God Wants Your Heart

We're in 2 Corinthians 9 this morning. And yes, you probably figured out we're

pausing from the Gospel of Luke for today.

And this is a message that God laid on my heart that's just simply titled, God Wants Your Heart.

God Wants Your Heart. And we're actually looking at today, we're rediscovering true biblical giving.

Now, I want you to get your seatbelts on a little bit this morning because some

of you may have been raised in church and heard something just a little bit

different than you're going to hear today, possibly.

But I want to challenge you from my heart to be a Berean today who studies the

scriptures and see if the things you hear today are true.

Okay, that's the challenge. We're in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, starting with verse 5.

2 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

It says, so I regarded it necessary to encourage the brothers that they would

go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised blessing,

so that the same would be ready as a blessing and not as a begrudging obligation.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and he who sows with blessing will also reap with blessing.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under

compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything,

at every time, having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed.

As it is written, he scattered abroad, he gave to the needy.

His righteousness stands forever.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply

your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be enriched in everything for all generosity.

Which through us is bringing about thanksgiving to God.

For the ministry of this service, not only fully supplying the needs of the

saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Because of the proven character given by this ministry,

they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of

Christ and for the generosity of your fellowship toward them and toward all.

While they also, by prayer on

your behalf, long for you because of the surpassing grace of God on you.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

Let's pray. Father God, I pray in these next few moments, Lord,

that your Holy Spirit would reign supreme, Lord, throughout this place,

God, that as you continue to work in our hearts, continue to shape us and mold us, God.

I pray today that we listen to your word, and God, I pray today again that we're changed.

Lord, even our giving is changed. In Jesus' name, amen.

By the way, let me just preface this by saying that we're already working on

the 2026 budget for the church, right?

Tonight will be our business meeting at 5 o'clock. We'll talk about that more

in a moment, but we're already in preparation for that, and I got some things

I'll share with you later.

But I just want to say, this is probably a great time to just talk about true biblical giving. Amen?

Well, let me just start by saying, Eastwood, it's time that all of us,

we're so easy, and not just us, churches everywhere, but us too,

all of us are guilty of this.

Sometimes we dance around the truth, right? We are a people that are obsessed

with tradition at times, yet we appear allergic to scripture at times,

what God's Word teaches.

Sometimes we are so quick to quote

other people like pastors more than we actually quote the Word of God.

And we defend systems at times that God never commanded because it's easier

to follow the culture than it is to follow Christ.

And so today I'm going to ask a question that's going to stir probably a little

bit of discomfort in some of the pews.

Maybe in pulpits that hear this alike, okay? Here's the question.

Is tithing the way that it's preached in many churches actually a sin? That is the question.

Now, before you open your eyes really wide or call this question heresy,

I want us to open the book.

That is the Word of God, right? We're going to take a tour. We did that earlier.

We looked in 2 Corinthians 9 as well. We're going to be looking throughout Scripture,

and we're going to look at this next slide.

We're going to open, go to the Word of God, not to a favorite preacher's opinion

or somebody else's opinion. We're just going to look at God's Word,

not even church tradition.

The word tithing, as most people understand it today, is giving 10% of one's

income to the church, or the 10th part, literally what it means.

It's not a command given to the New Testament church. And I'm going to explain

what I mean by all this before you get too uncomfortable.

It is rooted in the Old Testament law under a system that no longer applies

to believers living under the new covenant.

And when we examine the concept today of tithing in scripture,

we got to be careful, church, not to rip it from its historical or its theological context in Scripture.

In the Old Testament, the tithe was not simply a donation to a religious institution.

It was part of a much larger theocratic, God set it up, right,

economic structure established by God for the nation of Israel.

The Israelites were commanded to tithe for a very specific reason.

There were actually, by the way, multiple tithes.

Some for the Levites who had no inheritance of land, some for the festivals

and religious celebrations, and even a third-year tithe for the poor.

I don't know if you've ever realized this, but as you study,

in total, the Old Testament tithe system was closer to 23 to 25%.

Annually, right? Not the flat 10% figure often thrown around today.

And that was part of a national system that God put in place.

God's chosen people of the Mosaic Covenant, it was never a universal command

for all people in all times.

And when we move into the New Testament, the entire structure changes.

Jesus actually fulfills the law.

The temple system is abolished. The Levitical priesthood is no more, right?

And the veil that we sang about this morning in Jesus Messiah is actually torn.

And Christ, our high priest, and every believer is now part of what?

A royal priesthood.

We're not under the Mosaic covenant. The church is not Israel,

and yet many modern churches have taken this old covenant practice and imposed

it on believers who are under grace, not under law.

Not once. Prove me wrong. Go to the Word of God. Be a Berean today.

Not once in the New Testament do we see Paul, Peter, James, or any other apostle

command believers to tithe?

And what we do see, hang on to your seats, what we do see, however,

is clear instruction to give, but to give in a radically different way.

The early church shared all things in common. They sold property to give to those in need.

They supported the ministry and the poor, not because of a mandated percentage,

but out of love and generosity.

And as we see in this next slide, Paul tells the Corinthians to give. How?

As each one decides in his heart, he actually goes further and says,

not under compulsion, not reluctantly,

and certainly not under a law that Christ fulfilled on the cross.

So think about this today, Eastwood. When we impose a 10% tithe as if it were

a divine command for the church today, we're stepping outside the bounds of scripture.

We're replacing the freedom of grace with the bondage of legalism.

And that's not simply a misunderstanding, it's a theological error.

I want you to see that today.

Actually, what it leads to is guilt-based giving instead of grace-based giving.

Let me just stop there and say, do y'all remember in the Old Testament when

they were building the temple?

Do you remember that they were given so much, they actually had to tell them to stop, right?

Stop it. We can't handle it all.

Wouldn't that be cool at Eastwood for our budget next year to just be like,

y'all, just take a break from giving.

I mean, we got so much that God is pouring in, man. We all just need to take

a break or give to somebody, right?

And it's like, wow, that kind of giving church, the kind of giving that comes

from the heart that we're going to talk about blows it away.

Let me explain why even more.

Actually, when you do this, though, if you encourage guilt-based giving instead of grace-based giving,

it can't even discourage those who may be unable to meet that certain percentage

that is imposed upon them from giving at all because they're allowing those

who could give far more as well to maybe feel even self-righteous in writing that 10% check.

I'm going to explain that more. It's ain't comfortable. Just hear me out because

they're doing the bare minimum, by the way.

God doesn't want a percentage, he would.

He wants your whole heart. He wants my whole heart and a heart that is transformed

by the gospel of Jesus Christ, will give freely, generously, and joyfully.

Not out of obligation, not out of fear, but out of love for the one who gave us everything.

And one of the most commonly misused passages in modern church culture,

and we can go to the next slide here, when it comes to tithing is Malachi 3 verses 8 through 10.

Malachi 3:8–10

You've probably heard it quoted dozens of times, will a man rob God,

yet you are robbing me in tithes and offerings.

It's the go-to verse for pressuring congregations to give, often accompanied

by promises of blessing if you do, and curse if you don't. But here's the problem, Eastwood.

This passage has been ripped out of context, misapplied to the New Testament

church in a way that not only is misleading, but it's spiritually harmful. Let me explain.

Let's start with the basic fact that Malachi was a prophet sent to who?

Israel. not the church. His message was to a covenant people under the Mosaic

law, and more specifically in this chapter, he was addressing who?

The priests and leaders of Israel.

The robbing in question here wasn't simply a matter of individuals refusing

to tithe under that system.

It was a national indictment, as you read that particular passage,

against the people, the nation, who had broken covenant with God.

The tithes that are referenced, they're agricultural in nature,

they're grain, oil, livestock.

They were intended for the upkeep of the Levitical priesthood and the welfare of the poor.

And you may even look at this like today, as we're commanded to pay the government taxes, right?

This was a tax. It was not optional.

This was compulsory. You had to do it, right?

And also it was part of taking care of the priesthood there and the welfare

of the poor every third year time.

But the system was deeply tied to the temple, the land and the covenant that

God made with Israel, not with the global church.

And to take Malachi's words and apply them directly to Christians today,

it is a theological stretch at best, but it's manipulation at worst.

And because like I told you earlier, we are not Israel.

We are not under the Mosaic law.

We don't have a physical temple.

The priesthood has been fulfilled in Christ, and the sacrificial system has

been completed in him, his once-for-all atonement.

And using Malachi 3 to coerce believers into giving a mandated 10% to the modern church,

It's not only a gross misinterpretation of that passage, but it turns grace

into guilt and giving into a transaction.

That's all it is, a simple transaction.

And even more dangerous is the way this passage is often weaponized.

Pastors and leaders, sometimes I've heard it in the past, tell congregants that

if you don't tithe, if you don't give 10% exactly, you're robbing God and you're going to be cursed.

But this turns the gospel upside down, Eastwood.

Christ, as we sang about this morning, became a curse for us so that we could walk in freedom.

To put a believer under threat of curse for not tithing or a tenth, right?

A 10% under a threat of curse is denying the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.

And that's no small error. It may draw money into the plates,

but it draws people away from the true gospel.

You saw, I'm going to be clear. Got your ears on.

Giving is absolutely biblical.

Generosity is a mark of spiritual maturity, but giving under compulsion based

on misapplied Old Testament writings and warnings is not what the New Testament calls us to do.

When Malachi is used to guilt people into giving, it reduces,

y'all, I hope you see this today, the beauty of gospel generosity into a burdensome tax.

It replaces the joy of the spirit with the fear of judgment.

And worst of all, it teaches people to not give out of love,

but out of fear, something the gospel never does.

God does not bless manipulation. He blesses what? but he blesses truth.

And the truth is Malachi was never meant to be a blueprint for church giving.

The church doesn't need fear tactics.

It needs what? Faithful teaching. When churches mandate tithing as a rule,

especially when it's taught as a fixed divine requirement, those churches are

doing something far more dangerous than just simply misunderstanding the scripture there.

They're replacing the grace of the gospel with the burden of the law.

And whenever grace is replaced by law, what's going to follow?

Bondage is going to follow. Bondage always follows.

And that's not just, like I said, a minor theological error.

It strikes at the heart of what it means to live under the new covenant.

The entire message of the gospel is that Christ fulfilled the law perfectly

because you and I never could.

He obeyed every command, kept every statue. he bore the full weight of the law's

penalty on him on the cross. Why?

So that those who believe in him might be free.

Free from the curse of the law, Eastwood. Free from striving and free to walk in the Spirit.

So when we take a practice like Old Testament tithing and enforce it as law

in the church, we're essentially undoing what Christ accomplished.

We are putting a yoke of slavery back on the necks of believers whom Jesus has already set free.

Paul actually addressed this very issue when he wrote to the church in Galatia.

He said false teachers had crept in trying to convince believers that faith

in Christ wasn't enough. You remember that?

They also needed to do something else. They needed to keep parts of the Mosaic law.

And Paul didn't just mildly disagree with them.

He actually told them, he said, you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you

and warned them that if they sought to be justified by the law,

they had fallen from grace.

That's how serious it is, Eastwood. When we mingle law and grace,

the two are incompatible.

The law is our schoolmaster to bring us to the foot of the cross.

Then we are changed. We're covered in God's blood. We're made new creations in Christ.

The law cannot save. It can only condemn.

Nowhere in the New Testament do we find a single command that says believers

must give a set 10% of their income.

What we do find are calls to give generously, sacrificially even, and joyfully.

Each, as we saw here, according to what they've decided in their heart, not under compulsion.

And the phrase not under compulsion I think is crucial. If a preacher stands

up and he declares that every Christian must give 10% or face God's displeasure and curse,

he's introduced compulsion and he stepped

outside the bounds of the new testament teaching and what

happens when law replaces grace in this

area well giving becomes a box to check a religious obligation people start

believing that their financial contribution secures their spiritual standing

worse yet those who can't give a full 10 percent may feel condemned unworthy

or like second-class Christians.

That's not biblical. It's not Christ. And that's the law, and the law condemns.

But the tragedy here is that many churches do this in the name of stewardship

or faithfulness, and unaware that they're distorting the gospel in the process.

When time becomes a rule, grace is forgotten.

When percentages take priority over personal conviction and spirit-led generosity,

the heart is removed from giving altogether.

The church doesn't need more law, does it? It needs more gospel.

Believers don't need pressure. They need truth. And the truth is we give not

because we're forced to, Eastwood, not but because we are free to in response

to what Jesus has done for us.

Can you imagine how that would radically change giving?

Wow, that's the difference between law and grace. One demands, the other transforms.

Biblical giving is never about a fixed number. It's about the heart.

And when the apostle Paul actually wrote to the Corinthian church about giving,

he didn't issue a command to tithe.

He didn't say each of you must give 10% of your income.

What he said was far more personal, far more spirit-led, and far more powerful.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under

compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

That one verse, Eastwood, shatters the foundation of legalistic tithing and

replaces it with something much deeper.

Heart-driven generosity rooted in grace.

You know what happens when that takes place? What happened in the Old Testament?

Woo! Wow. We get so much coming. It's unbelievable, right?

Under the Old Covenant, giving was a national duty under that theocratic system,

a religious obligation, if you will.

But as we see in this next slide, but under the New Covenant,

it becomes, get this church, don't miss this, giving becomes under the New Covenant

an act of worship, a response to the mercy that we've received in Christ.

That's the heart of gospel-centered giving. It's not about calculation.

It's about conviction. It's not about a set percentage. It's about spiritual discernment.

When the Holy Spirit dwells within a believer, he doesn't need a calculator

to tell them what to give.

He leads, he prompts, he convicts, he inspires generosity according to the believer's

capacity, their season of life and burden for the kingdom. And that's where

the 10% rule, so to speak, often breaks down.

It becomes a ceiling for some and a crushing floor for others.

There are wealthy believers who could give, church, 30% or 40% or more without blinking an eye.

But they feel righteous because they've hit the required 10%.

And their struggling families, single mothers, the elderly on fixed incomes

who feel shame for not reaching that number, even though they may be given sacrificially.

That's not the heart of God. He doesn't look, Eastwood, at the percentage.

He looks at the sacrifice, the intent, the joy behind the gift.

You remember Jesus saw the widow with two small coins and said she gave more

than all the rich men combined?

Not because of the amount, was it? Why was it?

Because of her heart. She didn't give out a surplus. She gave out of love.

She didn't calculate 10%. What did she do? She trusted completely.

That's what gospel giving looks like. If we reduce giving to a fixed percentage,

we turn a spiritual act into a transaction.

We no longer ask, when's the last time you asked this question?

Lord, what would you have me give?

When's the last time we asked that? Instead, we ask, how little can I give and still be obedient?

God doesn't want people checking a box. He wants people who give because they

trust him, who give because they've been changed by the cross,

who give because they understand that all they have is his anyway.

So we don't give by percentage. We give by prayer.

We don't give by law. And what kind of giving, that kind of giving church can't

be measured by numbers alone.

It's measured where? It's measured in heaven where God sees the motives,

the faith, the obedience behind every single gift of that believer who says,

ask that question to God, Lord, what would you have me give?

That's what pleases him. Not a number, but a heart that's aligned with God's

heart. In fact, in many modern churches, the money that comes in through tithes

and offerings often funds luxury instead of mission.

Let's go to the next slide. That's a hard truth to hear, isn't it?

But it must be said, the biblical pattern for giving was always rooted in caring

for the poor, supporting those who labor in the gospel, and advancing the kingdom of God.

But in far too many cases, I fear today, the resources of the church are diverted

toward maintaining a religious business model. The church ain't IBM, come on.

One that looks more like a corporate brand than the body of Christ.

Let's be honest, there are churches that are spending millions on buildings

with coffee shops, LED walls, performance stages, and extravagant decor all around,

while their communities are filled with single mothers who are struggling to

pay rent and homeless people going hungry church.

Pastors are flying first class and buying designer suits while widows are deciding

between groceries and medicine.

This isn't about judging success or demonizing blessing. That's not what this is about.

It's about misplaced priorities. When the money that's meant for ministry is

used for marketing and self-promotion.

We've drifted far from the example of the early church in the book of Acts.

The early believers were marked by what, he said? radical generosity,

not to support empires of entertainment, but to meet needs.

There was not a needy person, it says, among them.

Scripture says, because those

who had more gave freely, and the apostles distributed to those in lack.

That's what the church is supposed to look like. Can I get an amen?

That's what gospel-centered stewardship is meant to accomplish, Eastwood.

But in our day today, our church budget sometimes, and I don't believe it is

here, praise God, we always work to see that it don't happen.

But it's often bloated in many churches with overhead costs that have little

to do with actual ministry.

The mission has been replaced by a machine.

Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Paul asking for tithes to fund buildings or events.

He asked for support to help the poor in Jerusalem.

He collected offerings to sustain the spread of the gospel.

He lived sacrificially, not lavishly. And when he did speak about support for

those in ministry, it was always in the context of fair provision,

not opulent lifestyles.

Yet many modern churches guilt people into giving with manipulated scriptures

and then use those funds to elevate the brand, to grow the platform,

and to chase popularity.

It's not about making disciples as it should be. It's about making impressions.

And when that happens, the money stops being holy, Eastwood.

It becomes fuel for ego, not evangelism.

When we have to ask ourselves the hard question, Is the tithe or the gift that

you give going towards spreading the gospel or is it building somebody's name?

Is the money going towards mission work, feeding the poor, supporting single

parents and caring for widows?

Or is it going towards extravagant sound systems? I know we need a sound system.

I'm talking about extravagant, right?

Crazy marketing campaigns and conference stages.

You see, the answer to those questions matters eternally.

Giving Eastwood is a sacred act. It's not meant to fund comfort.

It's meant to advance the cause of Jesus Christ.

That's why we're working on the 2026 budget for Eastwood, to advance the cause of Jesus Christ.

We're not looking to build the name of somebody or looking to build to where

we have just all, just to the hilt, to the nine, this, that, and the other.

If we're not using God's money for God's purposes, we're going to be held accountable.

The church doesn't need more glitter, does it? It needs more gospel.

And the people of God must not only give, hear me today, but also demand that

what they give is used to glorify Jesus alone and not man.

One of the most damaging consequences of teaching tithing as a mandatory law

is that it distorts the nature of Christian obedience.

When obedience to God is just reduced to external acts like writing a check

for 10%, you know what we do?

We risk creating a shallow performance-based faith that masks disobedience in

deeper areas of our life.

You see, God is not impressed with financial offerings that are disconnected

from holiness, humility, and surrender.

Let me say that again. God is not impressed with financial offerings that are

disconnected from holiness, humility, and surrender.

He's not moved by polished actions when the heart remains proud and greedy or

indifferent to his will.

Jesus made this clear, did he not? In his earthly ministry, he confronted,

you remember, the Pharisees, the religious leaders who tithe meticulously,

even down to herbs like mint and cumin, but neglected justice,

mercy, and faithfulness.

These you ought to have done, he said, without neglecting the others.

Yeah, you were following the law I gave you.

In other words, they were checking the boxes of religious obligation.

But he's letting them know, Jesus says, that their hearts were far from God.

They looked religious outwardly, but inwardly they were full of what?

Pride, full of corruption.

And y'all, I just have to say this. That same spirit is alive and well today

whenever believers think that tithing earns them favor with God while ignoring

the deeper call to discipleship.

God never asks for part of us. He asks for everything.

God wants your heart. Yep, that includes your checkbook. That includes your time.

That includes your talent. All of it's there. He's not after our money.

He's after our hearts. And when the heart is truly surrendered,

giving becomes natural.

It's like breathing, not forced. It becomes a joy, as it says in 2 Corinthians,

not a burden. It becomes an overflow of love, not a spiritual tax.

But when people are taught that dropping 10% in the offering plate is the main

indicator of faithfulness, they often neglect the more demanding aspects of the Christian walk.

Like we talked about a few weeks ago, like dying to themselves and loving their

enemies, forgiving those who wronged them and walking even in sexual purity.

Can you believe sometimes people think, man, I'm better than I'm writing my check.

But they neglect everything else. Just like Jesus confronted those Pharisees with.

Tithing then becomes a spiritual smokescreen, if you will. A way to feel obedient

while staying in control of the rest of your life.

I know this ain't comfortable today. A lot of people just think God's just got 10%.

No. Believers, it's all. It's everything. Everything.

But a spiritual smoke scream it can become a way to feel obedient like i said

while staying in control of the rest of your life you think and then the distortion

y'all it often feeds what starts with a p pride.

Someone gives their 10% faithfully, every paycheck, and they begin to feel superior

to the person who gives less or nothing at all, or nothing they know about.

They start measuring their righteousness in percentages, forgetting that all

our righteousness is like filthy rags apart from Jesus Christ.

God does not grade on a curve, does he? He isn't keeping score of dollars and cents.

He's looking at the heart behind the gift, the motives behind the sacrifice.

He values the widow's two coins more than the rich man's 10%.

And there's also a danger of false assurance.

A person may be living in rebellion, Eastwood, to God's word,

harboring secret sin even, walking in unforgiveness, neglecting prayer and scripture,

but because they tithe regularly, they believe they're in good standing with

God. That's a lie from Satan.

Obedience is not compartmentalized, is it?

You cannot buy your way into God's favor. You cannot substitute money for holiness.

True obedience is total. It's full surrender.

It's a life that's laid down at the feet of Jesus, not a wallet that's opened on Sunday morning.

The church must return to the biblical understanding of giving.

We got to stop measuring faithfulness by money and start calling people to holistic,

that means the whole thing, holistic, spirit-led, Christ-centered obedience.

That's the kind of obedience that changes lives, y'all. That's the kind that God desires.

So is tithing a sin in and of itself? No.

If you give 10% out of joy and love for God, amen, brother.

But tithing as a mandate, tithing as a condition for blessing,

tithing as a yoke on believers under grace, that's sin.

That's distortion. That's bondage. You want to honor God with your money,

then give as the Spirit leads you.

Give out of a heart that has been transformed, not a hand that's been guilt tripped.

Because God doesn't want your percentage.

He wants your hearties would.

And I want to tell you, today, if we let the Holy Spirit,

if he just gets that in our hearts today, I have a feeling, brother Ronnie,

our budget's going to go through the roof we're going to have so much we don't

know what to do when people start giving from the heart start giving with that

prayer lord what would you have me give.

For some of you, maybe more than others.

But when you pray that before God and He controls your heart,

you give it all to Him, then you begin being obedient.

You begin giving out a love for what Jesus did for you.

I don't know about y'all, but a loved, grace-given, grace-driven generosity

of below 10% away any day of the week.

Some may be, like we talked about earlier, maybe you just can't,

maybe you're never going to reach that 10 And stop thinking about percentages.

Start thinking about praying, Jesus, Lord, what would you have me do?

What do I give, Lord, to show my love for you and to advance your kingdom for the sake of the gospel?

What would you have me give, Lord?

Wow, what a question for us to ask today. I'm going to invite you to stand this morning.

Father God, I just pray today as your Holy Spirit has moved in this place,

Lord, I just pray that there is conviction, Lord, today in each of our hearts, Lord.

And as we ask that question, Lord, what would you have me give?

Lord, I pray that you would help us to focus on radical, grace-driven generosity.

Lord, on having the mission that you have called us to, Lord,

at the forefront of our thinking.

Lord, thinking about the people around us, thinking about our community,

thinking about how we can reach those people for your name.

Lord, not to make much of Eastwood, but to make much of you, Jesus.

God, we thank you for the way that you've blessed Eastwood Baptist Church.

God, I thank you. It blows my mind, and I'll share some of that later with them,

Lord. But, Lord, it just blows my mind what you've done in our midst.

But, Father, I pray, Lord, that you will move each of our hearts,

Lord, to just pray that simple prayer to you.

Lord, what would you have to give?

God, I pray maybe if there's some here today who maybe they have been caught

up in this, Lord, where they maybe feel self-righteous even.

Maybe you've looked down on other people at times thinking that,

hey, I'm a better Christian because I'm doing this right here.

I'm writing this for 10%. I pray today maybe those people even say,

Jesus, forgive me of my sin.

Forgive me, Lord, for being full of pride and arrogance instead of a heart that

was filled with love and grace-driven.

There may be others here today who don't know you lord i pray today

maybe through this and through the songs that are sung earlier

lord they see that lord you have paid the price for them on calvary lord they're

not under law any longer lord they're under grace if they come to you lord that

they would receive that and father today if there's some here who have never

come before you and said lord forgive me of my sin lord what i see i've broken your law i see i'm guilty,

And Lord, what you did for me on the cross, you took my punishment on the cross. You took it all.

And now you've credited me with your righteousness, Lord. If I just repent,

Lord, turn from my sin, Lord, and trust you.

And God, I can't even do that without your Spirit giving me the power to do it.

Lord, I pray today, if that's a person here today, that they'll walk this aisle

saying, Hey, I want Jesus.

I want to stop trying to make it on my own. and I want to stop trying to impress God with my good works.

I know it's all by Jesus' grace. Nothing good I can do.

Nothing in my hand I bring, but only to the cross of Christ I cling.

And maybe there's others today. Maybe God's leading you to be involved in a

local church. I don't know if this is the one for you, but I tell you what,

as you continue to pray, we'll pray with you.

But maybe God leads you today to say, you know what, I know.

I'm coming. I want to be a part of Eastwood Baptist Church.

Some of you may have prayed and received Christ as your Lord and Savior in the

past, and maybe you've never followed the Lord in believers' baptism.

Today's your chance, too, to walk this aisle and say, I want to follow Jesus in baptism.

I want to be identified with Him and what He's done in my life.

Lord, I just pray as you move in our midst, God, people will respond to what

your Spirit has revealed to them today.

In Jesus' name. As Ms. Sharon plays, you pray, you obey. That's the call today, church.

You obey, you lay it down.

Is your life known for gospel-centered, grace-driven generosity?

Lord, what would you have me give?