Asking For a Friend…
Asking For a Friend • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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3:33 come back in the room…
You know how PE and I love to have those moments following a message when we open the floor for questions. A little Q & R sessions - question and response. We don’t always have the answer - to be honest some questions just don’t have a clear cut definitive answer. BUT BUT BUT most of the time we can offer at least some kind of response.
There are also times, when either PE or myself love the personal conversations over a cup of coffee. You will see me sitting with people at Yellowbird Coffey on Selby fairly often - especially when we can sit outside. Soon…soon we will be back to outdoor seating!
And then there are times, when we know you have questions - ones we might prefer to do over a cup of coffee - Vanilla Flat White with Almond Milk if you’re curious - but feel like it is sermon worthy. When those moments arise you might see us jump into messages like this one. Messages that are the question you might think but are not sure to ask, or how to ask, or what to ask, or when to ask…you get it.
It is those “Asking for a friend” moments! So welcome to the first edition of
ASKING FOR A FRIEND
Last week if you were here, we finished up a series of some foundational aspects to the Christian life. We talked through Fasting, Solitude, Prayer, Scripture, and Generosity. Everyone walked out of here with the clear description of what the People of God are - or should be known for - Generosity.
God’s People are Generous
Not Perfect but Generous. From Abraham to the Disciples, from Boaz to the Birth of the Church…
God’s People are Generous - They ACT on their willingness to go above and beyond with their Time, our Treasure (Money), or our Talents than is expected or even necessary.
To which I think we all say AMEN! Many of us - I know I have more times than I can count - have been on the receiving end of the generosity of others. I am so thankful for those who are truly generous. You know they love being gereous because they even say stuff like… truly it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Wanna know something kinda cool - that is actually true! I mean it shouldn’t be surprising - Jesus did say it, Luke records it in his account of the life of Jesus. The cool part is psychology actually confirms it!
There is a study out there that actually suggests our brains are wired for generosity. Those little feel-good hormones of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin are released when we act on our generosity. This is the crazy part. One study suggests when we give to charitable organizations or people we know will be impacted - the release of those hormones is on the same level as when we find shelter or food.
One study - about 8 years ago - actually said giving generously reduced the stress hormone - cortisol - and increased the others at the same rate as if you won a monetary prize.
We - as God’s people are generous because we are designed to be generous! Some of you know what I’m talking about and others…well right now you might be wondering if you’re broken. Ha! Like, hmmm nope haven’t had that experience yet.
You have already formulated where this is going, you are about to settle in for your mid-Sunday morning nap…and as you drift off to sleep you are wondering…
With all this generosity talk, I just wonder
Do I HAVE to give to the church?…Just asking for a friend…
AND now I have lost the rest of ya!! This question comes up all the time. Why? We mention it every week when we invite people people to return a portion of what God is providing through a variety of means. Work, retirement, fixed income, ever increasing wealth, or barely a couple of coins to rub together.
Coins that we now know actually cost more to make than the value they carry! That will blow your mind, ha.
The truth is many of us carry a lot of baggage when it comes to money and the church. What is said is one thing, but what we hear is…
Have you ever watched the movie “What about Bob?” Richard Dreyfus and Bill Murray. There is a scene when Richard is on vacation and trying to stay away from doing work, and Bill wants help and just starts whining…
I need, I need, I need, I want, I want, I want meme…
Your experience with church and the offering plate makes you react like that. Oh just stop here I’ll give if you will stop! or you just wanna bolt the other direction. You want to bail!
Which triggers the next kind of baggage.
(Better off Dead - I want my Two Dollars Meme) & (I need I need Meme)
You feel like you are John Cusak getting chased down by the zealous paperboy screaming that he wants his two dollars!!
Or, OR, OR…you brace yourself every week because you know you are about to have one of those
Sarah McLachlan Animal Rescue MEME & (Better off Dead - I want my Two Dollars Meme) & (I need I need Meme)
Queue the music, roll the video, lets all have a good cry and open our venmo or cashapp. Seriously, there is so much baggage when it comes to the concept of Tithing and giving to the church. So, I want to respond to the question -
Do I HAVE to give to the church?…Just asking for a friend…
Why is this something we want to know how to respond to? Listen, managing our finances is difficult enough and we want to get it right. As you read through scripture - many of you have but many here are just starting the journey. You are going to discover that Jesus talks more about money and the management, dangers, use, expectations of it than he talks about heaven and hell combined. Throughout the entirety of scripture there are more than 2000 verses that have something to do with finances, with money.
When I was a new Christian I had all kinds of baggage when it came to money, the church, and what I did with MY money…MY right to control MY money. But the more I read, the more I learned, the more I walked in step with the Holy Spirit the more I realized it wasn’t mine at all but on loan from HIM from the Lord.
I don’t know about you, but when I am in charge of someone else’s - I want to get it right. I want to use it right, and return it right.
So when it comes to giving - or returning back to God what is his - I want to get it right! So join me as we discover together - my response might even surprise you a little…
What is a Tithe and where did the concept start?
Last week we actually touched on the first time this idea of a tenth - a tithe - that is literally what it means. 10%…is mentioned in Genesis.
He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a TENTH of everything.
When I was digging deeper into this concept of returning. This wasn’t a completely unheard of practice. It’s not like Abram made it up. Genesis even records Cain and Able giving an offering from what they had to God. It also wasn’t uncommon for people to give to Kings. Actually, people in the area were required to pay to the royal treasuries - but that was more like our tax laws than an offering.
So, is there anything that makes this exchange different? Abram’s response to the Blessing from the priest of the God most High was to give him 10% of everything.
Melchizedek was a representative of the God Most High and Spoke Words of Divine Favor over him. The direct connection between the God Most High - the source of all that Abram possess and returning 10% to Melchizedek as an offering to the Lord not just this “king of Salem” or King of Peace.
[Side note: Melchizedek mean King of Righteousness or Justice and Salem means Peace…So this is the King of Righteousness and Peace]
Arguably - and yes everything concerning money and the church can quickly turn into an argument unfortunately - but arguably, that is what makes this unique .
So what’s the principle…Ask yourself, what has God already placed in your hand? Make a plan to set aside the 1st 10% for the Lord, and return it to the Lord. Thats the principle.
Blessed by God = Return 10% to God
The principle is simply what we have is a blessing from God and out of reverence and honor we return a portion back to God.
But Am I required to give 10% to the church? Do I HAVE to give to the Church?
Answer = Invitation not Legislation
Giving back to the God through the Church is not Legislation but an Invitation to recognize the source and respond. Is it right to return back to God via the church - your local church, the one you are involved in…yes its good, its proper, but its an invitation not legislation. Its not a rule, or a law but a principle.
The principle of 10% offered to the church is rooted in Scripture. And so far all of the “Return to the Lord” incidents I have mentioned predates the Hebrew laws established when Moses, Aaron and company were in the wilderness.
In the wilderness, yes God did add the law of Tithes and offerings, To be honest, it gets pretty complicated. There were festivals requiring offerings, provisions for the priests and the needs of the temple. It truly did get complicated all the way around, but when it came to the basics of the tithe Lev 27:30 sums it up in the simplest way.
“Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
To which some of you are thinking…but wait PC didn’t you just say we are not required - we do not have to give to the church? Yes, yes I did say that…but the obligation is not the point. Again the Biblical Principle of returning the first portion of our resources came before the legislation.
We do not HAVE to give anything. It is not a requirement for salvation, to please the Lord, to earn favor with God, to show ourselves as super Christians, to be especially awesome followers of Jesus.
Returning a portion of the Lord’s blessing is never an obligation but simply an invitation.
It is an Invitation to Trust God’s PROVISION and PROMISE.
His Provision and Promise- you are trusting He will move first and provide for you. It is trusting that God is the God of provision and He promises to provide. Not because you give back, but because you are seeking after the face of God. You are seeking the provider not the provision, seeking the promiser not the promise. When you seek God he promises to reveal himself to you, to be your provision.
It is an invitation to respond to the favor of God on our life. Look at what King David says in 1 Chronicles.
“Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand.” - King David (1 Chronicles 29:13–14 )
David is talking about the generosity of the people - all the people - who gave sacrificially to ensure the Temple of the Lord had the resources necessary to be the dwelling place of God. But he didn’t neglect to recognize the source of all the generosity to begin with.
Lord our God, all this wealth that we’ve provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand; everything belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and that you are pleased with what is right. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to you.
The Blessing is before the generosity! I want you to catch this. God is the one who moves first. His response is preemptive. Joyful response to the blessing of God! Did you see that? “Everything given comes from God’s hand, it all belongs to God”
I recall the first time that I heard one of my Pastors teach on generosity. Specifically on giving to the church. I really struggled with it - because I saw it as an expectation not an invitation. But Pastor John helped me see it not as an obligation but as an invitation. An invitation to trust God more fully, to honor God more holistically, and to recognize the source of all things.
At this point I had this thing where I would give cash. I moved past dropping a 5, 10, 20 in the plate. I just put whatever was in my wallet on Sunday in the plate. But it hit me - I was joyfully giving…but it was literally my leftovers.
David isn’t talking about a tithe, the regular 10%. He is talking about a “whatever is possible” kind of offering. That is where I want to be, a here its all yours and your plan has a need so here you go God. It’s all yours anyway!!
But to get there I knew I wanted to start giving God my first 10 - to the place I was being fed, experiencing community, growing in my trust of God.
I knew it was time to follow the principle to Give the first 10% of my income - before the mortgage, the taxes, the insurance premiums, the retirement - to give my firsts to the Lord.
“But I don’t know how to do that? How do I start with 10%- especially with joy. I don’t know if its even possible have you seen my budget?” - Chad 2016
It starts with a plan. Recognizing what is in your hand that God has already given you and deciding how you will respond.
The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.
You decide even now what you will do when the blessings come. When the income arrives - no matter how it comes, you determine you decide how much. We decided to start with 10% based on the biblical principle of starting with the tithe and growing with the offering. Deciding before the blessing is crucial - because well let me show you…
Asking for a Friend Slide
Cash Example (Invite 4 people up at the end)
To help illustrate this - I thought some cash on hand would be helpful. You are all good enough for the math, but I just want to express the reality of the Principle. 10 - 1’s depending on where you are in life, $10 isn’t much or it might be a lot. But either way setting aside $1 for the Lord and holding the other $9. Seems fairly easy right?
We could even do 10-5’s $50 bucks, What it we up the ante a little. 10 $5 bills - simple math $50 bucks. Same scenario, I receive $50 and returning $5 back to the Lord still leaves me with $45 bucks. Again - not even a latte from Yellowbird returned back to the Lord.
What about it it was 10-10’s. Now we are up to $100 bucks. And some of you have already done the math. The invitation to return 1 of those is more than the one who received 10 walked away with…The return is more than the whole blessing for the first example. Still walking away with $90 bucks though…
As the blessing increases the more important it is for us to have already decided how we are going to respond to the blessing.
Do you see what I’m saying church. God blesses us out of his resources and invites us to return 10% to the work of His Church - His chosen method to be empowered by the Holy Spirit and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus. Bur if we don’t make that intentional decision, it gets more difficult as the blessing increases.
What about if it’s $200 - 10-20’s - $200 I wish it were a life changing amount of money, but one would be hard pressed to say $200 isn’t a nice about to be unexpected blessing for someone.
Actually, when preparing for this message God revealed who is to receive this blessing, for each of the 4 examples.
David, (10) - Sara (50) - Karl (100) - Tracy (200)
Here’s the deal, this is yours to do what you would like with. You can determine how you respond to the blessing God is giving you. God revealed to me that the blessing I recieved from my friend who is rebuilding a wood lathe for me has allowed me to be generous with this cash. He also told me to give it to you four. You get all of this, and how you decide to respond to the Lord with what you have in your hand, that is between you and God.
No pressure!! Invitation not Legislation
You get to decide how you live out of the principle of retuning to the Lord first via the church. To determine if you offer a tithe (10%) to the church, or if it is 10% to the church plus an above the tithe offering to the Gospel Patrons initiatives. Totally your call and none of us need to know.
So, How do I start with 10% and go up from there?
The answer…Decide in your heart and trust that God always moves first. The truth is I had a blessing, but it was rapidly changing. Guys when Becky and I settled on starting with 10% and growing from there. We were in a serious financial shift. We had too much debt AND I was about to lose nearly half of my income. I was leaving Law Enforcement - as a patrol Sgt - to be a middle school youth pastor. Those two things are not even close to the same tax bracket. Oh and 3 months after deciding to go all in on tithing to the church - we found out she was pregnant with twins.
In home daycare provider losing 2 spots, plus a spot for foster care…see my previous question. But I knew God always moves first. He was already blessing us and I trusted in the TEST.
Yes I said Test - and so did David
I know, my God, that you test the heart and that you are pleased with what is right…
God tests our hearts with the blessing, and he allows us to test him too. Its the only place where God says to put him to the test!
Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
If you want a deep dive into Malachi 3 - Pastor Eric taught on it about a year and a half ago -you can on youtube the sermon is titled “The Heart of the Offering.” Storehouse is the equivalent of the church.
It is the only place where God says we can test him. Makes sense he is testing us with resources and we can test him. He always proves He moves first.
We committed to living into this Biblical Principle of giving the first 10% of our income to the local church with joyful hearts because of God’s proven blessing in our lives. Not out of obligation but an invitation for the Lord to be the center of our lives.
Yes, we may have earned it. Yes we have had to scrape and dig and bleed to have enough. Yes, we might have felt like it was all us, but the truth is God is always the source.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to live like its all mine. I want to live like it is all His. I choose to trust the truth of scripture.
Generosity is a blessing and I can Trust God’s Provision and Promises.
I am determined to honor Him with the first portion of everything and grow from there.
Thats my challenge to you. Seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you what to return.
Make a plan to get to 10% from what God has already given into your hand. Ask God to reveal what is in His hand that he might release to you and grow in your generosity. Dream beyond what you think is possible and ask God for a vision for your growing generous heart.
