Sunday, June 1, 2008

 

Announcements - Keith Currie
teachers back in service from teaching rotation
see announcements in BASIC

 

Communion -- Courtney Dailey
The Pilgrim Road:  Sermons on Christian Life by B.A. Gerrish -- compilation of early Christian writings
Two kinds of Fear:   1)  one with reverence - God  2)  fear accompanied by hatred (the Hebrew slaves to God -- master)
Courtney was overseas playing football, came back here looking for a job.  He was feeling rejected, felt down, self-worth low.
He was hired by Charlotte Fitness Company - they created an opening for him.   He was so grateful.   The first month was great, working hard, happy, grateful.   The second month was hard, started complaining, working all the time, less & less grateful.  
This is the perspective we sometimes have with God.
Rom 5:6-8
When he first became a disciple, he was willing to do anything for God, after the first year, he started seeing God as more of a boss man.  We see serving him as more of a burden - he's calling all the shots.   If we serve God because of our fear of Hell, we miss the joy of God's love for us.
Contribution -- 2 Cor 8:13-15

 

Frank Radcliff
Elder for the Charlotte Church
Rom 12:1-2
Connection between body and mind, life and doctrine, physical and spiritual
They work together.   Consequences when they don't work together.  
Offering your body as a living sacrifice, this takes effort, it if's just actions, or works, you get wore out.
The first time you do something as exercise, you hurt, you want to quit "I don't want to do that again"
If we stop at verse 1 - we will quit.   In verse 2 , there is a renewal, mind and emotions transformed. 
If we do both, we can continue.
If we only do verse 2, the body gets tired, dull, hardened - the mind says it wants to do something but the body doesn't act.   Synergy when all work together.
Apply this to our giving.

Three categories:
1)  God loves the consistent, cheerful giver
2)  Those who have the heart to give and a life caught in the weeds
3)  Those whose hearts are not in it, and neither is the check

 

We are not in trouble - giving is just above what's projected in the budget.  We're a non-profit organization, a little surplus is ok. 
1)  We've got tremendous opportunities, Ron has dreams, things we'd like to do to support those dreams.  There are real needs, there are great things we can do.
2)   Statistically, the number of people who don't give regularly, some people don't give at all - it's a heart problem.   The Bible talks about being perfectly united in mind and heart, and  God blessing us when we are. 

1 Cor 16:2
1)  God loves the consistent, cheerful giver
This is the verse we use as our pattern for passing the plate each Sunday, regularly and consistently give.
Each one of you / every one of you
the sum of money is not the same for everyone
percentage-wise - the campus are some of our biggest givers because they have no income
tithing - 10% of your possessions, this was set up for an agrarian society, cattle, etc.
We are a commerce society, based on income (what you have coming in)
Regular contribution -- how we give
2 Cor 9:6-7
What you've decided in your heart - implies that you have actually thought about it
When Frank grew up - you would open your wallet and see what was there.   A moral dilemma when you had a $1 bill and a $20 bill.   This does not imply thinking about it ahead of time.
Job's philosophy - the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away
Notice:   we are not under compulsion.   There's been a change.   We used to have a blue envelope, your name was checked off a list.   We were trying to do something for accountability but it compelled people.   We no longer do that, it is free will.
The Message translation -- God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
In a world where we encourage people to give from their hearts
Mt 6 - not letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing
Acts 4 & 5 -- models -- Barnabas sold property and laid the money at the feet of the disciples, Anias and Sapphira model

 

Beth and Frank Model - this is what they do -- during the print shop days, they had less than stable income, they set aside money to live on and decided they would consistently give, a high percentage because they had little income
They base their weekly tithe on their regular income, 10%
extra things happen, bonuses, rental property
Each year - they look at the adjusted gross income for taxes and make sure that  their tithing is more than 10% of that
Have you decided that when you have extra, you will give extra?

 

Matt 13: 7, 22
2)  Those who have the heart to give and a life caught in the weeds
The seed of faith getting choked out
notice what he focuses on - the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth
A lot of us are in that category
Sometimes those weeds are something we have absolutely no control over
At some point in life, we all have sickness, unexpected issues
Mt 6:24-34  don't worry, seek first His kingdom
It's not just there to say that you need to be in church every Sunday but to not be overwhelmed by life
sometimes we have added to those worries by the decisions we make
Bill Scurry -- every time Frank buys a house from Bill, Bill figures out how much house you can afford. Don't let him do it!   You don't want to have all of your money allocated, they don't want to be overcommitted, they want flexibility.   They want to be ready for problems that come up.   They want to be able to afford a house on one income.   Frank wants to retire debt-free -- no house payment, no car payment, no credit card debt.   He wants the flexibility that they can go anywhere to serve the Lord, or to follow their kids.  
With their kids, they had a one extracurricular activity rule.   Homework had to be done.  Do what you can do well.   Don't burn out the family.

Gal 6:9,  Heb 12:2

3)  Those whose hearts are not in it, and neither is the check
There are warnings about losing heart
There's people in this church that have gotten weary
If you're here this morning, you haven't given up
1)  fix your eyes on Jesus, read back through Heb 12
2)  you grow weary in doing good because of things that have happened. 
It's been a few years since the big changes in the church, but there's still long term effects
Frank's cell phone - 704-807-3890  e-mail  asktheelders@hotmail.com
If there's anyone here who feels it's difficult to give because of what leadership has done in the past or is doing now - he really wants to talk to you.   Even Frank doesn't agree with all the decisions that are made, and he helps make the decisions.   We can't give inconsistently based on our feelings.
Heb 13:15-16   With such sacrifices, God is pleased
Mother Theresa said "I did what was in front of me" 
Our challenge:  Do the good that's in front of you.