7 Dynamics of a Wholehearted Church Part 5 - 7 Dynamics of a Wholehearted Church

You're listening to the road.

After teachers, people.

So when we encounter something that is beyond us, something that's a miracle, that's supernatural, my experience has been.

I get a holy feel.

Yes, I'm excited about it, but if there's kind of like wow, I can't believe that happened.

And it's been especially true and finances for us.

We didn't have much.

We've always high 10%.

We've always given.

At The Road, our vision is to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ.

For more information on The Road, visit the Road.org.

We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

Look at chapter two of Acts.

So we've been talking about the seven dynamics of a whole-hearted church.

You could reframe it or rephrase it as the seven dynamics of a whole-hearted person.

Looking at the church there in Acts, this is the last I'm going to do on this.

And I felt like last week that I didn't fully cover all that God wanted me to cover in the area of extravagant giving.

So look at Acts chapter 2, starting at verse 41.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Acts 2, 41.

So just so you guys are up to date, we've gone through six other dynamics.

Last week we talked about the seventh dynamic, and it's kind of a part two of the seventh dynamic.

But I won't rehearse all that.

It's all online.

You can watch those if you desire.

Then those who gladly received the word were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them.

So if you're not aware, the book of Acts is really the history of the early church, and this is when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, we've talked about that.

Fellowship, we've talked about that.

In the breaking of bread, we've talked about that in prayer.

Then fear, verse 43 is really, really key in what we're going to talk about this morning.

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together and had all things in common.

And they sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need.

So continually, daily, with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Giving, this extravagant giving that flowed through the early church was a result of two things, I believe.

The first was a love, a passionate love and gratitude to God for all that he had done for them.

They had been filled with the Holy Spirit.

They'd experienced Christ and his resurrection in their life.

They're excited about that.

And so it was an overflow.

It was a natural overflow to give.

It's like with my kids, I look forward to Christmas.

And my wife and I, we think about, we think about what we're going to give each child.

And when we we come to their birthdays, we think about what we want to give them because we love to give.

We love them.

We love to give to them extravagantly.

And so there's a love element to any kind of giving in our lives.

But then it's interesting, isn't it, in verse 43, there's a fear element.

There's a fear element.

So when we encounter something that is beyond us, something that's a miracle, that's supernatural, my experience has been I get a holy fear.

Yes, I'm excited about it, but there's kind of like, wow, I can't believe that happened.

And it's been especially true in finances for us.

We didn't have much for most of our life together, 34 years of marriage, we have not had much.

But we've always tithed 10%.

We've always given.

And let me just I want to tell you a story.

And this really happened.

And I could tell you a dozen of them, but it's my favorite one because it was just so stark.

But we we had our septic tank.

You guys know we live in Black Forest, we have we're on a septic.

Septic tank goes out.

That's not good.

And the well went out.

That's doubly not good.

So no water, and then the water we have can't be used unless we pour more water in it, meaning the toilet.

So believe me, there's a lot of bathrooms all over the six and a half acres of our property at a time like that.

And we didn't have the money, and it was going to cost us$5,100 to get these things fixed.

So Liz and I go out on the road.

We have a dirt road, and we started praying and walking.

And this is almost verbatim what we prayed.

God, you own the cattle on a thousand hills.

That's a lot of cattle, and that's a lot of hills.

And a lot of your cattle up there came from me.

And I'd figured it up.

I'd given God over a million dollars in my lifetime up to that point.

Now it's well over that.

He's got a million of my bucks.

So I said, Lord, you got a million dollars that you gave me to give back to you.

Because it wasn't my money anyway.

It was your money.

But I need to cash in on a little bit right now.

And all I'm asking for is$5,100.

And I can all I can tell you, and many of you, how many of you have done that before?

Been in a situation like that?

All right, a lot of you.

If you haven't, it's coming.

But when I prayed that, there was such confidence that God was going to show up.

I just knew he was going to show up.

And so three days later, there's a knock at the door.

There's a lady at our door who lived down the street from us, on the road that we live in, on Tarrell Lane, out there in Black Forest, and said, God told me to write you guys a check.

And here it is.

$5,100.

Now that creates fear of God.

Can you believe it?

God knows your finances.

He knows it that well.

He knows exactly what you need.

And he's just asking you to pray about it.

He's asking you to be a giver so that he can be released to give back to you.

Isn't that exciting?

If you don't think that's exciting, man, you are so in the wrong church.

I mean, that is so exciting.

So turn to Galatians 6.

Turn to Galatians 6, because in Galatians 6, Paul is trying to communicate that there is this kingdom principle, this kingdom law, and I and you've heard this before if you've been in the church very long, probably, but it's sowing and reaping.

It's a kingdom law of sowing and reaping.

Now I don't want to limit it just to finances.

I'm going to share it from the perspective of how Paul is talking about it to the church in Galatia.

This idea of sowing and reaping is in every area of your life.

As a matter of fact, it's in every area of all of life.

It's environmental, it's geological.

It is a part of etymology.

It is all a part of everything we do, and I'll explain.

So look at Galatians chapter 6.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

And this whole last two chapters especially are talking about sowing and reaping, but then he sums it up with this Galatians 6, verse 7.

Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived.

Now, why would he say that?

Why would he say, do not be deceived?

Because we get deceived.

Some of you in this room are deceived.

I've been deceived.

I've been deceived about my finances.

I've been deceived about my health.

I've been deceived about dating relationships when I was younger.

We tend to be deceived.

And he says this, do not be deceived.

God is not mocked.

So in other words, you can mock God till the cows come home, but God's not mocked by that.

He's like, fine.

What's that little tiny, what's he saying down there?

God's not mocked.

For whatever a man sows, he will also reap.

Underline that if you're got one of these kind of old-timey Bibles.

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.

He who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

So when he says do not be mocked, and he's talking about sowing and reaping, he's talking about this kingdom principle that you will reap whatever you sow.

And so someone can say, well, just, you know, I don't believe in God.

And I don't believe that he's out there, and I don't believe that he has anything to do with my personal life, and I also don't believe in gravity.

And so I'm just gonna walk up on that building over there and I'm just gonna step off because I'm gonna mock God and I'm gonna mock all of his principles about the earth and the stuff that all these creationists talk about.

And when he steps off that building, God is not mocked, and neither is the law of gravity.

So I want to talk about three things, three thoughts about sowing and reaping.

The first is this three kingdom laws of sowing and reaping.

Number one, everything in life comes from a seed.

Men and women, everything that has life comes from a seed.

It pervades everything in our lives.

And so every plant came from a seed.

Every animal came from a seed.

Every human came from a seed.

So, first of all, when I talk about a kingdom law, you can't break this kingdom law.

It is already in place, it is already true in everything we do.

You can sit at a garden and some and some kind of uh spiritists have done this, I'm sure, many times before, and just kind of looked at the ground and looked at the soil and somehow thought that they could imagine corn or they could imagine flowers.

You still have to plant a seed.

Everything comes from the seed, everything in life, no farmer is gonna disagree with this.

Nobody from an agarian culture will disagree with any businessman knows this, any salesman or saleswoman knows this to be true.

Everything comes from a seed.

Number two, you will harvest the same seeds that you plant.

Number two, you will harvest the same nature of the seeds that you plant.

Two operable words in that, harvest and plant.

So you're going to harvest something with your life.

If you plant seeds of joy, seeds of health, seeds of happiness, seeds of positivity, seeds of love, you will eventually harvest seeds of joy and health and love.

It will come back to you.

We talked about that last week.

It will come back to you pressed down and pouring out and running over.

There's always a harvest to the seeds.

If you're one who plants seeds of anger, seeds of control, then those around you, you'll start, you know, you'll start gathering people around you who are angry and controlling people.

And you will start to harvest those seeds in your life.

It's just, it's it doesn't matter whether you're a Buddhist, doesn't matter whether you're a Hindu, doesn't matter whether you're divorced, doesn't matter whether you've been happily married for your whole life.

It has nothing to do with where you're from, what you believe in.

It's true in everything in life.

You plant certain seeds and you're gonna harvest the same nature of the seeds that you plant.

And so this law of sowing and reaping affects everything.

So, what does that tell you?

It says to me that if that's a kingdom law, then I want to flow with the blessings of God.

Right?

One of my favorite chapters of the Bible is Deuteronomy 28.

Jot it down.

We might get there today, we might not.

But Deuteronomy 28 is talking about the law of sowing and reaping.

And basically in Deuteronomy 28, the first 14 verses are all about if you will listen and obey my voice, I will bless you in your coming and your going.

I will bless your health, I will bless your finances, I will bless your vocation, I will bless your job, I will take care of you.

But then from 15 on, which is about 30 more verses, it basically, if you will not listen to my voice, if you will disobey me when I tell you to do things, it is going to be curses and curses and curses all over your life.

Now, some would say, well, you know, we live in the New Testament now.

It's a grace life that we live now.

I say, absolutely.

Put grace over everything that I'm saying.

I'm just saying this: that just because there's grace doesn't mean that the kingdom laws have changed.

You understand that?

That's so important.

Now look at verse 9 again.

And let us not grow weary while doing good.

For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

So number three, God, this is so important, guys.

Don't miss this.

Number, number three, God knows the perfect season for your harvest.

He's got a perfect timing for you.

It's perfect for you.

Here's the problem.

We like reaping.

We don't like sowing.

Hello?

I can guarantee you, my grandfather, as a farmer and a rancher, if we were to ask him and interview him, he would have said he hates the sowing part.

Where you just, you know, you're putting the seeds in the ground, you got your tractors running, you got all the hands out there, you're all working it.

It's just hard work and it's dirt.

It's just dirt.

Furrows and dirt, furrows and dirt, furrows and dirt.

But man, if he did it right.

And there was watering and there was sunlight, and there was, and there was the beauty of letting that seed gather roots, then the joy of the harvest is coming.

And the problem is that we like, we like, we kind of do this.

We go seed time and harvest.

Seed time.

Harvest.

No, it doesn't work that way.

Everybody go like this.

Everybody say it doesn't work that way.

Here's how it works.

See harvest.

If you're taking notes, put about 25 E's.

See, time and harvest.

That's why he says it.

That's why Paul's saying it to the Galatians.

Don't lose heart.

Don't lose heart in your giving.

Don't lose heart in your loving.

Don't lose heart in your forgiving.

Don't lose heart in your care.

Don't lose heart in your parenting.

Don't lose heart in your marriage.

Fight.

Battle.

So if you were at the, we had a fantastic worship night on Thursday night.

If you missed it, you really missed it.

It was really good.

And and it was so powerful.

Holy Spirit came in a mighty way during the worship time.

And and Brian and Kristen and just and the whole team, Anna and everybody, just a super great job.

Fantastic.

And God gave us Psalm 24.

And Psalm 24 talks about a Jacob generation.

And that Jacob generation that will seek God and will seek his face.

So the last few days I've been reading about Jacob and Genesis and Hosea and just studying Jacob.

And what a fighter.

What a deceiver.

But he's complimented in Scripture because he wanted the blessing of God and he would not give up till he had the blessing of God.

You guys, go after the blessing of God.

And he's shown us in Scripture what those blessings are in our lives.

So look at Deuteronomy 20.

I think we should, I'm just going to quickly go there.

Go to Deuteronomy 28.

So in the Old Testament, find Deuteronomy at the very beginning.

Right after Numbers.

And I'll just, I'm just going to sketch it really quick, and then I want to conclude with something else.

Deuteronomy 28.

Now it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all his commandments.

So we're talking about obeying God's commandments, which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Blessed shall you be in the city.

Blessed shall you be in the country.

Blessed shall you be the fruit of your body to produce, that of the ground, and the increase of your herds, and the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

And it goes on and on and on.

Blessings, blessings, blessings.

I want the blessed life.

I want the fruitful life.

And so he also speaks to us about our finances and how we can have that blessed life.

So look at Malachi.

Malachi Miracle.

Sketched it last week.

Malachi 3.

I call it the Malachi Miracle.

How many of you have heard of the miracle of compounding interest?

Really?

Raise your hand if you've heard of the miracle of compounding interest.

It's the idea that interest growing out of principle, you know what I mean when I talk about your principle?

Compounding over time has an exponential nature to it in which it grows.

And you've probably seen the graphs that show, and my favorite graph is Judy.

We'll say her name's Judy.

Judy at 25 starts putting$5,000 into an interest-bearing account, and all she does it is for 10 years.

So she does it from 25 to 35.

So how much does she put in?

$50,000.

But when she's 65, it is by comp the miracle of compounding interest,$1,142,811.

She only put in$50,000 because of the miracle of compounding interest.

Albert Einstein said, compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.

He who understands it earns it.

He who doesn't pays it.

Well, God has a miracle of compound spiritual interest found in Malachi chapter 3.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

Malachi chapter 3 is God's compound interest kingdom principle.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

Some of you get it, some of you don't.

Anytime people have come to me with their finances, the first thing I ask is, Are you tithing?

And the first answer I always get is no.

And then I go, then I can't help you.

Now I will say this there's people who who have tithed their income, but they've made really bad decisions.

So just because one tithes doesn't mean that you're wise in how you spend your money.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

So there's a combination of saving, there's a combination of putting your money in interest-bearing accounts that are multifaceted, so you're not linked to just one particular area, say, of the stock market, but that you have a much more multidimensional portfolio.

But here's God's investment plan.

This is what he says in verse 8.

Will a man rob God, yet you have robbed me.

Only place he says this in scripture that we rob God.

So you know what that says?

It says to me that everything we have financially is his.

So I get a salary for being a pastor at the road, but it's God's money.

All 100%.

100% God's money.

But he's got this kingdom tax plan.

What will happen to you if you never pay income taxes?

Okay, you know.

You're a robber.

That's what they call you.

You go to jail and go to prison.

But you say, in what way have we robbed you?

So how can you rob God?

He says, Well, there is a way to rob me, and here's how he says it you're robbing me if you don't tithe.

If you don't give 10%, you're robbing me.

This is from God.

This is scripture.

This isn't me.

And as I told you last week, I figured it out at 22.

So that's why I went on that road with Liz and we walked down the road and uh Lord.

When we eat, we consume food, there's an exit strategy with our body, and we have no place to go except for trees on our property.

And God, you made our bodies need water.

Water.

And I've been giving back to you 10% of what you gave to me all these years, so I'd like a return.

Now, some of you, your return ain't a whole lot.

I need a return from the Lord.

10 bucks, the 10 bucks that I put in the plate every week or the box or whatever.

You can't do that.

But it's exciting when you can.

And guess what?

I wasn't doing it either until I figured it out.

And when I did, man, it's been awesome.

Been awesome.

All right.

Verse 10.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.

And try me now in this, says the Lord.

If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will be no, there will not be room enough to receive it.

Man.

Open heavens over your finances.

Open heavens over your whole life.

Open heavens over our health.

Open heavens over our homes.

Open heavens over our future.

So I would say it's God's investment plan.

And we've tested it for 39 years.

And folks, it works.

How many have tested it and it works?

Woo! Yes, it works, doesn't it?

But it's C time and harvest.

God's perfect timing for that harvest for you.

And you just keep doing it.

And you're obeying God and you're in it.

And I've seen it in relationships with people who are mad at me, angry at me, saying mean things about me.

Sometimes you just have to turn the other cheek and you got to just love them and you love them and you love them.

How many of you know who Tony Evans is?

Man, Tony Evans' testimony about how he got saved and how his dad got saved.

His dad was on a train going to his job one morning, and a guy shared the gospel with him.

And he gave his heart to Christ.

And his dad came back a changed man.

Did a 180 right there, came back a changed man.

And his wife was angry and vicious and mean.

And one day, after about, I don't know, I think it was two or three years, she turns to her husband and says, I have hated you for becoming a believer.

And I've done everything I can to make you angry and to break us up because of what you did.

And all you do is love me.

All you do is you keep loving me.

And she gave her heart to Christ.

And we know what God's done through Tony Evans in the years ahead.

Because a father wouldn't give up in loving Tony's mother.

So we keep loving.

See time and harvest.

We keep giving.

Some of you today need to commit your pocketbook to the Lord because it's Jesus who said, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

And I want you set free.

I want this to be the most prosperous church in the whole city.

And it begins by obeying God's kingdom commands.

And then look what happens next.

Look what happens next.

Verse 11.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the Lord of hosts.

So I'd say the first is God's investment plan, and the second part is God's insurance plan.

God's insurance plan, he will protect you.

He will actually rebuke the enemy.

He will rebuke the enemy.

How many of you know that sometimes what you're going through with your vehicle, what's happening in your finances is actually an attack from Satan.

That the enemy really is out to destroy you financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually.

He really is an enemy.

And the Lord says, I'm going to put a, I'll put not only an open heaven, but also put a protection over you.

Remember the Israelites going through the desert, it was a cloud by day, and it was a fire by night.

I don't know how many of you have been in the desert before.

I've been in the desert many times.

And in the desert, it's really, really hot during the day, and it's really, really cold at night.

So he put a cloud over them in the day to protect them from the heat of the sun.

He gave them a fire by night to keep them warm in the cold at night.

You see, when God has your finances and when God has your heart and you're obeying him, there is a protection that's placed over you that is supernatural.

Now, I'm not saying you're not going to have problems.

I'm not going to say you heard mine the last two weeks.

I've shared with you my journey.

But what it has meant is there is a seed time and a harvest and God's perfect timing on those things.

Proverbs 3 says this trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

Fear the Lord, and it will be health to your body and strength to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of your increase.

So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats overflow with new wine.

Again and again, all through Deuteronomy and all through the scriptures, this kingdom principle holds true.

You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

We hope you have been blessed by today's message.

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