The Heart of Generous Builders
Series: The Generosity that Builds a Future
June 2, 2013 - Brad Bailey
INTRO:
All of us want to build something with our lives...to invest in that which has a lasting nature.
One of those opportunities came with the planting and establishing of this church on the Westside of Los Angeles... what became the first Vineyard church.
It began in 1974 when the first group of lives began to gather.
By about 1987... those gathering became increasingly clear about the value of establishing a facility to glorify God on the Westside; that which would serve in reaching out to our community, releasing gifts of worship and the arts, and raising up the ‘next generation.’
They began looking and saving and engaging every opportunity.... for thirteen years.
We began the year 2000 with a sense that this was to be a year of critical change… changes that would be foundational to building our future… and in faith we set specific goals for prayer in our new year newsletter. The two most lofty and longstanding were to help raise up the next generation ... and to finally secure property to serve as a ministry center on the Westside…. and for both to unfold THAT year.
In that very season we saw the growth of emerging generations and the start of would lead into the Altear gathering.
And in that season we had a property come forward that caused us to do some soul searching regarding the location and dynamic we were called to. I came to the conclusion which I shared with our Council and broker that the best location in terms of cost and impact would be along or near Centinela Avenue around Venice or Washington Blvd. Shortly after, we had our all church retreat, and when I returned home that Sunday night there was a fax about a property at Centinela and Venice Boulevard. I went by and realized it was Bruno’s restaurant, a landmark property we all knew well.
Long story short..
On June 26th of 2000 we signed the initial contract to enter escrow. (This began 60-day escrow period concluding August 25th)
On July 9th of 2000 I announced that we had negotiated to purchase Bruno's Restaurant...there was an eruption from a community that had been so invested. And to everyone's surprise the owner of Bruno's Restaurant was there at our worship service.
The following Sunday, July 16th - provided a short presentation
Then began a dramatic several months. By any natural assessment...it was hard to imagine how we could pull this off financially.
And it was exactly 12 years ago this month (June 10th, 2001) that a community of lives called to be Christ on the Westside gathered in this beautiful facility to dedicate it to God.
Most of us here today probably were not yet part of this calling....I know some will never forget it. (Raise your hand / stand if you were here.)
We prayed that God would give us a story...and he did... as profound as any I have known.
We don't have time to share all that God did...but I would sum it up as this:
> God taught us about the Generosity that Builds a Future
God poured into our GENEROSITY...expanding it...and expanding our faith.
Today... we are going to celebrate that story by looking at a similar time in Israel's history that spoke into our lives...and still does.
I want to invite us into a picture that’s captured our hearts…it’s a moment in O.T. history in which the people of God… our spiritual fore parents... took up a similar season in their lives to provide for a place of worship and ministry. It was the original temple of God after Israel had entered the Promised Land. It’s described in 1 Chronicles 29 and it describes the GENEROSITY that flowed through them.
Stand and read text loud together... (it's a long text but a rather dynamic moment for us to engage together.)
1 Chronicles 29:1-20 (in part)
[29:1] Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. [2] With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God… [3] Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple… [5]… Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?"
[6] Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work gave willingly. [7] They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. [8] Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. [9] The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.
[10] David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
"Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
[11] Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
[12] Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.
[14] "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.… [16] O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. [17] I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. [18] O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. [19] And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided."
[20] Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the Lord your God." So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.
What a picture of the power of generosity.
Even David is taken up with the power of what is at hand... and he begins to flow in prayer.
And in the middle of that prayer he says to God in verse 18:
1 Chronicles 29:18
"O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you."
> That is my heart for us this morning. I want to both celebrate how God blessed the generosity of the past ...and to ignite that desire afresh to us today.
We are by most accounts a generous nation…but each generation is finding it harder. Most of what’s been built to provide for the spiritual and social needs of communities is the result of the generation which precedes most of us who are baby boomers or baby busters… by what has often been referred to as the BUILDERS generation. The generosity … sacrifice… of that generation has waned.
The heart of generosity is being challenged by manipulation … and materialism.
On one hand we are effected by manipulation regarding all matters of money and it makes us hold on more tightly. Corruption is not new....but it's like an acid that eats away at the heart of those who must build together... it eats at the common trust. Today we get all the bad reports...and there are plenty. But that can send us further down the line of independence.... autonomy... consumers entitled to serve ourselves. We are being bread to be consumers who are trained to think that happiness lies in material goods...and that we own what we have..
> So we need to restore God's heart of generosity.
This moment speaks out to us... the heart of generosity that build God's Kingdom.
So what are some...
Lessons in Generosity that Builds a Future
1 Chronicles 29:1
Then King David said to the whole assembly: "My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced.
To appreciate these words… we have to understand all that lies behind them. (1 Chron. 17:4-12 tells story). This had been David’s vision…. God had now called David to turn it over to his son Solomon. David had made a significant decision at this point… a decision to give beyond himself....to give to that which would outlive him.
Our first lessons in generosity that builds a future is to...
1. Give beyond ourselves. (An investing heart) – v. 1a
David not only “served his own generation” (Acts 13:36), which every child of God should do, but he also served generations to come. He provided the materials to build the temple; he organized the temple ministry; he wrote songs for the temple singers; and he even designed musical instruments for the Levites to play.
> Those who best understand what’s truly meaningful at the end of life tell us it’s about what we give beyond ourselves… towards that which will outlive us.
> We can’t grasp the significance of our giving until we’ve looked into the eyes of the next generation… and our community.
That is the heart so many had that gave regularly...that gave away substantial amounts to make it possible that future lives could gather around Jesus.
> Many of you are those future lives.
In these past 12 years...
• dozens of babies were born into this community....
• hundreds of children have learned about God...
• youth have been raised up.
• A whole next generation of lives and leaders was set apart...what we refer to as Altear - the gathering led by younger adults on Sunday evenings.
• A whole new Spanish language gathering was birthed... called Comunidad Vina.
• Over 200 adults have been baptized
Soon after the completion of Disney World, someone said, "Isn't it too bad that Walt Disney didn't live to see this?"
Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios, replied, "He did see it - that's why it's here."
(Haddon W. Robinson, "Leadership," 1993)
So as you go about life this week...look around… at the lives that will follow us into adulthood.
Drive around … look at the lives navigating life here in Los Angeles… look at the misguided longings for love…and meaning. Grasp the significance of Christ being here in his Body.
You can't take it with you. But you can send it on ahead. You send it on ahead by investing it in people who are going there. Every time you give it is an eternal investment. Jesus said, "Store up treasures in heaven." How do you do that?
1 Timothy tells us,
"Give happily to those in need, and always be ready to share whatever God has given you. By doing this, you will be storing up real treasure for yourselves in heaven -- it is the only safe investment for eternity!" - I Tim. 6:18-19 (LB)
It's a protected investment and it gets great rates. God says every time I give, it's an investment into the future.
> Let’s have investing hearts that give beyond ourselves.
2. Give to the glory of God (A spiritual heart) – v. 1b
v. 1-b – “The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.”
This is not a home to simply provide a spiritual family with comfort and convenience. It may serve that purpose in some fashion....but it's for God and His purposes.
The very vision we stated at the outset was to not build a church in the traditional way we think of a church...but rather to build a center which facilitates God's purposes in a multiple of ways.
Today... we have over 70 different types of groups that gather every week.
This past week this room served two different school graduations.... and serves dozens of local groups in similar ways...including:
• LAUSD schools,
• Home School leadership
• St. John's Health Center - Child & Family Development Center
• Weekly pre-alzheimer's early intervention and therapy classes
• Life service program for veterans
• American Cancer Society
• Venice Chamber of Commerce
• Mar Vista Business Association
• Didi Hirsch
• Forte Animal Rescue
At the forefront...lies the Coffee Connection...our full time cafe.
By the beginning of 2011, the cafe was serving an average of 133 patrons each day. Today, the cafe serves an average of 332 patrons per day. Nearly ALL of these patrons are non-Vineyard folks from the surrounding community.
> Why so much activity?
Because every group who gathers around Jesus glorifies God...and every time we build connection with our community at large, we are bringing down barriers and building bridges to the glory of God.
These are the answers to prayers we wrote on the various walls and beams before they were sealed up. Prayers that you would be here.
It's all part of God's glory.
It's all about HIS purpose. He led us here. Where 70,000 cars pass every day … an intersection of two predominant streets… Centinela - Spanish for sentinel = ‘the one who watches, guards, and protects’… and Venice - with one of it’s root meanings being ‘grace, the ability to be pardoned and forgiven.’ A rather fitting intersecting of guarding and protecting the grace that pardons and forgives.
> Let’s have spiritual hearts that serve the glory of God.
3. Give generously… from what is personal (A sacrificial heart) – vs. 2-3
David notes something very significant about the nature of his giving. In verses 2-3, he says:
1 Chronicles 29:2-3
With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God… Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple…
David gave not only from his Kingdom's treasury...but he gives from his own personal resources. He wants to note this very clearly. He gives generously... what amounts to 110 tons of gold... 260 tons of silver...and more. He wasn't afraid to state these amounts publicly...because it wasn't a reflection of self-righteousness...it was a communal calling that he was now giving as a call to all the people. [1]
We’ve felt there is a fitting principle in David leading the process… and so the elders who serve as the Church Council agreed to begin with ourselves. Before we call for the special generosity of all....each one prayed about what God would want them to contribute over and above what they regularly give. Each brought their part or pledge.
In that process I was struck by David’s emphasis on giving from what was personal… it involves that which costs us personally. This heart ran deep in David. We find at another point he wanted to build an altar to honor the Lord… and Davis expressed...
2 Samuel 24:24
“I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
This same spirit of sacrificial giving filled the early church as well…
“For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will.” - 2 Cor. 8:3[NLT]
As Leah and I were praying about our own offering …I realized even though we were in a position through some family money to make a good contribution… the level of faith and sacrifice we wanted to experience just wasn’t there… and this led us to double what we had initially considered. Then it felt really personal…fun… opened up the door to having to trust God.
> When it's sacrificial it becomes spiritual...because we are really placing ourselves into it.
It rises from a duty to a declaration that God is central.
It moves giving from simply being an expression of responsibility to that of an expression of relationship with God.
We’ll become more like God…the most generous and personal giver of all, who “loved the world so much that he GAVE… His only son for us.”
God's reign flows from the type of generosity that gives of what is personal.
> That is God's call to join Him with a sacrificial heart.
4. Give into faithful hands (A confident heart) – v. 8
1 Chronicles 29: 8
Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. (Ya-Hee-ale the Gare-shu-nite)
This is one of those details that may seem a little weird...a little irrelevant. But actually it's a reminder that this is real history. And even more so, it's a reflection that managing what is God's requires more responsibility not less. This was a well-known figure among the Levites who had been given responsibility for the temple. The people could see how their gifts were handled.
Similarly Paul describes the giving in the early church…
2 Cor. 8:20-21 [NLT]
“By traveling together we will guard against any suspicion, for we are anxious that no one should find fault with the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to know we are honorable.”
I believe, “Giving up control doesn’t’ mean giving up your conscience.”
We have a multiplicity of lives that bring wisdom to every choice...and hands that manage every step.
> The Generosity that builds a future is responsible... it flows from a confident heart that gives into faithful hands.
5. Give freely from the heart (A joyful heart) – v. 9
1 Chronicles 29:9
The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.
Note those 3 words… 'willing'... 'freely'… 'wholeheartedly.'
> Unless it’s given freely… without compulsion… it won’t be wholehearted.
The word “whole hearted” comes from the Hebrew “shalom” = complete peace, joy, contentment. The giving God loves is that which is free and from the heart… and fills the giver with joy.
The word miserable comes from the root word "miser". The more I hold on to what I've got, the more miserable I become. It's the person who is generous in his lifestyle that is happy.
It is the source of joy. Jesus said,
"There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." - Acts 20:35
Do you really believe that? …that there's more happiness in giving than in receiving? Happiness is based on living generously. That happiest people in life are givers. It's my nature to be selfish. God wants us to enjoy being a generous person.
As some of you can imagine... being the leader of a community that is trying to raise what was three times more than anyone could estimate we could raise is daunting position to have been in. As I wrote my notes for the original presentation, my then three year old son Travis came into my office at home and asked what all the words on the paper were about. I explained as best I could that these words were about telling everyone how they could play a part in giving towards the building from what God had blessed them with. (He knew about the building because each day as we had been driving by it we did a special “Yeah God” cheer.) The next morning he came into my office with a bag filled with change. He had emptied his entire piggy bank to help buy the building. I knew then and there just how beautiful the Spirit of God wanted to work among us...about the power of generosity to build the future.
Then on morning of this initial presentation, we explained the opportunity and the challenge...asked everyone to begin to pray and explore...gave special offering envelopes marked “Building A Future” to take home. As soon as the service was over I was handed one of the special offering envelopes. While I appreciated the expediency in responding, I honestly wondered how any appropriate thought could be behind such an immediate gift. What I later learned was behind that first formal gift was actually a remarkable story. The couple had been trying to have another child for a long time. As complications made this difficult they began to save money for a trip to Israel…a trip contingent on not being able to get pregnant. The morning of the presentation the couple looked at each other and both knew they were to give the money they had saved… thousands of dollars. They conceived their next child the following day.
> My prayer is that each one of us will have a story to tell of generosity that is 'willing'... 'free'… 'wholehearted.'
2 Corinthians 9:7 (CEV) tells us:
"God loves people who love to give."
Or as many translations state..." God loves a cheerful giver." In the New Testament time, they got excited when they had the offering. They were joyful givers because they wanted to be like Jesus.
6. Give as a steward, not a supplier (A humble heart) – vs. 14, 16
This is the root source out of which generosity flows.
Did you notice what David declares over and over? That he hasn't given anything that was ultimately his.
1 Chronicles 29:11, 12, 14, 16
[11] "...everything in heaven and earth is yours. [12] Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things... [14] "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand… [16] O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.”
Giving is a part of living in covenant with God…. restoring my relationship as “manager” of all the earth. (i.e. stewards, caretakers, etc.)
The original mandate… “God created human beings…he made them male and female…blessed them, and said, ‘….I am putting you in charge..’ ” Gen. 1:27-28 (GN)
In charge of what? > His stuff.
A steward is someone who manages or administers the property or affairs of someone else. The message of the Old and New Testaments is that human beings act as stewards of God for creation.
For those who follow Christ into life with God, achievement is not measured by how much one makes or how much one has. Rather it’s by how well possessions have been used for the purposes of their owner…which is God.
This can be a challenging reality. As one pastor put it,
"If I were an executive in a corporation and handled company funds like I sometimes handle God's money, I'd go to jail for embezzlement."
That's something to think about. God holds us responsible for the way we handle His money, and we must not take that responsibility lightly.”
But it is also how giving becomes a dynamic and spiritual part of life. [2]
• In all my years of serving as a spiritual leader… I can’t think of any one dynamic that has opened up a tangible change in people’s relationship with God more than that of decisions related to giving. Because as long as we think it's ours.... we haven't awoken to reality yet.
• Capital One credit company asks: "What's in your wallet?" God asks, "What's in His wallet?"
• I was approached by a young woman wanting to know how to sense God’s direction in regards to making a special offering to the Lord in this endeavor. I smiled because I knew a new level of faith was at hand… that an encounter with the living God would unfold. I didn’t have any interest in defining the amount she should give but simply in describing the attitude … the approach she could have. And that's my heart this morning.
> The Generosity that builds a future flows from a humble heart...one that gives as a steward, not a supplier.
And finally…v. 20
1 Chronicles 29:20
“Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the Lord your God." So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.”
7. Give as part of worship (A worshipful heart) – v. 20
You can feel David's emotion. It all began with his desire to honor God. That is what worship is. Worship is about what we give worth to. So as he saw the way the people had honored God through their the power of generosity in what they gave... it naturally becomes a moment of praise and prostration.
David's passion was to see the presence of God be central in the land God had given them.
He knew that there was nothing that mattered more than God's presence.
How much more amazing that God became incarnate... in Christ the exact representation of God's being. And then poured out His Spirit. How much more should we value bringing God's presence to our land.
Closing prayer:
Today WE can celebrate the generosity that God has blessed throughout the years of the Westside Vineyard.
We're reminded that it is the power of generosity that builds a future...that invests in that which has a lasting nature.
But like David... we realize that we must not allow a false sense of ownership and material attachments steal our hearts.
So I want to ask us to close declaring a portion of David's prayer:
… vv. 17 – 18
“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. Now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.
Notes:
1. David pledged to give of his own personal resources 3,000 talents of gold (ca. 110 tons) from Ophir (cf. 1 Kings 9:28; 10:11; 22:48; 2 Chron. 8:18; 9:10; Isa. 13:12) 7,000 talents of… silver (ca. 260 tons). These amounts were over and above the large amounts he had already given.
29:5b-9. On the basis of his own commitment (vv. 2-5) David then urged the other leaders to participate in the giving, an invitation they gladly accepted. They willingly (cf. v. 9) contributed in all 5,000 talents of gold (ca. 190 tons), 10,000 darics of gold (ca. 185 pounds), 10,000 talents of silver (ca. 375 tons), 18,000 talents of bronze (ca. 675 tons), and 100,000 talents of iron (ca. 3,750 tons). In addition they gave precious stones as they were able.
2. Giving that requires faith is where giving can become such a dynamic experience.
In Malachi 3… God says not only can we be robbing Him… but He dares us to bring our whole tithe into the storehouse… so He can show what He can provide for us as we trust Him.
Those words from God put some electricity in the air.
What strikes me as I face this dynamic is that I have the least opportunity to depend on God than any person in any time or place in human history.
This fact leaves me vulnerable to becoming a functional atheist. We won’t find rest till we really know God provides.
