But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)
Way back in January - you know, that month where we all were walking into Hoover with our heads tucked into our coats, and our hands stuffed into our pockets - Pastor John rolled out 4 things that we as a church would like to focus on in 2011. One of those was this goal: to develop a culture of generosity.
(Side note: take some time and watch that sermon linked in above paragraph - if only the last 6 minutes. Just a really good reminder of what we as a church are shooting for this year.)
Over the last two days, your elders and senior staff have been spending some focused and extended time with a pastor named Scott Ridout, Lead Pastor of Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert, AZ. Scott is a friend of Pastor John's, and for the last few years has been helping to pioneer the Generous Church movement. I'd like to share with you some drops of what was a fire hydrant experience for us:
- Generosity is more than giving your money. It is being excellent in the giving of your time, talents, treasure, and touch.
- Many of us in America live in "affluent poverty." While most of us are earning enough to put us in the top 1% of the world's wealthiest people, we are spending 118% of our income.
- The world is in great need. God has given much to us. And God can't reward bad behavior.
- The Bible talks about our responsibility to be generous more often than most of us realize. For example, in the 24 chapters of Luke, he alludes to generosity 41 times.
- While most of us would readily admit that we couldn't ever pray enough or share our faith enough, many of us would assign a 10% limit to our financial giving and declare that "enough."
- Generosity is contagious, but only up close, and only over time. Transformation always comes before tactics.
- If you want your heart to change, then put your treasure where you want your heart to be.
- Giving is the only antidote to materialism.
- God prospers me, not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving.
- If I had 100 cookies, and I noticed that the guy next to me had none, would I pray for God to give the guy next to me a cookie? Of course not. I'd give him a cookie. So then: why would I approach the needs in my community and my world in this way?
- A church's leaders have to embody generosity and model it before they can lead their church towards it. If a church is not generous, there is no other option but to conclude that its leaders are not generous.
Hopefully more will flow out of us to you from our experience these past couple of days as we take steps towards being more generous ourselves. Just wanted to connect you with what God has been speaking to your leaders these past 48 hours.
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