The Grace Of Giving

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 2:18

And

Anchor Scriptures For Giving

SPEAKER_00 2:19

it's always a very special day when we gather to um prepare ourselves to be able to give uh towards uh the ministry activities. And I want to go and read a scripture here that has been that will be our anchor this weekend, uh, even as we uh continue to step out there and give and do what we need to do. Uh and in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, uh it's going to be our anchor scripture to 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and chapter 9 as well. Uh, it's first letter of the end of the Corinthians, and I want to go and read it, and then uh we'll say uh I'll share a few things and then uh we'll spend the last uh few minutes in prayer because the Lord encourages us to uh to to give. Uh so 2 Corinthians chapter 8, and the Bible says, and now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches in the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity for testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability, entirely on their own. They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people, and they exceeded our expectations. Um, they gave themselves first of all to the Lord and then by the will of God also to us. So we urge Titus just as he had made uh just as he had earlier made a beginning to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you exal in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we have kindled in you, see that you also exhale in this grace of giving. Um say amen to that. Uh, this is Paul encouraging them to exile. Uh, if you um if you put that the that word becomes excellence, uh excellent, excel, excellence, excellent. Those are all words that are come out from that word of excel, uh, that Paul is encouraging the Corinthians, he's saying, but since you excel, so the Corinthian church was already excellent in everything, they were already excellent in faith, they were excellent in speech, they were excellent in knowledge, they were excellent in complete earnestness and in the love that had been kindled in them. And Paul now encourages them. He says, also, I would like you to be excellent in this grace of giving. And then

Cheerful Giving And Sowing Generously

SPEAKER_00 5:34

he continues to uh to to say, um, you know, he continues on to talk about sending Titus there, but in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, and you can you can the scripture continues, there's very powerful scripture on giving, but in chapter 9, he says, um, there's no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord's people, for I know your eagerness to help. And I've been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year, uh you since last year, you in Akayah were ready to give, and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. I'm sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow. But you may be ready as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we not to say anything about you, would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one given, not as one grudgingly given. Then verse 9 it says, Remember this whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Then he says, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Thus it is written, they are freely scattered, their gift to the poor, their righteousness endures forever. And then he says, Now you will supply seed to the sower, and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will also you'll you will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous, generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thus giving to uh to God. Then 12 says, This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people, but is also of overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God because of the service by which you have proved yourselves. Others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else, and in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you because of their surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his desirable gift. Now,

Equity And Shared Burden In Ministry

SPEAKER_00 9:18

brethren, as we enter this weekend, um, that is very, very um important. Um maybe just read uh second uh the is uh first Corinthians chapter eight. Um there is um first 13. It's a very important one. Uh before I go on so we get the context here. It says our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard-pressed, but that there might be equality at the present time. Your plenty will supply what they need so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as is written, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Say amen to that. So, brethren, as we enter into this weekend, um, where we come together to sacrificially pray and uh give our resources to support, go to work. Uh, this scripture that Paul wrote to the Corinthians has been sort of ringing my heart, and uh, we shared it last yesterday with the brethren in Mombasa, and um we'll continue with it today, um, this morning as we prepare ourselves for the Nairobi uh teams giving. Now,

Why Paul Points To Macedonia

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Paul was um writing to the Corinthian church, and in chapter eight, uh he he talks about the grace that the Macedonian churches had uh had enjoyed. Now, if you read the scripture, of course, chapter eight, and you combine it chapter nine, you'll see that the Corinthian church had expressed a desire to give. Now, we are not told exactly what he were giving for, but we know that you were giving to the ministry um that Paul was undertaking. Because we see him saying, I'm sending Titus, uh my faithful um partner, to come and collect these gifts. So the Corinthian church had expressed a desire for them to uh to give and to support. And then Paul went to Macedonia, and while Paul is in Macedonia from the scripture here, he then shared, I believe, the same um vision to the Macedonian church. And as he was sharing with the Macedonian church, he was making reference to actually the church in Corinth. And he was telling the Macedonian church that um, you know, he was actually boasting. Um, if you read the scripture very well, you see that Paul was like, as he encouraged the Macedonian church, he was making reference to the church in Corinth. And he was and really telling the Macedonian church, I this brethren are great, they have expressed a desire to give, to support, and he really boasted. Um, and really he was very proud of the of the Corinthian church while he's in Macedonia. Then the Macedonians responded, they responded in faith, and the the response from the Macedonian church in a way shocked Paul because he then now writes to the Corinthians, telling them what he has seen in Macedonia. And he says, one, um, this Macedonian church, we want you first of all to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Their response, you know, um shocked Paul. So he decides to write to the Corinthians. He says, I want you, as you prepare to give, I want you to know what is happening here in Macedonia. That there's a special grace that has been released here in the Macedonian churches. And

Joyful Generosity In Severe Trial

SPEAKER_00 13:16

he says that we are going through a very severe trial. Severe trial. And I know women know that we are living in very trying periods, in in difficult periods that we are living in, even in our nation. The Macedonian church was going through a lot of severe triumph. But he says the overflowing joy and their extreme poverty, they were joyful, and they were also going through a lot of poverty. That means you don't have to um uh joy and um joy and what you have are not related. The Macedonian church says they were absolutely in extreme poverty, but that poverty welled up, uh, first of all, they were very joyful, and then that poverty welled up in rich generosity. So you can you may not have much, but you can actually be generous. And that's what Paul was alluding to here. He says this this brethren in Macedonia, they didn't have much, they were going through a lot of trial, they were in extreme poverty, but in the midst of that, he saw something he called rich generosity. Rich generosity. And I'm here to encourage us this morning, brethren, that the God of the generous does not sleep. The God of the generous is faithful, the God of the generous stands by them. And this ministry, we are witness of that uh of that of that power of God. Um we have enjoyed, uh, we have um we have enjoyed um generosity, we have seen what God can do to those that are generous. And the Macedonian church, we are showing that. And then Paul now begins to talk to them about what he saw. He says that they I can testify that they gave as much they were as much as they were able, so they gave as much as they were able, but he says they even went beyond their ability, they stretched themselves when the need was presented. Uh the Macedonian church responded, first of all, according to their ability, then stretched themselves beyond the ability. And then he says it was entirely on their own. Paul did not have to do anything, he did not have to push them, it was absolutely on their own. That's why now Paul writes this letter to the Corinthian church saying, Hey, what I've seen here in Macedonia, I want you guys in Corinth to be aware of it. He says, One, they gave on their own. And then the second thing that he saw is that they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in the service of the lost people. They not only um did it on their own, but they were actually pleading. They pleaded with Paul what a privilege we have that we can be partakers of this ministry. They pleaded

The Shunammite Woman’s Revelation

SPEAKER_00 16:09

with Paul, and then my my um heart was transported, um, my mind was transported to um second Kings. Second, uh the second uh let me let me just take my take your first Kings chapter 4, verses 8. First Kings chapter 4, verses 8, where we see um, you know, where we see the same pattern being repeated in this the Shunamite woman in in 1 Kings chapter 4 verses 8. This one day Elisha went to Shunem, and a well-to-do woman was there who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. And then in first night, she said to her husband, I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let us make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table and a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes. Now, in Shunem, this woman whose name we are not given, we are talking just she was a Shunammite woman. She came from that place in Shuneb. We also told that she was a well-to-do woman. When the man of God Elisha passes by, she got a revelation that this was a man of God, this was a ministry, this was a church that needed our support, this was an institution that needed our support. This was a man of God that needed support. Um, and and then you see Elisha represented ministry, he represented the move of God, he represented the church, he represented um the move of God. And this woman got a revelation. This is a man of God, and I would like to participate in providing for him. So, what she did was she urged, she urged the man of God um to stay for a meal. Now, when you go to the Macedonians as well, you see them urging Paul, and I was I was really getting challenged, and I pray that somehow the church will get back to that, and where the leavers um we have such a deep revelation, we have such a uh a good revelation of God's work where we actually urge. We are urging, we are eager to participate, to stand in for the work of God. And it begins with a revelation. It took a revelation for the Shunammite woman to realize this is not an ordinary place. And you know, brethren, I believe um, you know, what we are doing is not ordinary. Um, what we are doing here is a ministry. Um, you know, and we you know, yesterday I was we were talking to Brother, but this has been now our 31st year. Every year we are gathering like this to give um to support God's work, and we have seen the impact, we have seen the testimonies of what God is doing, testimonies in our middle, um, here, people that have been impacted by the ministry um that are here today, um, others are continuously to be impacted. And so I believe with all my heart that what we are doing is not ordinary, it's not um is is not is it's not ordinary. I think it's the revelation that this woman of God, God. So when they realized that this was an extraordinary, this was an extraordinary ministry of this man of God, he said, I want to be part of this. This woman said, I want to be part of what is happening here. And so she tells the man of God, I want you to be passing by here, and I want you to, I want you to make an effort, I want you to stay here, I want you to stay for a meal, and not once, not twice. I want you to keep coming. Um, she was generous, she opened her home, she opened her heart, and she said, I'm going to serve you from a position of generosity. And then this woman did not want anything, she just got a revelation. It's a work of God, this is the move of God. And I want to be part of this, I want to tap into this, I want to be part of this. And I believe that that's the reason why this woman is mentioned in the Bible. There are many places that Elisha passed by, but we don't hear of them. We only hear of the Shunammite woman because the Bible says Elisha would move, he was moving from place to place. And I don't think that this is the only place that Elisha passed by. There were many homes around there, there were many families around there. But the Bible singles out this woman because she got a revelation and said, I want to be part of this. And I pray that the Lord restrope the church there. Um, because when you look at what's happening in the church is not normal. We see a lot of struggle. Um, we see a lot of struggle in the work of God. We see people have to be pushed, people are to be coerced, um, we have to do this, we have to do a lot of things, and we thank God we've not, uh, you know, for 30 years that we have served God, we have not struggled as a ministry. Um, and and that's that's that's true to God's word. Uh, we've not struggled. We have, you know, we've seen God come through and provide for us in in very in, I would say, very unique ways as a ministry. From the day we started, we have never, ever relied on any external support from anyone outside of this ministry, outside us. And God has continues to be to bless us and to and And to really honor us. So then this woman recognized, she got a revelation that this was something I wanted to be part of. And not just in a small way. Now, in the Macedonian church, um, which is a picture of that as well, they they pleaded with Paul. It's a privilege, it's a privilege to share, it's a privilege to be part of this. We want to, you know, we want to participate. Um, here and I pray that this spirit will be released upon the church of Jesus Christ. Um, if the if if the if those of us who call ourselves Christians and understood and we got the revelation, there would never be struggle in the house of God. The church of Jesus Christ will be respected, um, will be uh will be a solution and an answer to many problems that are beefing the nation and the church and you know today. So they pleaded with with the poor for the privilege. And then in verse 9, then now they say, and they exceeded our expectations. They exceeded our expectations. Um, you know, those of those who are teachers know when I when I when you do that when you mark at the examinations and you look at the results of this of the students, you've got and you see, wow, you know, as every teacher has expectations of his pupils or his students. I know what my students are capable of doing, and I'm teaching them, I know their competence, I know they are what they are capable of. But occasionally, when you are doing, when you set up an examination and you are marking, there are some that come in and actually exceed expectations. And this is what the Macedonian church did. They exceeded uh Paul's expectations. So they gave themselves first to the Lord, uh and then the Bible says, and they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then by the then they also then they uh and then by the will of God to Paul as well. So they first of all gave themselves to the Paul. But in first seven now says, We but since you you excel in faith, in speech, in knowledge, we want you also to be excellent in the grace of giving. So the Paul is now telling them, given what I've seen happening in Macedonia, we are coming to you. And there are maybe some Macedonians who may come together with us. And we have been telling the Macedonians about you in Corinth. We don't want, if any of the Macedonians come, we don't want to be embarrassed. We want the 30 things that we have been boasting about you, we want it to become a reality. That's why Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians. He told them, We want you. We have seen the way you excel in in speech, you have seen how you excel in love, you have seen how you excel in everything else, and we want you to be excellent, to have excellence when it also comes to giving. And brethren, we pray that the spirit of excellence will be released in our giving. Um, because when it is said here in Paul says, we want you to be excellent, um, we want you to be excellent in the in giving. Because when there is excellence, then there is equity. Paul talks about he says that uh we the the one principle here is the principle of equity. We want um those who are we want you want you to carry the the the the the weights and the weight of the ministry in equal measure. That's actually what Paul is putting here. He's saying we want, if possible, we want equity, we want equity. So as we step in, God knows what we are each one of us capable of. And this was it was saying in the Corinthians. We want you, we you know, we want you to carry equal measure so that the work of God can become light, so that those who are who are poor, maybe who have little may not feel like they have little, and those who have excess, they feel they may not have excess. We want equality. That's what Paul was encouraging the Corinthians, and he says, we want you to get prepared. That's why we are sending titles ahead, because some Macedonians might come with us to Corinth, and we don't want to be ashamed of what you the performance that you are going to be. So the God wants equity, he wants equal measure. He's that's why it says we uh he says when we give according to your ability, if we all give according to our ability, then we will all be able to carry equal weight of the work of God. And um, I think it begins with that with the it begins with revelation, and the revelation is what gave the woman in the Shunamite woman the the power to urge um uh to urge them Elisha to stay for a meal. But then what I believe what makes her mention is what she did beyond that. You know, Paul again here in he talks about the Macedonians, and he says the Macedonians first of all gave according to their ability. So they gave according to their ability, but then he saw them stretch themselves even beyond their ability, and that's what made it extraordinary. That's what I believe is being mentioned here. The woman, the Shunamite woman, begins with a meal. She says, I want to make you a nice meal here so that whenever you are passing by, you can have a meal together with us. And then she did, she does it once. We don't know how many times she did. The man of God kept coming because she was generous, she opened her heart and and she came. Then she then proceeds to do something extraordinary. She tells the husband, This is a man of God. It's not enough for me to just give a cup of tea and bread for this man of God. I want us to do something extraordinary. Let us make a room for him, let us build a room for him up there, a chamber. Let us make it, let's prepare it. Let us let us make it available for him so that whenever he comes, he may not just have a meal, he can have more than a meal, he can stay behind, he can rest, he can refresh, he can recharge as he continues on with his ministry. And that I believe is what unlocked things because it is after this woman went beyond what is normal when she stretched herself. She said, No, it's not good enough for me just to do what is expected of me to just reach my ability. She said, I want to do something beyond something that I've never done, something that that is unique. She was thinking, How can I be a blessing? How can I do more? She said, I'm going to do our house. I'm not going to just give her a meal a meal. I will do something special. And she put up a house for the man of God. And um, you know, the man of God is watching all these things, and um, you know, we don't we don't know how long this went on. We don't know uh how how many times Elisha came, enjoyed that house, and went on. What we know is that the Bible says, one day, one day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down

Don’t Grow Tired Waiting For One Day

SPEAKER_00 29:10

there. Now I want to encourage us brethren. Let us not get tired, let us not get tired in supporting God's work, let us not get tired in going out of our way, let us not get tired in uh sacrificing for God's kingdom, not just here in Krem, but every place where God would put you. Don't get tired. There is a one day, there's a one day, one day the Bible says, one day when Elisha came. And he laid down there. And as he's lying on that thing, something started him up. We don't know how long it took. I don't know how long it's gonna take before your one day. Um, as we continue giving, as we continue serving God, that it may look like a long time, um, you know, just sacrificing, we're gonna sacrifice again, and we're gonna go beyond our means, beyond our abilities, stretching ourselves. But what I know is that one day Lisha is sitting in that in that room and he senses, he calls the servant Gehazi, and he says, you know, this woman has gone through all this trouble for us. Yes, this woman has gone through all this trouble for us. What can be done for her? Remember, she had no intention, she was just doing this out of a clean heart. Um, she was completely settled, satisfied that that one day changed everything. That one day changed uh um this woman's life. Guys, it's just guys, what can we do for this woman? She's gone out of our way, you know, out of our way. I want to say when you go out of your way, brothers and sisters, to support God's work, even in the midst of your own luck. Remember, this woman is going out of her way. She has no child, she's barren, um, she's rich, she has everything. But deep inside her, you know, there's no woman who does not want a child. You can imagine the pain she had gone through. She's rich, she has everything, but she has no child. She has this big need in her heart, she has big this big requirement in her heart. But despite all that, despite our pain, she's stretching out and and and supporting the man of God and serving God. And you know, we all have our own barrenness. We all have our own barrenness that we are going through, um, that requires our attention, that will drain us and make us look inwardly. Um, you know, and that's what the enemy likes. He likes us to keep looking inwardly into our own luck, into our own challenges, into our own problems. And then we the enemy wants us to be inward focused. Um, because as long as we are inward focused, then we cannot we cannot tap into the throw of God. The enemy wants us to be focused on our challenges and our lack, on our pain, on our grieving, on our sorrows. Um, you know, and then that's what the enemy wants us to focus. But this woman said, I'm not focusing on my barrenness. I have a revelation. This is a man of God, and as I go through my pain, I want to ease his pain. You know, when you when you ease others' pain, as you go through your own pain, God remembers. When you ease others' pain, as you go through your pain, God one day remembers. And this is what happened. Said, oh, this woman has gone through all this trouble, this pain with all these issues. What can be done for her? And I pray this morning, brethren, as we gather together, um, you know, this special Sunday service. May the Lord remember us. May the Lord remember you. And may the Lord remember your pain, your grief, your your emptiness. May the Lord remember, may your day come through, may your one day come quickly in Jesus' name. And he says, What can be done for her? And he says, and I speak to the on behalf of the king for her. Um, you know, she said, No, me, I'm okay. I have a home. What can be done for her? Um, then Elisha says, like he has, he says, She has no son, and her husband is old. She has no son, and her husband is old. That means there was a gap between the age of this woman and the husband. There was a gap because the husband was old. He doesn't say the woman was old, he says no, she has no son, and the husband is old. And Elisha said, Call her, and she came and stood on the doorway, and he said, About this time next year, you'll hold a son in your hands. And that was the turning point for this woman of God. Brethren, let us not get tired. The Macedonian churches were eager, um, you know, they they they they they they they they went beyond their means, um, they gave themselves, and they were an example of the Corinthian church. They never gave up. And Paul uses them as an example. And this woman continuously served, supported the work of God. And you know, she recognized the special grace that was in Elisha and said, I want to be part of this. Brethren, we have the opportunity to be part of God's agenda, not just here in Krem, but wherever you'll find yourself in. Um, you know, God is moving, God is doing stuff, is going doing things. I believe Krem is a good soil, it's a good opportunity for us to be part and parcel of. And so as we do that, let us not get tired, let's keep standing there, let's doing our give our best. Let us sacrifice if we don't give because we have no need. We have a lot of emptiness, we have a lot of you know things, big things that we need that need our resources, that need our attention. And this woman said, No, no, no, no, we are going to construct the house. I'm not look at my emptiness. I'm going to focus myself on serving the man of God. I'm going to serve this ministry. I'm going to serve this church. I'm going to stand there to be involved in what God is doing. Um, because if I can connect the move of God, then God is able to sort out my emptiness. And I pray this morning, brethren, this will be a special, extraordinary weekend, weekend for us a ministry, as we step forward and stand before God's stand with God's work. May the Lord remember you um as you sacrificially give, as you come together as a ministry and give. And so I'm

Prayer For Grace And Generosity

SPEAKER_00 35:36

going to invite us this morning uh to respond. We want to pray. I want to pray for God's grace. We want to pray that um uh generosity, otherwise, the one word that continuously rings through that chapter of 1 Corinthians chapter 8 and uh and and chapter 9 is generosity. Um, that you know, generosity was flowing in the Macedonian church, and Paul is asking them to tap into this generosity in Corinthians, and then he goes in to summarize in chapter 9 where he tells them, remember uh how this thing works. He says, remember, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, whoever sows generously will also reap generously, and then he says, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. He says, For God loves a cheerful giver. There's nothing that God loves, and a person, a giver who steps out, giving cheerfully, not under compulsion or under being pushed, but God loves a cheerful giver, and he says, Where that happens, he is able to bless us abundantly so that in all things, at all times, having all that we need, we may abound in every good work. He says, He who supplies seed to the soil and bread for food will also supply and increase your stock of seed and enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. Then he says, You will then be enriched in every way. I pray that today, as we gather together in worship, the Lord will enrich you in every single way. As we step out there and generously stand by God's work, this word will come true in our life. So I'm going to invite us this morning. Let's unmute, let's drink together, let's lift up our voices before God. Let's pray that Corinthians chapter 8 and Corinthians chapter 9 shall be manifested today as we come here. Yesterday we saw what God did in Mombasa yesterday, and here we are in Nairobi today. We pray that this scripture in chapter 8 and chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians will be fulfilled today. There will be richness of generosity and that there'll be stepping forward, there'll be eagerness, and there'll be going beyond. There'll be revelation, and you know, revelation as we serve God, and it's going to be powerful. So let's mute brethren. We'll join together in words of prayer.