Guidelines for Group Giving
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2 Corinthians 8:16-24
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Achieving Excellence in Giving
Last week, we examined “The Heart of Giving.” This was the first of several lessons examining different aspects of giving. Jesus is quoted in Acts as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This is directly opposite our human nature, but if Jesus said it, this is how we want to live.
The Heart of Giving
Today, our lesson is from the first seven verses of II Corinthians 8. This lesson and the following three lessons are about different aspects of giving. I’ve already heard some people say,” I will start giving when I have more to give.” Some people think they don’t make enough or don’t have enough to be giving now. The Bible never ties giving to making or having a certain amount. All His children are expected to give, and today, we will look at the heart we should have as we give.
Contagious Joy
There is a short parable in Mat 13 which gives us a good foundation for our lesson. Verse 44 says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Notice how he sold everything. He was filled with joy to sell it all. Can we say the same? Is this the foundation of our joy? This is the best foundation for joy, only in surrendering everything and dying to self can we experience real joy.
The Joys of Sorrow
Life is filled with a variety of experiences. Joy and sorrow are often mingled. This reality appears in our Scripture text for today.
The Pursuit of Holiness, Part 2
It is good to be with you again this week. We are looking forward to finishing the lesson which we started last week. Last week J Mark taught on the measures or steps we can take to aid us in our pursuit of holiness. The first one was the measure of openness and the second was the measure of discernment. Today we will talk about the final thing we can do to pursue holiness. It is the measure of separation.
The Pursuit of Holiness: Part 1
Today our lesson is The Pursuit of Holiness, what we are saying is holiness is good and needs to be pursued. God tells us, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” So being holy is not a bad thing, it is a good thing, it’s healthy to be holy.
The Paradox of Ministry Part 3
Today’s lesson is the last of three lessons about the paradox of ministry. The past two weeks we heard the first two lessons and today is the final lesson. Each lesson gives us a perspective or two that helps us understand the paradox of ministry. Last week we looked at the perspective of passion and started the perspective of protection. Today we will conclude the teaching on protection and finish up by looking at the perspective of paradox.
The Paradox of Ministry Part 2
You might be thinking what is the paradox in ministry? Good question, earlier J Mark used the example of Jesus to illustrate a paradox. When He was here there was a group of people who loved Him and dedicated their lives to Him. However, there was also a group of people who determined to kill Him. He was so loved and so hated. This paradox has been repeated many times since then towards the followers of Jesus.
The Paradox of Ministry Part 1
What do you think about the statement, " The only constant in life is change?" Is that true? Has that been your experience? This statement is a paradox. A paradox is a statement that seems contradictory or opposed to common sense and is often true. In the example I mentioned, we have the words constant and change. We see those words as the opposite, yet we must admit the statement is true.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Thank you for listening to Hope for Today, we are honored to be here and so glad you chose to join us for today’s lesson. Our lesson today from the end of II Corinthians 5 is one of my favorite sections of the Bible. There is so much packed in here and I hope you will take extra time to meditate on the deep truths in these verses.