Example for the church on how to give!

If you ever think about how you as a part of the church are to give to others, here is the example we should go by:



2 Corinthians 8:1-4



Encouragement to Give Generously

8 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—



Here are the points to hold onto here:



1. Paul wants others to know of the grace God poured out on the Macedonia church because of their great giving. I don't know about you but I want all the grace from God I can get, one way to get some of that grace(which I have already received more than I deserve) is by giving to others out of love! God then will give to you.



2. Macedonia gave even though they they were under the affliction of extreme poverty! If they can give under those conditions take a moment and think how much you can give. Ouch! May hurt to think about.



3. Paul says their generosity overflowed. I believe it is safe to say they gave until it hurt them! Does our giving overflow or do we give just enough so we think we satisfy God and no more? As you see in the verses above they gave beyond their means! Would we dare do that?



4. Macedonia begged to give relief! Now that is love and service! When is the last time we begged to help ur brothers and sisters in Christ?



So take time to think about your generosity today. The bible says:



2 Corinthians 9:7



Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.



Tom

Good grief or bad grief?

There is a difference in kinds of grief. This verse clearly shows us the good and the bad:



2 Corinthians 7:10



10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.



Let me try to explain, What I call good grief is actually know as conviction by the Holy Spirit. This is when you sin and the Holy Spirit lets you know you have done wrong by grief, the feeling you know you have sinned. Many times the Holy Spirit even had warned you before you had done that sin but you chose to do the sin any way and now you feel guilty before God which you are! This kind of grief leads to repentance, which is confessing your sin to God and asking for forgiveness and striving never to do that sin again!



Now if this is the first time in your life that you are calling upon God then it leads to salvation, being made right with God by accepting the shed blood of Jesus to cover your sins. However, if you have already followed Jesus, you are saved but asking God for to forgive you of the sin you have just committed and again striving to live a holy life before God.



The other side of the coin is bad grief. This is where you have a knowledge of right and wrong but you are unwilling to totally surrender to God, you may even have yourself fooled into thinking you are saved, so you feel bad for you sin and you may even confess it to God but you go right back to doing the same sins as before which eventually leads to death and an eternity in hell. This is worldly grief. Sadly many churches are full of folks like this who have fooled themselves into thinking a Sunday morning in the pew makes everything all right when in reality the only thing that makes us right is a relationship with Jesus Christ and a lifetime of following Him and His Word.



So what kind of grief do you have this morning? Godly or worldly?



Tom

You are the temple of the living God!

Are you keeping yourself cleansed? If you are a follower of Jesus, you are to be as clean as possible. Read this:



2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1



16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord,and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me,says the Lord Almighty.”

7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.



Make sure you catch these points from the scripture:



1. You are the temple of God if you are a follower of Jesus. Once you ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life the Holy Spirit enters your body and you are now His temple!



2. God is our God! He dwells with us not in some far off distant land!



3. Be separate from unbelievers and their idols! Don't even touch unclean things.



4. As we strive to be pure and holy God welcomes us and is our Father and we are His children. A note on this is: Jesus cleanses us from our sin and only Jesus but God expects us to live holy lives and avoid sin.



5. Since we are God's children and He gives us these promises because He loves us so much, it should be a joy, an honor, and a want to keep ourselves as clean as possible before our heavenly Father!



6. Fear God....He is God and we have this Word from proverbs about fearing God:



Proverbs 1:7



7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.



May we take God's Word and apply it to our life today and everyday!



Tom

Don't be attached to unbelievers!

This is a very important Word for us from God:



2 Corinthians 6:14-16



14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.



Now let me be clear here, we have a responsibility to share Jesus with all but we are not to be hanging out with those who practice sin. Lets catch a few things God says to us here:



1. Don't be attached (yoked) with an unbeliever....why? They may bring us to sin if we are not very careful!



2. We are righteous in Christ they are not, we have fellowship with Jesus they do not.



3. Jesus has nothing to do with the sin of the devil (Belial). We are to do the same.



4. What do we have in common with in unbeliever? Nothing because we are a new creation. We can relate to where they are because we were before Jesus so help they become a believer!



5. We are the temple of the God (Holy Spirit lives in us), and we need to avoid the idol lifestyle of unbelievers.



6. God is with us, we are His children, unbelievers are not.



God makes it very plain and simple here....be attached to other believers (the church). So let each of us look at our lives and see if we are obeying God! Remember love all and share Jesus but hang with brothers and sisters in Christ!



Tom

God has it under control!

Oh my friends we have no need of worrying this morning. God has it and we must trust Him. Read these verses:



Philippians 4:6-7



6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.



What is God telling us here?



1. Don't worry about anything! I (God) have it under control! Now we need to remember here, what ever the worry may be God has it but it may not turn out the way we think it should.



2. Always pray and make your request to God and be thankful for the outcome no matter what that is because we know it is in God's hands!



3. Knowing our worries are in God's hands mean we have peace which surpasses our understanding. Who else can handle our worries better than God? That's right NOBODY!



4. When we give our worries to God our minds and hearts should be guarded because we know God has the worry under control....that makes me feel better and peaceful already!



The key to all of this is our faith in God. Do you trust Him? Do you know He loves you? If you believe these two things then we should have no problem giving Him our worries and knowing He will deal with them in the best possible way for us....no matter what that may be!



God has everything under control brothers and sisters.....trust Him with your worries!



Tom

Whom shall I fear?

I just feel like somebody needs this song today. I need reminded everyday! Turn it up and worship our mighty God and remember this verse:

Psalm 27:1 

 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life;    of whom shall I be afraid?



Thank you Lord Jesus for holding me in your hand, nothing can take me from you!

Tom

In God I trust!

I am pushed for time this morning so I will start our Monday off with a word we can all use for the start of our week:



Psalm 56:4



4 In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?



A couple of things to hold onto here:



1. God 's Word is praiseworthy! It is truth and the guide book for life. All answers to life are found in this holy book. Praise Him this morning for giving us His Word!



2. I trust in God! He will never fail me, all others will but not my God.



3. I won't be afraid. No matter what this world throws at me this week , no matter what Satan tries to pull on me this week, God has me in his hand and I will not be afraid!



4. What can flesh (man) do to me. I often think of this in my walk with the Lord. The worst another man can do to me is take my life and guess what happens then? I am with Jesus! That is awesome! So man has no power over me when I am in Christ!



So for this Monday remember where your trust is! In God. We are victorious in Jesus Christ and I trust Him with all I have. If you need help putting your trust in God shoot me a message and I would love to help you!



Have a blessed Monday!



Tom