SACRIFICE Hilda Mason served as an active Washington D.C. city council member into her 80's. She didn't serve her city alone. Her husband, Charlie Mason, assisted her in her work for more than twenty years. How did he find the time? He went the second mile and gave up his law practice to be her assistant.…

STEWARDSHIP After terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, people opened up their hearts and their pocketbooks to give to those directly affected by the tragedy. The American Red Cross received $547 million dollars for the cause, but until there was a public uproar, the Red Cross was not planning…

TITHE God promises to rebuke the devourer for tithers. Devourer. That's an interesting word. A word that makes me think immediately of the Tasmanian Devil. Not Bugs Bunny's nemesis, but the animal that haunts the dark nights of the island. The devil is about the size of a cocker spaniel, but don't let…

The Boy and the Offering Plate: A church bus driver was visiting a poor neighborhood to pick up children for Sunday School. He saw this poor little boy in ragged clothes and asked him if he would like to go to church Sunday. If so, he would come by and pick him up on the bus. The boy was excited and…

The Macedonian Example 1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even…

1828 Wesley’s Surpluses From the books alone John Wesley gave away between £30,000 and £40,000. He told Samuel Bradburn, one of his preachers, in 1787, that he never gave away anything less than £1,000 a year, and yet, when he died, his personal estate amounted to only a few pounds. When earning £30…

Old Turkey: Around Thanksgiving a few years ago, radio commentator Paul Harvey shared a true story of a woman and her frozen Thanksgiving turkey. The Butterball Turkey Company set up a telephone hotline to answer consumer questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to inquire about cooking…

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that…

Commitment A chicken and a pig were walking through the streets of New York city one day. They enjoyed the new sights and strange aromas as they casually strolled through the "Big Apple." Their fascination turned into conversation when they noticed a small boy playing at the bottom of a tenement stoop.…

Lee Strobel Impressed by Impoverished Family's Example While working as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel was assigned to report on the struggles of an impoverished, inner-city family during the weeks leading up to Christmas. A devout atheist at the time, Strobel was mildly surprised…

This sermon is coming from the text of 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NASB

As Churches Push Donations, Congregants Balk; 'That's Not the Way God Works' By SUZANNE SATALINE November 23, 2007; Page W1 Can you put a price on faith? That is the question churchgoers are asking as the tradition of tithing -- giving 10% of your income to the church -- is increasingly challenged. Opponents…

Once a month, a group of dedicated professionals ventures into their community to serve those less fortunate than themselves. They're not carrying hammers and nails to build a house, or ladles and pots to work in a soup kitchen. Rather, they're armed with blow-dryers, scissors, and nail polish. Oh yes,…

He’s so stingy, he checks under his bed every morning to see if he lost any sleep.

Though he makes his living repossessing other people’s cars, one Illinois repo man had a change of heart and surprised an elderly couple after he took their car. Jim Ford, co-owner of Illini Asset Recovery, said that after he took an elderly couple’s car, he thought about what it would have been like…

James Harrison, a 77-year-old Australian has the blood that saved the lives of 2.4 million new born babies. His blood contains a rare antibody capable of curing Rhesus disease, a severe form of anemia affecting babies whose blood type is incompatible with that of their mother. He has donated blood over…

To many baseball fans, George Steinbrenner was the emperor of the “evil empire.” He fired more people than most will ever hire. But to Rick Cerrone, former P.R. Director of the Yankees George was someone entirely different. He says, "Not a lot of people know this, but he would hear of a story, read about…

Giving Based on God’s Promises for the Future Gary Fenton told this story at deacons meeting 9/28/2009: His first church was very small—about 25-40 there on Sunday mornings. The offering was on a sign in the front of the church along with the attendance. It was usually about $100, some of which Gary…

The man that has seen affliction, when he is blessed of God, has the disposition to cheer those that are afflicted. I have heard speak of a lady who was out in the snow one night, and was so very cold that she cried out, “Oh, those poor people that have such a little money! How little fuel they have,…

When our Lord met the disciples at Emmaus and talked with them, they did not know Him while He talked with them. But when do you think they knew that they knew Him? It was not until they performed an act of obedience by offering hospitality to a stranger. Then He was known to them in the breaking of…

A homeless man in New York City recently got more than he asked for, when an advertising executive handed him an American Express Platinum Card when he asked for spare change. 32 year-old Jay Valentine said he has been homeless for a few years, after he lost his job at a real-estate company that had…

Bill Gates is considered the richest man in the world, with an estimated wealth of 76$ billion. In 2000, he founded a foundation ranked as one of the most generous in the world, and he has since stepped down from his position as chairman of Microsoft to focus on philanthropy. When Gates was asked about…

Fyli, a municipality in Greece, northwest of Athens has a debt of $500 million. They have been granted generous terms for repayment. In 2016, authorities awarded the city 25,546 months to pay meaning the debt will finally be paid in 4144. Our debt of sin could not be paid, even if we had 25,000 months…

Christ has set the Church to be a grocery store for all Christians needs. If you need prayer, uplifting, spirtual blessing, come to the Church. If you are down and in darkness and you can't seem to find your way up and out come to the Church.

Dr. Frederich Pfotenhauer, president of the Synod during the Great Depression, said in his report to the Synod convention in 1932: “It is true that the present economic conditions throughout the world induce us, if we do not keep our vision clear, to curtail our church activities. No doubt, money is…