:26] And then I love that William Barkley says that Christ sacrifices didn't begin on the cross.

[00:00:31] Not even at birth it began in heaven where he laid aside his glory and consented to come to earth.

[00:00:37] And in him emptying himself like he even flippens to that emptying, that bankrupting of himself.

[00:00:45] Then was the act to make us rich.

[00:00:50] And that now Christ went from richest to rich so we can go from rags to riches and to give us salvation.

[00:00:59] But also not just salvation but like a life of continual flourishing in a community and a family of Christ.

[00:01:07] So in making us rich we can just breed all the inheritance as we have in Christ.

[00:01:11] Like the things that we didn't earn or deserve and the things that we can't lose because they're in Christ.

[00:01:15] Like, whoa this is a generous God.

[00:01:19] Well we have a very special guest today my friend and co-laborer faith, wake, healthy.

[00:01:27] Wow.

[00:01:28] And I am so excited that she's here and you're going to be excited too.

[00:01:32] Faith is a worship director and creative director and third culture kid who loves Jesus and single origin copy.

[00:01:40] You might need to explain to me what that is.

[00:01:42] Oh yeah, so you know how copies from different places.

[00:01:45] And I'm showing my age.

[00:01:47] I like it when it's from one place but you know like we know Ethiopia, I love an Ethiopian.

[00:01:53] I love that.

[00:01:54] I love like the Mexico region of coffee and so I like a blend sometimes but when you can get a good single origin and just drink it as is.

[00:02:03] It's like so that means like no blend.

[00:02:06] Yes, because like you can't mess with your with your black tea.

[00:02:09] Right right right you can't mess with that.

[00:02:11] You're a mixture or you know what have you.

[00:02:14] Yeah, buddies from.

[00:02:16] Yes, New York.

[00:02:18] Yeah, she has a heart for a Christic artist and their prophetic voice in the world.

[00:02:24] And Faith and her husband sales currently serve with reliance, church, revoculactive and if you've been to the when she leads conferences you've been blessed to hear them.

[00:02:34] And cross culture missions based out of Temecula, California with their son Thomas who is a door.

[00:02:41] Yes, and their dog daughter.

[00:02:45] So, yeah.

[00:02:46] It's such a millennial thing to add your dog to your family like your list of family.

[00:02:52] Yeah.

[00:02:53] Yeah.

[00:02:54] Well, yeah.

[00:02:55] But dogs are just so sweet and cute.

[00:02:59] And then I don't know.

[00:03:00] I get my older age.

[00:03:01] I'm like, yeah, no more dog.

[00:03:02] Yeah, it's a lot of bending over.

[00:03:04] Yeah.

[00:03:05] Like trying to like pick them up and stuff but yeah, she's she's our first born so it's hard to.

[00:03:10] Yeah, leave her out.

[00:03:12] That one is the favorite I guess.

[00:03:14] Yeah.

[00:03:15] Maybe sometimes.

[00:03:16] Well, I'm so excited that you're here because you gave such an incredible teaching in our church a few weeks back in second Corinthians in chapter eight called Gospel generosity and you had mentioned this idea of Gospel math that you had said you got from Temecki.

[00:03:36] So give him a little shout out there.

[00:03:38] Yeah.

[00:03:39] But all the credits.

[00:03:41] And, but I wanted to discuss that today because I think for leaders and especially for those who are serving Christ it's good for us to understand in live out biblical generosity to the best of our ability and learn and grow in generosity.

[00:03:57] And so what does that look like to be generous as a leader? What does it look like to be generous as a servant of Christ in the church and outside totally of the church because we know that Paul talks about.

[00:04:10] Even in first Sassalonians like our witness in that is you know as we live like what manner of living are we going to live out outside the church too and that will be an example.

[00:04:23] And so how does that relate to Jesus?

[00:04:25] And so I wanted to.

[00:04:27] Do you have the the verses with you?

[00:04:31] Yeah, I have I have him.

[00:04:33] Okay, so I wanted to kind of maybe read through first Corinthians 8 1 through 5 for sure.

[00:04:40] I currently have it in ESV if that's okay.

[00:04:44] Yeah. So first Corinthians 8 1 through 5 says we want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.

[00:04:53] For an severe test of affliction there are abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

[00:05:02] For the gave according to their means as I can testify and beyond their means of their own accord.

[00:05:08] Bagging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in relief of the saints and this not as we expected but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

[00:05:20] Wow, so so great.

[00:05:22] You know you talked about how you are involved in cross culture missions.

[00:05:28] And you are from a Philippines.

[00:05:31] Were you born in?

[00:05:32] No, I was actually born in San Diego, California but we kind of did it backwards where we moved to the Philippines when I was really young.

[00:05:41] To or three.

[00:05:42] I even remember moving and barely walking.

[00:05:45] But when we move back to the Philippines that's where I as I'm learning to be a person raised by Filipino American parents.

[00:05:54] I was also in my home country so I was both equally Filipino and American feeling that displacement in the Philippines because I spoke English.

[00:06:05] And then I was around people who looked like me but I didn't sound like them and then I came back here and then I had picked up the accent and so I looked.

[00:06:14] I didn't look like everyone around me when I came back here but I sounded like people around me so it was everywhere I went.

[00:06:21] So what is happening?

[00:06:22] So yeah, that's just the play of a third culture kid everywhere you go.

[00:06:25] Yeah, it's interesting because people who have parents who aren't from their country of origin understand that my parents were British and so in my home we were British.

[00:06:37] She was very British, British, British, all the way to the point where would people would come in they kind of look around like the different country friends.

[00:06:46] So you've all thought it is a kid to bring friends over and be like, your house is weird.

[00:06:51] It's different.

[00:06:52] Yeah, why do you have a kettle on?

[00:06:53] You're still a little bit of a piece of these different words for things.

[00:06:56] Right exactly.

[00:06:58] So anyone would get it.

[00:07:00] But you had said something about the observations you made about the generosity that people in Filipino means what?

[00:07:08] What was that?

[00:07:10] Yeah, so my husband and I had served with Pastor Rod Thompson with cross culture missions since we say 2017 but it was long before that but we would go out to Poloan and host what we call the fortified pastors and leaders conferences.

[00:07:27] So we have invited at that point we had invited pastors and ministry leaders men and women who have been serving their communities faithfully in the island of Poloan which is a very small island.

[00:07:38] And but there's so many churches out there also Poloan is known to still have a lot of indigenous people and tribes that just roam around the mountains and are very nomadic.

[00:07:49] And so a lot of the churches there either are funded by outside churches from Manila or overseas, but you also have really homegrown churches as well that.

[00:08:01] There are missionaries who have gone out to those tribes and have lived with them learn their language and just share the gospel with them.

[00:08:08] And so you have churches that are like, they have church buildings that have AC in there, you know, made of concrete and then you have other churches that meet in Nippahat, see a pastors who cross rivers every week just to commute to these tribes.

[00:08:23] So they live up of just the rice that they carry on their backs and bring it to them.

[00:08:28] So we have pastors and leaders attending these conferences, we try to make it at no cost to minister to them.

[00:08:34] And so when you're in the room with these pastors one of the things you notice and I say pastors just in general people who shepherd.

[00:08:43] So we have men and women.

[00:08:45] They are we're all on a level playing field.

[00:08:51] You don't see people coming in who you can't tell who it comes from what kind of economic background you have these different churches coming together and just sharing stories with one another.

[00:09:01] And you don't really know their stories until you speak to them.

[00:09:05] And there's this one instance that I was just hanging out with a lot of the women and we were just talking in and this one.

[00:09:15] I call them we call them aunties no matter what they're older than aunties like told us like this one auntie was wearing this beautiful blouse and I mostly wanted to know what you got it so I could also get it.

[00:09:24] And I was like until your boss is so cute and said it in to go look and and then she started to like take off her shirt.

[00:09:31] And she was wearing a shirt underneath but it was it was jarring for me because she was legitimately trying to give me her shirt.

[00:09:38] I'm like what are you doing so interesting in the public place and she just she's like obviously I should just give it to you because like I'm never going to see you again this will be like my gift to you.

[00:09:52] And I was like that is crazy but also crazy generous and then there was another instance where I think it was it in 2018 when we had gone this is maybe our second official year of hosting these conferences and.

[00:10:10] You know the Filipino love to share testimony so there are time we had a time of sharing and my dad who was m seeing.

[00:10:18] brought the mic to someone who raised their hand and was a pastor he was so he just like looked really cheerful and joyful and he looked like someone who had a very common presence in all the pastors knew him.

[00:10:28] We got up and basically said we are so thankful that you guys have come we always feel like we've been forgotten.

[00:10:34] Even from the churches that have sent us out that we've been a lot of us have been out here for so long and for you guys to come.

[00:10:41] It reminded us that God still sees us and God cares for us and even just our basic needs because we fed them and we gave them books and resources and.

[00:10:50] And then he said so what we have all of basically a lot of us have agreed to do is that we want to take a collection.

[00:10:58] To bless you guys and my dad.

[00:11:02] Like right up to him and he like took the mic and he's like please don't give us anything.

[00:11:09] He said it in a funnier way but but also a little bit of like how dare you try to give us something when we have been called to.

[00:11:17] And you're here to just receive and all these things but they're like but we don't know what else to do the thing you would just give something back to you.

[00:11:24] They were just like for your generosity we just also want to like give something back and and we're like no that's not what this is weird here to do.

[00:11:32] Yeah, but it was so sweet that it's so sweet and that's exactly what Paul is talking about his chapter because he was going on to say like hey.

[00:11:40] This is the the Macedonian church that was being so generous and that they were eager to give and they gave a joy and he talks about how but the Macedonian church is not like this was a wealthy bunch.

[00:11:53] Right, quite the opposite.

[00:11:54] Yeah, they had troubles it talked about how they had troubles and talked about how they were poor but they couldn't wait to give and then Paul was like kind of challenging the grimy in church like.

[00:12:05] Guys like your yes should be yes look at this church that's like poor and that's exactly what we're talking about a spirit of generosity doesn't come through means.

[00:12:16] It's from your heart.

[00:12:17] Oh yeah, it's overflow.

[00:12:18] Yeah, and that's what the Gospel math equation is so funny is because it's like it has it overflows from what we would see from a worldly perspective as a deficit.

[00:12:29] But to God it's this endless.

[00:12:32] Bottomless pit of joy that you just from serving the Lord and from experiencing the generosity of God and you cannot help but overflow with like okay how can I now.

[00:12:42] Give in such a way that reflects the generosity of God to my brothers and sisters around me right.

[00:12:50] And when I was thinking about this, um, well, I was thinking about the the widows might because here's someone who gave like out of like everything she had and you know what a couple cents or whatever it might.

[00:13:06] And it's like, you're not going to be generous with five cents.

[00:13:12] You're not going to be generous with five million dollars.

[00:13:16] Like generosity has nothing to do with that.

[00:13:19] So when we're talking about generosity like what exactly are we talking about like we're to define if you were to define generosity what what definition would you give it.

[00:13:28] And so for the generosity well, I want to I would go back to what the Greek would be which is cuties which I'm learning that's actually out to be.

[00:13:36] Oh, it's like there's a little bit of that very nice very nice and um, the with cuties generosity is grace that's what it is generosity is just another translation of the word grace which is just that gift that is.

[00:13:51] Given and I gave this illustration when in my teaching where my son was one years old and his birthday and he's just sitting there not knowing what's going on and all of a sudden there's a bunch of gifts around him.

[00:14:01] So that's God's generosity towards us it's like we're just want this one year old and then here's all these gifts of salvation and inheritance is in Christ and generosity.

[00:14:12] And then tight to grace means it's just giving what is just giving that's what it is and it's interesting to that cuties is also with tied with forgiveness so there's something having to do.

[00:14:27] There's a there's a line there that you draw from forgiveness to generosity which we get to uncover a little bit more and more as we grow in our relationship with the Lord it's like I've been forgiven of so much.

[00:14:38] So I also should give much and forgive much as well the mercy that I've given is boundless so the mercy I should give should pretty much be boundless as well.

[00:14:49] Yeah, you it kind of makes you think like if you wonder if like there's a person that isn't generous if they're also not forget.

[00:14:55] Yeah, like there is this little bit of a connection there in and like or if you're generous your problem maybe you're very forgiving.

[00:15:04] Yeah, because I think forgiveness does take a lot of generosity.

[00:15:08] Absolutely.

[00:15:09] No understanding what we've been given for and then extending that to other people as well totally so you hit on this idea of gospel math and this is this is what I want to get to because it's been so.

[00:15:22] I mean for me to hear this sort of analogy or illustration it was big and I know was big for other people too so so what do you mean by gospel math yeah it was it was big for me too because I.

[00:15:38] You know I'm like TikTok and stuff because I work as a social media manager outside of the church and.

[00:15:45] One of the ongoing jokes is girl math like what is you know girl math is funny you know because it's it's this logic that we have that as women in the West that when it comes to money like if I have a gift card for a coffee shop.

[00:15:58] And I use the gift card to buy a coffee that coffee's free even though that cost money to buy the gift cards like that that's blind to me is free because I didn't pay anything or if I pay with cash it's free because nothing was deducted from my bank account.

[00:16:12] What's another one.

[00:16:13] It's practically free or if I return a fifty dollar pair of shoes and then I use that return money to then buy a sixty five dollar pair of berkins socks that means I only paid fifteen dollars.

[00:16:26] So sure girl math that's what girl have is it just makes sense to my brain usually has to do with money which is hilarious but.

[00:16:33] How I then that kind of helped me understand gospel math because in a similar way but of course in a more eternally impactful way gospel math doesn't make sense to human logic.

[00:16:46] Because with gospel math it's not really two plus two equals four it's like two plus two equals forty six for something you give a little bit and the Lord's I call any mold applies it you're like what I didn't expect that but.

[00:16:57] For the Macedonian church specifically where we read in second Corinthians in verses one through five is that they were experiencing a severe test of affliction.

[00:17:07] So the gospel math for their situation is extreme hardship and trial plus extreme poverty they were in extreme poverty.

[00:17:15] Plus a bounding joy for some reason they experience a bounding joy and it's because of salvation and Christ but it equals a wealth of generosity.

[00:17:25] It's these three funny things a hardship poverty and joy when it's put together it results in generosity and rich generosity and other translations which is such a cool way to use because poverty and trials equals richness in generosity.

[00:17:42] That's gospel math doesn't make sense to the world but it makes sense in the kingdom and that's much of the equations that we have to you know that have to do with our walk with Jesus.

[00:17:53] Jesus is it doesn't make sense it's upside down as they say in acts as well and that's that's gospel math.

[00:18:01] You see so many examples of that in scripture obviously the feeding of the five thousand you know bring all your half fish and loaves you know we just see so many examples of Jesus in his generosity raising people from the dead right to me is very generous and.

[00:18:19] And but in this particular section I mean he really is talking about money yeah about giving money and so let's lean into that because I think that's a hardship for people especially today in the economy that we're in it's things are so expensive and.

[00:18:39] And so what does that look like like practically speaking what does that look like in her lives and how is it possible you know someone that's listening it's like that's great.

[00:18:48] I have nothing yes like what does that look like or what are some I guess baby steps are even to develop this heart within us totally and we can bounce back and forth to you have some examples as well but.

[00:19:03] The gospel math according to Paul here he's saying that like having money and being rich are two different things and.

[00:19:12] And you know we have to unlearn a lot of stuff in regards to like how we see our worth as people and just our intrinsic value.

[00:19:19] That the world will tell us even just our culture here in the West would tell us that like what you have is your value but.

[00:19:28] And the gospel that says that's not the same thing is being rich you know having a lot of stuff isn't always meaning that your rich spiritually those are two different things and another thing is having money and having joy are also two different things.

[00:19:40] So for us to think as as we walk out as walk this out as followers of Jesus in generosity do I have joy am I abundantly rich in Christ and I think that is the starting point then to realizing.

[00:19:54] So what I'm doing is that I'm not being generous towards me is is the starting point of generosity not how much I have and what what physical possessions that I.

[00:20:04] That I have in my grasp what I have in my bank accounts like what is the Lord giving me and gospel math is also this where.

[00:20:12] If the Lord is calling us to be generous we have to trust that if we are for hands are open he will fill it.

[00:20:19] You'll use the one that's filling our hands to give whatever it is what it whether it's money or time whatever but specifically we're talking about money so if I open my hands okay Lord my fan of my finances are yours.

[00:20:29] Whatever he gives to me I'm going to give out and he's got we just trust that he's going to fill it because he's done that with us with salvation how much more.

[00:20:37] Is he going to care for us in that way to then also reflect as generosity.

[00:20:42] I think that scripture like that there's the father I'm going to butcher it but who gives good gifts you know what I mean like there's like this endless supply yes.

[00:20:52] He gives good gifts to his children and so when we're generous and we have open hands where that conduit in which he could live and there was I think it was Rick Warren and and.

[00:21:05] I think that was asking him in a conference like you know well yeah you give 90% of your income or whatever for your books oh you know hard as that like 10% is still a lot of money from purpose driven life look around her you know my best seller but.

[00:21:22] But he said he thought that the Lord gave it to him because he already knew what he would do with it.

[00:21:28] And so that's that heart of generosity when you're talking about like being generous like what's God given me that I can then go ahead and share right with others and again it could start with something so so little.

[00:21:42] I kind of wanted to go on in the in the verses I'll read six through eight it says so we have urged Titus who encouraged you.

[00:21:51] You're giving in the first place to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry given I give me I think he's talking now to the Corinthian church right into excel in so many ways in your faith.

[00:22:03] Your gifted speakers your knowledge and enthusiasm your love from Andrew love from us I want you to excel also in this generous act of giving.

[00:22:15] I'm not commanding you to do this so it's not like it's a suggestion and so many other verses it's like no I'm commanding you he's saying like this is going to be good for you like if you grow.

[00:22:26] So you're growing in all these areas in your faith but there's this one thing you're reminds me of the ritroint young.

[00:22:32] Yes you have this one thing right like so all you have and give it to the poor and you're like yeah I'm out so it seems like it might be one of the last things to go absolutely.

[00:22:42] Yeah I think with Paul saying this as well it's like I don't want to command you because I wanted to be genuine because anyone could just you know in Paul good pull rank.

[00:22:54] You'd be like you're the reason I'm the reason that you guys are safe yeah crisis reason but I brought you the gospel and he could totally just do that and I'm going to puzzle.

[00:23:02] You should help out you know do what you said you were going to do and then.

[00:23:08] And then that they would do it but it would it be genuine probably not or it would be like oh we got yelled at and he yelled at them for a lot of things to and in a very fatherly loving way.

[00:23:17] Maybe all that's a wrong one but he's he's rebuked them for a lot of things and for this one I love that he kind of switches gears on the on the tone.

[00:23:27] We're like I want this to be a decision that you make and here are other examples here the Macedonians and we see later he's going to bring up Christ.

[00:23:35] Here are these two examples I'm just going to leave it at that and you guys figure it out.

[00:23:40] And he kind of even deludes to the fact that verse in verse eight like this is this is a test yeah for you like I I'm testing the genuineness of your love and of your Christian walk and so and we know.

[00:23:53] Yeah we get tested in these things it's like thing opportunities are putting front of us is like what are we going to do God gives us choices.

[00:24:01] That's what we would see what it's made of you know see what we're made of because he says you guys are so gifted in these areas so you've been gifted why not also then gift to others as well.

[00:24:15] Yeah you guys are good at talking you guys have a bunch of like spiritual gifts and your operations in the church or prophetic words and words of wisdom and you know speaking in tongues and all these things but like.

[00:24:25] But also this like why don't you also be gifted in your gifting to others.

[00:24:31] Yes well because they said they wanted to yeah it's not like Paul was urging them to do something that wasn't on their heart exactly.

[00:24:39] That all he was said they were saying hey oh mass don't you know how that was in ministry like they're doing that I want to do that.

[00:24:47] Yeah but then if we just speak it there was there was some study out way long ago when I was younger remember reading.

[00:24:54] Yeah and it was talking about sometimes when we profess things we almost get the hit of dopamine and stuff that means like we've already done it.

[00:25:04] Oh that's why when people go oh I'm I'm going to start a diet.

[00:25:08] I'm going to do this I'm going to do that it's like fascinating brings almost the same feeling as someone who actually did.

[00:25:17] Wow so but Paul here is saying hey let your yes be yes.

[00:25:21] Like you're gonna say it finish it up exactly yeah and I'm such a good starter like oh yeah.

[00:25:27] I definitely need help in finishing.

[00:25:29] Yes I think helping like persistence and endurance and like doing what I said that I wasn't going to do and that's like how my parents even raised me too.

[00:25:37] Because I grew up in ministry and in missions it one thing they always told us when we go out to serve.

[00:25:45] Other communities is don't make promises because how heartbreaking is it when you go to a place and you see you know and and the Lord has led you to minister to this community like for us with ballawan.

[00:25:59] You see and you want to give so much and you're like I want to stay out here you know or you will say things like I would love to donate like a whole drum set and then you're starting to say these things to them.

[00:26:09] But can you imagine like how heartbreaking that is when and you're getting that dopamine hit but how selfish is that.

[00:26:15] You know to say that stuff and mean well maybe do mean it and you're like because you're you know this is like emotional spiritual high of serving and and being you know just sharing stories.

[00:26:27] And then you don't follow through.

[00:26:29] Oh, praise the Lord Christ doesn't do that to us.

[00:26:33] Amen to that.

[00:26:35] I do that all the time and that's when my dad always encouraging he encouraged the team that just went out recently you know don't make promises guys just be there and serve sometimes it's better just not say anything just serve them don't just be like I want to give you know I want to sponsor all these things it's like just served.

[00:26:52] Yeah, and then surprise them if you want to exactly later.

[00:26:57] Exactly.

[00:26:58] But yeah how many missionaries have been told like they have computers coming they have all these things coming and then people just forget about them when when they leave and and yeah that's a good point.

[00:27:10] So what if someone's like struggles with this like.

[00:27:14] Is there a way to develop a heart of generosity?

[00:27:19] I mean you talked about what Christ did for us.

[00:27:22] And so maybe there's something in that that would develop a heart of generosity towards others.

[00:27:29] Yeah and it's the the scripture of verse nine in chapter eight of for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich.

[00:27:42] I think in understanding generosity and before we understand and walk out what we are to do as people called the generosity we need to realize like why am I a Christian in the first place.

[00:27:56] It's because God was generous towards me and God being generous towards me through the person and work of Christ now let's look at the person and work of Christ he he was rich and then he became poor he was rich in that he was preexisting and glory with a father.

[00:28:12] And then I love that William Barkley says that Christ sacrificed didn't begin on the cross not even at birth it began in heaven where he laid aside his glory and consented to come to earth.

[00:28:23] And in him emptying himself like we read in a flippians two that that emptying that bankrupting of himself.

[00:28:32] Then was the act to make us rich in that now Christ went from rags riches to rags so we can go from rags to riches and and to give us salvation.

[00:28:46] But also not just salvation but like a life of continual flourishing in a community and a family of Christ.

[00:28:53] So in making us rich we can just read all the inheritance as we have in Christ like the things that we didn't earn or deserve and the things that we can't lose because they're in Christ.

[00:29:01] Like whoa this is a generous God and not only that he has also been faithful to provide for us as Jehovah Jara.

[00:29:10] So knowing that God takes care of us even spiritually but also in the physical needs.

[00:29:16] Why am I so stingy sometimes?

[00:29:21] Is it because maybe I've lost sight of one of those things either I lost sight that God was so generous to me that of course he's not going to withhold anything.

[00:29:31] And maybe I forgot the second part where like God has closed the lilies fed the sparrow and he continues to do that and how much more will you do that for us his children.

[00:29:41] And one thing another thing to Mackey said that I actually didn't get to talk about in my message is that all the all of creation was all of the things God has made like look around like how it how everything takes care of itself but.

[00:29:56] But God is a host to the resources around this he made all the things and you think about the garden of even he created all the things and on all the assets he was just steward it he asked Adam hey like just 10 the garden for me.

[00:30:10] And I'm a host to do that and now we can see our roles as the holy priesthood and the body of Christ being saved by Christ.

[00:30:19] We are like if God is the host and like the chef and the kitchen like we are the the waitresses and the swaders just just serving the table of God together and we don't own all the things I didn't own the the meal that I'm passing on to the person next to me God is what gave that to me to surpass.

[00:30:39] And so God being the host me being a server that's that's what generosity is so understanding just like the root of that right it's going to be a helpful way to be like okay lord now what do I do and it can be as simple as like.

[00:30:54] When when it's time of giving at your church.

[00:30:57] We call it ties and offerings. It could be seeing the immediate need in your church body because I'm sure a lot of our churches that.

[00:31:05] Many of us are listening a survey have there are needs and that's the point and Paul talks about that like if there are needs just open your hand and see what the lord puts in your hands to give away.

[00:31:16] Like a server where like orders up pick it up from the table bring it to the next table.

[00:31:22] And we don't understand the community aspect of that like you know in a large church I mean if everybody gave a dollar that's.

[00:31:30] Several thousand dollars and that goes a long way and so some people go well I only have a dollar I'm not going to put it in I remember early on in our in our lives.

[00:31:40] Where the lord was dealing with us with just for us it was.

[00:31:45] We were going to be like our goal we wanted we had a heart to get to 10%.

[00:31:50] But we couldn't do it then and it was like well how about you just start at 1% well that felt a lot easier than just going oh it's way too off it's way too off okay we're going to start with one and the next year we went to do and the next year we went to three.

[00:32:05] Yeah and so it's just that idea of like you said opening your hands and I love that because the the deeper implications of that like God has been so generous.

[00:32:16] But if you if we even take that into his second coming and think about like the banquet table yes like that we're going to sit at and then we get like not only all these resources here on earth and he gives us everything it's his table.

[00:32:31] The things that are at our disposal aren't even ours.

[00:32:34] I think that's a good way to have a generous heart because you're like it actually anything I own doesn't actually belong to me and so we can freely give it away but but then in the second coming like when he comes for his church.

[00:32:48] Like just being able to sit at that banquet table and then the eternity.

[00:32:52] The value of that deeper lesson in like this life is very short but a vapor James said but then we're going to spend an eternity with him and how generous is that.

[00:33:04] Yes, that's the ultimate generosity you know think about it.

[00:33:08] Yeah so I love that to what are what are some of what are some of the riches.

[00:33:14] Yeah in Christ like the Bible has so much to say so many I said this before it's like you could just you know Bible roulette just you know flip your Bible and open it somewhere and there's a promise for you and that's.

[00:33:27] Those are some riches but in second Corinthians alone there's so many chapter one and five we have the Holy Spirit who's God's presence and the seal for eternal life with him just that reminder that we're heaven bound.

[00:33:43] The beautiful thing chapter four has a few we're renewed and changed every day that there's an eternal weight of glory that awaits us that's heavier than the light of fiction that we experience now.

[00:33:56] Chapter five has a bunch we have in the eternal house in heaven.

[00:33:59] An ending fellowship with Christ we're new creations which means there's a new way to be human that we don't have to be a part of the the mob and grub of like just trudging through every day but there's this new way to be a person in Christ.

[00:34:13] And that we're reconciled with God that we have peace with God and one thing the Lord really like wanted to bring up while I was going through this part is that for some reason I don't know why it could just be word for someone that like God's not mad at you.

[00:34:27] And and when I was going through these things, maybe it was a word for just me but if I'm sure it's for you.

[00:34:33] But like all these riches are just like and I think as women sometimes we run into that whether because of like how we were raised or whatever our perception of God is that.

[00:34:43] We are reconciled with God we have peace with God God's not mad at you we have the righteousness of Christ because Christ took on our sin and also took on the perpetuation of that and the wrath of God so God's not mad at us.

[00:34:56] So God doesn't have to be mad at us like he's not angry with you.

[00:35:00] He loves us and yeah there's like that godly and that fatherly and motherly discipline that he bestows upon us you know sometimes but that's because he loves us.

[00:35:10] And even that is tender and kind which is crazy but there's so much more Ephesians 2 has like my favorite just like back to back big words.

[00:35:19] It's tough that you really have to look it up and like oh that's that's what my yes to Jesus implied like imagine just like within us seeing yes to Jesus.

[00:35:30] It's all of these riches like you didn't actually have to like know what you were getting yourself into in a sense.

[00:35:37] You just you just said yes and you trusted the Lord and and here's all the riches yeah and oftentimes we hear any it is true like.

[00:35:44] Oh we're going to be a Christian and it's not like okay now all your health and wealth and success is going to ensue but it's also not like oh your life is going to be just horrible.

[00:35:56] Yeah it's not easy sometimes to walk as a Christ follower but we have we're rich yes like we're we just like through away everything else and we're so spiritually rich when we become a follower because it is a bearing of a cross like that's that is hard.

[00:36:13] That is hard to do you know but there's resurrection you know what there's a there's Christ who bears it with us so imagine just bearing across without any help with just you.

[00:36:27] Yeah but the take up across and follow Christ is to bear it with Christ.

[00:36:32] I'm not alone.

[00:36:34] And that and of itself is a richness in Christ.

[00:36:38] Well in just to be able to identify him you know we identify him in forgiving others we identify and with generosity will we also identify in his suffering absolutely and so all these things we get to know him by reading his character in the Bible and then getting to walk through all those things and go.

[00:36:58] Oh this is for you.

[00:37:00] This is general.

[00:37:01] Yeah.

[00:37:02] These like all these riches that we get so now you talked a little bit at the end of your message about red flags because I think when we talk about giving everyone's like yeah that tell evangelists.

[00:37:19] The birdie we're giving you.

[00:37:21] Yeah so we say like what do I feel that prosperity gospel right.

[00:37:25] I didn't even use that word just I didn't want to confuse people you know but anyways yeah so red flags you're saying red flags well.

[00:37:37] What I how I worded it is that any time a religious community an influence or a public gathering tries to guilt or manipulate people into giving or to cash in on a promise that is a direct a front and violation to the point of the church.

[00:37:54] Because if your goal is prosperity you've missed it because the goal should be Christ.

[00:38:00] The goal of following Jesus should the goal is Christ right he is our reward.

[00:38:06] Giving not getting exactly and some and with certain false gospels it's I give in order to continue to receive gifts and we could pull you missed the give her but.

[00:38:19] Conditional giving yeah so then you begs that begs the question then like why what is the point of gathering then if I'm not because when we enter into this commerce situation and then what did Jesus do to.

[00:38:31] The house of God when it was a place of commerce completely did not like it.

[00:38:35] You know feet toss it toss tables so if I'm coming to church to have this transaction of like I'm here to check a box.

[00:38:44] To get some day to feel good at the end of it and to leave then we've missed the point of the church point of the church is to remember and celebrate.

[00:38:53] And meditate the gospel upon the gospel which is God's generosity towards us in saving us and we gather to meet with that generous God and in turn get to be generous to one another as the body of Christ.

[00:39:06] That's the point of the gathering it's a gather and scatter gather and scatter and has nothing to do with like I'm here to give something and to consume something because I fear as a worship leader too like.

[00:39:19] That's when people come and at the end they give a review at the end like good worship.

[00:39:24] And like cool that's not the point like worship is always good to God because it passes through Christ right and I'm not I don't want to discourage people from trying to give me encouragement at the end of it but it's like.

[00:39:35] We're gonna thank you for leaving us.

[00:39:37] Yes, or like good message Pastor Ted you know it's like yeah because of the message just from the Lord and you know there's.

[00:39:43] We have to kind of even consider our language sometimes when we talk about you know and you have churches with Google reviews are like well I didn't like this part and it's listed with like Google businesses are like yelp reviews.

[00:39:56] And why are we trying to review every time you gather when the God of the universe is coming to meet with us and he's in the room with us and he's here to be generous towards us and now we get to be generous towards each other that's something to review.

[00:40:09] That's something to celebrate that God has come.

[00:40:14] God with us isn't that fantastic.

[00:40:17] And even the Bible talks about that the angels are looking in and in the sanctuary you know sometimes when I'm worshiping like I don't see them but I don't know where like.

[00:40:26] Wow the Bible says that the angels are looking in to see like what are they doing yeah.

[00:40:32] They're like we do that.

[00:40:34] Yeah, we do that all the time up here it's like they're doing that.

[00:40:37] Yeah and just to think about that in a gathering of the saints like that the power of the spirit is there.

[00:40:45] And for me to go it's too cold in here it's too hot in here it's too dark in here it's too light in man and you know the criticisms that come in the music's too loud the music's not loud enough well in our church it's never loud enough.

[00:40:58] Perfect for me.

[00:41:01] Take you there.

[00:41:03] I love it.

[00:41:05] Yeah, anything else that you that was on your heart to share in generosity or I love this conversation means we're able to have it.

[00:41:14] I think an encouragement for me was that I mean was both of all said is that you give according to your means and more more than I've been a source of monetary generosity towards other people just because of you know.

[00:41:33] How I grew up ministry family we don't make much money.

[00:41:37] But I gave a lot of my time and my gifting and when that when the Lord did start like blessing us monetarily and like you said you start with a little bit like I worked a job of Jews and I was like okay how much can I give this week.

[00:41:50] 20 bucks cool that's fine.

[00:41:52] You know start there you know but.

[00:41:54] Exactly cheerfully it's like all right let's do this and then but then there's also a point where you know sometimes it's a sacrifice of praise like I think of that to where my my praise in my giving is a set feels like a little bit of a sacrifice and because the Lord has led you maybe it's like.

[00:42:09] I think this person needs a little bit more and like cool I only have 50 bucks and they're like yeah can you give 40 and like well Lord and then it's the whole open hand.

[00:42:18] Whoa yeah.

[00:42:20] You know calm down you know but with the Lord it reminds us like Jova Jaira and I not your provider and isn't this also kind of rebellious generosity you know generosity is pretty rebellious to the hustle culture boss babes you know all these things that kind of just like at this point is kind of cringey because you're like.

[00:42:41] Wait a second but as Christians like we were kind of against the hustle we are resting in the provision of God and that's not that's to say you do don't work hard for your business or where or do well in your place of work and all these things but it's like I think we're no longer in our hurry to try to amass wealth anymore.

[00:43:02] I'm not in our hurry to you know to worry and a hurry to worry about where at what everything's going to come from or if my kids are going to be you know provided for and all these things and I just need to trust that.

[00:43:17] Okay Lord you're going to leave me to these spaces to work to the degree that you have provided me to but also to bring me in times of rest and all these things so so that in my generosity it could be cheerful.

[00:43:29] I don't feel like you're praying my hands open to give that you freely gave to me so.

[00:43:35] I think that encourages my heart that to the degree that you've been given he's calling you to give so what does that look like.

[00:43:43] I love that.

[00:43:44] I think for me to it's really listening to that still small voice and Holy Spirit because it'll be in the most random places where God's just like in it's a whisper and it can ignore it and sometimes it's only once.

[00:44:00] He's not he's not you're like what are you sure was that the Lord with the money.

[00:44:06] You know but if he says hey that person right there like they need this and he gives you an amount given yes you just get into a habit of obedience.

[00:44:17] I mean just like a rhythm of obedience.

[00:44:19] You tell me God I'm going to trust you and I'm going to give it.

[00:44:23] Sometimes it is like that it's a gospel math because you go I don't have it or that's my last money that I have in my wallet and you want to empty it and give it away and you're like okay.

[00:44:35] Okay there we go let's do it.

[00:44:37] Yeah and I don't give perfectly every time no you know there will be times like fine and then the Lord's like look look what I did but it was that muster seed of faith to just the act of giving.

[00:44:49] And sometimes obedience it's sacrificial like you said and sometimes it's like okay I'm just going to obey.

[00:44:55] Right like I was going to obey.

[00:44:57] I wish I was cheerful every time.

[00:44:59] I was still who has worked to that in me and it's brought about like and but the practice a continue practice of generosity only begins more generosity.

[00:45:09] Same like stories of faith be get more stories of faith because I'll share stories of faith there have been times where like my husband and I don't know what's like.

[00:45:17] How are we going to pay for this?

[00:45:19] How are we going to go to the Philippines? I was high at one time where I think collectively we were earning.

[00:45:25] 700 dollars a month and our to go to the Philippines was like 25 hundred.

[00:45:31] It seems like a mountain too far and then like you guys are called to go I'm like cool god.

[00:45:37] How and he provided for us right but at the same time we were also like still giving of our you know our ties and giving to people and like how are we going to.

[00:45:47] We're going to be a successful man.

[00:45:49] He says you and places you in places to be generous and he just fills your hand to give.

[00:45:55] Yeah and he loves doing it in those spaces because it's like then you know this is nothing but him like there's no way I could do this on my own.

[00:46:03] And yet here he is and he's calling us to do it.

[00:46:07] It doesn't mean that we'll always going to come in.

[00:46:10] It could mean that I give and then it's a it's struggling through a hardship of giving but it still brings joy.

[00:46:18] Amen.

[00:46:19] Like just that sense of joy that I am close to him or that I am participating in the things that he wants me to participate in as a believer so thank you so much faith for joining in today.

[00:46:33] I was really that was such a beautiful like story of gospel math and I just loved having this conversation with you.

[00:46:42] I've been personally challenged and I and I hope you the listener has you've been challenged as well so let's all be transformed together.

[00:46:50] Hey you can visit when she leads dot orc to find out about all that is happening in the industry we have several conferences coming up will be hitting Colorado in May and in June Portugal and Spain.

[00:47:02] And then we will actually be in Hungary in July.

[00:47:06] So exciting things happening so go check it out and we'll see you next time.