The Generous Church
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at the topic of generosity.
We’ve seen that we must strive to live generously, that we need to be cheerful givers with our money and possessions, and we need to be generous with our words.
Today we are going to finish our series by considering what it would take to have a generous church.
What is the church? The people
More specifically the church is Christian people.
And, as we’ve already seen, Christian people strive to please God. How do we do that?
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
We please God when we live generously.
Therefore, we ought to strive to be a generous church, right?
Obviously, a generous church is filled with people who our generous with our money and with our words, but there are some key actions that will produce a generous church; actions that each of us, individually, must set our minds and hearts to doing if we are going to be a generous church corporately.
Body: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Body: 1 Peter 4:7-11
Context
Peter’s first epistle is written to a people who are suffering. Peter’s message to the church throughout this letter is summarized is chapter 4:
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
In this section Peter begins to give some applications to his continual call to trust and obey in spite of suffering.
A Christian community is vital in times of suffering, because God intended us to be a people who live in community with others and depend on one another for encouragement, love, and fellowship. These are some keys to living in Christian community.
If every believer applied these four keys to their walk, a church will truly help those who suffer and will see God move in their midst.
Verse 7
The Need:
“The end of all things…”
Clearly in Peter’s eschatology he believed that Christ would return very soon.
Does that mean that since Peter was wrong we shouldn’t listen to him
No. Peter is displaying the eschatological hope that all Christians have always had: that Christ would return in their lifetime.
For Peter, as he saw the way things were developing it was becoming clear to him that things would get much worse for the believers. From this standpoint he was dead on right.
Additionally, with Christ’s resurrection the events of God’s great plan of salvation had unfolded. Now Peter lived in the last times, and so do we until Christ returns.
In spite of the times we live in, be self-controlled & sober-minded.
Don’t get caught up in end-times fever...
Panic over what’s to come nationally or internationally…(not preaching, meddling…)
Why?
For the sake of our prayers!
Key #1: Prayer
As part of the church, I will be generous in prayers for other believers.
As part of the church, I will be generous in prayers for other believers.
Hindrances: stress, emotions, personal sin, busyness, and laziness.
Prayer is the basic requirement of those who desires to live a life that is pleasing to God…
John MacArthur – “A mind victimized by emotion and passion, out of control, or knocked out of balance by worldly lusts and pursuits, is a mind that cannot know the fullness of holy communion in prayer with God.”
Norman Hillyer – “Being too caught up with wordly affairs and being confused by their attendant worries can ruin prayer-life and spoil spiritual relationships, both with God and with fellow Christians.”
How We Can Do It:
Live like today might be the day!
Pray privately.
Pray corporately.
Verse 8
The Need:
“Above all…keep loving…earnestly”
The Key: Love
As part of the church, I will be generous in brotherly love towards other believers.
As part of the church, I will be generous in brotherly love towards other believers.
This is first a command for Christians to other Christians…though were are still called to love our unbelieving neighbors!
Earnestly – which carries the idea of “straining”
Love is primarily a decision leading to action, not just an emotion…
“Love covers…”
From Proverbs 10:12
When we truly love one another, the little (and even big) annoyances will seem pretty petty.
True love doesn’t keep records of wrongs, but forgives as God has forgiven us!
This doesn’t mean that sins won’t have a consequence, they always do.
Sometimes that means that discipline will happen…even in the church.
This also doesn’t mean that love forgives sins, Christ did that on the cross.
How We Can Do It:
Stretch yourself!
Do or do not, there is no try! (…but don’t “do not”!)
Verse 9
The Need: Show hospitality without grumbling...
Key #3: Hospitality
As part of the church, I will be generous in hospitality towards other believers.
As part of the church, I will be generous in hospitality towards other believers.
The timeless principle: treat others like honor guests, no matter who they are…
What if…showed up?
Real hospitality doesn’t do it out of duty, but out of love.
Within that context hospitality was vital because you had some that were forced from their homes because of persecution, there were traveling missionaries, itinerant preachers, and others in need of the church’s hospitality.
Today, Christians must be hospitable to those who come to church for various reasons...
We usually don’t know why someone is coming into our building. We don’t know their background, their experiences, or their fears. The only thing we can control is how we treat them!
We also need to open our homes to one another...
Hospitality is the practical side of love...
Why the part about grumbling?
Because showing hospitality to other believers within their context could have opened themselves up to persecution...
Because not all guests are pleasant...
Because, today, we love our privacy...
How We Can Do It:
Treat everyone like they matter…
Come to serve, not to be served…
Invite people over to your home...
Verse 10-11
The Need:
“As each has received a gift…use it to serve one another,”
Key #4: Service
As part of the church, I will be generous in service within the church.
As part of the church, I will be generous in service within the church.
That’s why we were given the gifts…not for ourselves, but to serve others…
A good steward takes care of what they are given and uses it correctly…
Various people, various gifts, to various degrees, for various needs.
Examples of giftedness & uses:
Speaking gifts: as the very words of God!
Preach the Word! (not human philosophies or ideas)
Explaining in context, discover principles & truths & apply them to life.
Serving gifts: from God’s strength!
How We Can Do It:
Find your strengths.
Serve!
Good intentions don’t cut it…
But, I don’t know what to do!?!?
Try different things...
What are your gifts and skills?
What are you passionate about?
What will be easy for you to start doing?
What do I see that needs to be done that keeps bugging me?
What does all this lead to?
V. 11b: Praise and glory to the only One who deserves it.
Why does Peter have this short section of praise here?
It turns the attention away for the human part of service and towards God, who is the source of the gifts in the first place.