Carl and Scott Shifting Perspectives 8 Spiritual Maturity - Giving to the Gospel

welcome to shifting perspectives

biblical conversations about topics that

matter let's get to

[Music]

it hey everybody welcome back so last

week we talked about caring about

sharing the gospel and that's a really

great segue into this week's

conversation um although sometimes a ult

conversation to have and that is caring

about giving to the gospel exactly and

so you we we've kind of marched through

why Church attendance matters why it

matters about the Bible listening to the

Bible actively hearing what the Bible

has to say we've talked about prayer

we've talked about singing we've talked

about sharing the gospel but anytime you

start a conversation about

giving there are so many people that

just want to take the promote or or

click you know scroll past or stop

watching because you're talking about

giving um and and so uh I mean let's

just Broach a difficult conversation

with some very candid

conversation we should care about the

gospel going forward we should we should

have a heartfelt desire and so some of

that requires giving but if you if you

hang your hat on I got to write a check

I got to stick some money in the Box MH

you will miss so much more because the

Bible talks about giving in a number of

different ways and and and we use some

in Christian ease we use some some some

taggy sayings like like the three T's

right we talk about time talents and

treasure and a lot of people want to

hang their hat on Treasure and say oh

it's it's it's all about money really

it's actually not because is if we care

about sharing the gospel then we care

about investing time yes into doing that

and we care about investing talents and

I think about even in this community

right now right we have a uh we have a

group of churches and people called Love

Thy Neighbor right um and they are

taking time talents and treasure to take

the gospel to the streets of our

community ex so it's not just about

money is it no and and and that's where

you know of those things I mean often

times especially in today's world the

treasure becomes the easy thing to give

right and and often times I think it can

even lead people astray well I've wrote

my check I've done my job for the gospel

right not realizing you know as we

talked about caring and sharing and the

love of Christ towards us last week you

really love somebody invest your time in

them that's right how did Christ

Minister you know when zakus was in the

tree hey come down we're going to dinner

tonight yeah all the people around him

you and I are going to dinner how many

times did we see that through Christ

Ministry as he was passing through the

crowd you know he stops and sees the one

and says we've got to have a

conversation right that's the hard part

for Christians today not the writing a

check I think you're right it's the

investment of time I think you're right

I think that the treasure becomes the

excuse that becomes the scapegoat it

gives me a reason to turn it off right

that's all they want is my money yep and

it does doesn't do that much good right

and and that's where you know when you

look at true scripture which is what

we're trying to boil this down to on

these podcast is understanding scripture

right the time is the hard part it puts

us in an uncomfortable spot it puts us

into a place where we become vulnerable

we can face rejection somebody may not

want to hear the gospel message right

but our job is not to make them accept

our job is to deliver that with the love

that we talked about last

week here's an interesting

an interesting challenge for you all

that are watching this um take your

Bible and read through the gospel of

Mark um and I know you're probably

thinking oh wow that's a that's an awful

lot of scripture you don't have to do it

sitting in one time but just take your

Bible and read through the gospel of

Mark with this one

question how many times was Jesus

interrupted in what he was doing to go

and minister to someone else he was on

his way over here and ended up over

there so that he could minister to

someone if that's not a beautiful

picture of our time and us being willing

to say yeah I planned on doing this but

I'm going to go do that because of the

gospel and that's what Jesus lived and

that's what Jesus modeled for us was

interruptions to my agenda for the sake

of the kingdom of God yes and I don't

think there's a better picture than that

I mean it it is it is scriptural is

biblical and is led by Jesus Christ so I

mean how much how much more

authoritative can we get than that and

in today's society that becomes harder

for people I mean we fill our bucket

with so much stuff yep that we can't

handle those distractions and I think

we're all guilty of that ourself

included yeah and so when we talk about

the treasure particular piece there's

three aspects to that and what I love

about when you look at scripture and you

see those three aspects um they really

cover this gospel message I mean God had

a unique plan that covered everything he

he taught about the tithe which went

into the local Ministry he talked about

offerings which are the things that we

give to other areas so how many of you

listen to in your car on the way to work

Spirit FM 91.7 we have the the Salem

station right and and every few months

they will have a fundraising drive

because it is all local Ministry

supported and people are listening to

that and people in our community are

hearing those songs and hearing the

gospel through music which we just

talked a couple weeks ago about singing

and being in the car but when you give

you know your your $10 gift or whatever

it is that you give into that ministry

that's an offering and it's an offering

for the sake of the Gospel exactly and

now we start talking about things like

love thy neighbor and serving those that

are in need and you're giving what the

Bible calls alms and so the tithe

supports the church the local Ministry

that's proclaiming the gospel offering

support missions you know Lyla and I not

don't just give to our church but we

support a missionary in Guatemala that

is serving families and Ministries in

Guatemala um and I'm sure a lot of

people do things like that and that's an

offering and then in in the realm of arm

alms we support those who are in need in

the community for the sake of sharing

the

gospel and and and that's where you

know as we as we try to wrap our our

minds around what is what is the way

that I can get started how do I start

giving you know let's look at the let's

look at the biblical example of of of

the lady that gave the mic that was all

she had right you know and even though

she gave the least monetary wise Christ

says you given the most because you gave

out of your need of your need you know

versus that so you know it's not about

the dollar amount and you know it's

about the heart that it comes out of

it's about being that joyful Giver you

know um you know we talked about it you

know earlier is you know it's something

as simple as sharing this Facebook post

on a regular basis and letting your

family and friends know that's right

that you know here's a good resource if

you're struggling or if you're wanting

to know more if you're wanting to learn

more here's a great quick place that you

can go get little tidbits and digest it

and then you move up from there you know

make sure Church attendance is part of

it that's right you know come in get

yourself fed you know Sunday school is a

big piece of it small group um a lot of

interaction a lot of conversation you

know your tradition worship service that

we have U the Pastoral message where we

walk walk through book after book after

book verse by verse The Way It Was

Written um you know and you just growth

happens over time that's right you know

it's not it's not like you know you blow

up like an atomic Mom it's you grow up

and you build the roots and you build

the foundation you grow and you develop

and you bear through and that's what

giving is a part of but giving of all of

that and you become part of a church and

you become part of Ministry maybe you're

a door greeter maybe you clean when

nobody's here if you don't want to

really be around people and shaking

hands all the time you there's there's

there's Ministry all around us in places

to support the the work of God and and I

think you keep it really really well

right there Scout and that is that a

starting place doesn't have to be a big

thing exactly it can be a small thing

and just like spiritual growth and

maturity which is all the conversations

we've been having

all of those things start small start

small you know uh there's a passage of

scripture that says if you have the

faith that's the size of a grain of

mustard you have this great faith it's

small and it

grows you know Paul talked about in

Romans chapter 1 he said we grow from

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Faith to

Faith and so giving is some of that time

talents Treasures tithes offerings and

alms and maybe it's just a little piece

but it goes back to the previous week's

conversation it's all about the gospel

yes if it's about anything else if it's

about a checkbox if it's about you think

that you have an obligation to give you

have missed it

entirely because that's not what the

message is the message is man I am so

thankful that Jesus came and gave his

life for me that because of that I want

to see that message reach other people

and I do that through my time my talents

my treasures my tithe my offering and my

alts and they all go together and they

all go together and it becomes a heart

condition centered on the Gospel of

Jesus Christ that's right and leading

others to that salvation need that is so

desperate in our world today that's

right and so with that we'll leave this

particular message and come back and see

us next week we're going to carry this

one a little bit further next week as we

just began talking talking about time

talents Treasures um offerings uh tithes

and alms and you're probably thinking oh

they're going to talk about giving again

next week you got to come back next week

because it's not about giving but yet it

is about giving and it's all about the

gospel so we'll see you next week byebye

bye