Archive for the ‘Generous’ Tag
Once Greedy, Now Generous!
Filed under: Bible, By Melvin McKee, Jr., Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Jesus Christ, Lent, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Scripture Paraphrases, Sermons, The Church, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, Trinity, Uncategorized, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Cheerfully, Generosity, Generous, Generous vs. Greedy, Gift, Giving, Health, Hear, Heart, Jesus, joy, Love, Melvin McKee Jr., money, Overflow, Poverty, Provide, Rich, Share, Surplus, Wealth
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Bible Verse: 2 Cor 8:1, 2 Cor 9:6-15
Introduction:
The grace of God works deeply into us so that it can also work out of us to benefit others. Grace
hoarded is grace squandered; in fact, it may be grace misunderstood or even unexperienced. God’s
gracious gifts are meant to be held loosely with generosity, not held onto tightly with greed. Our
motivation for living with generosity comes from God’s exceeding generosity to us in giving us the
fullness of His Son despite our total spiritual bankruptcy. Because we have been given the eternal
riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, we are compelled to live generously, not reluctantly, and with joy
and gratitude.
Theological Theme:
God-Father-Son-Holy-Spirit already owns all that we have. He has called us to be stewards of the wealth He entrusts to us.
Christ Connection:
In Jesus Christ, we have both a model and a motivation for generosity. Because God has been
merciful and generous to us by giving us His Son, we are empowered to be merciful and generous
toward others.
Missional Application:
God gives us wealth in order that we might share it with others in need, not out of a sense of guilt or
obligation but cheerfully and willingly.
Photo Compliments: sharinghorizons.com
The Spirit of Truth and Generosity!
Filed under: Bible, by Tony Marra, Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Discipleship, Faith, GCI Windsor Mill, Maryland, God, God Father Son and Spirit, God the Trinity, God's love, good news, Gospel, Grace Communion Baltimore, Grace Communion International, identity in Christ, Inclusion, Jesus Christ, Love, Ministry, New Life Fellowship Of Baltimore Maryland, New Life Fellowship Of Windsor Mill, MD., On Mission with Christ, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Perichoresis, Prayer, relationship with God, Relationships, Sermons, Song, The Church, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, The Gospel Project, The Holy Spirit, The Plan of Adoption, Timothy Brassell, Trinity, Uncategorized, union, Union In Christ, Union with Christ, Witnessing to God, Witnessing to Jesus, Worship, Worshiping God, Worshipping Jesus | Tags: Acts, Acts 4:32, Acts 5:11, Baltimore GCI, Blessing Your Enemies, Christian Living, Creation, death, Death In Christ, Deeply Rooted In Christ, Discipleship, Empowered By The Spirit, Facing False Accusation, Facing Hostility, False Accusation, Follow Me, Following Jesus, Forgiving Your Enemies, Fruit of God's Grace, GCI Baltimore, Generosity, Generous, Giving, God Father Son and Spirit, God Likes You, God the Trinity, God's Calling, God's Grace, God's love, God's Love And Life, God's Loving Authority, God's Mercy, God's Mission, God's Patience, God's Presence, Gospel, Grace, Grace Communion International, Heaven, Heavenly Riches, Honesty, Humanity Uplifted, Incarnation, Included In Christ, Jesus, Jesus' Authority, Jesus' Presence, Liberation vs. Legalism, Lord Jesus, Love, Make Disciples, Making Disciples, Participation with Christ, Participation with Jesus, Pastor Timothy Brassell of New Life Baltimore, Patient Endurance, Persecuted For Jesus, Persecuted For Your Faith, Persecution, Persecution For Christ, Praying For Your Enemies, Praying For Your Persecutors, Purpose, Radical Generosity, Radical Giving, Relationship With Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, Riches, Strengthened By Jesus, Strengthened By The Spirit, The Boldness Of Christ, The Father, The Father's Love, The Holy Spirit, The Persecuted Church, Treasure, Trinitarian Theology, Trinity, Union and Communion, Union With Jesus, Worship
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Audio – Part A: 23 min
Audio – Part B: 28 min
Audio – Full Message:
Bible Verses: Acts 4:32 – Acts 5:11
“Generosity should be a defining characteristic of the church because God is generous. The Father gave His Son. The Son gave His life. The Father and the Son gave the Spirit. And the Spirit gives the followers of Christ hearts of generosity. The Spirit works through these hearts to bring unity to the body of Christ through their loving support for one another. Greed is contrary to who God is and invites His judgment. The Holy Spirit of God helps us distinguish between generous and greedy giving.”
“Generosity is a fruit of God’s grace, something that an individual
should feel compelled to do from their own hearts. While in one way this understanding liberates us from any legalism around giving, it simultaneously heightens our expectations for giving. Because generosity flows from the heart, it is a tangible way of seeing the condition of the heart. This is why Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
Theological Theme:
Sin in the Church must not stand in the way of the gospel’s expansion.
Christ Connection:
In obedience to the Holy Spirit’s prompting, the early Christians shared their resources and gave generously to those in need, just as Jesus gave up heavenly riches to share His inheritance with all who trust in Him. But Ananias and Sapphira’s deceptive action was a sin against the church and against the Spirit. The Spirit distinguishes between giving that is from a heart of generosity and giving that is greedy and deceitful.
“Jesus serves as our model for radical giving and the Holy Spirit enables us to follow in His steps.”
“In following Jesus, we’re invited to do the same, not clinging to what we have but giving it away, becoming a servant, and allowing God to multiply it for His good and glory in His church and in the world around us. The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives should inspire such radical generosity, transforming our hearts to mirror Jesus’ own so that we don’t cling to what’s “ours” by rights but give it away to those in need.
Missional Application:
God the Father, through His Holy Spirit, calls us to show our unity with other believers, always being generous and honest as a reflection of Christ’s truth and love.
Photo Compliments:
Trinity and Humanity 