3.25.18
"Assigned Influence"
TEXT: 2 Cor. 9; Exo. 36:6; 1 Chron. 29:9; Jer. 22:11-16
TRUTHS:
1. God is about submission and the enemy is about rebellion. God lovingly leads us to submit to him and others. The enemy tempts us to do the exact opposite.
2. The principles of Christian generosity are given in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians (chapters eight and nine). As believers, we freely give because Jesus freely gave. The principle of binding and loosing--what we bind on earth is bound in heaven and what we loose on earth is loosed in heaven--is one of the key principles concerning how the Kingdom of God operates. We should expect this principle to show up all over the Bible and in relation to a variety of issues. Paul uses this principle to highlight how our giving opens and closes the "windows of heaven".
3. Our generosity controls the windows of heaven and guards us from having the wrong desires arise in our hearts. When we are not generous, we are more likely to be guided by fallen, selfish, and evil desires.
4. God explains to Josiah's sons why he had blessed their father. Josiah had rightly judged the cause of the poor and needy. The Lord remarks that this is what it means to "know him".
5. To know God means we will be generous in our hearts (and actions) towards poor, broken, and needy people--those who don't have what we have and have not been afforded the blessings we routinely enjoy. Christian generosity is not as simple as putting some money in an offering plate when we are in church.
6. In the New Testament, something remarkable happens concerning the priests. The priests were men who would be unlikely to leave their position and identify with the persecuted and marginalized followers of Christ. Their position resulted in security, comfort, power, wealth, and influence. It would be a lot to give up. Yet, when they see how the early Christians are treating and taking care of the poor, many of them leave their positions and come to faith. Why?
- They knew what God had repeatedly instructed his people to do throughout the Old Testament--take care of the poor and needy.
- They sensed how the worship of God was messed up and how the poor were being neglected.
- When they saw people doing what was close to God's heart, they knew the Christian faith had to be the truth.
TALK TO EACH OTHER
1. How does our generosity control the windows of heaven? What does it mean for the windows of heaven to be open in our lives?
2. Who, in our context, would classify as "poor and needy"?
3. What are some wrong things we could have in our hearts and minds concerning poor, broken, and needy people?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following area(s):
For the broken and needy people in our community.