Sermons About Generosity
Love, Mercy, Justice Part 9 - a message on giving
One of the lessons that should be learned from the economic crisis of 2008 is that the line between those in financial need and those that are not is pretty blurry. As home after home are foreclosed on, it is time to be honest with ourselves. Just because a person can afford to live in $300,000 home, does not mean that they are either doing well financially or that they have made good financial decisions. In fact, the person living in a $500 a month apartment struggling to make ends meet might actually be better off financially than many in upscale suburban neighborhoods. The main difference is that the folks in the nice communities get to walk the fine line of financial ruin in nicer accommodations. Unfortunately, it is easy to dismiss folks who file for bankruptcy or are mired in credit card debt because the temptation is to think they are just getting what they deserved. The thought, "If they had made smart decisions with their money, they wouldn't be in this mess," is easy to think. There is a sense of justice in many people's thoughts and speech that says, "Well, that's what you get if you aren't smart with your money." Now, our temptation if we are no where close to losing our house and if we don't have any credit card debt (or if we are even some where in between) is to look down on folks who make poor financial decisions. And I would say if that is the case, we need to be very careful of falling into the sin of self-righteousness. Yes, we need to obey and be fiscally responsible, but God always judges us on the heart behind our obedience. So, even though we are doing fine financially, we need to ask the question, "What is the heart motive?" Are you financially conservative and responsible because you want to be generous towards God and His kingdom or is financial conservatism just the smartest way to live the lifestyle that you want to live and the added bonus is getting to feel spiritually AND financially superior?
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Dying For Money
Money in the early church created just as many problems and opportunities as today.
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Concert of Prayer
On Sunday, October 12, the people of Apostles Church gathered together for corporate prayer and worship, seeking God and turning our hearts toward him in the midst of challenging times.
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Justice and Generosity for the City
Injustice and oppression in the covenant community dishonors God. Christ's ministry on our behalf frees us not only from guilt but the bondage of sin, particularly greed. He works in us that we might fear God and therefore become both just and generous. He works through us to free others from bondage through the gospel.
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Do Yourself a Favor, Don't Judge (Matthew 7:1-5)
Christ warns us to not have a bitter, hypocritical, fault-finding spirit. In being judgmental of others, we're often condemning those around us in order to avoid examining our own issues. We are urged to be merciful, forgiving and generous.
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Provocative Religion
Religion is a set of fundamental beliefs, tenets and practices that are centered on God which contains a moral code governing conduct such as prayer, rituals, and other human affairs. What could possibly provoke an extreme response about religion from Jesus? If you are a card carrying member of the 'Professional Christian's Guild', you won't want to miss this Thursday night at The Gat.
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God Wants Your Money (II Corinthians 8:1-5) 9-7-08
When Paul in II Corinthians 8 shares news of the generosity of the poverty-stricken Macedonian churches, we, along with the original Corinthian readers, are challenged to consider if God has our money and, more importantly, our hearts.
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Extravagant Generosity
Pastor Joanne's concludes her sermon series based on the book "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations". Today's sermon is "Extravagant Generosity". New Testament reading from Matthew 18:15-20.
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No Worries
Jesus gives us instruction on how to be set free from the problem of greed or worry that usually seems to come with money.
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