Foundation Scripture – Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
To ‘raise funds’ involves human perspiration and planning. To ‘release wealth’ involves spiritual authority borne out of consistent financial obedience.”( Clive Pick)
Let us open our bibles to the book of Matthew chapter 6.
Matthew 6 :9-34 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Serve =diakonéō (“to serve”) means caring for the needs of others as the Lord guides in an active, practical way.
Serve =Douleuo = to be a slave, to do service, become a slave to.
A slave is someone owned by someone .We see apostle Paul’s letters saying he is a bond servant or a slave of Christ. Whose slave are you, or am I? The issue of giving is about belonging ,who is my Master? Who do I love? Our attitude to money , giving, wealth ,poverty exposes whose slave one is. Who is influencing my attitude and or behavior towards money and resources? Where does partnering with God begin? It all begins in the heart. Giving even all, we have without the correct heart posture is displeasing to God as shown when Jesus commended the widow who gave all she had to the temple’s treasury. Our insecurity regarding provision exposes whether our prevailing mentality is that of an orphan or a son of God. The culture of an orphan is different from that of a son. In Christ satan’s deception at the garden of Eden has been overthrown and our attitudes towards money or giving tell whether we are living in the deception or in the reality of Jesus Christ finished work where God is our Father in charge of provision, protection and positioning as long as His will is the intent and the only business, we are involved in. Are you a child/son of God or an orphan? The sons of God are interested in their Father’s interest and walk confidently and secure in their Father.
Let us establish our identity for a minute . Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves
John 1 :11-14 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 John 3:1-3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
The issue of leadership. Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Who is leading us? Is it God or ourselves? Here is a scripture I love Isaiah 48:17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.
A loving Father or a distant one? God is interested in His children and we must destroy the false vision of our Father and accept His testimony of /himself, it is the truth , God is love, God is telling us not to worry, God is saying “see me correctly” so we reach out and yield to the processes that adjust our sight so that we cab see God correctly and see all other issues according to His view. We refuse the struggle of a godless society and welcome the culture of sonship. Jesus lived here on earth and there is no place we see him being financially insecure. He had a Father. He knew it. He lived it.
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. The mind of Christ is our deliverance from insecurity – in a scripture 1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:
What is your thinking system towards finances and resources?
In our kingdom God is our sovereign ruler, we see through stories like in 2 Kings chapter 6. Israel is going through famine. The king declares he will cut off Elisha’s head , why? Because the solution to the famine /economic crisis is in the hands of Elisha a prophet a man owned by God, who lived for no other purpose but to please God. In 2 Kings 7 Elisha speaks and the siege is lifted bringing in economic recovery to Israel. The church of whom we are members is the gate of heaven and the agency through which God’s Kingdom is becoming established on earth. We will continue next time beloved.
Let us pray -Our Father, we thank You for transporting us to the Kingdom of Your Son. We yield our thoughts, emotions, and decisions regarding finances to You. We yield to the processes that will produce victory in the execution of our lives as Your sons here on earth. By faith we bring our resources in alignment with Your Word Lord God.
Home
The Word
Music
About Us
Contact Us
Copyright © 2024 Unlimited In Christ
