Category Archives: Celebrate Generosity
Try It, You Might Like It
Food Issues
I’ll admit it. I have weird food issues. I’ve had them since I was a kid. My family loves to reminisce about my issues with ketchup and mustard on a McDonald’s hamburger when I was like five or six years old. To this day, I can barely stand to go into a McDonald’s during lunch or dinner due to bad smell memories. I know. I’m weird, but I’m OK with that. I like what I like.
In the past, certain people in my life have tried to change me and my issues with food. Sometimes they have been successful, and other times they haven’t. The times they have been successful, I have grown to appreciate a new type of food or even gained a new favorite restaurant.
Just Try It
So, the catch phrase with getting others to try out new food is always, “Just try it. You might like it.” We use it all the time on children and even some adults, like me! It’s always difficult to judge something such as a new food when we haven’t tried it before. My problem is that I judge a lot of foods based on my own previous experiences with similar types of foods. I should do a better job of listening to others’ testimonies about the food rather than jumping to conclusions before I try it for myself.
Experiment With Giving
Giving kind of works the same way. A lot of believers have jumped to conclusions about giving based on negative personal experiences in the past. They just know that they don’t like the idea of giving consistently and sacrificially. They would rather spend that money on other needs and wants in their life. The non-givers and occasional givers haven’t really given the whole giving thing a fair shot. They’ve maybe taken a little nibble, but they haven’t really dived in and really tasted what it’s like to be a regular giver. They need to listen more to the awesome giving stories of others who have stepped out in faith and experienced God’s blessing on their lives as a result.
The most dedicated, consistent, and generous givers started somewhere. Perhaps, they began with placing extra cash from their wallets in the offering plate on Sunday morning. Then, as they grew in their personal financial management and spiritual life, they began to understand the need to grow in their generosity. The key, though, is to get going and growing. Experiment with giving. What do you have to lose, but maybe a few hundred dollars as you try this giving thing out? God has some really cool stuff planned for your life if you will just live out a life of generosity. Try God, try giving, and see what He starts doing in your life as a result!
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10).
Are you a marginal, occasional giver? Have you really dived in and experimented with a life of sold-out financial generosity? Why not challenge yourself to 30, 60, or even 90 days of intentional, regular, generous, off-the-top, and proportional giving back to God through the ministries of First Baptist Raytown and see what God does in your life as a result? I can promise you this, you will never be the same person if you do!
Celebrate Generosity: Jonathan & Carrie Goforth
If you missed the Goforth’s testimony on Sunday, watch it here:
For more about Celebrate Generosity, visit the Celebrate Generosity web page.
Celebrate Generosity: Mackey & Caroline Jones
If you missed the Jones’ testimony on November 14, watch here:
For more about Celebrate Generosity, visit the Celebrate Generosity web page.
Celebrate Generosity | What God Wants For You
The Commitment Card
In week three of our Celebrate Generosity series, the pastor focused on the need for all of us as a church body to do our part in giving back to God through the ministries of First Baptist Raytown. Our pastor also explained the Celebrate Generosity commitment card that was included in your bulletin. If you missed church last Sunday, then you should receive a commitment card by mail this week.
6 Questions To Ask Yourself
As we consider and pray over our part in expanding God’s Kingdom through the ministries of First Baptist Raytown, the pastor has given us six questions to ask ourselves this week:
- Is my giving based on reason or revelation?
- Will my giving stretch my faith?
- Will my giving demonstrate my love for heaven or earth (Matthew 6:19-21)?
- Will my giving demonstrate how much I love Jesus (2 Corinthians 8:7-8)?
- Will my giving require genuine sacrifice (2 Samuel 24:24)?
- Will my giving express my thanksgiving to my church for all the blessings I have received here?
What God Wants For You
God wants you to grow in your walk with Him and your love for Him. We demonstrate our love for God through surrendering our lives, as well as our bank accounts, to Him. Everything we have is really His to begin with anyway (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).
God is also looking for excellent financial managers (see The Parable of the Bags of Gold in Matthew 25:14-30). Because everything we have is truly God’s to begin with, He wants to see if He can trust us with even more of His wealth. We demonstrate this trust through walking in faith for His provision, giving back to Him in tithes and offerings, and managing the remaining money based on the principles of wise money management found in Scripture.
Decision Point
This week, the Lord is calling you to a point of decision. Are you going to trust Him or trust in wealth? Are you going to walk by faith in His provision in a tough economy or pull back in fear of an uncertain future? Are you going to demonstrate wise, Bible-based financial management for the Father? God wants all of us to move up in our generosity for 2011.
Prayerfully consider what God would have you do in this final week of Celebrate Generosity. Then, fill out your commitment card, sign it, and bring it with you to church this Sunday, November 21. If you are unable to attend church this week, then you can bring your card and drop it in the offering plate on the following Sunday, November 28. Or, you can just simply mail your card to: First Baptist Raytown, Finance Office, 10500 E 350 Hwy., Raytown, MO 64138.
Celebrate Generosity Using “Check Us Out” Cards
I have a quick idea to share with you today as you Celebrate Generosity with us here in the month of November.
Over a month ago, I went through my own personal 10 Day Giving Challenge. This was sort of the birthplace for our current Celebrate Generosity series and 30 Day Challenge. Anyway, as part of my 10 Day Give, I came up with the idea of utilizing our “Check Us Out” cards that we’ve been using during our One campaign and combining these with extra large tips (around 50%) at restaurants. I was not only able to bless my servers with additional financial blessings, but also invite my servers to come check out our church.
I know that many of us leave church on Sunday afternoons and eat out for Sunday lunch at various restaurants throughout the Kansas City metro area. How awesome would it be if hundreds of us were spreading generosity and church invitations all across the city the next few weeks?
So, I would just encourage you to grab some extra cash from your bank account and a few of the “Check Us Out” cards this week and share the love of Christ through generosity and an invitation to our church. You will be a blessing to others and be blessed yourself through the process.
Celebrate Generosity: Hammond Testimony
If you missed Shunton & Christie’s testimony last Sunday, check it out:
For more about Celebrate Generosity, visit the Celebrate Generosity web page.
Celebrate Generosity | What is tithing?
Reasons to Tithe
This past Sunday, our pastor kicked off our Celebrate Generosity series by discussing the 10 reasons he is a tither. If you missed his sermon, Here’s a listing of his 10 Reasons to Tithe:
- Fear. (see Malachi 3:8-9), “You are under a curse…”
- Blessing. (see Malachi 3:10-12), “I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in…”
- Need. (see Malachi 3:10), “…so there will be enough food in my temple.”
- Investment. (see Matthew 6:19-20), “Store your treasures in heaven…”
- Obedience. (see 1 Peter 1:14), “Obey God because you are His children…”
- Integrity. (see Malachi 3:8), “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.”
- Satisfaction. (see Psalm 17:15), “…in righteousness…I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” See also Proverbs 11:25.
- Gratitude. (see Luke 17:17, “Jesus asked, ‘Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?’”
- Duty. (see Ecclesiastes 12:13), “Fear God and obey His commands, for this is the duty of every person.”
- Love. (see John 14:15), “If you love me, obey my commandments.”
But, What Is Tithing?
Tithing is one of those “churchy” words, but what is it exactly, anyway? Dictionary.com defines the word tithe as:
the tenth part of personal income set apart as an offering to God or for works of mercy, or the same amount regarded as an obligation or tax for the support of the church, priesthood, or the like.
According to God’s Word, the concept of the tithe simply means giving 10% back to God from all of your income sources whether it be your job, your spouse’s job, second jobs, side work, income from a small business, or investment income. As a church body, we believe God has instructed us to give at least a minimum of 10% of our income back to Him in order to advance His Kingdom through the ministries of our church.
Old Testament Teaching on the Tithe
Tithing is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18-20,
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
This particular event between Melchizedek and Abraham occurred more than 600 years before the Law was established by God for the nation of Israel. Apparently, there had been some type of precedent established by God to give a tithe (10%) of His blessings.
Next in the Old Testament, we see that God established the percentage giving of 10% in Jewish Law in Leviticus 27:30,
A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
The Israelites often failed at giving back to God what He had asked them to give. Near the end of the Old Testament, we see God reminding the Jewish people of their failure to keep the tithe. He also reminds His people of the blessings of obedience in giving. In Malachi 3:8-12 we read,
“Will a man rob God?” Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
New Testament Teaching on the Tithe
Once we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we see Jesus addressing the tithe in Matthew 23:23,
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
An interesting point I find here in this passage is that Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites because they are so extremely careful to give a tenth of everything they own but fail to administer justice, mercy, and faithfulness. In His view, these character qualities are more important than tithing. But then, He tells the Pharisees that they should have practiced both. Jesus never abolished the giving of the tithe. He still encouraged the practice and viewed it as important.
You Will Never Make Enough Money to Tithe
A popular argument that I hear from many Christians is that “I/we don’t make enough money to give 10%.” My response has always been, “you cannot afford not to give!” Giving 10% is not just for “rich” people. This is a Biblical giving principle that has been around for thousands of years for young and old, rich and poor. The reality is that it’s probably harder for wealthy people to give 10% of $10,000 than it is for less wealthy people to give 10% of $1,000.
The only way you can learn to be more generous is to start where you are TODAY. If you’re making a monthly income of $2,000, than establish a monthly family budget and put God’s tithe of $200 right at the top of your cashflow plan. Then adjust your lifestyle budget issues accordingly. Sometimes the budget numbers aren’t always going to work, but you know what? God’s Economy doesn’t always equal man’s economy. This is when we as believers in Jesus Christ will need to step out in faith and trust God. He has promised to take care of our day-to-day needs.
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:31-34).
Honor God first in your finances. Be obedient to His Word. Pray for His provision and blessing. If you need help in your family’s finances, Financial Peace University is a great resource in order to learn how to be a better manager of God’s money He has entrusted to you. Our next class begins on January 23, 2011, and you can attend the first class for FREE. Why not take a test drive on January 23rd and just try it out! If you are interested in registering for our next class, click here to register online or you can visit the registration station in the church lobby.
Generosity is a Two-Way Street …
One evening, after a particularly difficult week for our family, we went out to dinner with all of our kids. Seated across the room from us were two of my parent’s closest friends. Since my parents had both passed away, these friends were a bridge to our hearts.
Knowing that this couple was on a fixed income and things had been difficult for them, Lori and I leaned in and thought at the same time, “Let’s anonymously pay for their dinner.” I immediately arranged the payment of their bill with our waitress and began feeling particularly generous about how we had helped them.
As we finished our meal, I was able to get our waitress’s attention to let her know we were ready for our own bill. She arrived at the table with a big smile on her face and said, “Someone else paid for your meal tonight.”
Later, we found out that there were some different friends of ours eating in another part of the restaurant and saw our family come in. They evidently had a similar conversation at their table about how they wanted to bless our family. These friends had no idea that we had just been a blessing to this older couple. They just wanted to be a blessing to our family.
Just when I started feeling pretty good about helping someone else, God overwhelmed us with an even more generous act of kindness. Our meal was definitely not inexpensive. We had 3 teenagers at our table, and you know how teens can put it away!
Random acts of kindness can be for people we know and, more importantly, for those we don’t know. Through living out a lifestyle of generosity to those around us, we are able to express the generous love of God.
Over the next 30 days, let me challenge you to live out a life of generosity. Be a blessing to those around you, and then watch and see how the Lord blesses your life in amazing ways. “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).
Download your copy of 101 Ways to Celebrate Generosity through time, money, energy, and talents, by visiting http://www.firstbaptistraytown.com/celebrategenerosity/
Celebrate Generosity: Melinda Houdyshell
For more about Celebrate Generosity, visit the Celebrate Generosity web page.
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Celebrate Generosity | 30 Days to a More Generous Life
Jesus Talked About Money
The Gospel of Jesus revolves around money and generosity. In fact, our Lord spoke a lot about money while He lived here on Earth. One out of every seven verses in the first three gospels speaks on the subject of money. One-third (16 of 38) parables that Jesus taught were on the topic of money. Fifteen percent of everything that Jesus said as recorded in the four gospels was about money. He spoke on money twice as much as prayer and faith combined. The Kingdom of God is the only subject that Jesus gave more attention than money.
How We Use Our Money Reflects Our Heart
Why would Jesus spend so much time preaching and teaching on the subject of money? Jesus knows that we all have money issues! He knows that in the world’s culture, money has a strong pull in the life of His followers to become our heart’s primary affection. The American culture repeatedly tells us that we’re not successful unless we have the nice house, a brand new car, trendy clothes, and massive retirement account. As Christians, we get lured into believing and pursuing the great “American dream” instead of pursuing God’s Kingdom.
God wants our hearts. He desires our complete affection. He wants us to be crazy in love with Him, and this is why His Word talks so much about money. He doesn’t want to compete with money and possessions that we have a tendency to set up as a god in our lives. The method through which we demonstrate our love for God above money is generosity.
In 2 Corinthians 8:7, the Apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth, “But just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” The Lord wants all of us to become excellent in our giving. He wants us to grow and mature in our faith through giving generously back to Him.
A New Sermon Series – Celebrate Generosity
Beginning this Sunday, October 31 through November 21, our pastor will be preaching a new sermon series entitled “Celebrate Generosity.” In this short, four-week series, we will be learning what the Bible says about generosity as well as hearing testimonies from those who have experienced God’s blessing in their lives through the giving of their time, abilities, and finances. Please join with us as we learn more about generosity and discover how to excel in this grace of giving.
The 30 Day Challenge
As a part of the sermon series, we are calling the church to a 30 Day Challenge in order for each of us to grow in our spirit of generosity. Begin looking for opportunities to demonstrate the love of Jesus to others through giving of your time, energy, abilities, and money. As you grow in your generous spirit this month, I know that you will have incredible stories to tell your church family. If you have a generosity story that you would like to share, please email me at ljones@firstbaptistraytown.com. I’m excited to see how God is going to use each one of us in a special way as we bless those around us in the next 30 days.
For a list of 101 Ways to Celebrate Generosity through time, money, energy, and talents click the graphic below.
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