Last week during the Senior Recognition, one of our seniors mentioned her favorite verse was Matthew 19:26b; “for God everything is possible.” No matter where you go, or no matter what your station in life maybe. God is with you and He can make all things possible.
Lets repeat Paul’s words to the prison guards, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!” Today we know that Paul was talking about more than being saved from the physical harms and terror of an earthquake. Today we know that Paul was talking about the spiritual harm we bring to our lives through our missed steps in our faith walk.
In our account in Acts of Paul and Silas, we see them singing praises and praying to God. We don’t hear of either of them saying, “What are we gonna do now?” “How are we going to get out of this mess?” We are told they are singing and praying to God. They were singing praises, not lamentations but praises to Him.
Even when the jail was shaken by that massive earthquake, they were strengthened in their belief that nothing would happen to them. Paul and Silas were so convinced of this that they shared their faith in God with those around them.
Paul and Silas understood that no matter what the physical world may throw at them, God was far more powerful. They also understood that God’s protection extended far beyond the realm of the world of which they were in.
What do I mean by extension beyond the physical world? They had faith in Christ Jesus in the understanding that even if they were to die that night, they would be lifted up in glory to be with Him. Moreover, they believed that Jesus Christ had died for them and had taken away any judgment they might face in death.
They believed this so much, that they confidently shared their belief with those around them. And those frightened people could see the confidence that Paul and Silas had in their faith in Jesus Christ. They saw that they were also able to believe when every thing seemed to be falling down around them.
For many people it takes an earthquake of a sort before they reach that point in which they put their whole trust in God.
Jesus prayed that the disciples and all those they would reach would not have to come to such a point. He prayed that others would see the faith they had in God, just as the disciples had witnessed God through Jesus.
You see it should not take an earthquake or any other natural disaster to move us closer to depending on God. We are fortunate in the fact that we can learn from the countless examples recorded in the scriptures and historical reading of fellow Christians.
However, even with all that material available to us, this year I learned that one of the hardest things that some congregations and church leaders as a whole have trouble with is trusting God. How many realize that stewardship, good stewardship, is a total act in faith?
Now stewardship and tithing are related. However, it is not and should not become a fund raising gimmick. What I learned at the Stewardship Academy this year was that if you make it a “fundraising campaign” you will most likely fail. Stewardship is a whole encompassing thing of the time and the sacrifice of your first fruits.
This is a total act of faith to believe that after you have given the top 10% of your income, God will take care of your needs and make up the remainder. In other words, if you give with a cheerful heart and believe that Jesus Christ will take care of your needs, you will make it.
It is also a total act of faith in your giving of time. I figured it up one day, to truly give a tithe of time and talents one would have to set aside nearly 15 hrs a week strictly to spend with God by themselves. This does not include time spent at church, youth group, or Sunday School. This is time between you, God, and the Commission He has given you.
You may be wondering why, all this talk about stewardship. Well, our stewardship is a good work seen by others. This is what James talked about in chapter 2 of his letter. Our stewardship is our visible sign of the faith which we as a congregation have in God. It is the very representation of the ultimate trust we give God over our lives. When we fail to “give” because we are not sure we will make the next month’s bills, then that could be a sign of lack of faith on our parts.
By withholding from God what rightfully belongs to him to begin with, we are only harming our own faith walk. I know that letting go and giving God full control of every area of our lives is sometimes difficult. We as human beings do become afraid sometimes. We do try to take things into our own hands more than we should. I know that is can be a scary situation for some people. But with God, all things are possible!
Some of you might remember me telling you a story last summer about Luann and I and how we placed our last $5.00 in the offering plate at church one Sunday and how God not only gave us that $5.00 back, but He blessed us in more ways than we could have imagined….all within that same week. But, there was a time when Luann and I did not always tithe. We were afraid that if we did that, we would not be able to pay bills the next month, or be able to put gas in our cars to get back and forth to work. We felt that we needed that money and God would understand. It was during this time that we suffered the most financially. It was not until after we made the choice to give 10% to God that we were able to breathe easier where finances were concerned. Now, tithing is as natural to us as paying the electric bill or the water bill. It was not easy to let God have control over this area in our lives. But, we certainly have been happier since doing so.
I am not telling you this to boast. I am telling you this, because I have been there and I know that it is possible to do.
Even if my contribution may not be much compared to some others, it is still my tithe to Lord and He is pleased by it. It comes from the first fruits, not the leftovers. It is given with the trust and understanding that it is God’s first before it was ever mine. We trust He will never let my family suffer or go hungry. He will protect us and save us always, and He has never failed us.
Taking the step to fully trust in the Lord to lead your life isn’t an easy thing for most of us. As I was talking about earlier, human emotions such as doubt, skepticism, and fear often rule our lives. John Wesley taught that faith takes practice, that you grow in faith by learning to let go and let God lead our lives.
He learned this lesson while traveling to America. The ship that he was sailing on had some Moravian missionaries on board. John was very impressed with the faith they showed in God. In fact, during one particular bad storm on the ocean, while John and others cowered in fear of the storm, the Moravians were singing their praises to God.
You see for all the years that John Wesley had been in service to God, He had not yet truly given everything over to God. For Wesley it was a growing experience. In fact, not until he had returned from the Georgia colony three years later that he would truly experience what God could do for his life.
John Wesley had to put away his prejudices about preaching outside of the church building. He had to let God lead him to where He wanted John to go.
No matter if it meant being dragged off his horse. No matter if it meant being pelted by rock carrying bullies, or a bull being released from a nearby farm while he tried to deliver the Word. No matter if it meant spending nearly his whole remaining adult life traveling from town to town. John learned that God would take care of him always.
John had come to the understanding much as Paul and Silas had so many centuries before. No matter what happens to our physical bodies, no natural catastrophe, no man or woman, or bull will keep us from the salvation that has been bought for us by Jesus Christ.
Jesus made us this promise to those who have faith in him
Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay everyone as their deeds deserve. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city. Others must stay outside: dogs, fortune-tellers, and the sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and everyone of false speech and false life." (Revelation 22:12-15 NJB)
Jesus is returning for those who are giving of themselves totally to God. He will reward your faith by the works you have done because of your trust and love for God.
My challenge for you this week is to consider if God truly has full control of your life.
Have you invited Jesus into every area of your life, or are there darkened corners that have not yet been given over to Him?
God does not expect miracles from us. He, on the other hand, stands ready to do many things for us. The bible tells us that when we have faith, wonderful things can happen in our lives.
I pray that each of us with grow in faith this week and through out our journeys. I pray that God will work within our lives in such a way that we will never doubt that He will care for us in every situation and in every way.
God cares for you and will always care for you. Take that knowledge, own it, believe it and share it. Amen
