The Financial Implications of the Outpouring

Offering - 5.7.23

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 4:32–35 (ESV)

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, the entire landscape of the Church. We’ve been experiencing an outpouring of the Holy Spirit here at EMIC and I want to talk this morning about the effects of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your finances.

There are two passages that I want to focus on. First of all, in Acts 2 tells us that once they had devoted themselves to the teachings of the leaders of the Church, the result was radical generosity. They sold their possessions and belongings and gave to all who had need. Let’s talk about this for a second, because a woke progressive “church” will tell us that this is a biblical precedent for socialism. It’s not. It’s the Church being the Church. There’s no mention of the government in this passage. Do you know why? Because the government is not anointed to meet the needs of a hurting world, but the Church is.

When you sow into this Church and this ministry, you are a part of not only the outpouring of the Holy Spirit taking place here, but all over the world. In 2022, there were 5,690,241 salvations recorded through this ministry and our twice-sown seed partners. That dollar amount sown last year was $23,694,690. That sounds like radical generosity to me.

And now listen to what it tells us happened in chapter 4. Verse 33 tells us that great grace was upon them all. The empowerment to prosper was upon those who were wholeheartedly engaged in what God was doing in and through the Church. And there was not a needy person among them. Why? Because Peter the fisherman was such a shrewd financial manager? No. It was because experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit inspired something on the inside of them. That when you experience the transforming power of God, there’s no earthly possession or belonging that’s worth more. There’s nothing material you aren’t willing to sacrifice for the sake of seeing the power of God move and people experience Him in HIs fullness.

And that’s what sowing seed and faithfully giving in THIS church at THIS ministry accomplishes. The seed of the Word goes out from the top of the world to the bottom and all the way around the middle on every available voice and we get to be a part of it.

We get to be a part of the harvest of souls, the healing of bodies, and building the population of the Kingdom of God for all eternity.