SPEAKER_00: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_02: This morning we had our very first baptism at the Chaffee campus.
SPEAKER_02: We want to share that with you.
SPEAKER_02: It's a young lady named Pate who is uh attends UAFS, has been attending, and you'll hear a little bit about her testimony here.
SPEAKER_01: Bobby, let's watch that.
SPEAKER_02: This is Pate.
SPEAKER_02: Give her a big hand this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Tell her how much you love her.
SPEAKER_02: We are very excited.
SPEAKER_02: Uh she has a wonderful testimony.
SPEAKER_02: Uh we have all gotten to know her uh at varying levels, and she has a wonderful family that's all here with us.
SPEAKER_02: Wave at everybody.
SPEAKER_02: If you're here with Pate, wave to everybody this morning, and they're here for you.
SPEAKER_02: And uh she is excited to have her family and friends here.
SPEAKER_02: We're excited to have them as well.
SPEAKER_02: As we talked uh a few weeks ago, and it's Maverick and Abigail and Pate and I talked.
SPEAKER_02: She has uh loved the Lord, been involved in church, family, very supportive of that.
SPEAKER_02: Uh she is a freshman at UAFS and is involved in the BCM there.
SPEAKER_02: And as she has been uh engaged in that time, she's started visiting with us, she's been looking at looking for the right time to follow the Lord in believers' baptism and to be baptized to tell everyone that she has made Jesus her savior.
SPEAKER_02: And so she told us, hey, I'm loving the Chaffee campus.
SPEAKER_02: I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_02: This is the time I want to be baptized here.
SPEAKER_02: So, Fate, we ask you to talk to you this week, but there's been a time in your life when you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior.
SPEAKER_02: Fantastic.
SPEAKER_02: Well, let's get in.
SPEAKER_02: Let's try this out.
SPEAKER_02: Give me a hand here.
SPEAKER_02: All right, get settled in and the water is warm.
SPEAKER_02: It's good, isn't it, right?
SPEAKER_02: All right, Fate.
SPEAKER_02: It is gonna be my joy to baptize you as my sister in Christ, okay?
SPEAKER_02: So you ready?
SPEAKER_02: We baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02: Fantastic.
SPEAKER_02: That's exciting, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01: God is good, amen.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, let's do it that way.
SPEAKER_01: I messed it up.
SPEAKER_01: God is good all the time.
SPEAKER_01: We are so grateful for what God is doing out there.
SPEAKER_01: We had a wonderful service today.
SPEAKER_01: One of the guys told me he thought it was our largest day out there.
SPEAKER_02: And uh, so it was a wonderful thing to see that happen.
SPEAKER_02: We had a number of new members as well.
SPEAKER_02: We'll present another one at the end of the service.
SPEAKER_02: But it is just a blessing to see what God is doing here and there.
SPEAKER_02: We have baptism scheduled the 1st of December here, and so we're seeing God work and uh continue to move, and we are just so grateful.
SPEAKER_02: Well, we're going to finish our series on gratitude here today.
SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 9.
SPEAKER_02: This week we'll be studying verses on generosity.
SPEAKER_02: As you know, you received your brew books when you came in, and that's a devotional guide that we've been doing.
SPEAKER_02: If you are visiting with us, this is how this works.
SPEAKER_02: We have created these guides, and what they have is each day there's a Bible verse that we were all studying as a church family.
SPEAKER_02: And we use the word brew as an acrostic to sort of walk us through the process of how we meditate on scripture.
SPEAKER_02: Believe simply means when we come to God's word, we believe that God has something to say to us.
SPEAKER_02: That's what Scripture promises us about itself.
SPEAKER_02: The verse for the day, R is read and repeat.
SPEAKER_02: So you just read that over and over and over until it becomes comfortable with you and you start to get a familiarity with it.
SPEAKER_02: Then we're going to go back and we're going to slow down and read it more carefully and specifically.
SPEAKER_02: So E is each word, and you take each word and you just consider a little bit in your mind what each word means.
SPEAKER_02: Every single word in Scripture was chosen by God when He wrote it to us.
SPEAKER_02: And every word is important and special.
SPEAKER_02: And so what we want to do is take time and consider each word.
SPEAKER_02: There is always one word in the verse that I will write a little thing just to give you an example of how simple it is and what you do.
SPEAKER_02: And then there's space for you to write some notes on every other word.
SPEAKER_02: And at the end, W means write it down.
SPEAKER_02: And we're going to write it down because if God of the universe has spoken to us, then we want to write down what he has said to us and capture that.
SPEAKER_02: So it's very simple.
SPEAKER_02: This week we're going to be looking at the concept of generosity.
SPEAKER_02: There is so much in Scripture about generosity.
SPEAKER_02: And today I want you to think about this.
SPEAKER_02: Generosity flows from a grateful heart.
SPEAKER_02: Flows from a grateful heart.
SPEAKER_02: In 2 Corinthians chapter 9, we're going to read the whole chapter together.
SPEAKER_02: We didn't put it on the screen because of the chapter.
SPEAKER_02: But here's what I want to give you.
SPEAKER_02: The main truth for today, as we read through it, I want this to be in your mind and heart.
SPEAKER_02: So here's the main truth.
SPEAKER_02: Generosity is a character trait.
SPEAKER_02: Often we think about a generous act, a generous word, a generous gift.
SPEAKER_02: But generosity is actually a Bible word and it is a character trait.
SPEAKER_02: It's not just a one-time event or act or gift.
SPEAKER_02: It is the nature of who we are that flows from our gratitude in what Jesus has done for us.
SPEAKER_02: It is a character trait that develops in the heart of a Christ follower as our character of gratefulness for Jesus deepens.
SPEAKER_02: Now, as we've been talking about all the last few weeks, gratefulness or gratitude is a character trait.
SPEAKER_02: It is the DNA of who we are as believers.
SPEAKER_02: And if that is our DNA, then we are grateful for what God has put into our lives, what He's given to us, how He's provided, how He's saved.
SPEAKER_02: And if that is the case, then that gratitude does not get stopped up and bundled up in our lives.
SPEAKER_02: A grateful heart produces a generous heart.
SPEAKER_02: When God has blessed us, that blessing flows through us and it goes in to others.
SPEAKER_02: Listen, I don't do this a lot, but here's kind of some notes in the Bible that I'm preaching out of this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Here's what it says Our giving ought to be so organically connected to Christ's giving that our giving is seen as a natural outgrowth of Christ's giving.
SPEAKER_02: That's what it means to be generous.
SPEAKER_02: Now, as we read this chapter, I'll stop and comment on a few things.
SPEAKER_02: I want you to look for two things.
SPEAKER_02: First of all, look at every time the word generosity is used or a synonym, but you'll see the word generosity used a number of times.
SPEAKER_02: The second thing I want you to see is how it is connected to the character of the giver and the choices of the giver.
SPEAKER_02: I want you to see those two things as we read.
SPEAKER_02: Now, here in the book of 2 Corinthians, as many of you know, if you've been in church, if you haven't, here's the context of it.
SPEAKER_02: Paul, uh, on his missionary journeys planted a church in the city of Corinth.
SPEAKER_02: And that church continued to grow.
SPEAKER_02: And then as Paul went on other missionary uh endeavors and planted other churches around, the church in Corinth still loved Paul as their planting pastor.
SPEAKER_02: Now they had new pastors that came in, but they still love and respected Paul, and they would write him letters and ask his advice and questions and counsel, and he would write back.
SPEAKER_02: And so this is one of those letters where he wrote back.
SPEAKER_02: And in doing that, he's also speaking in this letter to the church because they had begun a large church offering around all of the churches and the areas where Paul has been, because the believers in Jerusalem, the church in Jerusalem, was in an economic difficult spot because of persecution and local economics and all of that.
SPEAKER_02: It was a tough time and they were in a tough way.
SPEAKER_02: And what Paul is saying is listen, all the churches we give and support the churches and give and support of the work of the church and brothers and sisters in Christ.
SPEAKER_02: All these churches have made pledges, and so now Paul is sending men around to collect all of the offerings to bring those back to Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_02: And so here's the letter, here's this part of the letter.
SPEAKER_02: Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints.
SPEAKER_02: And he describes this giving as a ministry to the saints.
SPEAKER_02: But he's talking specifically about that gift.
SPEAKER_02: For I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaea has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.
SPEAKER_02: In other words, as all these churches are collecting their offerings, Paul's been bragging on Corinth about how they've bought in and the pledges that they've made and how generous they are, and how generous they're going to be.
SPEAKER_02: And other churches have said, Well, hey, man, if they're that generous, let's do that too.
SPEAKER_02: Let's participate and be a part as well.
SPEAKER_02: So he says, I am verse 3, I am sending the brothers, so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter.
SPEAKER_02: So that you may be ready as I said you would be.
SPEAKER_02: Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready for this giving, this offering, we would be humiliated to say nothing of you for having been so confident in you.
SPEAKER_02: In other words, man, you can't make that pledge and then bail.
SPEAKER_02: Like if you're going to step in and you're going to engage, then meet that commitment that you've given, and Paul is sending people to help them be ready for that.
SPEAKER_02: Now he says in verse 5, so I thought it necessary, excuse me, to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and to arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift and not as a like mandatory thing.
SPEAKER_02: Extortion is what one virgin says.
SPEAKER_02: He says, Listen, we're giving because we want to participate with a generous spirit.
SPEAKER_02: We don't want this to be like we're arm twisting you.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 6, the point is this, Paul says.
SPEAKER_02: Now he gets really down to preaching and teaching.
SPEAKER_02: The point is this whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.
SPEAKER_02: And whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
SPEAKER_02: Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_02: Now, why do you think Paul taught that?
SPEAKER_02: God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_02: Listen to what some of these verses say about the Lord, about him as a giver.
SPEAKER_02: For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.
SPEAKER_02: Romans 8 says this if God did not withhold his son, how would he not, with Jesus, freely give us all things?
SPEAKER_02: If he gave us Jesus and Himself through the person of Jesus, why is he going to hold back anything else?
SPEAKER_02: Here's what the Bible says in James every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights in whom there is no shadow or turning.
SPEAKER_02: If that's who God is, and he gives that freely, and he gives every gift that there is, and he's given the fullness of Jesus, and he's given us blessings beyond that.
SPEAKER_02: The book of Ephesians, chapter 1, says this He has blessed us with every blessing in heavenly places through Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: That is the generosity of God and the grace with which he is given.
SPEAKER_02: Why would he not love someone who gives the way he gives?
SPEAKER_02: God would bless someone whose character is being transformed in his image and would give the way he gives.
SPEAKER_02: That's why Paul says God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_02: Because it reflects the giving heart of our Father.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 8, and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you and me, we may abound in every good work.
SPEAKER_02: As it is written, God, he, it's quoting the Old Testament, has distributed freely, for he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.
SPEAKER_02: He, God, who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
SPEAKER_02: You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
SPEAKER_02: For the ministry of this service, the giving in this offering, is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but it is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.
SPEAKER_02: By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
SPEAKER_02: Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.
SPEAKER_02: There's no other conclusion that you can come to.
SPEAKER_02: If we are saved by the gracious gift of God, and when you give your life to Christ, you begin a journey of now Jesus transforming you into his image.
SPEAKER_02: If you take those scriptures, for God so loved the world that he gave, if, as it says in Romans 8, he did not hold back his son, why would he not, with Jesus, freely give us all things?
SPEAKER_02: He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places through Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights.
SPEAKER_02: If he is transforming us into the image of Jesus, in other words, you give your life to Christ, and he begins this process of changing your mind and your heart and your behaviors and your choices so that every week you look more like Jesus than you did last week.
SPEAKER_02: Every month you look more like Jesus than you did last month, every year you look more like Jesus than last year.
SPEAKER_02: If that is the character of God and you're being transformed, then how are we not going to be generous givers?
SPEAKER_02: There's literally no other conclusion that you can come to.
SPEAKER_02: And Paul explains that here in this passage of Scripture that generosity is a character trait that is created in the heart of the believer so we reflect the heart of God.
SPEAKER_02: It's incredible to me.
SPEAKER_02: But in church life, you have so many things.
SPEAKER_02: Imagine how many people argue about, well, we don't have to tithe because tithing is an Old Testament legal thing, right?
SPEAKER_02: How many people are arguing about how much they don't have to give or how much they can justify the minimum of what they're giving?
SPEAKER_02: Well, let me just give you one little quick Bible lesson.
SPEAKER_02: Tithing is not a matter of Jewish law.
SPEAKER_02: Tithing predated the law from almost the beginning.
SPEAKER_02: Job tithed, oldest book in Scripture.
SPEAKER_02: Abraham tithed after a great victory, military victory, where they defeated an enemy.
SPEAKER_02: The Bible talks about a man who was referred to as the high priest named Melchizedek.
SPEAKER_02: In the New Testament, Melchizedek is specifically named as a picture of Jesus, our high priest.
SPEAKER_02: He is an Old Testament picture of Jesus, and the Bible says that Abraham came and gave a tenth of everything he had in worship to God through the high priest Melchizedek.
SPEAKER_02: So spare yourself of some embarrassment and abandon that argument about tithing is about the law.
SPEAKER_02: It is about a heart of worship.
SPEAKER_02: And just as it was from the beginning of the Old Testament in the life of Abraham, it is a gift of worship where you are grateful for what God has done for you and in your life.
SPEAKER_02: That's what it is.
SPEAKER_02: And here in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, it's described, and that's why generosity is not a one-time event, it is a character trait that develops in the heart of believers.
SPEAKER_02: Let me give you just three truths to sum this up for you this morning.
SPEAKER_02: Here's the first one: generosity flows out of gratitude for God's provision.
SPEAKER_02: You see, everything that you have in your life is a gift from God.
SPEAKER_02: You didn't earn it, you didn't create it, it's not about you.
SPEAKER_02: You didn't do it.
SPEAKER_02: Everything you have comes from God.
SPEAKER_02: Well, Pastor, I work hard at what I do, and I strive to be the best at what I am.
SPEAKER_02: Well, praise the Lord, because the Bible says, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
SPEAKER_02: It says that multiple times in Scripture that everything we do for God's glory.
SPEAKER_02: But let's break that down just for a minute.
SPEAKER_02: Did you pick your parents?
SPEAKER_02: I didn't pick my parents.
SPEAKER_02: Therefore, I didn't pick the DNA pool from which I came.
SPEAKER_02: I didn't create the chemistry of all of that that generated the personality, the skill sets, the IQ, the aptitudes, and all of that that make up the person of Greg.
SPEAKER_02: And you didn't choose yours either.
SPEAKER_02: The Bible tells us that God knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb.
SPEAKER_02: And the Bible says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
SPEAKER_02: So God made who you are, and God determined your DNA, and God gave you your gifts, and God gave you your talents.
SPEAKER_02: Why did he do that?
SPEAKER_02: Because God has a plan for your life.
SPEAKER_02: The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 2, for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
SPEAKER_02: Even our salvation comes from him, it comes totally from him.
SPEAKER_02: As we sing in those hymns, Jesus paid it all, and all to him I owe.
SPEAKER_02: For by grace are you saved through faith and not of yourselves.
SPEAKER_02: It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
SPEAKER_02: We are not allowed to boast about anything happening in our lives because it all came from him.
SPEAKER_02: And the next verse is this for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: We are again made, and now spiritually we are created in Jesus for good works that he has prepared beforehand for us to walk in.
SPEAKER_02: So God has a plan for your life.
SPEAKER_02: It's not just some preacher saying, He has a plan for you.
SPEAKER_02: He has good works for you to be a part of, he has ministry that he wants you to do, he has impact that he's created you for.
SPEAKER_02: He has placed you in the family and the school and the neighborhood and the job and the position that you're in, and he gave you all of that and he placed you there because he has ministry that he wants you to do.
SPEAKER_02: Everything that you have comes from him.
SPEAKER_02: And so all those skills that you use, that you work hard to accomplish, and you get bonuses and promotions, and you get you know, salary and all that deal, listen, all that comes from Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: That's what the Bible says.
SPEAKER_02: Look at what it says right here.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food.
SPEAKER_02: He is the one who provides all of that.
SPEAKER_02: And multiply your seed for sowing and increased the harvest of your righteousness.
SPEAKER_02: You will be enriched.
SPEAKER_02: Not enrich yourself, not accomplish all these things.
SPEAKER_02: You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.
SPEAKER_02: What we have comes from Him.
SPEAKER_02: We are not to stop the flow and become a reservoir of all this stuff God's giving us.
SPEAKER_02: We're to be a river, not a reservoir.
SPEAKER_02: You know what a reservoir is, right?
SPEAKER_02: You dam up a river and it fills up everything.
SPEAKER_02: And the water backlogs.
SPEAKER_02: And then some of us think, man, I can be a reservoir if I have a spillway.
SPEAKER_02: And so I can capture all this water and then I can trickle it out of the spillway if I think I've got enough that I need and enough that I can take care of.
SPEAKER_02: And so we will give out of the spillway while we're capturing all the flow.
SPEAKER_02: When the Bible says you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way.
SPEAKER_02: See, God pours through us and pours out.
SPEAKER_02: And why do some people have more than others?
SPEAKER_02: Because they get this principle.
SPEAKER_02: Now, God has a different design and a different plan.
SPEAKER_02: He places us in different places, and there are scriptures about all of that.
SPEAKER_02: But what we really need to understand is people who have a biblical worldview of generosity are always free and provided for in our better places than folks who are not.
SPEAKER_02: Most of the time we get ourselves in financial trouble or even in relational trouble.
SPEAKER_02: We get in trouble because we are being selfish and we are capturing and holding on to and trusting in what we think we have created without recognizing that it all flows from God and it's flowing into us for a purpose to flow out and impact other people around us.
SPEAKER_02: And listen, that's true in every part of life.
SPEAKER_02: It is true in our relationships.
SPEAKER_02: The Bible says, a new commandment I give you that you love one another as I have loved you.
SPEAKER_02: Jesus died for us.
SPEAKER_02: And we are not to be selfish with our lives, our heart, our love, and our care.
SPEAKER_02: We are to be generous the way generous was for us.
SPEAKER_02: Even forgiveness, think about this.
SPEAKER_02: Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32 says this.
SPEAKER_02: Be kind to one another.
SPEAKER_02: And then it says, be gracious and loving to one another.
SPEAKER_02: And then it says this: forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.
SPEAKER_02: Forgiveness flows to us and should be flowing out to others around us.
SPEAKER_02: Man, some of the worst examples of Christ are bitter Christians who have never forgiven.
SPEAKER_02: And who better to expressing the generosity of forgiveness than we are sitting in the grace and generosity of God for having forgiven us?
SPEAKER_02: And if it's true in all those other areas of life, it is true financially as well.
SPEAKER_02: It just is.
SPEAKER_02: And here, God is teaching generosity, and he's teaching where it comes from and how it works in the context of giving to the church and to ministry.
SPEAKER_02: Now, I'm not a fundraiser.
SPEAKER_02: I didn't surrender my life to the Lord to be a fundraiser, so we're not trying to talk about funds, but I am a pastor, and this is a spiritual, biblical character trait.
SPEAKER_02: It is incredible that we live in a church that since 1857 has built a pattern and DNA of generosity.
SPEAKER_02: We did not create that in our current membership of the church.
SPEAKER_02: We were given that DNA and taught that from generation back generation back generation back generation.
SPEAKER_02: And we have so many people in our church who express that.
SPEAKER_02: But it is a part of learning that what I have flows through me and out.
SPEAKER_02: And we have too many times that we have created it into something that's convenient or I can afford it or whatever.
SPEAKER_02: It's not a biblical excuse that you're worried about the economy.
SPEAKER_02: If you go back and read in chapter 8, the Bible says very specifically that one of these churches, stirred up by the Corinthians, says here in verse 1, we want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
SPEAKER_02: For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.
SPEAKER_02: It's not a thing to say, I'm saving for this or I've got to do that.
SPEAKER_02: It's not a matter of I'm saving for my kids' college or some other kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02: We live in a culture today where everybody's in a hawk up to their eyeballs.
SPEAKER_02: We got all this stuff going on.
SPEAKER_02: We vote for people who promise to give us free stuff when we're supposed to be impacting the world around us, not demanding that someone else provide for us.
SPEAKER_02: It's an incredible truth in the life of believers.
SPEAKER_02: Number two.
SPEAKER_02: Number two, generosity is a high standard of character that reflects God's grace to us.
SPEAKER_02: If it is something that He's building into us, it becomes a character and a DNA, and it is reflecting this God's grace and gift to us.
SPEAKER_02: Look at these things.
SPEAKER_02: If you read through here, and I'm going to encourage you to go back and look at them or read these scriptures as you're going through your brew process this week, it reflects our testimony of being saved.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 13, by their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ.
SPEAKER_02: If I have given my life to Jesus, it is no longer mine.
SPEAKER_02: If I have given my life to Jesus, I'm realizing that everything I have in my life, my salvation and everything else comes from his grace.
SPEAKER_02: And if he is transforming me to his image, then my testimony of my life should reflect the gospel and salvation that is in my life.
SPEAKER_02: Giving and generosity reflects your testimony of being saved.
SPEAKER_02: It reflects the gospel itself.
SPEAKER_02: The confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution for them and all others.
SPEAKER_02: And so what happens is people understand giving.
SPEAKER_02: They understand when a person is generous that it shows the generosity of Christ.
SPEAKER_02: If every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, then it ought to be handled through the giving of those who have trusted in Christ.
SPEAKER_02: As the Bible says, God enriches us to be generous with others, and that's a picture of the gospel.
SPEAKER_02: It stirs others to give.
SPEAKER_02: I love the beginning of this.
SPEAKER_02: This is so powerful.
SPEAKER_02: It is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaea has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred them up.
SPEAKER_02: Listen, generosity expands itself.
SPEAKER_02: Now, this is also true.
SPEAKER_02: Meanness generates meanness.
SPEAKER_02: Bad negative attitude generates negative attitude around us.
SPEAKER_02: Isn't that true?
SPEAKER_02: Gossip generates gossip.
SPEAKER_02: But generosity generates generosity.
SPEAKER_02: When you're around people who are generous, it affects you.
SPEAKER_02: When you see the church giving, when we take an offering like we will in December with the Lottie Moon Christmas offering and all of that, it is people coming together to give and it stirs the giving of each other.
SPEAKER_02: When you see those names out there for us to give to our homebound members or bus ministry families or whatever, people see that and we all go participate in that.
SPEAKER_02: Let me just tell you, it affects all of us.
SPEAKER_02: It affects me.
SPEAKER_02: One of the events that we had recently, we were doing some stuff, and I don't want to share because whoever was the subject of this story, if they thought I was sharing what they did, they would shoot me.
SPEAKER_02: So follow with me.
SPEAKER_02: We're doing an event at church, and somebody comes up and says, Pastor, I believe in that event, and I want to support that.
SPEAKER_02: And they gave me some money to go to make those things happen.
SPEAKER_02: And I'm telling you, it affected me.
SPEAKER_02: It was just the graciousness in which that person did that.
SPEAKER_02: And they gave part of that.
SPEAKER_02: And I just went home, Jan, I said, man, I want to be in line with the people in our church.
SPEAKER_02: And so we gave the rest of it.
SPEAKER_02: Just because it affected me.
SPEAKER_02: And that's not a story about me.
SPEAKER_02: I'm not trying to, I'm not trying to, it's about this person and their heart for Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: And I'm telling you, it affected me.
SPEAKER_02: I thought, I want to be like them.
SPEAKER_02: I want to stand beside that person because of what they do.
SPEAKER_02: Listen, you think about in our Sunday school classes, for example, when somebody in your group signs up for a mission trip and they tell you you're going for a mission trip.
SPEAKER_02: Man, the people in our church that come in those classes and they just give because I want to help that mission trip.
SPEAKER_02: I can't go, but I want to be a part of it.
SPEAKER_02: And it's one and then another and then another and then another.
SPEAKER_02: It's incredible.
SPEAKER_02: Generosity grows and expands itself.
SPEAKER_02: It stirs people in the church.
SPEAKER_02: It's incredible when we have kids going to camp and things like that.
SPEAKER_02: And people come up and they're giving scholarships and then another person and another person, they're giving in that.
SPEAKER_02: And it's the DNA of our church.
SPEAKER_02: Why?
SPEAKER_02: Because the generosity in our church is expanding that generosity.
SPEAKER_02: Now, we've been doing, for example, Faith Forward offering long enough that when we do that, man, people are stepping in and giving because they know other people are giving to that, and the giving numbers around that are incredible because everyone wants to be a part, and they want to stand side by side with their brothers and sisters, and they know they're giving and we want to give to.
SPEAKER_02: Verse 13, by their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission.
SPEAKER_02: What's the verse say above that?
SPEAKER_02: Verse 12.
SPEAKER_02: For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but it is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.
SPEAKER_02: Look at what it says in verse 14, after that generosity, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
SPEAKER_02: It is when we are giving that the recipients of that and the experience of that and the impact of that.
SPEAKER_02: It causes people to say, Lord, thank you for what you're doing.
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for letting us be a part of that.
SPEAKER_02: God, thank you for your awesome grace.
SPEAKER_02: God, thank you for the lives that you're touching.
SPEAKER_02: Or if your life that's touched, people come to the Lord and they say, Thank you for that church, and thank you for our church family, and thank you for what they do.
SPEAKER_02: And that giving, it creates and expands of worship of the Lord, of thanksgiving to Him, because it is recognized inherently that God has given, and now the people that God has given to are giving to reflect the character of God.
SPEAKER_02: And so God is at work in all of that.
SPEAKER_02: And there is a praise that comes to the Lord because of that.
SPEAKER_02: Man, there is an impact when our character begins to reflect the heart of Jesus and our behaviors flow out of that character of generosity.
SPEAKER_02: Listen, giving is not something that is convenient.
SPEAKER_02: It is something that you plan to do.
SPEAKER_02: It is something that is intentional because of what God has done in your life.
SPEAKER_02: Listen to what he says.
SPEAKER_02: He says in verse 6, whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully.
SPEAKER_02: I mean, do you want to know the grace of God?
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I can't believe I spent my life with people making these stupid arguments.
SPEAKER_02: Do I tithe, even though I don't really want to?
SPEAKER_02: And I feel it's all legalistic and that's an Old Testament thing, but y'all may as feel guilty.
SPEAKER_02: So can I tithe on the net instead of the gross?
SPEAKER_02: Like, really?
SPEAKER_02: Christians ask that question.
SPEAKER_02: Okay, fine, do what you want to do.
SPEAKER_02: I don't care.
SPEAKER_02: But if you're not a generous heart, you're not gonna reap bountifully.
SPEAKER_02: My pastor growing up used to say, you want to get net blessings or gross blessings?
SPEAKER_02: And there's a truth in that.
SPEAKER_02: Look at what he says.
SPEAKER_02: Each person must give as he has decided in his heart.
SPEAKER_02: And then he connects the dot and says, For God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_02: Who do you want to be?
SPEAKER_02: Do you want a heart that reflects the heart of God?
SPEAKER_02: A heart that God loves and says, Well done, good faithful servant.
SPEAKER_02: Listen, nobody checks your amount.
SPEAKER_02: We're not, I'm not here trying to raise money.
SPEAKER_02: I'm a pastor, and I want you to know the heart of God and the pleasure of God in your heart.
SPEAKER_02: I want you to know bountiful reaping.
SPEAKER_02: I'm not here to any more than Paul says, listen, you can just give as you decide in your heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_02: But I want you to know the provision of God.
SPEAKER_02: God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
SPEAKER_02: That's what I want you to know.
SPEAKER_02: I want you to know in your heart, man, I'm doing this for God because Jesus did this for me.
SPEAKER_02: I am finding more ways to do that more in our lives.
SPEAKER_02: Janet and I, we try to give more every year than the year before.
SPEAKER_02: Every year.
SPEAKER_02: We're so far past that 10% calculation thing, I'm telling you, and I don't care because I want to know God's pleasure and I want to know God's bounty.
SPEAKER_02: I want to have an impact because God of how He has impacted me.
SPEAKER_02: Not from some selfish deal, but I want to impact others the way Jesus has impacted our life.
SPEAKER_02: You know, if you talk to the University of Arkansas or you talk to a hospital or you talk to a school, they do things like this.
SPEAKER_02: People give division.
SPEAKER_02: And they do give division.
SPEAKER_02: And our church has a vision.
SPEAKER_02: And we shared that vision the other night for 2026, and we'll talk about that.
SPEAKER_02: We have a campus coming.
SPEAKER_02: We have other things, you know, that we've already started now, our first baptism day and all that.
SPEAKER_02: We've got vision and all that.
SPEAKER_02: But listen, Christians should not be making a determination.
SPEAKER_02: Am I going to give to that because I feel like it has a vision or not?
SPEAKER_02: We should be giving because God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_02: And our generosity reflects his generosity.
SPEAKER_02: And just in closing, truth number three becomes clear again.
SPEAKER_02: Generosity and a character trait that reflects the character of Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: The Bible says in the book of Hebrews, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross.
SPEAKER_02: We want that art.
SPEAKER_02: We have so many folks in our church who are so generous in your giving, and you do reflect that.
SPEAKER_02: And I want to say thank you.
SPEAKER_02: On behalf of our church family, thank you for your generous heart.
SPEAKER_02: There are so many here.
SPEAKER_02: We have such a DNA of generosity.
SPEAKER_02: It was a blessing to be able to tell our Chaffee campus this morning that that campus is there and we planted a permanent flag there and can be there because you gave generously so we could do church there.
SPEAKER_02: And I want to thank you for that.
SPEAKER_02: And I just want to encourage the rest of you, let their zeal stir you up.
SPEAKER_02: If you haven't learned that lesson yet, man, just watch how God blesses people in our church.
SPEAKER_02: See their generosity and let that zeal stir you as well.
SPEAKER_02: Why?
SPEAKER_02: Because Jesus has changed our eternity through salvation.
SPEAKER_02: I want you to bow your head as we close.
SPEAKER_02: If you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, man, we've talked about salvation.
SPEAKER_02: I've shared it at least four times.
SPEAKER_02: You know Jesus loved you, he stepped out of heaven and he died for you on the cross.
SPEAKER_02: There has never been a more gracious gift for which we should have gratitude than the salvation that comes through Jesus.
SPEAKER_02: If you've never accepted Christ as your Savior, I want to invite you to give your life to Christ.
SPEAKER_02: I want to invite you to surrender your life to him.
SPEAKER_02: Friends, he will do more with your life than you could ever imagine.
SPEAKER_02: Give your life to him because he gave his life for you.
SPEAKER_02: Give him your life to place in the life of others the way he gave his life for you and he comes into your life.
SPEAKER_02: I want to invite you to know the gracious, generous, saving person of Jesus who gave his life for you.
SPEAKER_02: If you've never been accepted Christ your Savior, we have deacons at the head of our aisles.
SPEAKER_02: We'll be here.
SPEAKER_02: We've got folks to pray with you.
SPEAKER_02: You come.
SPEAKER_02: We're not going to arm twist you.
SPEAKER_02: We're not going to force you into a thing.
SPEAKER_02: We just want to be here to walk that journey with you, to answer questions you might have.
SPEAKER_02: If you're excited, you're ready to make that decision.
SPEAKER_02: We want to receive you, and we want to pray with you.
SPEAKER_02: We want to celebrate with you.
SPEAKER_02: We want to schedule your baptism and celebrate that with you.
SPEAKER_02: You come.
SPEAKER_02: If you need a church home, I want to invite you to come.
SPEAKER_02: Come be a part of a generous people.
SPEAKER_02: They're generous with their love.
SPEAKER_02: They're generous with their friendship.
SPEAKER_02: They're generous with their ministry.
SPEAKER_02: They're generous with their giving, and they reflect the heart of God.
SPEAKER_02: Come join and be a part with us.
SPEAKER_02: I'm going to pray, then God's people are going to stand and sing.
SPEAKER_02: And if you need Jesus, you come.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, we love you and we just thank you.
SPEAKER_02: Words are not enough to express our gratitude.
SPEAKER_02: Lord, I pray this morning you'll take these gracious pictures of who you are.
SPEAKER_02: And if someone has never given their life to you, they will understand in a way that only the Holy Spirit could explain to them the gracious gift of salvation.
SPEAKER_02: And they'll come and they'll give their life to Christ.
SPEAKER_00: It is in his saving name we pray, and all God's people said.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.