Sermon Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-4, 8:7-9, 8:12-15, 9:6-12

In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul is detailing some general principles for giving that still guide us today; generous giving should be done wisely and faithfully, giving should come from love and joy rather than obligation, and it is a privilege to give as partners in the Kingdom of Heaven

Join us to discover six ways in which we can engage in generous giving in partnering with God in the work of the Kingdom.

Sermon Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19

In a fallen world like ours, where corruption is so tempting to our hearts, money can certainly reveal the taint that is in all of our hearts. And of all the topics that we grapple with in our modern world, money is one that the scripture has LOTS to say about. There is an over abundance of warnings, admonitions, and counsel on money through the Bible. 

The love of money after all gives birth to all kinds of evils as the scripture says, but money in and of itself is not evil and it has great potential for serving God and serving others. So the way we use our money ought to reflect the character of the God who has saved us.

Sermon Scripture: Romans 13:8-10, Philippians 2:1-8

According to Jesus, the whole point of the Old Testament law, and of all the commandments, was to teach Israel how to love God and to love their neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40).

Last week we spoke about the generosity of God as demonstrated by Jesus and we focused on the mindset of abundance rather than that of scarcity. The beginning of generosity comes from this shift in focus, but the essential next step is the transition of a heart turned inward to that of an outward focused heart.

Sermon Scripture: Luke 12:22-34

Creation is an expression of God’s generous love. He’s the host, and we are his guests in a world of opportunity and abundance. But God does not stop there. We’re then called to keep the party going and to spread his goodness. This is a beautiful picture, but it’s not the way we tend to experience the world. Instead, all too often we experience a world of scarcity and struggle, NOT abundance.

God is exceedingly generous, and even when our circumstances or our mindset might deceive us into a posture of scarcity, he reminds us that by trusting him we can experience abundance in lavish proportions — providing more than enough to join him in becoming a generous host to all that we meet.

Sermon Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12

Fasting is a way to bridge this gap, between “the haves” and “the have nots.” Going back at least as far as Isaiah 58, it has long been a vehicle for biblical justice, a way for those with too much food to share with those in need of food.

This simple practice of giving away the money we would have spent on ourselves has the potential to transform not only the lives of the poor, but also our own lives and communitie

Sermon Scripture: Acts 13:1-3, Jonah 3:3-10

Fasting and prayer go together. Like two wings of a bird, together they take flight. You can pray without fasting, and you can fast without praying, but when you combine the two, there’s a noticeable amplification of our prayer before God. 

This comes as no surprise, since fasting is a kind of praying with our body. When the request of our heart is coupled with the yearning of our body, our prayer is purified of its dross and presented like a precious metal before the Father, for him to do as he will.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18, Romans 12:1-2

When we fast, at least four things are happening in our body and soul; it’s weaning us off the pleasure principle, it’s revealing what’s in our heart, it’s re-ordering our desires, and it’s drawing on the power of God to overcome sin.

Our fight is not against the body — the body is broken, but it is a good gift. Our fight is for the body. It’s against the flesh, or sinful appetites within us all. And fasting is one of the most powerful disciplines of the Way to free our body and soul from the chains of sin and the prison of shame.

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18, Romans 12:1-2

When we fast FROM food or activities we also fast TO something. We fast TO Jesus. After all, hunger only results when you long for something more of what you do not have, and in Jesus, there is always more for us if we seek.

The body is the sphere where our discipleship to Jesus becomes real. Where it’s not just an idea or even a feeling, but a practice. Or what Jesus called a Way of life.

Sermon Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

In prayer, we learn with quiet confidence that God is at work building a place for himself in our hearts and mind. This is not done by painful deconstruction of our lives but is simply accomplished when we intently look at God’s glory as revealed in Jesus and are being transformed.

Sermon Scripture: John 10:2-5, Deuteronomy 6:4-5

As we mature, we begin to pray our own words, but in time, we desire not just to speak to God, but to listen to God — to hear God’s voice. The desire to hear and understand God’s voice in prayer is a Spirit-generated desire in the heart of a disciple of Jesus.

God comes to each of us inside the contours of our own life – our personality, background, stage of life. In fact, you likely already hear God way more than you realized, but like young Samuel in the Temple, you may not recognize it as God yet.

We will consider six ways we hear God’s voice.