If You See Offering As An Oppurtunity To Be Obedient Series

You Might Be A Healthy Christian If...

You See The Offering As An Opportunity To Be Obedient.

August 12, 2001 F.B.C. Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction:

1. I’m going to speaking on giving today.

A. I could say how your giving allows children in Africa and Kosovo to eat.

a I could tell you how your giving allows missionaries to do minister to people all over the world.

b I’m not going to. Your giving allows my child to eat. Your giving allows me to minister to people in Chester. (If you don’t give....I don’t paid)

B I know that people don’t like to hear this message...yet I gotta do it.

a In the gospels of Matthew, Mark & Luke, one verse in six deals with money. There are 29 parables that Jesus spoke, 16 of those had to do with a Christian and his money.

b I haven’t spoke on giving since the first of week of February.....its time.

*Before the service I have given someone a $100 bill to give to me during this part of the message..

*I tell the congregation that I have guests coming in from out of town and I need some cash to take them out to eat after the service.

*The person I have given the $100 to before the service raises their hand and says, "Here’s a $100 bucks pastor." and gives me the $100....I then go on preaching. This is going explained and used as the application in Point Two: C/b

2 We are looking at how you might be a healthy Christian........You See the Offering As An Opportunity to be obedient.

A I Cor. 16:1-2 is our key passage.16:1 Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. [2] On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

a. Paul told how the believer was to give at church. (Essence of the Text in a Sentence)

b. Healthy Christians give back to God appropriately. (Essence of the Sermon In a Sentence)

B. ILet’s look at two mistakes that believers make about giving. (Transitional Sentence)

a. I hope you’ll not make the same mistake twice. (Objective)

b. What mistakes are you giving into?

c Let’s Pray.

I. Mistake 1: It’s no big deal if I don’t give.

A A very wealthy king invited all his friends to join him for dinner. (His treat) All they were asked to bring was one flask of wine. (Apparently this wasn’t a Baptist king.)

a The king was going to pour everyone’s flask into a large vat. (Interesting mix)

b On the big day, everyone gathered at the royal table and brought their flask...just like the king said. *Everyone poured their flasks into the vat, the servants poured their cups with the special dinner drink....they proposed a toast...then they all took a big gulp....of WATER.

*It seems that each guest had the same idea...if everyone is required to bring a flask of wine, no one will notice that I alone brought water instead.

*If everyone brought wine, no one would have noticed. Unfortunately, the idea was not shared by only one, but by all.

*What happened at that kings castle, happens in The Kings church.

B I Cor. 16:2 "each one of you...."

a Paul told the church at Corinth that EVERY SINGLE PERSON SHOULD GIVE.

b He understood that it took everyone to accomplish the mission of First Church Corinth. (Not 1/3, not ½, not 3/4.....each one of you!!!)

(IL) I Cor. 12:12-25 Paul wrote about how the church was like a body... "EACH ONE OF YOU HAS SOMETHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE BODY OF CHRIST." VV:18

C Your giving IS a big deal.

a Your giving has nothing to do with raising money, it has everything to do with raising you.

*The purpose of giving isn’t to get your money, possessions, tithe.

*The purpose of giving is to get you for God.

b Matt. 6:21 "For where your treasure ($) is, your heart will be also.

*Some folks say, "I’ll give more when I grow more." WRONG!

*Scripture says your money doesn’t follow your heart. Your heart follows your money!

*God doesn’t want your money (He doesn’t need it), He wants your heart. (That’s a big deal to God.)

* "Until God having your heart becomes a big deal, giving will NEVER be a big deal."

T.S: Giving is a big deal...make no mistake. Let me bring to light another mistake.

II Mistake #2: I don’t have to tithe because it’s an Old Testament thing.

A We find so much in the Old Testament we hold dear and true.