A Call To A Generous Life by Kevin Allen October 27, 2024 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, 2 Corinthians 8:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Corinthians 9:11, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 12 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kevin-allen--a-call-to-a-generous-life Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ In family month, we've been focusing more on — you probably picked up on some of the terminology we've used intentionally, talking about generational families in church and the impact that that has. It's not just for the one. It's it's for our kids and our grandkids and our great great grandkids, and pass on not just the blessings financially, monetarily, but to bless on the good things that come by living a life dedicated to God. As we were planning out this month, one of the things that we prayed about and sought Direction was to talk about financial commitments to the kingdom. Now many of you who've been here a few years know that this is one of the times, and very, one of the very few rare times, wherever just feel a little bit uncomfortable. And I feel like that simply comes from the standpoint of, I draw my salary from the church, and it almost seems like what I'm doing today is a little bit self- serving. But I've had God convict me many times over this and tell me that I was hindering what he's trying to do to his people, because I was the one who was determining what I was going to speak about. So having said that — I last year, I made a commitment, or a couple years ago I made a commitment to God, that whenever he felt that it was right for me to talk about that, if he would urge me that way, that I would be obedient in it. I wouldn't second guess it. So I feel like what has going on today, before we ever got to talking about financial matters, is proof that God is with us and he's in what's going on today. His blessings came down in a tremendous way already. So I'm not going to keep you long today, I'm really not. I do have a thought I feel like God laid in my mind and in my spirit I want to bring to you, and simply talking about a call to a generous life. In second Corinthians, Paul's writing a letter to the church there, and we picking up Midway through the second letter that he's written to the church at Corinth. In his particular chapter 8 was where I'm going start, and then we're going to go over to chapter nine. He picks up here and he says this in verse number one of chapter 8. He says: now I want you to know, dear brother, brothers and sisters, that God in his kindness has done through the churches of Macedonia, that they are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. Somebody may feel like that today. You like, Pastor, you're talking about this, and I feel very poor. But they also fulfilled with abundant Joy, which has overflowed in Rich generosity. 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. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the Believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to this, to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish the ministry of giving, since you excel in so many ways — in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, Your Enthusiasm, and your love for us — I want you to excel also in the gracious act of giving. As I was reading this and felt the Lord direct me, that I was like, that sounds like Center Point. Number eight: I'm not commanding you to do this, but I am testing how genuine Your Love Is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. Verse number nine: you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. Now he's continuing to write — I'm just going to fast forward a little bit, we're going to go to chapter n, verse number six. He's still in the same vein of thinking when he says this: remember this, a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give, and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure, for God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and have plenty left over to share with others. As the scriptures say: there share freely and give generously to the poor; their deed, their good deeds will be remembered forever. For God is the one who provides the seed for the farmer, and then bread to eat. And in the same way, he will provide and increase your resources, and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. As I was reading through this and thinking about what was going on, Paul was talking about — and you may have picked up on it — that there was the church there in Macedonia. They were, they were not a wealthy church, but they had had an opportunity to help contribute to the kingdom and what was going on, to further what what God had started there in Acts chapter 2. And when the church found out they had an opportunity, they began to give. Now, he already stated that they didn't have a lot. His word was poor. I think we can walk away with an understanding that they didn't, they were not, they were not a church of a lot of means. But I love the word and the language he used there, that they were eager, they were happy, they were willing, they wanted to do this. There was something about that church — and by my understanding of scriptures, it's a spirit of giving had come on that church — and they were being blessed, and God was stewarding their efforts for them to further and push forward the kingdom, and his plan and his purpose. Now I loved how he tied it back, the understanding that the reason they should be mindful about their wanness and their willingness to give is, he said there in the ninth verse of chapter 8: you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, Rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. You know, I was raised in the church. I was around the, this type of an environment, my whole life, all my 48 years of living. And I was, I was shown and taught and instructed in the benefits of being able to give back to the kingdom of God, in both tithes and offerings. And it's something that that I've been able to live out. Now, in my being transparent, there have been times in my life, early on, where I would read where Paul, like this instance here, would say that the lord loves a cheerful giver, and something about that, I don't know, I just seem to struggle with. Because there were times in my life when I like to be a cheerful receiver. Anybody else ever feel that way? And like, I would read that and I would think to myself, and Lord, I know that you love that, but that doesn't always come natural to me. And maybe, maybe you feel that same way. As you read some other verses, to whom much is given, much is required, and we could all Quote a lot scriptures are there, that as, as a younger man, and in developing my relationship with God, and beginning to understand his true heart and his mind, I would run up against passages like this and think to myself: you know, that doesn't seem to come natural. So what is it about that, what what is it, that I seem to struggle with? Because I know I'm not the only one that's struggled with it, because I feel like there's a lot to this topic about generosity. Now my wife and I, we were driving not too long ago, a few months ago. We were actually talking about generosity and how that we feel like we've been pretty good stewards our entire life, especially our adult life, and living for God. But even then, I don't know that we've always been generous. What I mean by that is: we seen a need, and we felt like the need was something that we had an opportunity to meet, and we trusted that the person was going to meet it in a right way, then we were all in. But if I was suspicious a little bit, like, I don't know what you're going to do with it — I mean, it's apparent you need it, but I don't know that you're going to use use it wisely — and then I would find myself being a little bit reluctant to it. And as we began to talk, I think we both felt a little bit of conviction in there, that there have been times in my life that I don't know that I could say that I was always living a life of generosity. Not that I was a stingy person, not that I wouldn't help people — because we've helped many families through the years — but I again, I felt like God was plowing in my field first, as Jason said, before I had an opportunity to stand before this congregation to talk about a life of generosity. But I want you to know that I feel strong today, that the Bible is instructing you and I that we need to learn how to live a life of generosity. And as, as I was reading that scripture, as Paul talking to the church there in Corinth, he was encouraging them, and kindly, to have that desire for generosity. And to me, I feel like he, he's making his case and his argument one verse at a time, because everything there was talking about how important it is to live a life in generosity. 2 Corinthians 8 verse number n says: you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich — he didn't have to, he didn't have to — yet he realized, in order for the relationship to be all that he desired it to be, he would have to leave the Splendor and Glory of heaven and robe himself in flesh, and come down and walk down in this world where you and I — in fact, if you get to study that out, there it basically, the word, the word structure of the sentence says that he unrobed himself to come down to where you and I are. And I love that Paul is reminding, as he's talking to the church about being generous, is to remember that our generosity ought to stem from that: that our God was generous, that our God was kind, that our God was gracious, that our God loved us enough to leave what he had, to meet us where we are. To me, Paul is saying that the root of generosity and the root of our desire and the root of joy is realizing who our God is and how we were made. It says we were made in His image. We were made in his likeness. And if he is love — because his word says that he is love — for us to live a life of love, then we should also live a life of generosity. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: for he made him who knew no sin to be sined for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. We were made in the image of God. And I feel strongly that in that making, he hardwired us to live a life of generosity. Now let me ask you a question. Has there ever been a time when you've had an opportunity to give, and you felt led to give? Now when I say give, I'm not always just talking about finances. Not a financial — but you were led to give some time, you Le — you were led to give some, some, in some way. And when you did that, you felt so good, when you were able to maybe help serve in some way or some capacity. Maybe he helped out at the nurish food bank, or you helped out at the journey home, or you helped out at some other project going on in the community. And when you were doing that, all of a sudden there was something inside you — it's kind of hard to explain it first — but you felt like, this is good. It's like a switch got turned on inside of you that maybe had been there the whole time, and you were not aware of that. To me, those are the moments when you realize that this is in you. It's in us. We are hardwired this way, to help, to contribute, to be a part of something that's bigger than just us. Now what happens often times is, we end up fighting the culture that we live in, because the culture says: be true to yourself, you know, take care of yourself first. A lot of this is like the instructions we get when we get on the airline, that if the mask fall, put your mask on first before you can help others. But I want to, comes to being about the kingdom of God, there are times when you need to be concerned about those that are around you also, amen. 2 Corinthians 9:11 says — and this is, to me, the hinge point in there, as Paul was talking and he's writing all these letters, I want you to see this, this, this really jumped out on me this past week, and I studying this out — he's laid out all the reasons in chapter 8, and in chapter nine he continues on talking about how that we have an opportunity, and how we should be sewing, and how that the lord loves a cheerful giver. But to me, everything hinges around verse number 11: yes, you will be enriched in every way, so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who are in need, they will thank God. That you catch that? You will be enriched in every way. The next two words are what: so that. So that, to me, it all hangs right there on so that. That you're going to be rich. Now there's, there's Prosperity doctrine that gets preached in Christianity, and that is not of God. God loves his kids and God takes care of his kids, but it's not all for me to be lavished on myself, and how big I can build up my house and my kingdom and my bank account and my cars and my vacation and my trips. And I'm not against those things. There there's, there's a right and a proper place for all that stuff. But I don't know how one walks away from reading through the scriptures with an open heart and an open mind, being led by his spirit, that you draw any other conclusion, that God will bless you so that — leave that verse up there — so that you can take those gifts and bless somebody else with them. And when you do that, who gets the praise? God gets the praise. So, so many times we pray for things in our life, and we see things going on in our world, and we often times are praying: God, I just want you to — I want you to come down in Murphysboro. I want you to come down our city. I want you to just move in Mighty ways. I want you to, I want you to reach into our communities. And I want you to mend all the broken relationships and the family Dynamics and all the homes and the hurting people. I want you to do those things. And what we expect is that that those things, those Miracles, those things, are going to happen vertically. There going to be vertical. Like, we pray, God, you do it. And then we sat back saying, well, I prayed for it to happen. But I want you to know, more often than not, when you read through scriptures, the vertical interaction is not how it happened. There was a cry out, and then God says, you go. There's a cry: God, do something. Do something around me. Do something in my co-worker's life. Do something in my family's life. Do something in my school. Do something at the workplace. And God says, okay, I got you there, I got you there. And we're trying to make a vertical connection, and God saying: look, I, you need to be connected to me, but horizontally I want to use you. I think about Moses as he leads the children out, out of Egypt, and God's delivering them from their enslavement, and all the things have been going on. God heard their cry, and he had a discussion with Moses and said, I want to do this. And there's a lot of dialogue that goes on. But when it finally takes place and he's leading them out, it says he comes up to the Red Sea, and Moses comes to those moment — he's want to have a vertical moment, because he's seing God do some things, so he's want to have a vertical moment with God: God, we're here, you're going to have to part to see. And God says: okay, you stretch out your Rod. Well God, I can't part A SE. No, you can't part A se, but you can raise a rod. And if you'll raise the rod, we'll part the sea, we'll part the sea. So there there's a part of the Kingdom that you and I are to be involved in. And we see things going on, sometimes, times it's you and I that need to take the first step, and we need to get involved. We see something broken in our community, we need to reach out. When we see that we need to reach into the jails and open up recovery sin, then we need to take the action. God will honor, and God will come along with us, and God will do his part. But more often than not, he's looking for you and I to exercise our faith and say: God, I know you can do it, and if you need me, I'm right here. How different our world would be if that was our attitude: God, I know you can do it, but if you need my help, if, if I can contribute in any way, I'm right here, willing to go. That's living a life of generosity. See, far too many times we think living the generous life is always tied to our wallets and our pocketbooks. And it is many times, but it's also attached to our calendars. It's also attached to our worship, attached to our time, talent, and abilities. We see that the blessings of God are a part of living for him. It's impossible, possible to live for God and not have an abundantly blessed life. But how you Steward those things makes all the difference. And again, I don't, I don't have a lot of time today to do a deep dive into this, but if you are interested, I encourage you to study out. And I feel like it's impossible for you to come to other, any other conclusion than this: that everything we have in our life are given to us by God, to Steward correctly. When you go through and you look what God did in Genesis 2: 15, when he put Adam and Eve in there, it says: and the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. That is stewardship language, not ownership language. He didn't say, I'm going to put you in the gard, and the garden belongs to you. He said: I want to put you in the garden, and I want you to take care of it. It's my garden. He puts us here in this world. He puts us here in 2024. He puts us in our family environment. He puts us in our work environment. He puts us in our school environment. And he says: Hey, I want you to tend it. I want you to keep it. I want you to pay attention. I'm going to, I'm going to open doors for you, and I'm going to put people specifically in your life that I want to work through you to get to them. Do you realize that sometimes you're the only Jesus people will ever see? The word of God says that we are ambassadors. We are Representatives everywhere we go. And there are times that I have not always represented him well. So we got to be good stewards. The same language he was used in Genesis 12, when he says to Abraham — he says: I'm going to bless you. I want to bless you. In fact, through you, the world's going to be blessed. Through you, nations are going to be blessed. What was he saying? I'm going to be with you. So living for God brings blessings, but the blessings are never intended for us to only consume ourselves. We are to be a channel, a conduit through which His blessings flow through. Because some people have no clue how to have a vertical relationship, so they have to have a horizontal relationship ship with someone like you and I who can introduce them to him. And the only way that happens is when you and I open up and start living a generous life, and realize that the things that come my way are not only meant for me to stack up and store up just for myself, but I should be, something that it flows through and channels through. My time, my talent, my abilities, and my finances are something that I need to be a good Steward of in my life. And there's powerful impact in this. One of my, one of the most famous stories in scripture, of Jesus's miracles, of the Five Loaves and two fishes. It's a beautiful story. I think it's very appropriate in this service today to think about in this context. That Jesus is around, he sees a need, he's with his disciples. He looks around and says: hey, yeah, they're, they're kind of getting hungry. And when I read that story, I feel like he probably said they're hangry. And by the response of the disciples, we know they were hry, cuz they didn't have the best response. But he says: I want you to feed him. Go back and read the story. And of course, immediately they're like, we didn't even bring a lunch. Your, you know, they were starting to point fingers, like, why didn't you bring the basket? So they're looking around, because he told him, he said, I want you to do it. They started making excuses. And finally, finally, one of them says: look, hey, all, all I managed to find is this little boy here. He's got a Lunchable. It's a old school lunchable. Yeah, he's got some fish, a little bit of bread. He never told them what to do. He just said, you do it. He already knew what he was going to use, and he knew they would find it if they looked for it. And they bring the Loaves and Fishes to them, and what does God do? God does what he always does: he takes it and He blesses it, and he multiplies it. Now, the beautiful story that's here — and I missed it for so many years — is their willingness to use what they had and what they could find came back to them at the end. Because it says, when everybody had been set down and everybody was fed, that they took up the leftovers, and they brought back — how many baskets? 12 baskets. Because if you'll give what little you have, he'll take it, he will use it, he will bless it, he will multiply it. It'll meet the need, and the leftovers that'll come back into your life will be more than you had when you started. Now, we don't do it that way. We don't say: God, hey, I'm going to give my fish stick, cuz I want back a steak dinner. Cuz we'd all be in on that, wouldn't we, like that kind of ratio. But it was, that was not the mindset. The mindset was: hey, I don't know if you can do anything with this, but this is — It's powerful, God, I looked, and this is what I have. Listen, I know there's some in the room today that you don't have a lot. You, when we started talking, when Jason got up and started talking, you realized: oh my goodness, I showed up today and it's a giving Sunday. Pastor, if you only knew how little I had. Look, I'm not trying to take, I'm not trying to take. This is not between me and you. This is between you and him. I'm just going to tell you that in the entirety of my life, I've watched the Abundant overflow of living a life being committed to him. I've watched it. I've witnessed it. And I have seen how God has given back into our life. And it hasn't always been a bank account, bank account grow up. In fact, more often than not, we identify with what Jason says. We give something big, and then something breaks. So it's almost like we're like, well, it's fixing tear up now, cuz we're fixing the write a check. What's barely working, because it's probably about to die. But you give, you take your Loaves and your fishes, and you say: this is all I have, this is all I have. I wonder, I wonder if maybe, maybe you just go, maybe you just give me a little bit of latitude today. I wonder what that boy story was like when he went back home. Maybe, maybe he got one of the baskets. Maybe he goes into the door of his little, little Homestead there, says: guys, I got dinner for days. What happened? Mom, you're not going to believe this. I took my lunchable, and the big fella said he needed it. And I was a little intimidate, but I gave it. And he brought me back a basket. Not only that, but Mom, I'm so full right now from eating. I mean, we had a big old fish fry. I know, I know, I know, I'm taking a little latitude with that. But my point is: he always will take what little we have. So living a life of overflow, living a life of generosity — generosity is determined, ladies and gentlemen — I'm getting ready to close; in fact, the musicians can come — generosity is determined by your trust. Who do you trust is going to take care of you? Do you trust that God will take care of you, or do you trust that your money is going to take care of you? The Bible says: no man can serve two masters. You're going to love the one and hate the other. So you got to determine, you got to determine — Paul says, each of us should give what we have decided in our heart to give, not reluctantly, not under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful Giver. God is able to bless you and I abundantly, he is. But the blessings that come our way are not meant for always, not always meant for personal consumption. Let me ask you a question: the last windfall you had, the last bonus you had, the last blessing that came your way — was there ever a moment when you stopped and asked God, I wasn't expecting this, is there something that you want me to do with this? The reality is, ladies and gentlemen, you and I live great lives. The poorest one of us in the room lives a good life. We do. I, I've been bless in my life to travel to some, some, some, some horrible situations in third world countries, going some on some trips. I've seen some stuff. We live a blessed life. So I'm asking you today: have you ever thought about living a life of generosity? Generosity deepens our intimacy with him, because it brings to light who my real God is. If money is your real God, then you will hoard. If money is your happiness, then you will consume. But if God is your security, you'll be generous. You'll say: Lord, if you're laying it on my heart, then I will. If his will is your joy, you'll give, and you'll go, and it's far better. So here's, here's a way on the end today. There's a QR code on the screen. Now, if you're a guest in the house, we are so blessed that you are with us today, and so thankful that you are here today. And I don't want you to feel — unless God is laying something on you — I don't want you to feel obligated to do this. I'm talking to Centerpoint. If, if this is your home church, if I'm your pastor, I want you to know: this past year we've spent over $400,000 making improvements on this campus. We had several roof issues that were on our old buildings that were over there. Even, even this new building, we had some stuff that we had to take care of. We've had multiple HVAC units. We had to put a 20-ton unit in the chapel. All these things going all. And we've been upgrading audio video equipment that we, that we brought over from the old Sanctuary to here, because at the time we didn't have money to replace it. But a lot of that has died, and we've had to replace. And it's just, it takes — you guys know, you've been to the grocery store — everything we buy around here, when they tell me the price, I almost have a moment and just pass out. But we didn't one time ask you. We just took it out of the general funds. And thank God, your faithful giving, we've been able to do that. But I want you to know, my goal is to get rid of the debt that we're in. And I was really wanting to put a big chunk down on that debt this, the end of this year. But $400,000 we had to spend, other things. REM mild in the youth room. So Jason and I begin to talk about it, and he laid on his heart. I told him, I said, I really feel like that's right. I feel like we do an amazing job. Every first quarter of the year, we talk about our missions Sunday, and we give to missions. We're going to keep giving the missions, because this is the right thing to do. And we've been blessed because we give the missions and help do. But I also feel like there should be a part of us that just knows: I need to give. I need to give to the capital campaign. I just need to give what goes on. So I'm going to pray. There's a QR code right there now, for — I know not everybody's okay doing something on now. This QR code is going to take you to a page that you can create a pledge. It's a one-year pledge. It's all it is. Whatever you think, is an individual or as a family, that you feel like God has laid on your heart to do, do it. You can do as a onetime thing. You can do it as a recurring gift. It's, it's between, it's just between you. It's just a pledge. All we're going to get back on that part is how the pledges are coming in. And it's the easy way for you to track, if you want to keep up with. Now, if you don't like online stuff — cuz I know there's a couple of you in here, did you put the colander on your head when you go outside? If you don't want anybody tracking you, it's okay. Some of you know, you still got the bag phone in your car out there. If that's you, if you, if you don't, if you, if that you don't want that, our precious sister Pam, Church administrator, she's going to be in the, in the foer out there. She's going to have a table set up. If you would like to just do it in person, right there with her — she's the lady who counts all the beans anyway, trustworthy, we love sister Pam — if that's what you would prefer to do, if You' like to set up a pledge with her, tell her. She's going to be out there in the foyer, and you can stop by there and do that as well. Here's what I know: if anybody is living proof that you can't outg give God, it's me. I miss my dad. My dad loves Sundays like this. These were some of his favorite Sundays, because my dad lived a life of generosity. He lived a life — so I got a front row to seat to watch how it was played out in front of me. I got to see it. I can tell you: it's the best way to live. Give God your time, your talent, your abilities, and your finances. Again, I'm not saying give it all away. That's not what we're talking about today. I'm not talking about emptying out. I know brother Jason said about selling everything they have and give to the kingdom. Some of y'all just locked down. Okay, that's not what we're talking about. But you pray, in just a minute, you pray whatever the Lord lays on your heart, whatever he directs you to do. Just be obedient today, and see what our God will do. Because I know this: in most every case, most every case, he wants you and I to be involved in what he's doing. He wants you and I to be a part of growing his kingdom, and living out his Kingdom Purpose and plan. Now, as we pray this closing prayer — and I say closing prayer, because if you have a need and you want to pray in the altar, we're going to pray with you as well, so come on down. This isn't just about — if you want, if you, if you need salvation, today is the day. Yeah, God's already showed that he is approved by what happened earlier in the service. God is with us today. We're going to pray. QR code for you can go out in the forer. Let's pray. God, I love you so much. I'm so thankful, Lord, number one, that you were here in such a powerful way already today. We feel you near and close. God, I know sometimes, when it comes to the subject of money, we can get a little tense, because God, it takes money to live in this world. But I don't want money to be, be my God. And I don't want to put my faith and my trust into something I can't count on. But God, I can count on you. Have been good to me in my life. You have been faithful. You have been true. You have been Jehovah Gyra. You have been my provider. So Lord, I pray that we can honor you today, with a commitment for your church, for your kingdom, and for your glory. Lord, I pray that you would guide us, that you would direct us, you would lead us, as you always please do. In Jesus name we pray, and amen. Amen. If you'd like to pray, we're going to be down the altar praying.