Radical Generosity

Scripture

Acts 2:44–45 NIV

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Introduction

Now the last time I spoke I was sharing on this same chapter and we looked at the 4 marks of the Early Church which was devotion to the Word, to the fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Now today I basically want to continue where I left out and speak about another characteristic of the Early Church that can make a big difference in our lives and in any local church.

Before I go into that let me share something with you.

The Early Church was not just intercessors but they were answers.

Let me repeat that - the Early Christians in the Book of Acts they were not just intercessory but they were Answers.

Too much time I think we Christians can be too comfortable with just being an intercessor and not being the answer to someone’s prayer.

What I mean by this is - we so comfortable to just tell someone when we hear they have a need that I GO PRAY FOR YUH and we don’t really try to see if we can play a part in meeting that need - in other words BEING THE ANSWER

The Early church were not just intercessors they were ANSWERS

E.g Let’s just assume a brother in church say they were doing some work for Bible School and their entire assignmenet and they mistakingly hit delete and they deleted it and I tell them - well I pray you manage to get time to do over the assignment....I pray your lecturer shows you some Grace...…

When I could probably run the flash drive through a software and try to recover their assignement for them

You see the difference there

There is a time when we are called to be an intercessor because the solution is out of our hands but there are many times in our lives when we can be the ANSWER

One reason why a lot of people in the church today aren’t the answer is not because they have nothing to offer people but it’s because they aren’t really generous.

And it is this topic we want to talk about today

BEING RADICAL IN OUR GENEROSITY

The Early Christians were not just generous but they were radically generous

When you look at that scripture there you see a people who were radically generous

But what about the average Christian today ?

Skip Heitzig Sermon Archive When Christians Are Generous (Acts 2:44–45)

According the Lloyd Perry Getting the Church on Target he said, “The average church member contributes between 1.5 and 2.5 percent of his total income specifically to the Lord’s work.” Interesting.

Skip Heitzig Sermon Archive When Christians Are Generous (Acts 2:44–45)

That wasn’t the problem in the book of Acts, far from it. The church in the book of Acts was vital and growing, it was birthed in Acts chapter 2 and it continued full of life and pure, untainted until Acts chapter 5 which we’re going to make a note of today. Their fellowship was real, their love for God’s word was intense, their care for each other was palpable. They were a generous group of people and as a result their testimony to the world was loud and clear. And because of that testimony, thousands came to faith in Christ within just a few weeks

The Early Christians were so generous because they understood all that the Lord had done for them.

If Christians knew how much the Lord has done for them they will me much more generous.

All this debate about whether we should tithe or not tithe will be gone.

Christians should be one of the most generous people on this earth because the Lord has done so much for us.

Even if he did not do anything for you - one thing he did is that he chose to send his Son to die on a Cross for your sins when it should have been you hanging on that cross.

Jesus died so that your sin can be wiped clean and you have eternal life with him.

Even if Jesus did nothing else for you that one thing that he did is more than enough for you to be grateful for

And our gratefulness will be shown by our generosity to others

last time I spoke about what true fellowship was about

What true Koinonia was about which is the greek word for Fellowship

I mentioned it is more than just having a lime together

It is more than just eating a meal together

It is more than just shaking someone’s hand during the offering part of the service

It is basically willing to lay down your life for the brethren in the same way Jesus did

It is seeing people not just as members but as Family

Gospel Lighthouse may not have the biggest congregation but we try our best to have a family atmosphere

The advantage of being a smaller church is we get to know each other more and we are not 1 face lost in a crowd

When we see each other as family - we will treat each other as family

In other words we will be generous to the family of God

Today we will look at what it means it be radically generous

Because that is how the Early church was

Today we will be looking at the practical outworking of fellowship

Exalting Jesus in Acts Radical Generosity, Especially within the Church (2:45)

Extraordinary sharing and mercy ministry, especially within the household of God, marked the early church community.

John 13:35 NIV

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 John 3:14–17 ESV

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

These verses show how Christian ought to relate to one another

We need to be generous.

What happens when Christians are generous

Number 1 is they are Open Hearted.

“This is the emotional attachment, the affective sense of closeness and intimacy that the Holy Spirit weaves into the lives of brothers and sisters in Christ who spend time together and share life and ministry together.”

When Paul wrote the letter of the New Testament you can sense an emotional attachement

Philippians 4:1 NIV

1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

You can sense his closeness to these Philipians

When you read the Book of acts you can see how they were very open hearted with one another.