Notes Provided By: Sis. Makeba Shaw
Last session of this series
Homework:
Giving- the christian way of lie
Study Luke 6:38- GIve and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full- pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
Share what the results of giving look like. What type of reward would you expect?
The results of giving looks like the heart of Christ. You give your time, talent, tithes and testimony to others freely and lovingly and those things will be given back to you. Luke goes on to give us further insight by saying not only will you get your gift in return, but because you gave, it will be running over when it returns to you.
FInd examples of where someone gave
Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice Genesis 22
The widow offering her two mites (Mark 12;42-44)
Zacchaeus giving 1/2 his wealth to the poor (Luke 19:1-10)
Samaritan who gave of his time and paid for a room (Luke 10: 25-37)
The ultimate giver- God who gave his only begotten son (John 3:16-17)
What does it look like if you don’t give- You will not receive and you will be empty
- Book: Boundaries by Henry Cloud When to say yes and when to say no (If you are struggling in this area)
- Crop failure- make sure the seed you sow is in fertile ground
- Question: How do you know if the ground is fertile?
- Use a spirit of discernment
- Test the spirit (don’t accept everything someone says as face value) 1 John 4:1-6
- 1 plan, another water and God gives the increase & receives the glory
- What about those who continue to give and continue to be in distress? Ask yourself the points above: Did you give cheerfully & without feeling pressured? Did I seek Him for wisdom before giving to determine if your seed will fall on fertile ground? Answer- God is obligated to follow through with what the word says- Try Him and see won’t He pour you out a blessing you won’t have room enough to receive.
- Remember His timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways.
- When you do what you are supposed to do, you can rest because you have assurance that He will do what He says He will do (All things work together for the good of them who love the Lord)
- We don’t play pray, we pray, pray!
- Joshua 1:8- Study this Book of instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
- God doesn’t NEED our money!- He doesn’t want you to make money your god. (you got money…the money doesn’t have you)
- Except you give, you will not receive
- GIve a good gift and receive a greater reward
Homework for next week
New series- Fundamentals of Christian Living
“A Call to Holiness”
1 Peter 1 15-16- But you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
Leviticus 20: 7-8- So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees by putting them in practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy.
Romans 12: 1-2- And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Hebrews 12:14- Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
*Select 2 of the 4
Question: How can you present yourself as a living sacrifice?